I prefer my puns intended

Because life can be punny.

Five essentials for moms recovering from childbirth

By

Maybe it was working full time or perhaps it was the flurry of excitement that accompanied moving into a new home, but my nine month pregnancy flew by.  Even now, I still cannot believe I have the pleasure of taking care of this perfect little guy for nearly eleven weeks:

That smile!!
When you’re pregnant, it seems that every mother has valuable experiences to share; every mom wants to help you navigate all types of unpleasantries: from morning sickness to talking to the socially inept guy who just cannot help but ask, “are you sure there is only one?” I’m sure, but are you sure you’re not pregnant?
I digress.
Experienced mothers even had their personal experiences to share about labor and delivery.  One of my favorite tips was from a parent who suggested that I think of a celebrity mom who was physically petite and think, “if she can do it, I can do it.”  Labor and delivery proved to be one of my favorite parts of having Bennett the first few weeks: particularly after the epidural.  Granted, I wouldn’t order another labor and delivery today, but seeing your child for the first time has to be one of the most amazing moments any human gets to experience.
What I was most surprised by is how little is made of the recovery process after giving birth.  After all, labor and delivery may take a few days TOPS, but recovery…that’s a whole different animal.
Here are five essentials for mothers recovering from childbirth.
1. Postpartum Padscicles : Let’s face it, you’ve just experienced trauma in the most intimate of places.  The dry ice packs that the hospital gives you are fine, and the ridiculous double pad that they make you wear is fine too (underneath the sexiest of all, mesh panties)…but these are MUCH less bulky and will accelerate the healing process.  Make them about a week or two before you give birth and pack a small cooler in your hospital bag. Trust me; you’ll want them.
2. Leggings: The first two weeks were the toughest for me by far.  I was in a lot of pain, and it was difficult to sit down on anything that wasn’t a couch.  Jeans were a commodity that I only wore out for a short amount of time.  Not to mention, I was in between sizes as my belly began to shrink and my hips went back to normal.  Leggings were practical; I could wear with a tunic and it was totally acceptable.  This was the first time in my life that I was completely ok with wearing these beauties outside of my home.  
Kate Spade Leggings via Zappos

3. Flowy and low-cut tops: The first few weeks, you may feel a bit like the only thing you are doing is feeding your child: especially if you are nursing.  You begin to look at your tops in a totally different light.  Instead of wondering if a top will look good in an outfit, you start to think, “in about twenty minutes, I’m going to have to feed my child again.  Is this practical?” Again, as you are in between sizes as well, you may find flowing tops to be the best choice as you hide your swollen belly (and avoid the snarky guy asking when you’re due).  Here are a few:

Gap Nursing Top $22.95
Tobi Basics $17

4. Lanolin and Booby Tubes: This one works only for moms who are nursing. Those first few weeks of getting the hang of breastfeeding are rough.  Coupled with the contractions that you’ll feel in the first week or two of feedings, you may feel sore…at the spout.  These are two products that you simply CANNOT go without.  At one point, I was willing to try ANYTHING just so that one part of my body felt better.  The tube of lanolin they give you at the hospital is a joke.  Buy your own large bottle of lanolin…you will use it.  Booby tubes are something you should put on a registry…for whatever reason, they do the trick of easing the pain of nursing.

$19.95 and worth every penny
 Lansinoh $8.49
5. Tea: This is an odd “essential,” but for me, it was absolutely necessary to have two types of teas: mother’s milk and nighttime tea.  As I’ve said before, you’ll feel like all you are doing is feeding your child, so having the mother’s milk tea on hand was extremely helpful.  
Nighttime tea helped me to wind down; even if it was a placebo, I felt like any time I had the nighttime tea, I was able to nap and get some power sleep…to tackle…more feedings. I also felt the nighttime tea gave me a longer stretch during the night as it may have calmed the little guy down as well.
$7.18 Amazon 

 

$4.09 Amazon

Comments

  1. Hey Bekah- just wanted to say love this post because though I am not yet a mom, I am becoming an ob/gyn and this will be so great to share with my patients!

  2. You are so right, sweet girl. In a day and age when people talk about everything, the fact that the post-delivery recovery is so rarely discussed is rather shocking. Agree with each item on this post! Especially the padsicles:)