Britt Raborn

The third time around I felt way more ready and prepared to care for myself postpartum than ever before. It was so nice just knowing exactly what I needed and how minimalist I could be. Packing your hospital bag is focused on not just you, but the baby, and your husband. I wanted to put together a specific post on postpartum essentials for mamas since I haven’t done this specific of a pos before. Plus, I hadn’t had a baby in over 3 years so I knew there were more helpful things out there now. This time around I also wanted to focus on safer products that didn’t include yucky ingredients in them. You’d be surprised how many postpartum products have parabens in them, which makes me sad. Some things you can’t get around, so I wanted to the best I could on my end. Truly, the hospital has you covered in case you go early or aren’t prepared, but if you’re an over planner you will enjoy this essentials round up! One day, I got into my research mode and found some must haves that I knew I needed to have and of course couldn’t wait to share once I had done the tried and true test! It’s been 3 months exactly today and I felt like it was an appropriate time to share all of this. The fourth trimester is definitely real, and only up until a few weeks ago did I really start feeling above 90% back to normal. Sure, you may look back to normal… make up helps, ha! So much goes on inside and hormones are continuing to change. With breastfeeding, I’ll still see some changes for awhile. But, I really do feel like at 3 months I’ve recovered and am bouncing back to old habits.

Okay, let’s get into it…!

1. The Mama Strut was one of the first things I found and researched. My first impression was, “wow, this has it all!” Pelvic support, abdomen and lower back support (with a back heating pad), an ice pack insert to stay in place, and had a boy short style to easily wear under any garment. It truly exceeded my expectations and I wore it religiously from the day I gave birth to about 4 weeks after. My favorite feature of the Mama Strut is the added pelvic support with the ice pack insert. This is my biggest area of recovery that is always hard and having an ice pack in place supporting my pelvis at the same time was so amazing to have. Before I had the mama strut, I was compiling about 4 different garments to create my own concoction, which never felt as secure or supportive as the Mama Strut. For me, this was worth every penny and I’m thankful I had it in my recovery this time around. The Mama Strut also has a belly band to support your abdomen as it shrinks. I felt so secure and pulled back together wearing the Mama Strut. Definitely my biggest product recommendation if you are giving birth soon.

2. Earth Mama Perineal Spray: is a product I have been using on repeat since I had Scarlett 6 years ago. It’s an alternative to the Dermaplast that the hospital will most likely give you. This time around, I just really wanted to be more conscious of the things I put on my body, especially in an area that would be like an open wounds so to speak. It has the same soothing effect, just a lot safer. I knew that the dermaplast would be at the hospital if I needed it and would use it if I really needed it, but thankfully this time around I didn’t and this spray helped things feel better.

3. Naticura Medicated Cooling Pads: These are a safer alternative to the tucks pads you might be used to seeing. These cooling pads are Ah-mazing and don’t have all the yucky chemicals in them. You will want to have these on hand for the first several weeks postpartum to help with possible hemorrhoids and other sensitivities.

4. MomWasher Peri Bottle: The hospital will give you a bottle to use, but to be honest, I had no idea I needed this until I used it. Wish I had it with my older two. This peri bottle has a new take on the hospital one and this bottle gives you more reach to spray in areas that aren’t as easy to access with the hospital kind. Not a necessity, but definitely nice to have when you are recovering.

5. High Waist Full Coverage Brief and Leakproof Panties: I went back and forth with these two kinds of undies and really enjoyed having both. The high waist brief was great for postpartum and feeling secure that everything was held in. Nothing sexy about these, but they were so great and were comfortable. The leakproof panties were nice to have whenever the bleeding was more average and I didn’t want to have to wear pads. Made me feel a little more human again.

6. Soft Robe: I scooped up this soft robe in a cornflower blue and have been loving it! Was so nice to have something jersey knit that is easy to wash, soft, and affordable. Saved my nicer robe for later on. Too much going on postpartum for me to ruin an ivory robe. This one is just $25 and comes in several colors!

7. Real Organic Pads: As you can see… I really tried to use organic and cleaner products this go round. I felt like it was important to do this since there is just so much going on with healing. These were perfect, did the job, were comfy, and softer than the ones I’ve used in the past.

8. Earth Mama Raspberry Leaf Tea: I started drinking this tea a few weeks before I gave birth to prepare my uterus for labor. It might be an old wives tale, but I felt like my delivery and  postpartum cramping this time was better. Maybe that’s all in my head, but I liked it and would definitely use it again.

9. Lamaze Cotton Spandex Sleep Bra: This bra is one of my favorite postpartum purchases because it is so affordable and comfortable. I just recently bought the 3 pack because I would be bummed when I couldn’t sleep in it. In the early days, you are feeding just as much during the night as the day, so it was nice to have a comfortable sleep bra. Pre pregnancy I was a 34B and felt like this kept my boobs secure and supported for sleeping. Its cut lower so it’s so easy to pull down and nurse in.

10. Nipple Butter: Something you 100% need, especially in those first 2 weeks. I’ve been using the Earth Mama nipple butter with all three for 6 years now. I think it’s wonderful and is so soothing. It’s a natural and safe nipple cream without lanolin, so I’ve always been happy with it.

I would love to know what your favorite postpartum care essential items were! I think it would be great to share in the comments what some of your holy grail items were that helped you during recovery. If your next step is packing your hospital bag, be sure to check out my free hospital bag checklist + printable!