Must-Have Postpartum Products
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Once you've had a baby you enter two stages, simultaneously. The first is the newborn stage. It's beautiful, magical and a bit surreal. The second is postpartum. For me, this was uncomfortable, kinda gross and all too real.
Throughout my pregnancy I had been laser focused on the labor and delivery aspect of things. I'd done a ton of research on this and felt totally ready. I figured once I had the baby, I'd take some time to heal and it would be all sunshine and rainbows and sweet baby snuggles.
I got the baby snuggles. Those were magical.
The healing aspect of things was NOT sunshine and rainbows and took a lot more time and energy than I anticipated.
⚠️ Warning ⚠️
If you are not comfortable with reading about lady parts, you should not read any further. You've been warned. Carry on with this post at your own risk.
I had some tearing down south - not enough to warrant stitches, but enough to cause a whole lot of discomfort for several weeks. Especially when it came to peeing. Ouch. (TMI? Sorry.)
The jello-like feeling in the belly as the organs in my abdomen tried to remember where they belonged - that was something I wasn't ready for.
The bleeding afterwards was also something I hadn't been prepared for. I kind of knew it happened, but I hadn't given it much thought.
So here are the top 6 postpartum products that I relied on to help ease the discomfort.
Peri Bottle
Witch Hazel Pads
Dermoplast
Adult Diapers
Senokot
Arnica Montana
At the end, I'll give you two commonly recommended postpartum products and why they did NOT make my list.
Peri bottle
I'll spare you the gory details, but let's just say that after I squeezed a baby out of me, my southern region was an absolute disaster zone. Peeing was one of my least favorite activities. Wiping with toilet paper was the stuff of nightmares.
The peri (short for perineal) bottle by Frida Mom was an absolute lifesaver. You use it to dilute your urine as you're peeing and let me tell you, it makes a world of difference.
Just trust me on this one - whether you have any tearing or not - this item is a must-have for postpartum recovery.
Witch hazel pads
Speaking of must-haves for postpartum, I was a little skeptical of this one at first, but my best friend insisted I use these.
They are just cotton rounds soaked in witch hazel. They don't seem like much but boy, oh boy are they soothing!
You can use them to wipe your nether regions for some immediate relief after peeing. Alternatively, you can place them inside your pad (or adult diaper) and just leave them there while you go about your business.
Throw these in your shopping cart. Your vagina will be grateful.
Dermoplast
While we're still on the topic of private parts, let's talk about Dermoplast. According to the label, you are supposed to "apply to affected area not more than 3 to 4 times daily". To keep things legal, I'm going to tell you to follow the instructions. But I'll also say that I used the stuff VERY liberally during the first couple of weeks postpartum.
It's a soothing anesthetic spray designed for use on cuts and burns. Also great for perineal tearing.
Here's the thing. Breastfeeding makes you insanely thirsty. You drink a ton of water. Then you have to pee. A lot. But peeing hurts because you may have sustained injuries to your very sensitive areas. So any product that helps ease the pain is welcome.
A quick spray onto the affected area takes the edge off the pain instantly.
Get a couple of cans of Dermoplast. They're cheap, effective, and highly recommended by moms, midwives and doctors for postpartum care.
Adult Diapers
There's nothing sexy about postpartum. Nothing.
It's all about practicality, recovery and comfort.
Wear loose pajama pants. Borrow your husband's biggest, softest t-shirts. Get yourself some adult diapers. At least for the first week or two. Save yourself from potential overnight messes (gross, I know, but it’s a valid point).
I know some moms opt to just use pads for postpartum, but for me, this was more comfortable and easy. I used Always Discreet brand.
Senokot
Everybody poops.
Even mamas who just had a baby and are scared to death to do so.
Senokot is a natural stool softener that I highly recommend.
The last thing you want to do is strain really hard as you're going number two while you're trying to heal postpartum. This stuff worked really well for me and I had NO problems with pooping. My midwife was very excited about this (as I think only a midwife could be).
You take one or two tiny little pills with a tall glass of water before bed. I used the regular strength ones and they worked just fine.
Arnica Montana
I have never been the kind of person who takes over the counter medications. I recall coworkers being very confused when I would turn down their offers for Advil when I complained of headaches or other discomforts.
That said, I do think there is a time and a place for the use of medicines.
Many doctors will recommend an acetaminophen (like Tylenol) or an ibuprofen (like Motrin) to help manage postpartum pain.
Not knowing what to expect, I bought a bottle of Motrin and had it in my home birth basket, just in case.
I also got Arnica Montana (a natural, homeopathic remedy for pain management) as my first line of defense, to try before opting for the drugs.
My midwife had me start taking the Arnica tablets right away. It became a routine part of the day and I didn't pay it much attention. There was no drastic feeling of relief and I wasn't even sure if it was doing anything for me.
I was still in pain, but it was tolerable, and the Motrin bottle remained untouched.
Until one day, probably about a week and a half postpartum, when I told my husband it was too much. I was going to take the Motrin because I just couldn't take it.
He asked me if I'd taken my Arnica. I realized my mistake.
Since I still had some pain, I figured it wasn't working. I finished off the little tube and didn't bother ordering more. What I didn't realize is how much it was turning down the volume of the pain, making it tolerable and allowing me to function without the need to turn to drugs.
He got me more Arnica tablets on his way home from work and I managed to get through my postpartum recovery without the help of medication.
Two items that didn't make my list, but I decided were still worth mentioning:
Belly wrap
There are a few types of belly wraps on the market. The purpose of them is to help your organs and muscles make their way back to their pre-pregnancy positions.
I didn't realize how incredibly jello-like your insides become once the baby comes out. On top of that, if you're like me and have a separation of your abdominal muscles (a painless but annoying condition called "diastasis recti") the wraps can help coax your muscles back into place.
These wraps are most effective if you start using them immediately after giving birth. The reason for this is that in preparation for childbirth, your body produces a hormone called "relaxin". Among other things, it loosens and relaxes your muscles, joints and ligaments to help accommodate the necessary changes your body needs to go through to successfully birth a child.
Relaxin lingers for several months postpartum, which means that you can take advantage of its presence by using belly wraps to get your body to "bounce back" from pregnancy faster.
Now, all of this, in theory, sounds amazing. I was all for it.
I tried two kinds. One was more bulky than the other but has more structure. It wraps around your abdomen and attaches using velcro. The other one was more like a corset waist trainer and was more comfortable to wear under clothes.
The reason that belly wraps didn't make my list, however, is that I cannot personally vouch for the efficacy of this item. For whatever reason, I found it annoying and impractical to use them postpartum and only ended up wearing them maybe two dozen times.
With my next pregnancy, I plan to try again and be more consistent with the use of this product as I really think it could have helped get my belly looking and feeling more normal more quickly.
Padcicles
This item is probably one of the most popular and recommended postpartum products. You can buy them pre-made, you can get reusable ones (link here) or you can find all sorts of online tutorials on how to make them yourself.
It's exactly what it sound like. A pad crossed with a cold pack to cool down (or perhaps numb) your lady parts while they heal.
This item, also, sounded great to me in theory. But when I tried them (and I tried a few different brands) I absolutely hated them.
The problem was that the bulkiness of the padcicle put too much pressure on my wound and (especially when I was sitting) that hurt way more than the minimal relief I felt from the cold.
Perhaps for someone without tearing it would be worthwhile, and so many mamas swear by these, so I decided to give them a mention in this article.
I hope you found this list helpful, and I wish you a smooth and speedy postpartum recovery!