Post Postpartum Essentials For The Minimalist

If you are anything like me, being a new soon-to-be mom has you scouring the internet for all of those “essential” items. Trying to prepare for all things baby, while also making sure you have the proper tools for those first few weeks home. It can be SO overwhelming…everyone always has an opinion and sometimes all of those opinions can be conflicting. Often leaving us to filter through a heap of information with little to no direction on what is right for our personal situation. Let me just say this, every single person is different, every situation is different; therefore, every ones needs are going to look a little different-and that is totally okay! When I was preparing for my daughter’s arrival I searched ALL OF THE BLOGS and asked about ten different friends who already had kids and used all of that input to piece together what I THOUGHT I needed. I thought I was golden, especially since majority of the blogs had the exact same items. Truthfully, I spent far too much money on stuff I either did not like or did not need. So if you are a thrifty momma-to-be and do not need much of the “extra fluff” then this list is for you! These are the bare minimum for real essentials for your postpartum care. If you happen to want some of that extra fluff and don’t mind spending the money, then I have you covered as well, in my Postpartum Commonly Recommended post.

Let me start by saying……..

Please do not listen to everyone on how scary or awful postpartum is. Do not let people get into your head with their personal experiences because EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. We all come from different walks of life and what may be a lot, difficult, scary, or painful to one may not be to you. So breath, have the proper tools, and reassure yourself that YOU CAN DO THIS-it is temporary and is honestly not that bad (my opinion). As a female, your body was literally BUILT for this.

I personally found it….

to be more time consuming and tedious than anything. Additionally, it was more uncomfortable opposed to painful. I remember before hand, everyone kept telling me “you will be SO swollen and sore and it will hurt”…just the thought of trying to imagine what everyone was describing to me was SO unsettling. Please do not fall into this trap. I was in labor for 11 hours, pushed for thirty minutes, and had some stitches and my experience was that postpartum was not (is not because I am currently only 2 weeks postpartum) painful, just a little uncomfortable. It is TOTALLY MANAGEABLE discomfort though.

Get to the goods lady….

Yes, yes I know you are not here for my personal experiences, so let’s get to it shall we?! I spent countless hours trying to get everything in order and set up little “stations”. Because, well…. that is what every other blogger recommended. While having stations (bathroom, breastfeeding, and so on) were beneficial, the contents of those stations are what is priority. I spent a lot of unnecessary money ordering what everyone else raved about. Which is fine, because I am sure some women really do use all of what was repeatedly recommended. However, for myself, I found less is more and these are the bare bones of what I actually needed. For the detailed explanation continue scrolling below. If you are wanting just the list and links without the jibber jabber, jump to the very bottom.

The pads provided by the hospital were PERFECT. So be sure you just so happen to need another pack the night before you leave the hospital (wink, wink). That way you can take home all of the extras. You will definitely still need to order yourself some BEFORE you go into labor though because you will be bleeding quite a bit. Just so happens, amazon has the exact ones the hospitals have super cheap. They were thick, long, and absorbent enough to catch alllllllll the blood, but not so thick and long to where they were uncomfortable or made me sweat. I did try the adult diapers and found that they were WAY to restricting and uncomfortable. I also tried some Maxi pads…my amazon order of the hospital pads was running a day late (eye roll…of course) so I sent the hubby out for some. They were nice quality and absorbent, but too thick, long and wide. They made me sweat a lot.

The hospital mesh panties…..ahhhh these are LITERALLY THE MOST COMFORTABLE thing to wear during this time. While pregnant I did order some fabulous “granny panties” that are super comfy and they came in clutch when my bleeding started to lighten up. BUT during the heavy bleeding weeks, nothing is more comfortable than these hospital mesh panties. Full transparency, I stashed the unworn ones in my suitcase and asked for more… then when I got home I just used what I took from the hospital. Probably should not be admitting that on the web, but hey- I am just tryin to be honest and help some fellow ladies out! TAKE THAT SHIT HOME. You won’t regret it. Bonus, you can wash them a couple times too. I ended up with six pairs in my suit case and that was plenty to get me through that heavy bleeding period.

The blue chux-aka the big absorbent thing they fold up that goes between the mesh panties and pad…I did not have these on hand at home waiting…because no one recommended them. I REGRETTED this. If only someone would have told me to just stick with the hospital method of the mesh panties, chux, and pad…I would have saved myself a full day of discomfort. I ordered this 50 count for $15 and don’t worry if you don’t use them all. A little hack I discovered is that they work FABULOUS on the changing table too! Babies can be messy and putting the chux down over my changing pad has legit saved me from probably ten loads of laundry already. Super easy cleanup for when she decides to pee mid diaper change.

Dermaplast…oh sweet, sweet Dermaplast. This is the one thing that actually fulfilled the expectations set by the recommendations. Take it home from the hospital, just so happen to “run out” the night before you are sent home so you have an extra. You will 10000% want one for each bathroom you use at home. Be sure to order one too, that way you do not run out. Even after the swelling and stuff goes down, if you have stitches, it will itch like a mo’ fo and this stuff is your relief!

Peribottle with warm water since you won’t want to wipe with toilet paper, this method of cleansing is soothing to your va-jay jay. The hospital will give you one for free, which works fine. It definitely does the trick and I used it for my bathroom in my bedroom, since that is what I used at night. The Frida Peri bottle is worth the few bucks though….honestly it truly is, a lot of bloggers recommended it and I see why. The nozzle is longer and angled so it is easier to use. The way the water flows out of it is also more gentle and soothing. Plus, if you have more than one bathroom you need more than one peri bottle, so why not get one that makes your life a little easier and more comfortable.

Wet wipes.. again, you will not be wanting to use toilet paper to wipe, so wet wipes to dab are an excellent alternative. You can pretty much get these anywhere so just grab whatever works for you. I used the hospital kind until I ran out, at which point I used what we keep at home regularly.

Hemorrhoid pads are unfortunately another “must have” on my list. I could have lived without them, but they honestly helped sooth not only my bum, but also my vagina. They are little, round, wet cloths you just place on the pad to help provide relief to your vagina or booty hole. Majority of women recommended the tucks brand which I did order and used regularly in my main bathroom. I also took home the ones the hospital gave me which are aed brand and they honestly worked exactly like the tucks. I noticed no difference, so if I ever do this again, I will just order whichever is cheaper.

Colace is a daily stool softener and BELIEVE ME when I tell you, YOU WANT THIS. Start taking it during the last bit of pregnancy and DON’T STOP until a few weeks/months after delivering. The hormones have your body so crazy. I quit taking it once I left the hospital and it was a HUGE MISTAKE. You can read all about those first poops after delivery in my other post. Otherwise, BUY THE COLACE, TAKE THE COLACE, if it is offered in the hospital, accept it.

Quick side note, if you are breastfeeding you will want to invest in nipple cream and the organic bamboo washable breast pads. Hop on over to my breastfeeding blog for more details, insight, and my experience.

The Quick List

• Pads
• Mesh Panties
• Chux
• Dermaplast
• Peribottle
• Wetwipes these are flushable and plant based
• Hemorrhoid pads
• Colace
• Lanolin Cream or Mama Earth Nipple Butter (for breastfeeding mommas)
• Organic Bamboo washable breast pads (for breastfeeding mommas too)