Hellobee Boards

Following...

Definitely buy:
- Witch Hazel: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AOYQ90C?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
Multipurpose: can be added to your perineal irrigation bottle, used to soak frozen pads (though I didn't do this), or re-wet Tucks or wipes that have dried out a bit. Can even be used as facial toner!

- Tucks: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GG850U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01
Can be used for general pain or hemorrhoids, perfect size, layer on top of pad.

- Pads + disposable underwear or black underwear.

- Colace or Miralax and some kind of disposable wipe for when you go #2.

- Some kind of numbing spray - Dermoplast & Earth Mama brand

- Perineal irrigation bottles: multiple is nice so tou dont have to refill constantly

Items other people liked but I didn't care for:
- Sitz bath: you can't immerse yourself in more than 2-3 inches of water for 10-15 min at a time, so you either sit there shivering in your tub wasting water, or have to buy the herbs AND the sitz insert for your toilet. Combo price like $15-20 and unnecessary if you have the above items. I bought and returned.

- "Padsicles" - the hospital had them (frozen icy pads), and I only used them once or twice a day at the hospital to decrease swelling. Padsicles don't absorb as well, and the other products numb you up anyways.

At 2 weeks postpartum, I was down to pantiliners and the irrigation bottle instead of TP.

Sounds so weird, but in the hospital they had condoms filled with water and frozen - you could.....mmm....not quite insert them, but place them strategically to help numb sore areas after birth. They were a godsend!!!
Other than that, a friend of mine brought a batch of muffins which were great for snacking day and night while nursing.

Second the squirt bottle, stool softeners and flushable wet wipes. Really comfortable “grandma” underwear and heavy flow/overnight pads (I preferred Always Infinity). A housecoat because you will be topless 90% of the time in the first few weeks. Dry shampoo because you will be having to choose between eating, showering and sleeping while the baby sleeps and for me, showering always lost.

for this last birth the hospital gave me these wrap around heat packs- they are meant for your back, they activate when you take them out of the packaging and shake them. I wore them strapped to my uterus and they helped SO MUCH with after birth cramping. I took like 8 of them home and basically wore them all the time.
the peri bottle, numbing spray, and tucks wipes (i didn't have hemorrhoids but found them soothing to wipe with), plus a lot of giant pads were what i used most of.

stay on top of the colace, and if you aren't going pretty soon after birth do some warm prune juice. you do not wanted to get backed up.

Stool Softener
Robe
Easy snacks - granola bars, crackers, etc..... Things are that are at least sort of healthy that you enjoy but shelf stable so you can buy now and not worry about them going bad while you are in newborn haze.
Sleep Nursing Bra - I loved this - especially during the beginning - they are like sports bras - so easy to whip out a boob without worrying about clips.
I know some people use depends instead of worrying about pads. Something to consider.
Definitely some cheap underwear you don't care about since you won't have the granny panties from the hospital.

Looks like PP all have great suggestions

Really big underwear (I don't really like the hospital mesh but normal undies are too small for big pads).

Nightgowns (I really loved just wearing nightgowns all day the first week postpartum)

Robe

Most of this stuff that was mentioned I got from the hospital (and they gave me a bunch to take home). I.e. pads, tucks, dermoplast, etc. So personally I wouldn't go crazy buying a ton of stuff. I bought a pack of the super heaviest Always overnight pads which I did use, and I ended up buying another can of Dermoplast spray about a week PP when the one I got from the hospital ran out.

Stuff I will get for baby 2: those gel nipple covers you can put in the fridge. I don't know what they are called, but the LC in the hospital found me some at like 10pm when I was crying my eyes out because my nipples hurt, lol. They felt GREAT straight out of the fridge. I will bring my own. I used a little bit of lanolin but never used the earth mama nipple butter I bought.

For nursing: I bought 2 very soft sleep nursing bras from Target that I LIVED in (bring to hospital) and WASHABLE, CLOTH nursing pads. I found the disposable ones to be extremely painful and irritating to my breasts. Once my milk came in, tons of little baby wash cloths, burp cloths, towels, etc to stuff in my shirt and deal with the milk flood! Also agree some soft comfy clothes you can wear around the house or to take baby to the doctor when you're only a few days PP (this will likely be maternity).

For me a pump was a must and I would not have survived without it, so I would have your pump ordered, parts washed and sterilized and set up, just in case.

Non baby related: I tried to make sure we stayed stocked up on stuff like toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, laundry detergent, etc. Just reduced my stress.

Following!

This is the first I'm hearing about an irrigation bottle...

@starchild: The squirt bottle is completely essential for peeing if you have vaginal tearing. I'd have one in every bathroom in the house plus another that you can carry in the diaper bag for peeing when you're out and about (like at the pediatrician office).

I looked through my Amazon orders from when I got home from the hospital last month and looks like I ordered a few long shapeless nightgowns and those disposable puppy pads ( I had bleeding and yes fecal incontinence for a few days). I also used the puppy pads in the bathroom, I made lots of messes with the Peri bottle.

My FIL got me Gatorade and Saltines for home, since I had so many tummy issues too.

I'm still not wearing undies, and it's been a month. Too uncomfortable and I had a deep wound since I popped a stitch so that has been healing. So I highly recommend loose clothing!

Freezer meals for sure. Muffins, small things of juice...a really good water bottle you can use with one hand to open.

Oh! And I had some disposable plates and cups. Still use them. I feel bad for the waste, but it's temporary.