So many people choose to focus on the newborn baby (and understandably so!). However, it is so important to remember mama too, and to take care of yourself! If you don’t take care of yourself, it is extremely hard to take care of a tiny human.
Aside from my postpartum kits that I wrote about earlier on, I’ve rounded up a few items that I often reach for that have helped me through the newborn/new mom period.
Nursing Pads – As your milk supply comes in and your body is figuring out how to regulate to baby’s needs, you will constantly leak! I remember being shocked in the early days of just how crazy this was. Your body thinks it’s time for baby to eat? Milk starts coming out. You hear your baby crying? Milk starts coming out. Just trying to enjoy a nice, warm shower for once? Boom: milk. I guess it’s a great thing, but at the same time, I was constantly soaking bras, and having to change them. I ordered these nursing pads on Amazon and have not gone a day without them since. The leaking has certainly slowed down, but I’m not quite ready to test skipping the pads. These disposable pads are extremely absorbent and have been such a life saver for me! The only downside is that they are disposable and I feel like I have gone through so many of them. Lately, I can make it through a whole day with just one set, but earlier on, I was finding that I would need to change them often. I did try ordering a pack of reusable bamboo nursing pads to cut back on waste and spending, but they unfortunately were not as comfortable for me. When they would start getting wet, you could feel the wetness against you, versus the disposable ones seemed to suck the moisture deeper inside. I also found that my nipple would stick to the reusable ones, which was quite uncomfortable to pull them off. Perhaps now that the leaking has slowed, I should give these another shot.
Nursing Bras – Similar to the story above with nursing pads, I was going through bras like hotcakes! Not only were they getting soaked with breastmilk, but they would also often get covered with spit up. Oh the joys of breastfeeding. 😉 I could put on a fresh bra in the morning, and then next time I went to feed Viv, she would spit up allllllllll over me, and it would be time for a new bra. For this reason, I highly recommend purchasing more nursing bras than you think you need, otherwise you will be doing so. much. laundry. I started with a two pack from Amazon during pregnancy because I knew I would be able to get long term use out of these, and they were so comfortable! Once Vivian arrived, I ordered another larger pack because I realized I needed way more. One of the great things about these two brands from Amazon is that they come with the extender pieces, so even if you aren’t quite sure what size you will need, this was so helpful! The prices were also unbeatable. I also ended up ordering some from H&M that are a little bit cuter (if that matters), and I really like those as well.
Comfortable Outfits – I don’t think this one even needs to be mentioned, but I’m going to mention it anyways. After having a baby, you want nothing restrictive, just loose, flowy, comfy, cozy, etc. Time of year can probably make a difference, but a variety of sweatpants/PJ pants, and shorts are a must! It was still quite warm in September when I gave birth (aside from the snow day, lol), so I often found myself in comfy shorts and a tank top, or just my nursing bra. Not to mention the hot flashes that would quickly come on, and I would wake up sweaty if I had on anything more. Now that we are into winter, I am loving the sweat pants and oversized sweatshirts, so I’m glad I have a variety to choose from to suit my mood. Sounds like the ultimate mom uniform, right? I feel slightly lazy when getting dressed means changing my pajamas, but we are stuck at home, so why wear anything fancy? I tend to lean toward joggers because they feel slightly less slob-ish to me (is that a word?), but I think I’m just trying to make myself feel better. 😂 Again, Old Navy is a favorite for both joggers/sweats and pajama bottoms. Having a variety of sizes was also helpful in the beginning because coming home from the hospital you are still quite swollen and holding onto excess fluids, and you also need room for the adult diapers! 😂😂
Haaka – this thing was my best friend in the early days. I still use it (and should probably use it more often), but now that Vivian has gotten bigger and more wiggly, it just took one time of her kicking it off and spilling almost three ounces of precious breastmilk for me to set it aside and take a break. But in all reality, it is a great way to build up a little milk stash in those early days. You suction this to the opposite side that you are feeding on to catch your let down and any leaking. It isn’t quite as strong as a pump, but can still get a few ounces in a feeding. I highly recommend ordering one that comes with a lid, such as this one, so that you can just pop the lid on and stick the whole thing in the fridge once you are done with your feeding session. Before I had a lid, I would pour it either into a different bottle that had a lid, or straight into the milk storage bags, adding one more step. This doesn’t sound so bad, but at 3 in the morning, the less steps, the better. I actually have two of these, which has been so great in case one was in the fridge, or dirty. Often the collection from one session would be a smaller portion than what I wanted to freeze, so leaving it in the fridge until I had enough to freeze was key.
Milk Storage Bags – I guess I’ll mention this one too since most of this list has to do with breastfeeding. The Lansinoh brand storage bags have been my favorite, though admittedly these are the only ones I’ve tried so far. My sister-in-law had gifted me some that she had leftover, and since they seemed to work great, I keep ordering more as needed. I have had no issues with the bags leaking, so I count it as a win in my book! They are easy to label and are essential in building a freezer stash for backup. Don’t forget to freeze your milk laying flat so that you can easily store them and they’ll take up less space in the long haul!
Bonus: Find a good show (or shows) to watch! You spend so much time feeding the baby, it is helpful to have something to help keep you awake during all hours of the night. Something on Netflix or Hulu that has a lot of episodes/seasons was a must for me. I started with New Girl and was really enjoying it! I’m not quite sure why I stopped watching it, but it was entertaining! I also have my usual Youtubers that I would keep up-to-date on their videos and then any shows that had current seasons going, but it was always nice to have something to fall back on, so you are never out of options.
Laugh Often – Rachel
Simply Stoops 