Have you heard me say on @Unpopularmoms Instagram stories that preparing for postpartum is equally as important as preparing for birth? Well that is the truth if you ask me. In this blog post I want to give you a great strategy for easing your transition into the postpartum period.
Setting up your home for a smooth transition into postpartum is another aspect of preparing for birth that I feel is very important. When you bring your new baby home there is so much going on that it can be hard to figure out what your priorities are. Oftentimes you won’t choose your own healing to be a top priority. These tips will help with that! Once you are home, I highly recommend you have these 3 stations (or baskets) set up for your convenience, to decrease your stress and to make it easier for others to help you. You can set up these stations before your baby arrives and rest assured that more of your focus and attention can be on your little one because you have supplies setup and ready to use for your own recovery.
Here are the 3 stations (or baskets) you should set up before your baby arrives for your convenience, to decrease your stress and to make it easier for others to help you!
DIAPER CHANGING STATION(S)
Place one close to you & place another where you are often. For example 1 in the bedroom & living room or 1 upstairs & 1 downstairs.
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Butt cream
- Diaper trash bags
- Extra onesie
BREASTFEEDING BASKET
- Pillows near by
- 2 burp cloths
- Lanolin nipple cream (my favorite & you don’t have to wipe off before feeding your baby)
- Haakaa milk collector
- Soapy water basin nearby
- Nipple shields (buy at least 2 if you are needing these & call an IBCLC!)
- Soft shell nipple protectors or Silverette nipple protectors
- Breast milk pads (Medela brand is my favorite. I never had leaking problems with these in place between feeds)
- Nursing bra or tank top
- Emergency grab snacks
- Big bottle of water
POSTPARTUM BATHROOM BASKET
- Witch hazel pads (Tucks Pads brand- pre soaked ready to use)
- Pads (over sized & regular and heavy flow & regular)
- Mesh panties or a soft high waist/full coverage cotton panties
- Numbing spray (Dermoplast is an easy to find brand)
- Peri squirt bottle
- Several wash cloths for patting dry after peri bottle rinse
- Earth Mama Organics Herbal Perineal Spray (If you want to go the extra mile) (contains witch hazel, cucumber & essential oils for healing promotion) (this should NOT replace the use of the witch hazel Tucks pads)
- **Padsicles kept in the freezer ready to use for soothing your perineum
At some point in the future I will be able to link items to Amazon & prepare a storefront for you with most of these items organized into one place for your convenience & easy reference. Stay tuned but don’t hold your breath! If you don’t know what some of these items are, feel free to DM me @Unpopularmoms I would love to chat!
