Top 10 Postpartum Essentials

The postpartum stage is a beautiful, difficult, overwhelming mess of a time. It’s a shock to the system, whether it’s your first child or fourth.

I know I had a tough time adapting to motherhood and all that comes with it after the birth of my baby girl, Ada: The sleeplessness, the full-body exhaustion, the mental load of postpartum.

To help any other soon-to-be mothers out there, I’ve compiled a list of my postpartum essentials – just like I did with my pregnancy essentials list – to help you through this hectic time.

Please note that the links provided are affiliate links, so I would earn a small commission if a sale is made through them, at no extra cost to the buyer. All products listed are products I have used myself postpartum and genuinely would recommend.

1. Nursing pillow

Whether breast or bottle feeding, you’re going to be feeding baby a lot. When baby is held in a nursing position for so long, your arms and shoulders are no doubt going to get sore, or you may develop aches from bad posture when in this position for so long. A nursing pillow helps support you in the right positioning for nursing, and gives your arms, shoulders and back a bit of a break. I still use mine for every feed when I’m at home, and I can only tell you how much it has helped my poor knackered body. I actually used my DreamGenii pillow which was a dual pregnancy support pillow and then could be used postpartum as a nursing pillow: https://amzn.to/2UOEMr9

2. Baby wrap or carrier

Newborn babies want to spend a lot of time nestled up to their mother. After spending 9 months inside your belly, warm and safe, you can understand why they find their comfort and security cuddled up to you during the postpartum period. For those days where you just can’t sit on the couch holding them all day long, a wrap or carrier comes in handy. Baby can still be close to you, but you have your arms free to get other things done at the same time. Ada was (and still is) a baby that contact naps about 95% of the time, so having a wrap was indispensable to me. I used the Moby Wrap and absolutely loved it. I have a buckled carrier too which I used once Ada was about 2 months old and able to hold her head up steadily, but still even to this day I use my Moby, and I think both Ada and I prefer it. Moby Wrap: https://amzn.to/2UMV4kA

3. Wrap nursing bras

If you’re breastfeeding, you’re going to need to whip ’em out easily, and when not feeding, you want to be comfortable. You’re going to get engorged, leak, possibly get mastitis, and you will certainly experience general aches and discomfort in your breasts during postpartum. Therefore, you want a nursing bra that is comfortable, easy to move out of the way for feeding, but also keeps you supported. I lived in wrap nursing bras that are marketed for sleeping, but I wore them all through the day too. They were amazing! I still wear them now when I’m just at home, and only pop on those maternity bras with cups and clips when I leave the house. I used ones like this: https://amzn.to/2UtHHa8

4. Reusable breast pads

You’re going to be leaking breast milk whether you like it or not. Therefore, you are going to need something to stop that leakage seeping through your top for the world to see. Not that it matters if someone sees – it’s a natural bodily function – but I’m guessing you don’t want to have to change your sopping wet shirt a million times a day!  You can get disposable breast pads that stick inside of your bra, but being more eco-conscious, I went with reusable fabric ones. You use them, then just throw them in the wash and re-wear. I loved them. They were so comfortable, and soft on my skin. I recommend these kinds of pads: https://amzn.to/2yk4gW2

5. Nipple cream

With all the constant use – if you’re breastfeeding – it’s safe to say your nipples are going to get sore. One of the best tips I was given was to use nipple cream after EVERY feed from the very first feed. I still got sore, yes, but I honestly think I did help myself save on the worst of it by using this tip. I used plain old coconut oil (https://amzn.to/2wDk1qH) or organic paw paw ointment.

6. Breast discs

As noted above, your nipples will get sore, and may even get chaffed, cracked, or start bleeding. Another thing you can help do if you’re starting to get that way is to make use of breast discs, which allow your nipples to “air out” after each feeding. Just don’t do what I did and forget you have them in, bend over to pick up baby, and send a gush of collected milk spill out from the discs and all over baby (Doh!). I used Medela’s Breast Shells: https://amzn.to/2WOS7CG

* Side note – if you’re getting so sore that feeding is too painful to endure, Nipple Shields can help. I know some midwives and health visitors won’t recommend them because there’s a potential possibility of nipple confusion. However I (and many other women I know) made use of them and had no trouble. I used them for a couple of days at any time, just on the one breast that got very sore, and tried to only use them for every second feed. They helped so much in times of intense discomfort of the nipple when I was postpartum. I also used Medela brand for the Nipple Shields: https://amzn.to/2JqHePy 

7. Snacks

You’re going to be hungry! Whether breastfeeding or not, being a postpartum mum uses a lot of energy, so you need to fuel your body throughout the day. I know as an exclusively breastfeeding mum, I was ravenous 24/7, even more so than when I was pregnant! Before giving birth I had prepped by making and freezing snacks like energy balls, flapjack, biscuits, banana bread and lactation cookies and I was so glad I had. This is the recipe here that I used for the lactation cookies if you’re interested. Although I did go through all the pre-prepared snacks in a much-shorter time than I had anticipated (Whoops…). If I went back in time I’d make double or even triple the amount. 

8. Water Bottle

If you’re breastfeeding, you need to keep your liquid levels up in order to keep producing milk. If you’re not breastfeeding, you still need to keep your body hydrated so it can withstand the postpartum exhaustion. I found keeping a couple of stainless steel water bottles throughout the house, in the main spots I would sit with Ada, really helpful. So I had one next to the bed, one next to the couch where I would feed her, etc. My choice is a stainless steel bottle like the Klean Kanteen. I plan to replace it with a proper Klean Kanteen once my knock-off’s lifespan is complete: https://amzn.to/33W4ZZj

9. Lip Balm

As with above, you need to keep hydrated. I noticed that my lips were constantly dry postpartum, due to my body using my water intake to create milk. Therefore, I was constantly in need of a good lip balm (but didn’t always have it handy). I love LUSH’s Ultrabalm, and Hurraw: https://amzn.to/2WSGDy1

10. A good moisturizer

Your body has been battered and bruised, stretched and strained by pregnancy. Now, during the postpartum stage, will start to try to restore itself. Helping it along with a nourishing body moisturiser is good idea. Plus it will also give you the feeling of being pampered just a little bit – which makes all the difference as a new mum. I used a couple of different moisturisers. Old faithful coconut oil and LUSH’s massage bars were handy, but mostly I used Sukin Sensitive Soothing Body Lotion: https://amzn.to/2WUHD4B