It's been eight months since our little baby girl was born.
Here are my list of must-haves that got (and still getting!) me through x
FOR LABOUR
A box of Postpartum Pads
For when my waters broke. Super absorbent, these were perfect to allow me to keep moving whilst losing my waters.
TENS machine from @blissbirth
For pain relief during early labour. More of a distraction, it took the edge off pain. These are most effective if you start early to get accustomed to the sensation and learn to work your way up. They also work wonders on afterpains post birth!
Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)
For pain relief during surges. I had many long and intense surges before feeling the urge to push baby out and this is when the gas was most helpful. When it came time to push baby out, I needed all of my strength and focus so I didn't use anything during this time
FOR POSTPARTUM RECOVERY
Postpartum Pads & Perineal Foam
Whilst the hospital usually offers maternity pads, I used Bare Mum pads during and after birth as they were a much better size, more absorbent, softer and don’t catch onto stitches. I used the peri foam as a gentle intimate wash in the shower to help soothe and clean tender skin. I also popped some straight onto pads 2-3 times a day for the following week to help the area heal quicker.
Postpartum Briefs & Ice Pacl
Straight after birth for abdominal and pelvic floor support and ice to bring down the swelling and help numb the pain every few hours for the first 3-4 days. I wore the briefs during pregnancy and immediately after birth. 3-4 days after birth I switched back to my pre-pregnancy brief size for extra support.
A Perineal Wash Bottle
To avoid any stinging on stitches and cleanse intimate areas gently. A must-have for every bathroom trip!
FOR BREASTFEEDING
Nipple Balm
I used this as a preventative measure weeks before birth to keep the skin hydrated and build a protective barrier.
Colostrum Collectors from @Haakka
I started hand expressing from 37 weeks using these. Our baby girl was born very little and so we topped up the first few feeds with colostrum. I also had nipple damage as she was little and struggling to latch so these were so helpful to use in between feeds to give my skin time to recover.
Postpartum Bralette
I wore this straight after birth for support with nipple shells in anticipation for breastfeeding. I then expressed a little bit of breastmilk on my breasts and let them air dry in between feeds and only wore the nipple shells as protection from friction when needed.
Warm & Cool Inserts
I started wearing these in my bralette 2-3 days after birth, once I noticed my milk started coming in to bring down inflammation when engorged.
Breast pads
I started wearing these 2-3 days post birth when my milk started coming in as I started leaking milk… which never really stopped!