Setting yourself up with a postpartum care kit before baby arrives is essential. By creating a postpartum care kit that is outfitted with everything you need to be comfortable, you will heal faster and save your partner a trip to the store for supplies after baby arrives.
I recommend creating a postpartum care kit for each bathroom in your house, or at least each floor. This way you won’t need to do any unnecessary stair climbing to access your postpartum care kit supplies.
Below we’ll talk about postpartum essentials and postpartum nursing supplies that will make your postpartum recovery even faster and more comfortable.
Disclaimer: this post contains Affiliate Links. Read about what affiliate links are and how we use them here.
Let’s dive right into the postpartum care kit items that you don’t want to skip. For lack of a better word, these will be essential to your postpartum recovery. Having them stocked and on-hand in the house before baby is 100% the way to go.
For the first 7-10 days you will have heavy bleeding, these are a must!
When the heavy bleeding ends, you may still bleed for up to 6 weeks, extra-long pads will help catch everything better, but you won’t need the bulk of an overnight maxi pad anymore.
Witch Hazel will be your best friend on your swollen and uncomfortable lady parts and to provide relief from pesky hemorrhoids.
Ice is also going to be key in your postpartum recovery due to all of the swelling and hemorrhoids.
Creating your own padsicles is a great pre-baby activity. A little aloe vera and witch hazel on a pad, pop it in the freezer and voila! The ultimate postpartum comfort.
Even wiping after using the bathroom hurts after you have a baby. Instead, clean yourself with a squirt bottle. The Mom Washer has a nice angle to it making it really easy to get yourself clean.
Holding in a giant pad and ice pack is a job for underwear with a lot more coverage. Maternity underwear also have a wide and comfy waist band.
After you clean yourself when you use the bathroom, a dose of sitz spray will really cool your bottom and make you more comfortable
Taking a sitz bath is a wonderful way to soothe your swelling and hemorrhoids down there. Get some nice sitz bath salts, fill your tub with a few inches of warm water and relax.
Even just sitting will be uncomfortable after you have a baby. A donut pillow will allow you to sit and take the pressure off of your sensitive bottom.
Get more tips to prepare for baby’s arrival with our weekly How to Prepare Tips in the FREE Bump Smart email series!
While you are creating a postpartum care kit for your recovery ‘down there’, it’s also a great time to create a nursing supply basket. Having everything you need for successful breastfeeding and breast comfort in an easy to transport caddy will make nursing easier.
Dry and cracked nipples are to be expected when you are first learning how to breastfeeding
Your nipples will leak quite a bit as your body builds a supply and gains control of the letdown reflex. Reusable breast pads are so much more comfortable and practical than disposable ones.
You will mostly be lounging around feeding the new baby, no need for fancy and uncomfortable nursing bras. What are known as ‘night nursing’ bras are a must!
Breastfeeding hunger is real! I stashed trail mix and other bars in all of my typical nursing spots.
Something about ice cold water was essential to me while breastfeeding. And like the hunger, breastfeeding thirst is equally as intense.
Having a nursing pillow will make your life so much easier.
Get a cute, small basket to go in each bathroom you will need your postpartum supplies. Stock it with pads, a sitz spray, witch hazel pads, and your peri-bottle.
This way, any time you need to use the bathroom, everything you need to be clean and comfortable will be right at your fingertips.
As you create your postpartum care kit, you are probably in the process of preparing other things to make sure you’re totally ready for labor, delivery, and baby.
Get the items featured on this list and you will be so much more comfortable during your postpartum recovery.
Any items I’m forgetting? What are you doing to help you postpartum-self get more comfortable? Leave a comment below <3
Our Purpose
