The Ultimate Postpartum Care Kit: Essentials for Healing After Birth
A 5 minute read
There is so much to prepare for when you’re expecting a new baby. Often your own recovery and postpartum care can fall to the bottom of your to-do list.
Even if you have the smoothest birth experience, you’ll likely have some soreness, swelling, and mild discomfort. You won’t know exactly what will bring you the most comfort until you’re actually in postpartum…
But trust us — you’ll want to avoid late-night runs to the store or having to wait several days for the supplies you desperately need to ease your aches and pains.
By stocking up on the right postpartum supplies, you’ll be able to heal and transition into new motherhood with ease.
And if you’re short on time and need all the essentials ASAP — order our Babies in Bloom Postpartum Kit to ensure you have everything you need!
When Should You Create Your Postpartum Kit?
The secret to success? Start getting ready for your postpartum recovery before your baby arrives! Ideally you’ll want to start putting together your postpartum kit during your 3rd trimester. That way you have plenty of time to research and gather all the items you’ll need.
But definitely try to have all your recovery care supplies on hand 4 weeks before your due date. This will give you peace of mind knowing that you’re prepared any time your baby decides to arrive!
Putting Together Your Postpartum Kit List
Pregnancy changes your body in many ways — and the changes don’t stop once your baby is born!
To put together the list of items you’ll want in your postpartum kit, it’s helpful to know what common postpartum symptoms to expect. Your birth will be unique, but knowing what the common changes that most moms/birthing people experience will help you to prepare physically and emotionally.
From soreness to discharge, here’s what you can expect in the 6-8 week postpartum period as you recover from labor and delivery.
Vaginal Soreness:
If you give birth vaginally, you’ll likely experience some soreness as your muscles recover from all the stretching that took place during birth. Some birthing people also experience vaginal tears which can cause additional pain as the tears heal over time.
Vaginal Bleeding/Discharge:
Most women/birthing persons experience heavy vaginal discharge during the first 3-4 days after birth. The discharge will start out red and there may be some clots/clumps. And then the consistency will slowly change to become more watery and a pinkish brown color lasting for at least 10-12 days. The discharge will gradually become a more yellowish white.
Incontinence:
Your pelvic floor muscles have been stretched and may have been injured during labor and birth. This can cause you to experience a little leakage — especially if you cough, sneeze or belly laugh. This symptom will usually improve in the first few weeks after birth.
Hemorrhoids & Bowel Movements:
You may experience pain during your daily bowel movements from swelling in your perineum or swollen veins around your anus — aka. hemorrhoids. While unpleasant, these symptoms will subside as your body heals and the swelling goes down.
Breast Engorgement:
You may experience engorgement after delivery: full, firm breasts that can be painful or tender to the touch. Chest/breastfeeding or manual extraction will help to express some of the milk and relieve discomfort.
So how do you help your body to recover and heal after birth? In addition to lots of rest, a healthy diet, and gentle exercises — as your body allows! — you’ll want to have a few essential postpartum supplies to help speed up your recovery.
The Ultimate Postpartum Kit Checklist
This postpartum care kit checklist will help you gather all the essential items that you’ll need at home! Here are 8 must-have items to have on hand to ease your recovery after birth.
- Mesh Panties/Disposable Underwear
It’s not uncommon to bleed through your underwear at least once during those first few days after birth. That’s why it can be helpful to have a few mesh panties that you can throw in the wash or a pack of disposable underwear that you can toss in the trash.
- Maxi Pads
The vaginal bleeding you’ll experience after birth can feel like a heavy period. You’ll want to have a pack of super absorbent maxi pads on hand to absorb all the discharge and — hopefully! — prevent any leaks. A pack of lighter pads will be helpful once the discharge lessens and you experience spotting over a few more weeks.
Pro Tip: Avoid using tampons during your postpartum recovery as this can introduce bacteria into your uterus.
- Peri Rinse Bottle
This may be our favorite item on our postpartum care checklist! Trust us, you will use this every day, multiple times a day. After birth, your vagina will still be swollen and tender. Wiping with even the softest bathroom tissue can be really painful! You’ll definitely want to have a peri bottle on hand which you can fill with warm water to help dilute your pee — which will reduce any stinging — and to rinse off afterward.
- Ice Pack
To help reduce the swelling of your vagina — especially in the first 24 hours after birth — it can be helpful to apply ice to the region. We love cold packs and maxi pad/ice pad combos that you can pop in the freezer and place in your underwear to help relieve any pain and discomfort.
- Epsom Salts/Sitz Bath
Sitz baths with epsom salts are a wonderful way to speed up your postpartum recovery. You can either sit in a warm bath — with enough warm water to cover your vagina and perineum — or use a sitz bath — that fits over your toilet seat. Enjoy a sitz bath one to three times a day for 15-20 minutes to help relax your muscles, soothe, soreness, and reduce itching.
Our top 3 favorites? The Earth Mama Organics Herbal Sitz Bath, Motherlove’s Sitz Bath Soak, and Frida Mom Sitz Bath Tablets.
- Perineal Balm/Spray
If you experience soreness or have any tears, you may experience some discomfort — or even itching if you had stitches. A perineal balm/spray like Earth Mama Organics Perineal Balm or Motherlove’s Organic Sitz Bath Spray can relieve pain by acting as a local anesthetic. Talk to your doctor to see what type — spray, cream, ointment, or pad — they recommend for you.
- Witch Hazel Balm/Pads
Did you know that half of expecting moms will experience hemorrhoids? Witch hazel balm/pads can be a total lifesaver. This will help your blood vessels to shrink — which will help soothe everything down there. If you have hemorrhoids or tearing, witch hazel will provide a lovely cooling effect that will give you so much relief during recovery.
- C-section Cream
A quality c-section cream will help minimize scarring while nourishing the skin. Many have using soothing, antibacterial, and regenerative herbs that will provide relief as your stitches heal. We love Motherlove’s C-Section Cream and Earth Mama Organics Skin and Scar Balm.
You’ll use most of these essential items when you’re in the bathroom. A lot of moms/birthing people like to stash these items in a handy bathroom basket that you can keep on top of your toilet or on your bathroom counter. That way everything’s within reach when you need it!
The Perfect Postpartum Kit:
We know you have a ton of things on your plate as you prepare to welcome your baby into the world. You want to be prepared for your postpartum recovery, but may not have the time to research, purchase, and prepare all the items that you’ll need.
That’s why we created our Babies in Bloom Postpartum Kits! We’ve put together our favorite tried-and-true postpartum essentials in one simple kit to ensure that you have everything you need for a smooth postpartum recovery.
We also love that many of the items are environmentally friendly and made from certified organic and natural, plant-derived materials that are chemical and additive free, and biodegradable, containing only organic and natural ingredients.
This postpartum kit is the perfect gift for a loved one or yourself. Wondering what’s included in the kit? Check it out today!
Shop for Postpartum Kit Supplies:
Shop our amazing selection of postpartum products online or in person at the Babies in Bloom Boutique. We’ve carefully chosen products that are favorites of new moms/birthing people to help you have a smooth postpartum recovery.
