The Best & Safest Postpartum Items for Mama
Your baby is here, mama! And while everyone is gushing over your sweet little one, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed and underserved as you try to balance caring for your newborn with also caring for yourself.
Postpartum is an incredibly wonderful, intense, emotional and delicate journey. You have rapidly rising hormones and fluctuating emotions as you wait for your milk to come in, adjustments to your sleep schedule, and a body that needs to heal after doing the very hard work of birthing a child. And on top of all that you have to care for your baby around the clock.
In this article, I'm sharing my top postpartum healing tips as well as the best and safest items to have on hand to help bring a little bit more comfort during this time of transition and healing.
Putting Yourself First
It might sound selfish, but hear me out.
Taking care of yourself, mama, is the most important thing you can do postpartum. If your primary needs are being taken care of then you can better focus on being there for your little one (or ones).
It’s incredibly valuable to have a postpartum care plan mapped out ahead of time, and to have people in your corner who are there to advocate for you and support you in any way you require.
In our culture, I feel like postpartum preparation often takes a back seat to labor and birth planning. So many times I hear that women spend so much time preparing mentally and physically for labor but once baby is here, they are completely overwhelmed. Yes, this was me.
Part of this reason is that I feel most women don’t talk enough about the postpartum period and all of the challenges they might endure. There’s no shame in any of this, mama. Your body will experience the biggest swing in hormones that any human will ever experience in the weeks immediately following birth. This is a big deal. It’s totally normal. And yes, it’s going to affect you in many different ways (bring on the tears, postpartum rage, emotional highs and lows, cravings, etc.)
You should’ve seen me when my milk was coming in. Complete waterworks. Michael has it on video, and although I wasn’t laughing at the time, it gives us both a chuckle now.
That’s why learning how to support your body is so key here! So, make a list of things you might want or need ahead of time and put someone in charge of it!
For me, that was my husband. He made sure I was taken care of. He comforted me. He fed me nourishing food. He refilled my water a million times. Replenished my snack cart. Did the laundry. Took the baby so I could shower. Drove me to appointments. Cleaned up massive spit up messes. Made me tea.
[Michael takes Hannah for a bit and eating nourishing chili in bed with baby.]
You get the idea. Now is the time to allow yourself to be pampered. Guilt free. Advocate for yourself so that you can show up more fully for your baby.
Postpartum Rest
Before we get into my list of top postpartum healing items, I want to say that the number one thing you can do for you and your baby is REST.
Our society likes to pride itself on how quickly we can jump back into the swing of things like it’s a badge of honor. I wish it weren’t like this, however we can learn a thing or two from women in other cultures and countries who put the focus on rest and recovery and spending time bonding with their baby.
I highly recommend reading or listening to the audiobook of “The First Forty Days” by Heng Ou. She highlights how in her culture (and many others around the world), women do nothing for the first 40 days postpartum but rest and focus on consuming warming nourishing foods, and spend time with their baby. I think we tend to forget that in other parts of the world, women are primarily homemakers and society is more supportive of this kind of postpartum care.
If you had a holistically-minded midwife or care provider, they might have recommended the 5-5-5 or 7-7-7 rule, which is 5/7 days in the bed, 5/7 days on the bed and 5/7 days around the bed.
The idea is that for the first week, you don’t get out of bed unless necessary (bathroom breaks). The next week you can start doing simple tasks that can be done from the bed (folding laundry). Then for the last week you can slowly start to get up and move your body a bit more (light stretching, standing more, etc.). If you ask me, this isn’t nearly long enough of a recovery period but it’s a start. Any rest is better than nothing.
I mostly followed the 40 day rest rule. I was fortunate to be able to have someone clean our home every month, and my husband took 3 months of paternity leave, which made all the difference. I also learned to let go of a lot of control. The house was messier than usual. Laundry wasn’t perfect. Dishes were often backed up. But you know what? Those weren’t the important things. I was allowing my body to rest and heal, I was well-nourished, I was feeding and snuggling Hannah.
Sleeping and resting whenever I could!
I understand that this gets more challenging the more children you have, especially if you have younger ones who still require your attention. I cannot stress enough the importance of asking for help however and whenever you can.
Motherhood really does take a village, and the biggest difference between our culture and others is that we tend to be more isolated. Women who have support from other women, whether it’s family, friends or community, have a much easier time adapting in the postpartum period. So don’t be afraid (or too stubborn) to ask for help, mama, whether it’s setting up a meal train or asking for help around the home or watching your other children or just having someone hold baby so you can shower. Women need other women. There’s comfort in community. And much wisdom to be gathered from our elders.
I am incredibly grateful for my husband, however having more support from women was something I wish I had during my postpartum period.
Postpartum Healing Must Haves
With all that said, mama, now it’s time to work on that checklist! Here’s my list of all the things you want to have handy for your postpartum healing journey!
P.S. — there are absolutely no affiliate links within this article.
Physical Comfort + Healing
Padsicles using organic cotton pads (I used Natracare brand) — Make padsicles mama! This was my favorite postpartum healing item and I was able to prepare them ahead of time during my 3rd trimester and store them in my freezer. Mama Natural has several recipes here in her blog. I used lavender, witch hazel and aloe one.
Peri Bottle — it’s going to be sensitive down there if you gave birth vaginally. This helps provide relief and comfort when going to the bathroom. I highly recommend the Frida Mom or the Ninja Mama.
Arnica Tablets/Cream — arnica is great for helping with swelling and any bruising you might have post-birth. You can take homeopathic arnica orally like this one or try a cream or oil (I like the one from Herb Pharm) to apply topically.
Motherlove Sitz Spray — if you don’t make padsicles or if you run out, use this to spray down there after going to the bathroom. You could also use this to spray on pads and freeze if you wanted a pre-made spray!
Natracare Organic Cotton Maxi Pads — I used these with my disposable underwear the first few weeks, and love that they are organic cotton on the outer layer and totally chlorine free.
Frida Mom Disposable Boyshort — these were so nice to have and just be able to toss in those first weeks of PP bleeding. They’re not exactly nontoxic, but I only used them for a short period of time, and I used an overnighter organic cotton disposable pad with them anyway.
Pact Organic Cotton Boy Shorts — I also loved this option once my bleeding wasn’t as heavy (worn with organic cotton pads) but I still wanted some extra protection.
Wuka Period Underwear — another option for PP bleeding is period underwear and Wuka is the best, nontoxic option I’ve been able to find. I use these every month during my period (which came back 3 months PP). They use tencel fabric and absolutely no PFAs or other endocrine disrupting toxic materials/chemicals.
Tinctures
WishGarden Afterease — this herbal blend is good for supporting physical healing during postpartum, especially after-birth contractions and pains.
WishGarden Rebalance — this is a great herbal blend to support your hormones postpartum. I took this for at least 6 months postpartum and really noticed a difference.
WishGarden Milk Rich — I love this for supporting your milk supply if you’re needing an extra boost. You can also drink our NORA pregnancy tea to help with milk supply — nettles is great for that — and oatstraw and red raspberry leaf are also herbs that help support your body during postpartum, too!
Bach Rescue Remedy — If you’re struggling with postpartum anxiety and stress, especially at night, this is a gentle yet effective blend. I used this throughout postpartum for many months and found it really helpful.
Digestive Bitters — Postpartum hormones can really mess with your digestion/gut. Our Prenatal Digestive Bitters are safe for PP and breastfeeding mamas and are a great gentle and safe way to support any digestive issues or discomfort you might experience.
Additional herbs for postpartum anxiety and nervous system support include lemon balm, passion flower, valerian, catnip, skullcap. They are calming and can help with sleep as well, especially catnip.I took each of these faithfully throughout my postpartum and even now (13 months PP). We love the Herb Pharm brand. And who knows, we might even have our own blend coming soon! 😉
Nursing Comfort
Organic Cotton Nipple Pads — Your boobs are probably going to leak, let’s just be honest! I loved these cotton nipple pads to protect my nursing bras and keep milk from seeping through my shirt. And I felt good knowing it was organic and nontoxic. And although there was some staining from the oils in my nipple cream, these washed easily, too!
Motherlove Nipple Balm (Lanolin Free) — I love this brand and it works! I also have heard good things about Earth Mama. Whatever you do, look for something lanolin free.
Kindred Bravely Hot/Cold Breast Packs — These are so helpful and convenient if you’re struggling with an oversupply, clogged ducts, mastitis, etc. I definitely needed to slow things down! The heat also is good for stimulating milk production and letdown if you need support there too.
Silverette Nursing Cups — Admittedly, I bought these in a state of utter despair when Hannah bit me really hard in her early teething days and never ended up using them more than once but if you’re having cracked or chaffed nipples, these offer good protection and reduce friction from clothing (which is SO painful). Plus, the silver is antimicrobial and healing and you can even put some breastmilk in the tips to help soothe the pain. I bought mine used from Mercari, but you could look for a knockoff brand. The concern is that it’s not true silver, so be diligent in your search!
Kindred Bravely French Terry Racerback Nursing Bras — I lived in these bras. These are rayon and spandex. Better but not great. I couldn’t believe how hard it was to find cotton nursing bras (I found one before it was discontinued) so this was the next best option. These are comfortable but not super supportive. Sometimes one of the girls would pop out overnight, but overall they worked well. These are my definite go-to at home nursing bras. I also love this one from Third Love for going out because it offers more support. I also splurged on a few nice ones from Morrow + Mint because even in postpartum, we deserve to feel fancy! This bamboo pumping bra from Kindred Bravely is popular, too, although I never pumped.
Nursing pajamas — I love Pact’s organic cotton button down pajamas. Unfortunately, these seem to be unavailable now. I prefer organic cotton over bamboo (or modal/tencel) but it’s hard to find them at an affordable price. Some other options are The Company Store, Coyuchi, Under the Canopy, Cozy Earth, Quince, Kindred Bravely, or Seraphine. Whatever you do, get a few good pairs of nursing pajamas! I love button down pajamas because they aren’t just for postpartum/nursing but are so perfect for it. I have 4 button down tops from Pact (2 short sleeve. 2 long sleeves) and one bamboo set, but it makes me sweat. Cotton is just so breathable and nontoxic.
Burt’s Bees Organic Cotton Burp Rags — Imagine this, mama: Burp rags everywhere! Now, make that your reality! We had about 25 of these all over the house and I used them faithfully. Half the time it was to clean up leakage or non-burp related things! Honest Baby has some good ones, too.
Go-to Nursing Snacks
GoMacro bars — these aren’t the cleanest but they’re decent and moderately high in protein. I love the decadent almond chocolate ones. If I could tolerate peanuts I’d get their peanut butter chocolate ones!
Solely fruit strips & dried fruits — I legit had a massive Costco sized bag of dried apricots I chowed down on when I needed some quick carbs. I also loved the mango chocolate drizzle Solely fruit strips and the banana chocolate cacao ones. Like healthy dessert on the go!
PaleoValley beef sticks — best meat sticks around. They’re fermented and so moist and flavorful. The best protein snack you could have postpartum (or anytime!)
Organic nuts & seeds or a good trail mix
Justin’s almond butter cups
Justin’s squeezable nut butter packs
LMNT electrolyte packs
Pro tip: Get a 3 tiered wheeled plastic cart from Amazon (like this one) to store all of your postpartum goodies, tinctures, diapers, burp rags, water bottle, etc. and yes, get a 40 oz water bottle with straw and handle like the Stanley or Hydro Flask ones. It’s true. It will change your life.
Conclusion
There you have it, mama! These are my postpartum healing essentials and tips to help support you during this time of transition and adjustment.
[For your viewing pleasure, my milk meltdown! This is the true Instagram vs reality of postpartum healing!]
While I realize that resting during postpartum is easiest with your first child, mamas of multiples can and should still try to find ways to rest and recover during their postpartum period. Older kids (our boys are 10) who are more self-sufficient can even help around the house or bring you things you need while resting in bed.
No matter what your situation, postpartum is a special and delicate time, so be sure to prepare ahead of time, advocate for yourself, rest as much as you can, and soak it all up — tears, milk stains, tender breasts, blowouts, and all.
