Labor was excruciating. Birth was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Still… NOTHING compares to postpartum. I am currently one day away from being 8 weeks postpartum. This has been without a doubt, the most challenging time of my life. I’m not here to scare you, but to give you an idea of what the reality COULD look like because I had no fucking clue what was possible. I’ll always take the stance of “the more prepared you are mentally, the easier it will be to cope and face the challenges that are inevitable.” So take everything I write with a grain of salt, know that my story isn’t how every story will go, and rest in knowing no matter how hard it gets, it is always temporary. You’ll also see links to my most used items that genuinely kept me going, not just bullshit things I never used.
The first night after birth is a whirlwind of emotion. Our baby was finally here, he was healthy, beautiful, and so loved already. My body was literally torn open, I was stitched back together, swollen, bleeding, sore, and exhausted. Our hospital supplied everything I needed while I was there. Pads, Ice pack pads, pain reliever, numbing sprays, witch hazel pads, etc. Before I left, I told the nurses I was out and asked for a handful more of pretty much everything. The first night, I got through on pure adrenaline from having a baby to keep alive through the night so the exhaustion was easier to cope with. By 7:00 am the next morning though, I wanted nothing more than to go home. I checked into the hospital at 2:30 am on November 7th and checked out around 3:00 pm on November 8th. Once I was home, the adrenaline had fully worn off and I was TIRED.
I didn’t realize how painful the physical recovery was going to be. I’ve read about women being up and around doing chores as soon as they get home from the hospital so I thought I’d be able to at least do that maybe a day or two after birth. My most constant sensation was pelvic floor pressure. My vagina felt like it was falling out at all times unless I had been lying flat for at least two hours. Mixed with the sharp pain of my tear and the pulling sensation of the stitching whenever I’d move even a tiny little bit, I was so unbelievably uncomfortable. For about two and a half weeks, I had a set up for vaginal comfort that worked, but had to be done consistently and often to provide comfort/ relief. A lot of other moms have (so eloquently) called this – the “Pad-sicle.”
First item – these wonderful “boy shorts” style disposable underwear. There’s a ton of adult diapers out there and even postpartum diapers that have the built in pad. I tried them and hated them compared to these. These fit like a light compression short, don’t LOOK like a diaper, and made me feel a little more “normal” during those very not normal first few weeks. (All these items’ links will be listed right above the photo like this.)
https://amzn.to/4pqjHjf: Surviving Postpartum
So I got the shorts. Next came the pad. And when I say pad, I don’t mean your maxi-overnight-heavy flow “pad.” This pad is gigantic. It’s going to cover every ounce of you and that’s good. This is what they give you in the hospital and as enormous as it is, it was better than the biggest pad at any store for me.
https://amzn.to/3La9pWu: Surviving Postpartum
We’ve got the shorts and the pad. Base protection is covered. Now comes the gift of the vagina Gods: Ice. I tried a few different brands of ice packs. I did name brand, store brands, and pretty much anything I could find on a shelf. Nothing compared to these. The only down side to your ice pad is that none of them (legit NONE of the many, many brands I tried) stay REALLY cold for more than 15 minutes max. They go from icy to cool, then after about 45 minutes, they match your body temperature. But they were absolutely necessary because that cooling sensation is what gave me the MOST comfort. I bought the biggest pack I could find of these ice pads and changed them every half hour.
https://amzn.to/4qteOqw: Surviving Postpartum
Once you’ve piled on the ice pad, now we move to added cooling. I had three main products I swore by. The first: good ‘ol witch hazel pads. Whether you want the brand name or off brand – witch hazel worked wonders for not only perineal cooling, but also for my hemorrhoids. I’d lay three of these along the ice pad; covering about 6-8 inches.
https://amzn.to/4qar13S: Surviving Postpartum
The last layer of the actual pad-sicle for me was this perineal foam. I’d do about two or three pumps of it right onto the witch hazel pads.
https://amzn.to/44UBmrT: Surviving Postpartum
Finally, the item I’d lay my life down for. When I tell you that THIS spray was a life saver, my god do I mean it. I’d spray it directly onto my body. You read that right – this magnificent spray goes straight on the coochie and is wonderful. Spray, pull the shorts up, and immediately – it was relief.
https://amzn.to/4q5QL18: Surviving Postpartum
This process worked really well for me and I still use the Dermoplast occasionally even now at 8 weeks out. Another Vagina Must have is the Peri Bottle. Wiping is nowhere near feasible or comfortable for those first few weeks so keeping this next to the toilet was super helpful. The packaging says “warm water” for using, but cool water gave me so much more comfort.
https://amzn.to/4sgBaND: Surviving Postpartum
I was gifted this kit off my registry. It has all the items listed above minus the dermoplast and has an added pad liner packet (I didn’t really care for the pad liner,) but all in shorter supply. It was a GREAT “start-up” kit for that first week, but I ran out pretty fast.
https://amzn.to/45s5DhZ: Surviving Postpartum
I’ve mentioned plenty of times in different posts that hemorrhoids have been apart of my entire child bearing experience. Birth made mine the size of fucking Jupiter. The witch hazel pads and Dermoplast were incredibly helpful, but you’ll never catch me without some kind of lidocaine cream on me at all times. Again – brand name or not, just having something with Lidocaine in it has always been my go to.
https://amzn.to/4pvrg8w: Surviving Postpartum
While we’re on the Hemorrhoid topic, a sitz bath kit was not only helpful for hemorrhoids, but for Vaginal swelling, too. I’ll be honest, it was a little bit of a process to set up and clean, but it DOES work and feels great.
https://amzn.to/4srJcUe: Surviving Postpartum
In addition to all the personal care items, a donut seat cushion is super helpful and just really comfy anyway. I still use mine just because, but I used it all day those first several weeks.
https://amzn.to/49h6aEt: Surviving Postpartum
One thing I wasn’t prepared for (that – looking back, just makes a lot of sense) is how hard and painful (and downright scary) pooping would be. I’ve had gut issues my whole life. I’ve taken probiotics, stool softeners, and fiber supplements for a very long time. My OBGYN suggested this combo for postpartum as well. As a reminder, this regiment was suggested by my GI and OBGYN doctors. Anytime you’re considering adding any supplements to your diet, you should always consult with your own doctor first. For ME, using this combo well before birth kept me regular and helped me to not strain while going.
https://amzn.to/4952cA4: Surviving Postpartum
Moving on to Nipple care because yes – I knew my nipples would be in pretty rough shape, but I did NOT understand just how painful this part of my body could be. Unfortunately, it’s not like I could just let them heal. Choosing to breast feed means my nipples never got a break. My son had a really hard time latching so we decided to pump and bottle feed until I discovered shields. These are the ones I used and they were fantastic. I had TONS more comfort while nursing and my son was able to latch immediately with them. A slight downside (but honestly, didn’t come close to outweighing how much better this made my life) was that if they aren’t SUPER clean and dry, they slip all over the place. I’d wash mine in dish soap and dried them with a paper towel making sure there was no residue on them and they were GREAT. These ones also come with a case that you fill with water and pop in the microwave to sterilize them.
https://amzn.to/3Lay5hy: Surviving Postpartum
I have tons of friends who recommended this nipple butter to me and it provided a lot of relief. While I did use it often, it has a very earthy smell that I’d imagine can be off-putting to some people. It didn’t deter me, but just keep it in mind if you buy.
https://amzn.to/3MWZynv: Surviving Postpartum
I noticed I’d have a way better milk yield when warmth was introduced to my breasts. These things were great because they could be warmed in the microwave and worn before nursing/ pumping and then put in the freezer for relief from pain, swelling, and discomfort.
https://amzn.to/49nFMJl: Surviving Postpartum
Because my nipples were raw for 4 weeks straight, I HATED the sensation of clothing against them. These shields kept friction away and because they’re metal, they were cool to the touch. I’d still wear a breast pad with them because if you leak, these don’t really stop it.
https://amzn.to/3MYpKOA: Surviving Postpartum
I tried nursing bras. They work for nursing, but they sucked when I’d try to pump with a traditional (non hands free) pump. These were great because they have the pump slot AND the nursing latch. Best of both worlds and I wish I bought twenty of them instead of tons of nursing bras.
https://amzn.to/4pnzYp4: Surviving Postpartum
These were my MOST used items. There’s a handful of items on my Amazon list not pictured here, but I know I would for sure not be able to get through postpartum again with my sanity in tact without THESE things.
