What kind of things do I need right away post-partum? What can wait a little bit? I don't know what kind of bras, tops, etc. are necessary to have on hand. What about self-care items?
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My hospital seriously had everything I needed except clothes. But honestly with a vaginal birth I wasn't that long. I didn't take a shower so I didn't need towels/extra toiletries.
I'd say hair elastics for sure, glasses/contacts if that applies... I wore a button down night shirt and then had change of clothes for going home (nursing tank, hoodie, maternity leggings).
I asked for extra everything at the hospital to take home (granny panties, giant pads, witch hazel pad things, some kinda cream, squirt bottle, they even gave me a sitz bath but I never used it)
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You'll really want comfy clothes that work for nursing - really, anything that buttons open or can be pushed off a shoulder will do. Also a place to spend a lot of time sitting, and a good book or movie. A leak proof pad is handy to put on your knees while baby is nursing, there might be some diaper leaks early on and it's much better not to have to wash your clothes too! And grab all the hospital items when you go home - the water spray bottle and pain relief spray in particular are amazing.
And don't expect to get much done beyond caring for yourself and the baby for the first month. Some kids eat all the time, and even manage to sleep while they eat so there's not much of a break
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All the above and buy TUCKS those are the cooling pads .....store in fridge....ughh those were AMAZING
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I wear thongs pretty much exclusively so I went out and bought some bikini-style underwear so that I could fit the huge pads in them. I just got cheap ones from Target. I also stocked up on some always overnight pads. All I needed were pads and a peri bottle (hospital provided this) and mesh underwear (again, hospital provided this). Oh and stool softener, too.
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@snowjewelz: That helps with self-care things! I told DH to have a reusable bag and unload the cart of things whenever it's filled
I'll have to be sure to ask for extra of anything else I might need. I have some capri sweat pants that fit below my belly and figure I'll pack those for the hospital. I have an old robe I might take otherwise I don't know about sleep/lounge clothes while I'm there. Should I have a nursing bra and/or tank on hand? My boobs haven't grown much thus far but I have no idea what they'll end up once milk comes in. I don't know if that's something to have one of on hand and just order more online when I get home?
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@Mama Bird: I'll have to see if my regular clothes will work right away or if there's a need for nursing clothes. Versus waiting and buying them later. Would a burp rag work on my legs? Not waterproof obviously but would protect my clothes still.
@FaithFertility: Adding them to Amazon! Are they ideal for tears or what?
@lawbee11: I have some regular underwear so hopefully I can manage with those initially? How long did you have to wear it for?
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For home, the best thing I can suggest until the bleeding stops is a small, waterproof crib mattress pad. One for your couch, another for your bed.
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Self care:
pads
Tucks pads
breast pads (even if you don't BF, you'll need them for a few days)
Lanolin (if you plan to BF)I didn't buy any structured nursing bras until my boobs had settled to a consistent size, but I bought one with no underwire to wear when we went out in public. I wore sleep bras or no bra around the house with maternity tank tops around the house for maternity leave. Sleep bras were critical at night because I needed them to hold the breast pads in place or I would wake up with a soaking nightshirt and bed.
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@LindsayInNY: I would buy at least one nursing bra or tank to have ASAP rather than waiting until after to buy one. That way, you have something to wear while you are waiting for the others to arrive.
Everything else, my hospital provided. I bought tons of other stuff that I read on a WB thread was nice for self-care post partum, but I ended up not needing/using any of it (sitz bath, ice packs shaped like pads, the earth mama bottom spray, etc etc). I did use the dermoplast the hospital provided and the peri bottle--that was all I needed. I also bought cheap bikini undies at Target--I regret buying gigantic granny panties as I'd been told. They weren't comfortable to me (I was used to wearing hipster thongs only), so I never wore them. Waste of $10.
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@LindsayInNY: I bought non-bra sized nursing bras and cami's before-hand.... Those first weeks I just couldn't be bothered with doing anything else! I'd def maybe order some that you can use right away. I def had to wear maternity clothes still.. My belly was still kinda big (~ 3 mo pregnant) haha!
I really loved having the hospital giant panties home to wear for another week or so before switching back to regular panties. I actually bought cheap packs of granny panties too that I can just throw out if needed.
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@LindsayInNY: I think that would work!1
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Self care:
-pads
-Tucks (best thing ever)
-Colace
-Tylenol if your hospital doesn't give you a script
-granny underwearClothes:
-nursing bras and tanks -
I vastly preferred Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter to regular Lanolin ointment, but that's a personal preference. I found the Lanolin thick and difficult to apply.
Take ALL the ice packs they'll let you stuff into a bag. I didn't take any and regretted it. My mom had to go out and buy me an ice pack and a rubber donut to sit on.
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You will want to get the giant maxi pads. Like, the horrendously huge ones that feel like a big diaper for extra super heavy bleeding. The thin pads will not cut it for the first few weeks. Take the dermoplast, the witch hazel pads, an extra pair of the mesh panties, and all the free stuff the hospital will give you.
I purchased my own stool softeners ahead of time, so I had them even thought the hospital sent me home with Colace. Frozen pads felt amazing on my sore lady parts in the first few days. You can make those yourself and you hospital may provide one for you (mine did and it was awesome). I'd also get some Chux pads to have on the bed at home because you may leak and it will protect your sheets and mattress.
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Self care stuff:
Underwear that are big and comfy
I liked earth mama angel baby bottom spray and their ointment.
I also premade padiccles and then made a bunch more
Epsom salts for baths
The sitz bath was not comfortable so it was a waste of money
I started with sports bras w padding that could be pulled down then ordered a few nice nursing bras once I was sure I was actually going to be bfing
The spray bottle was a must. Got that from the hospital. That's about all I got to take though. But I'm in Canada and they don't like giving stuff away at all.Also I tore quite bad so I needed all that stuff. My friends have needed nothing but the squirt bottle. Hope you're like that
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I bought a bunch of stuff but just ended up what we brought home from the hospital. Get some black undies in a size up (I got maternity braids from gap so I had something for the end of pregnancy). Get some medium weight pads and panty liners. My bleeding was like a normal period by the time I got home. Just stay in bed as much as you can and take care of yourself. Also get some extra long phone/iPad chargers. I got 2. Also a dinner for your nightstand lamp or wherever you will feed/change your baby- it makes it easier to go back to sleep.
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A round cushion of some description to sit on (with your sore parts in the hole, not touching the seat). It hurt like hell to sit on our couch without one! Maybe that's just due to having an episiotomy though... I hope it's less painful for you!
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Tucks pads and giant frozen pads were AMAZING.
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I had an emergency C-section so I don't know how helpful this is but Chux pads are the best thing - I kept them everywhere before labor for my waters and they have been so useful both for bleeding and impromptu diaper changes.
My hospital gave me everything so I just used their huge pads and mesh panties until the heavy bleeding stopped.
I took nursing tanks to the hospital so I could nurse and feel a little more human. I just got cheap cotton ones from Walmart.com and they have oddly been my favorite even over Bravado. I used Lansinoh nursing pads (disposable). They are by far the best pads I've used and I hated every other disposable I tried. I liked Lansinoh's lanolin better then Earth Mama and their milk bags better than Medela.
But my milk didn't come in for a week! I was at a baby friendly hospital so they made me nurse and nurse and pump and pump and assured me DS was getting colostrum but in retrospect I think he was starving. The only time he stopped screaming was when he was in NICU with jaundice and they flushed his system with formula on top of my nursing to get the bilirubin out. So as controversial as it may be, either take a few nursettes from the hospital or have a little formula at home in case you need it. But I am probably the exception - I literally never saw milk come out of my boobs until day 6 and even then it was like half an ounce after 40 minutes of pumping.
10 foot iPhone cord so you can rest in bed or recliner with ease.
My friend had a tear so I just gave her my padsicle ingredients - just squirt pads with alcohol free witch hazel and aloe Vera gel and freeze. She said they were amazing.
Keep some prunes and prune baby food and oatmeal on hand and make some prune oatmeal for yourself if your constipation is bad - it makes everything worse.
Stay on top of your pain meds and don't be afraid to use them.
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I leaked like crazy once my milk came in, so even with nursing pads I needed to change my nursing bras/tanks multiple times a day. I think I started with two bras (the S/M/L type rather than ones sized by band and cup size) and three tanks and was doing laundry pretty much every day to keep up. I also second the idea of waterproof pads to put between you and the mattress.
I got the biggest pads I could find but my bleeding ended up not being so bad, so I barely used them. I used the ones I swiped from the hospital until they ran out and by that point, regular pads were fine for me. I will say, though, that the huge ones came in handy for my first period PP, which was horrible. I actually didn't care much for Tucks pads, but I know some people swear by them.
I'd recommend having a nursing pillow if you plan to BF, I started with a Boppy but it was pretty useless for nursing. My cousin sent me some stuff she didn't need anymore, which included a My Brest Friend pillow, and I am forever grateful because it made things so much easier. BUT, the Boppy did come in handy to sit on as a sort of "donut" while my lady bits healed (I had a 2nd degree tear). So I also recommend some sort of seat that takes pressure off that area, because you'll be sitting A LOT and it really doesn't feel good at first!
Other than that, Colace, a nice big water bottle, and some calorie-heavy, easy-to-eat snacks are important. I bought a few different types of trail mix bags at Whole Foods well in advance and just opened them as I needed them, and it was so nice to be able to shovel in a handful when my stomach was growling and the baby was more or less permanently attached to me. Especially during MOTN feeds.
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even though this is my second babe, i'm appreciating all these posts!!
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What I had on hand and used at home:
-pads
-ibuprofen
-an underpad (washable) for my bed.
-round cushion to sit on (I actually used the boppy podster thing someone had given me for the baby, it was perfect
-Luna bars and similar snacks on my nightstand and anywhere I might be nursing .
-nipple butterWhat I wished I'd had:
-more regular absorbency pads. After a few days the hospital ones were too giant and I had to keep going out for a new pack of regular pads
-another underpad
-a water bottle in every room of my house so I wouldn't have to worry about bringing it back and forth and refilling it all the timeWhat I didn't end up using:
-witch hazel/padsicle things
-nursing bras/shirts. I didn't buy any until like 2-3 weeks pp. before that I wore coobies and my maternity tanks.
-I also didn't buy any pp underwear, just used all my older more worn pairs and then treated myself to all-new undies once I stopped bleeding and was back to my normal size! -
Huge pads
Nursing pads
Some sort of nursing tanks of bras, but I would wait to invest in bras until your size settles after after a week or so.
A waterproof mattress cover for your side of the bed. The hospital had large waterproof pads that I put under the sheets on my side of the bed.
A few freezer meals or things that are quick to prepare
Healthy, filling snacks
Any sort of household items like laundry soap and shampoo that you might be almost out of -
Following!
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I really liked the Always Infinity pads for postpartum the wings were quite helpful in containing the mess. I needed the overnight size for a while then I worked my way down.
Unstructured nursing bras, my hospital had an on site store to measure you.
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@looch: Thankfully the dog uses wee-wee pads - I'll be stealing those!
@littlebug: I've read recommendations for both so I'll have to just pick and get one!
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@LindsayInNY: Ohhhh good call on the puppy pads! The yorkies won't notice a few missing.
I love this thread. I ordered some tucks pads!
ETA: Can/Do you freeze the Tucks?
I'll have to be sure to ask for extra of anything else I might need. I have some capri sweat pants that fit below my belly and figure I'll pack those for the hospital. I have an old robe I might take otherwise I don't know about sleep/lounge clothes while I'm there. Should I have a nursing bra and/or tank on hand? My boobs haven't grown much thus far but I have no idea what they'll end up once milk comes in. I don't know if that's something to have one of on hand and just order more online when I get home?
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