The Best Postpartum Recovery Kit Essentials for New Moms
What a joy postpartum recovery was.
From the pain to the fatigue to the unpleasantness of "down there", it’s obvious why postpartum moms look for whatever they can to assist in their healing and recovery.
I’ve seen many blog posts share tons of postpartum essentials and I found the amount of suggestions overcomplicated and frankly, overwhelming.
Then again, based on my labour and delivery experience, my recovery was relatively simple.
Because of this, I kept my postpartum recovery routine minimal.
My excessive bleeding and discomfort were much better within 2 weeks after giving birth.
Regardless if you had an easy or difficult delivery, the postpartum essentials I’m going to share with you today will help you go through your recovery with less pain, hassle, stress, and messiness.
Please keep in mind that these suggestions are for women who’ve had a vaginal delivery.
Because I have no experience with Caesarean sections, I didn’t feel comfortable making suggestions for that type of recovery.
If you’re looking for postpartum suggestions for Cesarean sections, check out this post by Healthline.
Without further ado, let’s get into 7 postpartum essentials to help you recover from a vaginal delivery.
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1. Sitz Bath
A sitz bath is kind of like a bathtub that sits on your toilet.
To use it, you sit in it and let it soak your perineum to relieve discomfort and offer a cleanse.
Every few days, I would use it as part of my postpartum care and recovery routine.
You can add bath salts to the water for added relief if you like.
I didn’t add bath salts, but I used an herbal sitz bath instead, which I describe below in this article.
Sitz baths are relatively cheap but super effective. I used one similar to this sitz bath on Amazon.
Need help preparing for labour and postpartum? Download my FREE pregnancy guide below.
2. Mama Earth Herbal Sitz Bath
Instead of using bath salts in my sitz bath, I used this herbal sitz bath by Earth Mama.
I love this product because you can use it in a few different ways:
- After steeping the herbal sachet, you can let the liquid cool and add it to your sitz bath.
- You can freeze the herbal sachet and apply it for a soothing effect.
- Skip buying pre-made “padsicles:” You can soak a postpartum pad in the remaining liquid and freeze the pad to make a DIY padsicle which also helps to relieve discomfort in the perineum.
The reason this product works is because it has Witch Hazel, which helps soothe pain in the perineum and reduce inflammation. Some clinical evidence supports that Witch Hazel can also assist in healing wounds.
Overall, because this product has so many uses, you can’t go wrong with it.
3. Perineal Bottle
When the nurses at the hospital helped wash me down with a perineal bottle, I couldn’t believe the relief I felt.
Every time I used the bathroom, I couldn’t wait to use the perineal bottle with warm water.
Not only did it offer relief, but it helped me feel cleaner given how messy things were down there.
You can buy a perineal bottle or just use the one the hospital gives you like I did.
Don’t skip using a perineal bottle during your recovery. Your perineum needs to be clean and cleansed for your wounds to heal properly and reduce the chance of infection.
Want more information on pregnancy and postpartum? Check out these blog posts:
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN GOING INTO LABOUR: A NEW MOM'S GUIDE
GESTATIONAL DIABETES: HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH
MY TOP 10 BABY ESSENTIALS: GIVE THESE A TRY IF YOU’RE A NEW MOM
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
4. Perineal Foam
Perineal foam added an extra layer of relief that I didn’t think I’d actually need.
What's nice about the perineal foam by FridaBaby is that your pad doesn’t absorb it, so it just sits there and cools your perineum for a comfortable period.
It was one of my favourite parts of my postpartum recovery.
Perineal foam also includes Witch Hazel, which explains why it’s so soothing to the perineum.
I highly recommend you buy perineal foam if nothing else is on this list.
It offers quick relief and you can use it each time you change your pad, which will be often during the early stages of your postpartum recovery.
5. Dry Wipes
I don’t hear a lot of moms talking about dry cloth wipes as part of their postpartum recovery.
My hospital supplied me with a pack of 50 and they were my saviour.
Dry cloth wipes are gentler than using toilet paper and they absorb a lot more.
You can also soak them in warm water to give your perineum a nice cleaning in a pinch.
If you want to avoid the roughness of toilet paper, ask your hospital if they can give you some or just buy them from Amazon.
6. Disposable Postpartum Underwear
If you don’t want to ruin your underwear, do yourself a favour and get some disposable postpartum underwear.
I bought this set of postpartum underwear from FridaBaby.
I really liked these because they didn’t leak and they were comfortable to wear during my recovery.
Though it only comes in a pack of 8, I found that’s all I needed since I didn’t bleed heavy for very long.
If it makes you feel better, buy 2 packs. If you don’t need all of them, they’re still comfy and stretchy enough to wear throughout your postpartum recovery.
7. Tylenol/Advil
Pain medication is a no-brainer for some moms recovering after a vaginal delivery.
I only needed the amount of Tylenol and Advil that the hospital gave to me, but if you run out and are still in pain, there’s no harm in buying some from the drug store.
Whether you should buy pain medication or not depends on your pain tolerance, how quickly you recover, and how you feel about medication, so do what you think is best for you and listen to your body.
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Final Thoughts
I hope you find these postpartum essentials ideas helpful.
My postpartum recovery and healing could look much different than yours, but I’m sure these product recommendations will help you get a good start in your recovery.
Remember, the postpartum period will fly by in a blink of an eye.
As you go through the recovery, you’re going to feel stressed out and possibly even disgusted but in just a few months, you’ll hardly remember the details.
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this article!
Don’t forget to download my FREE pregnancy guide so you can feel prepared for your baby and decide on exactly what you need after you give birth. Sign up below:
Want more information on pregnancy and postpartum? Check out these blog posts:
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN GOING INTO LABOUR: A NEW MOM'S GUIDE
GESTATIONAL DIABETES: HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH
MY TOP 10 BABY ESSENTIALS: GIVE THESE A TRY IF YOU’RE A NEW MOM