My 12 favorite postpartum things for momma after having a baby. Don’t forget to treat yourself to new essentials after giving birth!

You can also check out my 1st trimester, 2nd trimester and 0-3 month baby favorites.

 

  1. Motherhood Maternity Seamless Clip Down Nursing Bra – My friend recommended this nursing bra to me, and I love it. Very comfy, so I can wear it when I sleep too. I have 4!
  2. Compression Socks – I was one of those girls who had her ankles and feet puff up like CRAZY the day after giving birth. It was…gross. Surest way to make you feel the opposite of pretty. I felt like the Nutty Professor. It may have been because of the c-section, because all the other c-section mommas in NICU were rocking some thick and puffy ankles. After a week went by and they were still puffed, I and ordered these compression socks. I wore them for 48 hours straight, even to bed, only taking them off to shower. And like magic, my ankles were back!
  3. Sigg Water Bottle – Breast feeding makes me so, so thirsty. I can’t get enough water. I love my Sigg water bottle. I keep it by my bed so I can drink water all through the night to replenish after night feedings.
  4. Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter – Another friend recommended this to me. This nipple butter is very soothing, and completely safe for the baby. All natural ingredients. Luckily I didn’t have any cracking on my boobs, but I did have my skin cracking on my hands and knuckles from washing my hands and using hand sanitizer 50+ times a day when Josh was in the NICU. Luckily I had this salve with me because it saved my hands!
  5. Old Navy Rockstar Mid Rise Jeggings – Yes, I caved and got jeggings. But these are amazing! They are as comfy as yoga pants, but legit look like jeans. I feel a lot better about myself when I actually get dressed in the morning, and these jeggings make it easy. They’re stretchy, so they’ll work as your size changes. I can still crawl around on the ground with Josh and be comfortable. Bonus? These pants come up kind of high, like to my belly button, which is great to hold in your post birth belly while it is still going down, and even more amazing if you get a c section. The c section incision cuts thru a ton of nerves. So parts of my lower stomach are still completely numb, and parts have had the nerve endings grow back and are hyper sensitive. Most annoying feeling ever. The “danger zone” is right where normal jeans stop and hit me, so these jeans are a lifesaver.
  6. Lavender Salt Scrub from Trader Joe’s – My skin got really dry for a month after having a baby. I think it’s from my body adjusting to sending a ton of the water to make milk. I loved this lavender salt scrub I get at Trader Joe’s. It’s a 2 for 1. It has a salt scrub that sloughs away any dry skin, and has essential oils in it that super hydrate my skin. It also smells great, and made me feel pretty. Was like a mini trip to the spa in my shower. A great way to treat yourself.
  7. Medela Symphony Pump – This isn’t just the Cadillac of breast pumps, it’s the Bentley of breast pumps. (Try and not do a spit take when you look at that price tag!) Luckily I’m able to lease this pump for free through my insurance. But if I wasn’t, I would definitely bite the bullet and buy it. It is worth it because this pump is amazing! Whisper quiet, and gets a ton of milk out. I also have the Ameda Purely Yours Pump that I got for free to keep through my insurance, and hate it. It’s loud as a train, and doesn’t get nearly as much milk. With my Symphony, I can finish a full pump session in like 8 minutes. With the Purely Yours, it takes like 25-30 minutes. Thumbs down. Bonus tip: After about 4 months of use, I felt like the suction of my Symphony wasn’t as strong. I did some research, and it turns out the valve and membrane were getting worn out. I just bought new ones for less than $10, and the suction was back to super strong again.
  8. Simple Wishes Pumping Bra – Love this pump bra. It has a huge velcro adjustable strap in the back, so if your size goes up or down, or it loses elasticity, you can adjust the size by like 4 inches. I started out with the Medela pump bra, and it’s not nearly as good. Doesn’t hold the pump parts in as well, and the hole cut outs don’t cover you very well.
  9. Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags – These storage bags work great. They have 2 different click and seals (always seal the one closest to the milk first!), and I’ve never had a leak. I went nuts, and pumped off an extra 6 ounces every day for 2 months. I have the best freezer stock of milk going! Helps me rest assured going in to wedding season that I have plenty of milk ready to go. Shawn bought us a deep freezer (that I’ve been wanting for years!) since milk is safe to freeze for 1 year in a deep freezer.
  10. Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads – My boobs went nuts in the beginning, and milk was getting everywhere. I was going through multiple of these nursing pads a day. After about a month it leveled out, and I would just go through 1 set a day. And now 4 months later I don’t leak during the day at all. But I do still wear them to bed. Josh is starting to sleep through the night, and by morning I am about to pop! I started off using the Bamboobies, which I really wanted to like. But they just didn’t work. I would still soak through them. The disposable nursing pads actually absorb the leaks and turn them in to a gel, which works out better for me.
  11. Moms on Call book – The only parenting book I would recommend! It is short, to the point, and filled with practical information you actually need. I read this one after I had Josh, and finished it in a day. Easy read. It’s written by 2 advice nurses who are moms themselves, and they share all their knowledge covering the most frequently asked questions they get. They go over basic health stuff, sleep tips, and my favorite was they give a break down of what a typical day should look like week by week. I needed that! I’m a schedule girl, and I had no clue what our schedule should look like. I got home with my baby and was like, “Um, what do I do now? Should he be eating? Sleeping? Gah! Help!” Now we have the best, most predictable schedule, and Josh is sleeping through the night!
  12. Totally Mommy Podcast – Love this podcast! I’ll listen to it while on my daily hour walk with Josh in the morning. They talk all mommy stuff, and it’s a great way to feel connected to people, even though I’m really spending all my time with a newborn who does not talk. Ha!

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