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My Favorite Postpartum Must Haves
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Postpartum

My Favorite Postpartum Must Haves

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!)

Surviving the 4th trimester is no joke. These are my favorite postpartum must haves that helped me get through the dark days post birth. Postpartum care is important for you and baby, so be sure to find what works for you! #postpartum #4thtrimester #postpartumcare #postpartumlife #postpartummom #newbornessentials #newbornlife #breastfeeding

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

Every breastfeeding momma needs these to help soothe those tender nipples! The cooling gel truly soothes you tender or cracked nipples after each feeding. They are reusable for several months and work their magic every time. You can store them in your diaper bag or in the fridge. I recommend the fridge for added cooling and soothing. I also recommend packing them in your hospital bag to use right after giving birth if you’re still pregnant!

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

Edit: It looks like the pump I posted isn’t currently available on Amazon {though it should come back}, so I’m going to link to the original silicone breast pump called Haaka. It’s the same concept as the one above and costs $13.99. It just doesn’t include the pump stopper.

 

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

I cannot rave enough about the DockATot! This is by far my favorite baby item that I received! I loved the Boppy Lounger for Chloe {and still do!}, but I can use the DockATot in more locations and I don’t have to worry about baby falling out. This allows me to co-sleep without worry and he’s always an arms reach away. We also have it laid out on the couch for when we’re lounging around watching tv to allow him to nap more soundly at least once during the day. Because let’s be real, some nap times, I just want to hold him!

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.

 

There you have it! I’m sure there are tons of other products that I could share with y’all, but these are the ones that I can’t stop raving about in our house. I even asked my husband which ones seem to be my favorites and he agrees. If y’all are interested in other baby items that I’ve loved over the years, let me know and I can do more of these posts going forward!
I’ll leave y’all with a pic for cuteness and to show off his awesome DockATot! I wasn’t joking when I said it was my favorite baby shower gift! These really are my favorite postpartum must haves. These are the things that I’m really using day to day to help us have the BEST postpartum period possible. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Don’t forget to read all about how my little boy arrived! His birth story is live and I feel like it is as perfect as he is. Everything happened just the way it should.
Surviving the 4th trimester is no joke. These are my favorite postpartum must haves that helped me get through the dark days post birth. Postpartum care is important for you and baby, so be sure to find what works for you! #postpartum #4thtrimester #postpartumcare #postpartumlife #postpartummom #newbornessentials #newbornlife #breastfeeding

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(22) Comments

  1. Those gel pads saved me so much grief when I was breastfeeding! These are some great must-have items, thanks for sharing!

    1. The gel pads were sooooo soothing especially in those early days!

  2. Great ideas! It’s been a few years, and I’ve forgotten about some of this stuff. Thanks for the tips.

  3. 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!

    1. 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!

  4. 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!

    1. I agree. It really helps to ease the pain and keep your nipples from cracking!

  5. Tracy Blanton says:

    These are awesome recommendations for post-partum care, especially the Lansinoh Soothie Gel Pads!

    1. Thanks! Those soothie gel pads were amazing and worth every penny!

  6. It is so funny that you mention desserts because I just loved ice cream postpartum!

    1. Me too! Ice cream, cookies and anything really carby is what I wanted!

  7. These are all great product recommendations!

  8. 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.

  9. This is the perfect list for when you have a newborn. i have the same nursing pillow. Loved that thing!

    1. That pillow was a life saver for me! My mom is a lactation consultant and recommended it!

  10. Yes! This list is a fantastic round-up of postpartum must-haves! Your little one is adorable <3

    1. Thank you so much Nicole! These items were definitely a life saver!

  11. Hannah says:

    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!

    1. 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!

  12. 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

    1. 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!

  13. Naza Holliman says:

    Ok this is a seriously great list.

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