The morning my son was born, I was laying in bed when I felt something wet between my upper thighs-I was bleeding through the single pair of disposable mesh underwear and pad given to me by my midwives, and I had nothing to change into to. While I had spent the past few months arranging newborn clothes, cloth diaper supplies, and baby gear, I had spent exactly zero time assembling anything for myself-including the most basic essentials, pads!
We live in a very birth/baby centered culture when it comes to pregnancy, and not that there is anything wrong with that-both of those things are very important, and should get a lot of focus. However, when it comes to our health and wellbeing, postpartum is almost always completely skipped over. I believe this to be dangerous to the wellbeing of our mothers, and contributing to the higher rates of postpartum depression we are witnessing. Every woman recovering from birth, whether it was a c-section, vaginal delivery, or assisted vaginal delivery should be receiving continued care, as well as being provided with the resources and she needs to best support herself during the healing process.
Just like the list your OB or midwife gives you to prepare for birth, we should also have a Postpartum Checklist.
The following is a list that I have compiled based on my own experience, and witnessing many new mothers navigate their first few weeks and months healing from birth.
Prenatal Vitamins
These come with a bit of a misnomer. I would prefer these vitamins be called “Prenatal/Postpartum Vitamins” as they are an incredibly easy way to continue supporting your nutritional needs as you heal from the marathon and potential major surgery that was childbirth. Not to mention that for those of you who are able to breastfeed your child, you are still growing a baby! Nutrition requirements are at their highest postpartum for this very reason, so please please do yourself a favor and have on hand at least 6 months worth of prenatal vitamins for your early postpartum days. Please also note that not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. Do your research and find the ones made with organic whole foods-these will be the highest quality, next to eating organic whole foods.
Meal Prep
I like to think of food as your insurance policy. Aside from rest, getting adequate nourishment is critical to recovering from childbirth, and nourishing yourself along with your new little one. There are many ways to go about this, including making a meal a week to freeze during the last trimester of pregnancy, or gathering your closest women to come for a day of cooking, all of which will be made to freeze for later. My two favorite books for postpartum recipes are, “The First Forty Days” by Heng Ou, and “Real Food for Pregnancy” by Lily Nichols. Additionally, assign your best friend/sister/mother with the task of setting up a Meal Train for you and your family once the baby arrives. Ideally you want to have frozen meals ready to pop out of the freezer for the days that you won’t be receiving meals from your community.
Postpartum Doula
If there is ever a time to pamper yourself and allow someone to care for you, it’s postpartum! Consider asking for this support as a gift from your family. Postpartum doulas can offer a whole range of care, from night shifts with the baby so you can sleep, to meal prep, emotional support, house work, lactation support, and much more! These days they are becoming more and more common, so ask around at your next prenatal appointment, or mama/baby resource center!
Hydration
There are so many ways to get in your daily hydration requirements aside from water, which can feel mundane when you are trying to get in 100oz/daily! Consider making bone broths, or homemade gatorade, and having herbal tea blends to supplement your water intake. Bone broth is basically savory gatorade, packed with vitamins and minerals. If savory gatorade isn’t your thing, both cookbooks mentioned in the meal prep portion have delicious recipes for homemade gatorade, made from coconut water, citrus juice, and mineral salt. Nettle tea is wonderful to have on hand in the case of blood loss-this earthy green is high in iron, and delicious to drink! Another favorite one to have on hand is ‘Smooth Move’ by Traditional Medicinals-this herbal blend acts as a laxative, and can be a god send when it comes to your first bowel movements postpartum.
Organic Cotton Pads
This one might feel really specific and like I am trying to push a product, but when it comes to feminine hygiene practices, I feel very strongly that we need to avoid toxic materials/substances coming in contact with our reproductive parts at all costs. Generic pads contain a shocking amount of micro plastics, which is not only harmful to our body, but also our mother earth. Many also include a whole host of harmful chemicals, if they have any sort of odor neutralizer or fragrance. Please consider making the switch to organic cotton feminine products if you haven’t already, and certainly prioritize this switch during postpartum. During this time we are likely to experience torn/swollen tissue that is easily irritated by the plastics found in conventional pads. A quick google search will come up with many many options, and if you live in an area with a co-op or health food store, they will certainly have what you need! I like the overnight flow large pads for the first week or so postpartum, when your flow and lochia discharge will be at its’ heaviest. Then you can slowly transition to lighter flow pads.
Body Care
Postpartum recovery is a time for ample rest, and staying in. Having your favorite body care products stocked can offer relaxation and healing to your daily routine. Herbal Sitz Baths are a wonderful option for most new mamas. These are a blend of herbs and epsom salts, that you brew into a tea, and add to your bath to soak. The herbs have tissue healing properties for swollen/healing vaginal tissue, and can also help with hemorrhoids and stitches. Your favorite body oil/lotion will offer hydration to your healing abdominal tissue, and can be used by your partner in a massage. All natural nipple cream is another wonderful product to have on hand, although I recommend only using it if you are experiencing dryness/cracking/bleeding. Witch Hazel is very helpful in reducing/easing pain from hemorrhoids, and can be applied to your pad for all day use. Do you have a body product that you have been lusting over, but haven’t bought because it seems like a luxury? Now’s the time to treat yourself to a little extra self care. Additionally, “The First Forty Days” has a whole chapter on homemade body care, specifically created with the healing mama in mind.
Create your Sanctuary
When you are laying in your bed, do you feel relaxed? Does your room offer you peace from the rest of the house? These are very good questions to ask yourself when setting up your home for healing. You will likely be spending a lot of time in bed, at least for the first week or so. Make the changes to your space now, that will create a space of healing and recovery. This can mean buying new sheets (for home birthing mamas, this one is HIGHLY recommended), a new chair, or going through that pile of clothes and clutter in the corner cleaning up the space!
Snacks
Outside of your daily meals, almost all new moms experience a surge of hunger after childbirth that can last many months postpartum, depending on recovery and postpartum. Having easy to eat bites prepped for you to have your bedside table throughout the day is golden! Consider asking for this as a part of your Meal Train, or stock your pantry ahead of time with things like nuts, seaweed, nut butters, canned fish, seaweed, and other high fat/low sugar snacks. Both cookbooks mentioned also have wonderful recipes for postpartum snacks-most of which are loved by little kiddos in the house too!
Projects/Books for Bed
These days it is unrealistic to expect anyone to take an extended break from their phone. Especially postpartum, when you are itching to share pictures of your new little one with the rest of your world. I like to recommend keeping phone use to a minimum though. Our little baby’s heads are still forming and studies have shown that they are much more vulnerable to microwave radiation from our tech devices, as their skulls are thinner, and brain tissue still developing. A good rule to follow would be to keep the phone out of the bed, whenever the baby is in bed with you. This is the time for books! Knitting! Journaling! Slower paced, and less stimulating activities are the best way to pass this time-and gazing at your baby all day too…
Breastfeeding Friendly/Comfortable Clothing
For many this means investing a few nice new nursing bras, personally I like to forgo the bra entirely and allow as much air and space for my breasts to do their thing! It is helpful to think about how you would like to be dressed/covered/exposed while visitors are around. While you likely have a close group of friends who you don’t mind flashing a boob to, you may also feel more discrete, or have a few visitors/family members with whom you want to be a bit more clothed. Make sure you have a few items of clothing that make you feel good., and that also allow stretch and movement without too much restriction. Postpartum bodies are tender and soft-try to identify/expand the clothing in your wardrobe that embrace that.
Gather your Village!
Think of all of the people in your life who mother you, or who you feel nurtured by. Now is the time to invite them in, to be held by them. Don’t feel shy about asking for what you need, and for assigning jobs to friends and family. They will most likely be honored that you are thinking of them in such a vulnerable time, and be so happy to do whatever you need of them!