Hey y’all! I’m back! I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and that it wasn’t too hard to get back to the daily grind this week. My Labor Day was quite laborless which is a good thing since I was only 1 week postpartum! That’s right, if for some reason you didn’t know, I gave birth to my baby boy, James Brody Gougler, on August 27, 2018 at 7:56pm. Now that he’s officially here and we’re starting to get settled into postpartum life, I thought I’d share my favorite postpartum must haves.
I hope this is helpful to all the brand new moms and moms-to-be! These are the things that I probably couldn’t have done without over the last few days since having Brody. Some are items that I also had with Chloe and others I didn’t even know how badly I needed them. (I’m totally referring to number 7!)
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links with Amazon. This means that at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase!
1. Lansinoh Soothie Gel Pads
2. Silicone Breast Pump
There are several brands out there, but I purchased this silicone breast pump from NatureBond for only $14.99. I bought it after several mommas from my August Baby Group recommended it, and I can’t rave about it enough! While nursing your baby, you attached the pump to your other breast using a bit of suction. Then as you nurse, your milk will let down and the suction will help the milk continue to drain into the pump. The best part is that it doesn’t hurt or make your nipples swell like pumping will! It will help to increase your supply as well as your freezer storage. You can still offer the pumped side to baby if they’re still hungry after draining your first breast. There will still be milk in there for them since they are the most efficient at draining your breastmilk.
NatureBond Silicone Breastfeeding Manual Breast Pump
3. My Brest Friend
I know most everyone knows about the Boppy, but and even better, lesser know breastfeeding pillow option is My Brest Friend! I personally prefer this pillow because you bring it around your body and clip it as loose or tight as you would like. This means you don’t have to deal will it slipping away from you as you nurse. You can also stand up and walk around with it on. When I do this, my dad refers to it as my baby shelf because I can rest the baby’s bum on it while I carry him around. Some other reasons I love this pillow are the lumbar support and front pocket! The lumbar support helps my lower back so I can lean back and not hunch my shoulders forward, and in the pocket I keep chapstick and nipple butter so I always have it on hand.
4. Bravado! Nursing Tank
You can find nursing tanks from tons of different stores. I have a few from Target that I like, but my favorite are these Bravado! nursing tanks. I feel like they provide a little more support and I don’t have to wear a nursing bra underneath it. Some of my others require the tank and bra for me to feel like everything is being held in place. In those early days, extra support is so necessary! It’s also comfortable enough to sleep in!
5. Earth Mama Organics Nipple Butter
This stuff is where it’s at. It costs about the same amount as other nipple creams, but is so much better! Earth Mama has the formula just right because it’s so soothing on your nipples. It’s smooth and creamy instead of thick and sticky like other nipple creams. It 100% okay for baby to digest, so you don’t have to wipe it off before feeds. You can also use in when pumping! Just put a little nipple butter inside the flanges and it makes the whole experience much better. And as an added bonus, it smells delicious, kind of like cocoa butter.
6. Earth Mama Organics Perineum Spray
Earth Mama Organics does it again with this perineal spray! This is a cooling spray that helps to relieve postpartum soreness. The natural ingredients help to reduce swelling and speed up your recovery. It also comes with an awesome spray bottle that you can use while tipped upside down so you can get to all the hard to reach places. You can start using this while you’re still at the hospital so be sure to add this and the nipple cream to your hospital bag!
Earth Mama Herbal Perineal Spray
7. DockATot
8. Desserts
Okay this isn’t necessarily a product, but let’s talk about how great postpartum treats are! We’ve gotten cake, cookies, brownies, peanut butter bars and more from our loved ones who know all about my sweet tooth. It’s not my fault that breastfeeding cravings are so much more intense than pregnancy cravings! I wish I had taken a picture of my pile of desserts at it’s finest, but let’s just say we still have some and I haven’t inhaled them all…yet.
Those gel pads saved me so much grief when I was breastfeeding! These are some great must-have items, thanks for sharing!
The gel pads were sooooo soothing especially in those early days!
Great ideas! It’s been a few years, and I’ve forgotten about some of this stuff. Thanks for the tips.
Ok, those silicone pumps are SWEET! I don’t think they had anything like that when mine were infants. So easy and portable to just grab (or toss in your bag/keep in your diaper bag) and go!
Yes! They’ve only been around a couple of years because I had no clue about them with my 4 year old daughter. It was a LIFE SAVER for my second and I get one for all new moms!
Nipple butter is a must have! Especially for first time moms. I had really badly cracked nipples cos of poor latching in the first week and nipple butter was a life saver!
I agree. It really helps to ease the pain and keep your nipples from cracking!
These are awesome recommendations for post-partum care, especially the Lansinoh Soothie Gel Pads!
Thanks! Those soothie gel pads were amazing and worth every penny!
It is so funny that you mention desserts because I just loved ice cream postpartum!
Me too! Ice cream, cookies and anything really carby is what I wanted!
These are all great product recommendations!
Snacks were my best friend when we had our little ones. It’s not easy trying to stay on top of everything, more so your health, while caring for a newborn.
This is the perfect list for when you have a newborn. i have the same nursing pillow. Loved that thing!
That pillow was a life saver for me! My mom is a lactation consultant and recommended it!
Yes! This list is a fantastic round-up of postpartum must-haves! Your little one is adorable <3
Thank you so much Nicole! These items were definitely a life saver!
I love that you included desserts because that is so necessary! After each of my boys were born, all of these things were exactly what I needed. Although, I wish I had discovered the Haakaa sooner, I only got to use it with my third. This is a great list!
I didn’t get the Haaka until my second! I don’t think it’s been around very long. It was the greatest invention for new, breastfeeding moms though!
Great tips Amy! and I think that desserts are deffo a staple in postpartum. We have just grown and then birthed a tiny human. We deserve all the dessert we want lol
I couldn’t agree more and my sweet tooth thanks me for it. Not only did we birth a human, but many times, we’re also now feeding that human and keeping them alive. If that doesn’t deserve a cookie and some ice cream, I don’t know what does!
Ok this is a seriously great list.