The Ultimate Postpartum Care Kit for New Moms After Birth

Natural Postpartum Survival Kit for New Moms

We spend so much time stressing and worrying about labor. How will it go? Will I tear? Am I going to poop? Will I have to get a C-section?

Seriously. Us women read book after book (or article after article online these days) about pregnancy. We spend hours contemplating labor and creating our perfect birth plan.

Have you ever taken the time to think about postpartum recovery?

Of course we’ve all thought about getting our bodies back after baby, but what about that 6 week recovery period that your body needs after every single organ in your core has been relocated; muscles and skin have been torn, stretched, and strained; and you pushed a person out your hoo-hoo (or had one cut out of your abdomen bringing on an even more difficult recovery!)?

**This post contains affiliate links to items I own and love and am confident will benefit you immensely! You can read the full disclosure here.**

But before we dive into aftercare, I want to be sure you know about the best prenatal resource for moms-to-be to help you grow the most healthy baby you can!

Prenatal nutrition and fitness feels like a mystery to many of us. I mean your doctor hardly even touches on that area at all.

And yet, we now know that what you eat and how active you are while pregnant directly affects your baby’s genetic outcome, turning on and off certain genes based on your nutrition and fitness!

How’s a mom to know what to eat, what not to eat, and how to safely exercise to have a fit bump-only pregnancy and grow the most healthy baby possible through her diet and exercise?

There is this new ah-mazingly extensive, detailed, and easy to apply 2-part prenatal nutrition and fitness course called The Perfect Pregnancy Plan.

It’s created by a Personal Fitness Trainer who’s also certified in Nutrition and Lifestyle During Pregnancy and it breaks down EVERYTHING about prenatal nutrition, has tons of amazing recipes, and even has a full 40 week workout plan that addresses all your prenatal needs from pelvic floor, to diastasis recti, to prenatal backache.

If you have ever wondered about anything related to prenatal diet and exercise, the Perfect Pregnancy Plan is exactly what you need.

Have You Prepared for Your Postpartum Care?

If you are anything like me with my first pregnancy, the shock of the difficulty of the postpartum period is going to hit you hard.

I literally had no idea what to expect. I was stressing on preparing for pregnancy and then baby care and never once stopped to think or plan about my postpartum recovery needs. Not a single thought.

I had nothing to prepare for the pain and recovery time needed postpartum. Fortunately, my lovely mother stayed with us for a week and was able to run out to the store and grab me a couple of essentials like Dermoplast and Tuck’s pads.

My postpartum recovery was long and hard. I tore badly, and even when the stitches healed the pain didn’t go away for a long, long time.

Needless to say, I wasn’t going to do that again. I learned the hard way that preparing for the postpartum recovery period is so important! Vitally important to your health and even mental wellbeing.

So Did I Create a DIY New Mom’s Survival Kit the Second Time?

You bet I did!

For my second pregnancy, I did tons of research on how to make the postpartum period more comfortable as well as how to avoid tearing in childbirth again by proper preparation before labor. And you know what?

My second postpartum was a breeze. I had all the tools on hand that I needed to ease the pain and I had enough of them. I didn’t tear at all.

Proper preparation and a few more years and knowledge under my belt made all the difference in the world.

How you can really prepare for labor and postpartum now?

So I’ve compiled the ultimate aftercare kit for you for your pregnancy. It goes far beyond the Dermoplast and Tuck’s pads. By spending a bit and preparing a lot, you will be set for an awesome postpartum recovery!

There’s a lot to say for being prepared.

You already know to create your birth plan.
You’ve probably already packed your hospital bag.
You may already have a freezer stash full of perfect postpartum meals.
Being the prepping mama you are you probably have even already taken your birth class to ease your pregnancy fears and really be mentally prepared on the big day. And if you HAVEN’T you can try out this awesome online prenatal class created by an L&D nurse of 18 years that I took because you can do it in your pj’s when your hubby is home!
Putting together a postpartum care kit for yourself beforehand is just as important!

Everything You Want in Your Ultimate Postpartum Aftercare Kit

1. Dermoplast Spray

There’s a good chance they will give you some of this in the hospital, but you will need more. If you tear, this stuff is a lifesaver. It is a cooling numbing spray that you will want to use every single time you go to the bathroom for a while after baby comes. Have it on hand already to make postpartum so much easier!

2. A Peri Bottle

Now, this item you will get from the hospital. But it doesn’t have the wonderful angle that this perineum-saving bottle does that lets you comfortably get all that soothing water on your swollen lady bits. Plus, if your house has multiple bathrooms, you will want a peri bottle for each. Just leave them sitting on the back of the toilet for easy access.

Every time you go to the bathroom you will want to spritz down with one of these. It is wonderfully soothing. Especially if you add a few drops of lavender essential oil to the bottle. It’s a game-changer.

3.

On that note, you WILL want to try adding lavender essential oil to your peri bottle. The difference it makes is ah-mazing. Just add about 5 drops to the bottle (add more if you like) and shake before each use. The lavender is calming, healing, and antimicrobial.

Basically it’s a whole bunch of wonderful you get to spray on every time you pee.

I adore based on their price and purity. I haven’t found anything close to that quality for anywhere near an affordable price.

But you can also pick some up on Amazon if that’s your preference. I recommend Aura Cacia lavender essential oil (I’ve used them successfully for many things) and maybe even NOW lavender essential oil if you are going the Amazon route. (Sometimes it’s just easier to get everything in one place with 2-day shipping, I totally get it.)

4. Herbal Perineal Spray

I haven’t gotten to try this one myself yet, but I’ve read a lot about it online. This all-natural perineal spray is full of essential oils and witch hazel and is supposed to be the all-natural replacement for Dermoplast.

I personally have added lavender essential oil to my peri bottle and soothed with padsicles (see #5) which contain a lot of the same ingredients and work amazingly, so I’m confident this spray will as well.

After hearing tons of mamas rave about this stuff, this will be what I use for this labor I’m having in about 10 weeks. I love keeping things as natural as I can.

5. Padsicles

Say what? Have you heard of padsicles? They are my absolute #1 postpartum recovery secret weapon. I WOULD NOT go through another delivery without them. Hands down would not.

A padsicle is a little homemade treat that you create for yourself before labor and store in the freezer. Imagine every time you need to change your pad postpartum, slipping on a cool ice pack saturated in healing oils. That’s basically what they are.

A padsicle is a large maxi pad saturated in aloe, witch hazel, and healing essential oils that you freeze. I made 40 last time, 2 giant maxi pad packs. And I used every single one. By the time they were gone, I didn’t need them anymore. Everyone’s recovery time is different, but I’d say 40 is right around a good number to have made beforehand.

Find the full recipe and instructions to make padsicles.

6. Tuck’s pads

If you aren’t ready or able to splurge on all the supplies needed to make yourself some awesome padsicles, you definitely should have some Tuck’s medicated pads on hand instead! They are designed for hemorrhoids but the witch hazel in them is also calming and soothing for a swollen vagina and possible tears down there.

Just place a couple Tuck’s pads on your maxi pad every time you change it for some cooling relief.

7. Mesh Disposable Panties

If this isn’t your first baby you know the ones I’m talking about! If this is your first time around and mesh panties sounds weird, ya I thought so too. At the hospital, they give you these giant mesh panties that hold in the giant pad that you need postpartum because there is a lot more blood and it can leak a lot faster than you would expect.

Unless you are able to swipe some from the hospital or have a really generous nurse, you don’t get to take any of these bad boys home. And you will want to. Seriously, it’s messy and while I normally always rally for reusable everything, postpartum is not the time. You need these things to hold everything together and you’re gonna want to throw that stuff away.

8. Large Postpartum Maxi Pads

If you don’t pick up a pack of these special postpartum maxi pads that they have in the hospital you will so miss them once you go home! If you are at all like me you might want to rush home and get out of the hospital, and then you won’t have all the goodies they have there for postpartum like that stretchy underwear and these giant pads.

Sounds like something ridiculous to miss, but believe it or not you will. This set of oversized pads comes with 14, which should be plenty to get you down to a regular heavy flow pad.

9. Dark Colored Panties

Once you are done with the giant mesh panties and huge pads that are the size of puppy piddle pads, you still will not be ready for your sexy lacy underwear yet.

You’ll still be bleeding (just much less) and you still have more baby weight to shed. You want dark colors because well, the leaks. And you really just need some cheap comfy panties to get you through the next few weeks.

10. Laxatives

This is one place there may be a lot of personal preference. Your doctor may give you a prescription for a laxative postpartum. Or you might have a favorite that just works well for you. I’ve been given colace after one birth, and senokot after another. My body personally is very stubborn when it comes to laxatives and the only thing that works for me is smooth move tea.

So pick one or 2 to try but you will definitely want a laxative on hand. You do not want to be pushing at all in those first couple weeks or it’s gonna hurt.

11. Natural Nipple Butter

When your already sensitive breasts first adjust to breastfeeding there is a super good chance that they will end up chapped. Your nipples are already sensitive, your body is already achy, the last thing you need to deal with right now is cracked painful nipples.

This specific nipple cream is what you want. It contains no parabens, petroleum, or lanolin. You don’t even have to wash it off before breastfeeding (because really, who has time for that!?)

12. Nipple Pads

Another necessity that you will want on hand is some nipple pads. Once again, while your breasts adjust to breastfeeding (and possibly forever while breastfeeding) whenever you start feeding baby, the other nipple lets down and makes a mess all over your shirt.

And then sometimes they just decide to let down from being overfilled. Or maybe your boobs heard a baby cry in the store and decided you need to feed it. Whatever the reason, your boobs are probably going to leak.

Disposable nursing pads are an easy and great option postpartum. For the long haul, I personally love having washable and reusable nipple pads too.

13. Giant Water Bottle

You will need to have a giant water bottle on hand postpartum. Your body is losing a lot of water those first few weeks, and making breastmilk takes a lot of water too!

You will be so thirsty you won’t believe it. And you will be caring for baby constantly. Unless you want to send hubby to refill your cup every 30 minutes, invest in a nice big BPA free water bottle! It’s a lifesaver.

Wrapping Up the Perfect Postpartum Aftercare Kit

Take your favorite picks from this list, or buy them all. Build yourself a little box of goodies to keep on the back of the toilet (Except the padsicles, they have to stay in the freezer. No convenient, but so worth it!).

Put a bit of each thing in your personal postpartum survival kits and keep it in each bathroom you will be using. Because mama you’re worth it!