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As mamas or to be mamas, we have so meticulously put together all the baby essentials well before (may be a day or two ago 🤣) baby’s arrival. In all the excitement preparing for the baby, we tend to forget about ourselves and what we need. I hope that this post will help at least one person prepare better for postpartum. This post contains a list of products I used during pregnancy and postpartum.

Note: for all the dads to be reading this post, 🥇 for you if you can get all of this sorted and organized for your baby mamas 😀

What are the essentials for postpartum?

Breastfeeding Essentials:

Bamboobies Nursing Pad whether you’re breastfeeding or pumping, these pads are a must for you to avoid leakage.

Breastpump: I used the Spectra Breast Pump which I really liked. It doesn’t make as much noise as some of the other so called ‘hospital grade’ pumps. Please check if your insurance covers breast pumps. You may want to read up on the instructions and set this up before the baby comes. The last thing you want to do, during zombie-mode, is learn how to use the pump. More on everything breastfeeding in the next post!

Bottles/Rack/Milk Storage: Doctors recommend introducing your baby to bottles in the first 6 weeks of life because apparently they won’t take the bottle, otherwise. We got Avent bottles and also used the bottles that come with Spectra Pump. Our LO (little one) was fine with either of the bottles. I know some babies can be picky so you may need to experiment. However, don’t give up! Especially if you’re going to be going back to work.

You’ll also need a drying rack for the bottles. Lastly, if you have good supply, milk it (pun intended)! Get freezer safe storage bags, a marker and dividers for your fridge to store milk.

Nursing Bras: Get at least 4 of these. You’re going to need them! Wearing under wire bras are going to be pretty rough in the beginning and you want easy access for the baby. Warning: you may never want to go back to normal bra lol

Self Care:

Extra Heavy Maxi Pads: if you have not heard this before, let me be the first to share the news, you bleed a lot after delivering a baby. For weeks! These along with some Depend will be your friends for a while!

Earth mama natural nipple butter I literally used this everyday, each time I breastfed, for about 7 months. The first few months of breastfeeding was brutal and I had cracked nipple. This butter helped me a ton. Breastfeeding post coming soon!

Wet Wipes: trust me, you don’t want toilet paper down there for a while 🙃

Peri Cleansing Bottle: I got a squirt bottle from the hospital and it was easy and simple. Remember anything postpartum should be convenient to use. I know a lot of people also get the Frida momwasher

Shea Butter: this really helped me during and after pregnancy. My belly was really dry throughout pregnancy so my husband would apply this on my belly everyday :). I can’t vouch for whether this helped with stretch marks though.

Massage Oil: before you do any kind of home massage be sure to check with your doctor. I really liked this Aroma Therapy massage oil as it helped relax my muscles. I used it during pregnancy as well as after baby. In some parts of the world, it is recommended to get oil massage everyday, postpartum, as it helps the body recover faster.

Postpartum Belly Wrap: if you had C-section, this is a must! In general the belly wrap is supposed to help get the belly back in place; however, it also helped me greatly with any lower back pains after numerous hours of breastfeeding and holding the baby.

Others:

Mattress Protector: I got a new mattress so decided to protect it. I had a number of ‘accidents’ so i was glad I bought this!

Beverage Storage: It’s important to drink lots of fluid (lentil soup, bone broth, fenugreek water, etc.) the first few months to maintain milk supply. It’ll be handy to keep one of these at home. Prepare the liquid of your choice in the morning and drink up all day!

Water Bottle: have a water bottle with spout always by your side. Remember you’ll need to stay hydrated because you’re now hydrating another life 🙂

List

1. Bamboobies