Postpartum Recovery Supplies - what are you stocking?

[ILovePie]

-I'm going to prepare some frozen pads soaked in witch hazel.
-I'm hoping for the Earth Mama Angel Baby Postpartum Bath Herbs off my registry.
-I've got some grapefruit juice concentrate in the freezer
-I've registered for some Earth Mama Angel Baby Booby Tubes
-I've always got garlic around in case I battle mastitis again
-I have a nursing toddler at the ready to combat any engorgement I might experience :-)

I'm having a hospital birth, so they'll send me home with dermoplast and that numbing foam, and I'm sure some gigantic pads, some Tucks, and mesh underwear.

I know there are some herbs that are recommended for sitz baths - last time we had a postpartum doula put them in a strainer and run boiling water through and into the bath tub for me. Any favorite herbs for this purpose? I have a few great places to buy herbs around here!

Anything else people are stocking up on to ease recovery?

[micah_mae_]

Originally Posted by ILovePie

-I'm going to prepare some frozen pads soaked in witch hazel.
-I'm hoping for the Earth Mama Angel Baby Postpartum Bath Herbs off my registry.
-I've got some grapefruit juice concentrate in the freezer
-I've registered for some Earth Mama Angel Baby Booby Tubes
-I've always got garlic around in case I battle mastitis again
-I have a nursing toddler at the ready to combat any engorgement I might experience :-)

I'm having a hospital birth, so they'll send me home with dermoplast and that numbing foam, and I'm sure some gigantic pads, some Tucks, and mesh underwear.

I know there are some herbs that are recommended for sitz baths - last time we had a postpartum doula put them in a strainer and run boiling water through and into the bath tub for me. Any favorite herbs for this purpose? I have a few great places to buy herbs around here!

Anything else people are stocking up on to ease recovery?

Frozen meals hopefully!

[ILovePie]

Oh definitely! We have frozen meal components, plus family coming into town who can cook and freeze some more!

[micah_mae_]

Originally Posted by ILovePie

Oh definitely! We have frozen meal components, plus family coming into town who can cook and freeze some more!

Oh what is the grapefruit juice for?

[ILovePie]

Citrus/sourness to help with circulation and speedier healing! Also, obviously kept me hydrated :-)

I drank it cut 50/50 with water last time.

[Tresa]

A good, big thing to drink water from...something with a long straw or something with a lid you can drink laying down or reclined while you're nursing.

Easy to grab, high protein snacks.

Saturating your maxis with witch hazel and freezing them for the first couple days pp...my god, there's nothing greater than sitting your swollen bottom on one of those.

Special new toys for your little kids who will be adjusting to new baby.

[cchrissyy]

Motherlove organics makes a sitz *spray* , very convenient for fresh soothing herbs without the actual bath.

I like soothies gel breast pads, and don't forget whatever disposable or cloth nursing pads you'll want for leaking at first.

also, water bottles, cereal, and protein snacks are important, to keep you well fed and hydrated without putting much work into it at first.

[mamamille]

I got the sitz bath herbs from where I got my HB kit- I'll try to poke around and find it- but I used those to make a concentrated tea, and soaked my pads in and then froze... There is NOTHING better!
and nipple cream...

[COgirl19]

I second the suggestion for the witch hazel. For myself this time around I have been using pads with witch hazel and calendula ointment and aloe vera (bought separately, I spread them on the pad before use) and it feels awesome. The calendula helps with healing too.

[47chromosomes]

Nursing toddler definitely a must!

The only other things I've found vital are peri-bottle, frozen pads (SO nice!), and a bunch of friends willing to bring meals and do a chore for me while they are over. Oh, and some grandparents to watch the younger children.

[bandyr]

I second the peri bottle. Filling it with warm water just before going to the bathroom helped tremendously, especially with stitches both times. But the all-time favorite is the herbal bath. I'm curious about the herbal spray, but there is something so wonderful about that bath! Our herbs were the usual, I think: calendula, comfrey, shepherd's purse, uva ursi, plus sea salt and garlic, steeped together on the stove top for at least an hour (sometimes we stuck extra in the fridge and reheated for the next day). I swear you can feel this working! It got to where I could tell when I needed one again. Everything felt tighter and more toned afterward. We always put the baby in too, to cover the umbilical stump, when the water is cool enough.

SAHM to 2 nurslings, and another on the way!

[bandyr]

Oh, and a nursing toddler!!! LOL! I missed that one - too funny. Those are very handy, too, if you have one Loved how plump DS was after DD was born. All his baby rolls came back.


SAHM to 2 nurslings, and another on the way!

[jaimejean]

I love this thread! I was so oblivious to what I needed post partum when my first was born. Now this is refreshing my memory to get ready for number 2.

Cold cabbage leaves are a good one for helping with engorgement and/or breast infection. They are cheap and conveniently boobie shaped.

Homemade bone broth (chicken bones boiled with veggies and kombu) really helped me before with dehydration and constipation. Although, I like the citrus suggestion too. Plain water just wasn't enough before.

I really loved dried calendula flowers and dried lavender flowers for sitz baths or to put in the peri-bottle. So soothing.

[kitikatuka]

For those of you who are making/planning to use witch hazel soaked frozen pads (which do sound wonderful), are you using washable cloth pads or the disposable ones? I'd like to try this, but want to make sure I'm doing it right!

[ILovePie]

Originally Posted by kitikatuka

For those of you who are making/planning to use witch hazel soaked frozen pads (which do sound wonderful), are you using washable cloth pads or the disposable ones? I'd like to try this, but want to make sure I'm doing it right!

I'm using disposables, probably cut in half. I'm just starting to make the switch to reusable, so this is how I'll use up the ridiculous number of disposables I have left!

Also, I want to have a pretty large number ready to go so I'm not standing at the counter making them - so I do not have enough reusable to do that, for sure!

My "technique" will be to douse in witch hazel (and possibly a calendula "tea?"), freeze on a cookie sheet or cooling rack, and then put them in a tupperware - that way they're not freezing together. I'll have to do several batches, but these were SOOOOOOOO nice after my last birth.

Oh - one word of caution on the witch hazel - make sure you're getting alcohol free. Last thing you want is something DRYING when you're swollen and have stitches or even just "skid marks!"

[sonrisa]

So the witch hazel frozen pads would be used for both swollen areas? And you could put calendula cream on them too before freezing. I want this wonderful OMG feeling.

[ILovePie]

Originally Posted by sonrisa

So the witch hazel frozen pads would be used for both swollen areas? And you could put calendula cream on them too before freezing. I want this wonderful OMG feeling.

Yup - both swollen areas! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hazel#Medicinal_uses

I haven't done calendula before, but it sounds like some are making a "tea" with the flowers, along with witch hazel, and freezing. It sounds like others are spreading a calendula cream onto an already-frozen pad?

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

I really haven't started getting anything ready for postpartum! It is so hard to focus past the birth. Thank you guys for this thread!

[MamaFern]

homeopathic Arnica! and some other homeopathic remedies are great as well (pulsatilla...)
i like motherwart tincture for after-pains too.

[gradstudentmommy]

This is probably a silly question, but if you saturate the disposable pads in witch hazel and freeze them, they'll no longer adhere to your underwear right? So do you just place them against your skin like an ice pack and not worry about the pad moving around?