Bringing a little one into the world is truly one of the most beautiful experiences. Having a child shows you that you can love someone in a way you never thought imaginable.
Once your baby is born it seems like all of your focus, time, and energy goes into making baby happy, feeding baby, changing baby, rocking baby, and just learning all about your new little one. We focus so much attention on our little one that I think women can neglect to care for themselves, too.
Some of the best advice I got from our nurse was that “I can’t take care of baby well until I take care of myself first.” There are the obvious things you can do: sleep when baby is sleeping, drink lots of water, eat healthy, etc., but it’s hard to know what else you might need if you’ve never given birth before.
So, today I’m sharing all the items I had in my Recovery Kit for after delivery and why you’ll want them, too!
1. Sitz Bath – this will help you relieve pain for your woman parts and especially if you have hemorrhoids.
2. Squeeze Bottle – no matter if your tear or not, things are not going to be pretty down there after delivery and wiping with toilet paper is the last thing you’ll want to do, so get a squeeze bottle, fill it with lukewarm water and use this to rinse off after you use the restroom
3. Dermoplast – ladies, this is a God-send. This anti-bacterial spray is used to spray on your woman parts after using the bathroom; this spray is a numbing spray and will help relieve pain while you walk, sit, and for the next time you go to the restroom
4. Nursing Pads – ever heard a mom say that when a baby cries you’ll start to leak? Well, it’s true, and there’s no stopping it. There’s also a great chance that you’ll over produce in the beginning as your body is trying to figure out how much milk to make, which means you’ll probably leak through your bra and through your clothes. That’s where nursing pads come in. All you have to do is stick them in your bra and they’ll soak up any leakage. I have washable ones that I paid a bit more for, but these disposable Lansinoh ones seem to be far more absorbent and are definitely my favorite!
5. Tucks – although these cooling wipes can be used after you go #2 (you’ll definitely want to use them if you have hemorrhoids), they can be used to blot wipe after you go #1, too – they’re much cooler and softer than TP
6. Preparation H – not all women are going to need this one, but if you developed hemorrhoids during or after delivery, you might want to use some of this cream to help reduce your hemorrhoids
7. Post Delivery Cold Packs – you will definitely get these in the hospital to help reduce swelling and pain, and although you may not need them by the time you go home (Derm0plast spray is often sufficient), you may want a couple just in case.
8. Maxi Pads – bleeding post-baby is a totally normal phenomenon and can continue for 2-6 weeks, so having maxi pads on hand to wear is essential because you won’t be allowed to wear a tampon post-delivery.
9. Yeti – you may wonder why I added this to the list, but it’s been a huge help to me during these first couple of weeks; drinking lots of water is so important to recovery, especially if you’re nursing. I don’t know what it is, but if I have a water bottle I’m more likely to drink water, and if you don’t have a Yeti tumbler yet, you need one because they will keep your water cool for days (literally)!
10. Stool Softener – going #2 can be a scary thing post-delivery, especially if you had an episiotomy or tore a little bit, so taking a stool softener for those first couple of days or weeks at home can help things go much smoother
note: your hospital will give you some of these items, but you’ll want to have some at home, too
For more pointers on postpartum care, check out this article from WebMD.
xx – anna
