What's in your postpartum basket?

[bignerpie]

I'm getting my supplies together for my upcoming homebirth. I think I have the birth part covered, but I don't feel prepared for the postpartum part. I was planning on having a postpartum basket in my bathroom. So far, this is my list:

- Pads/mesh panties

- Earth Mama Bottom Balm

- Sitz bath herbs

- Peri bottle

Any other suggestions? My first was a c-section, so I had to deal with scar care, not perineum care. Thanks 

[MamatobabyA]

I didn't homebirth, but I am a PP nurse.  When I get a new mom in the hospital I build her a bathroom basket with pads, panties, peri bottle, some combination of comfry, tucks, dermoplast, and cortisone cream (depending on her preference and tears), extra footies (in case she drips on hers), and a towel for under her feet on the toilet (it's much easier to toss the towel in the laundry than clean the floor, in case of drips).

I also like to build a breastfeeding basket.  I put the # for lactation, a set of breast pads, a thing of juice and some crackers in it.  It's nice to have it all in one place.

[EmilyAnn86]

I prefer Depends over mesh panties for the first couple days. They fit better and prevent any leaks.

Make sure you are not allergic to Dermoplast BEFORE you give birth. I found out the hard way after my first son was born. That was NOT a pleasant experience!

[Italiamom]

My midwife gave me several of these perineal instant cold packs to use in the first 24 hours, and they were just heavenly!  I'm thinking that frozen pads are probably about the same, but these are nice, and no fuss.  It was nice for me to have something cold AND absorbent!

http://www.radiantbelly.com/prpecopa.html

I'm sure they'd be nice to have in your basket in the bathroom for the first day or two!

[A.Jewell]

If you are breastfeeding, I would add a lactation-supporting tea like Mother's Milk so that you have it on hand.  I used homeopathic Arnica as well to speed recovery.  I also ended up using a little blow-up donut to sit on since I was a little too sore to sit down, but it might not be necessary.  Have a great birth!

[curlyaustin]

Something that was uplifting  to me postpartum was some  lavender or rose water in a spray bottle...it can be chilled or sit on the counter...I got mine from Mountain Rose Herbs and it lasts a long time...it was nice (and still is) to spray on my face as a toner  when I couldn't get to the shower or just needed  a quick pick-me-up

I hope you have a wonderful birth and beyond...

[bignerpie]

Thanks for the tips!

My sister has a bunch of pads and mesh panties left from her recent birth, so that's why I was planning on using them. I did find out that you can get free samples of Depends from their website, so I requested some.  And I ordered some of those cold peri pads!

I made a breastfeeding basket, too, but so far I just have some disposable nursing pads and lanolin in there. I tried Mother's Milk tea with my first, and I just couldn't do it. I'm not much of a tea drinker to begin with, and I thought it tasted like grass.  I had major oversupply issues, so I didn't really need the tea after all.

Love the spray idea, curlyaustin! I'm picky about scents, so I'll have to track down a good local place so I can test them out first.

[stellabluz]

I'm wondering if you can soak some pads with witch hazel and freeze? I would also add herbs and liquid calc/mag for afterpains if this is your second or more birth, sitz bath, maybe a belly binder (for good muscle healing and to help with after pains) and rice sock and ibu 800mg...

[curlyaustin]

awesome!- I am very excited for you!

[LightForest]

I tried soaking cloth pads in witch hazel/water and it didn't work for me AT ALL! I made the mistake of stacking them together to freeze and they all stuck together, so we had to microwave them to peel them apart - so annoying! (I should have frozen them singly on a cookie sheet before putting them all into a freezer bag. Live and learn, right?) When cold/frozen, the pads were too stiff to wear... Once they thawed enough to bend and wear comfortably they were no longer cold. Ug, not so useful. I had one of those instant cold pads in my birth kit and i LOVED it! I will be buying more of those next time!

I gave birth in the height of summer so I was loving cold coconut water and other electrolyte-heavy drinks postpartum.

Definitely keep a basket of "down there care" items by the toilet. Flushable wipes are a wonderful thing :) And I second (or third, or forth...) the peri bottle and tucks pads.

I remember getting a lot of fantastic ideas for postpartum care in the book by Aviva Jill Romm called Natural Health After Birth.

[gitanamama]

My midwife had me squirt honey on a pad for the first few days. It sounded really uncomfortable and sticky but it actually felt great! Cool and soothing and actually not at all sticky. I believe there's something in honey that also acts as a mild pain reliever (but maybe it was just my imagination.) I also started stashing water bottles all over the house a few days after birth. I found that whenever I sat down to nurse, I would get instantly thirsty...and usually my water glass was across the room! I know it's not exactly pp related, but definitely something I'll make sure I do again with baby #2. Congratulations and have a wonderful, powerful birth!

[cat13]

I haven't tried them yet (still pregnant!), but I just made some frozen pads the other day using some great advice from my DDC. I sprayed each one with a sitz spray mixed with witch hazel, then placed it in a medium sized bowl so it would hold a curved shape. Then I placed some aluminum foil over it and layered the second one, etc. After they froze, I took them out of the bowl and put them in a large ziplock baggie. They don't seem stuck together and they still have the curve shape.

Thanks for the advice about having bf-ing support numbers on hand. I know I can dig them up online or in the phone book, but it'll be nice to have them in one spot. One more thing for my to-do list tonight...

[sarah_bella1050]

I bought the disposable witch hazel pads and would just put them in my underwear along my perineum.  Also I had betadine to wash my tub out with for my first sitz bath.  I also like to buy a new book to put in my postpartum supplies, such a nice treat when you can't really get out of bed ;)

[medmom7]

I definitely agree about the sitz bath, peri bottle, depends, maxi pads, bottom balm, nipple cream (I never liked Lansinoh or lanolin ones much there are others I preferred, Dermoplast, Tucks, cold packs, and herb water spritzer. I used all those things.

The items I would add are: prep H cortisone cream in case of hemorrhoids, gel pads for nipples (e.g. Ameda or Medela brands--these feel so good on painful  cracked nipples during those first few days), and microwavable hot packs for breasts (Gerber makes some).

Also it is good to have a set of clean comfy nursing bras and pjs handy.

A book is a really nice addition.

Also, if you put some energy bars or candy bars in there you will totally be thanking yourself later. That would have been the one thing I would have added.

Also, print outs of latch diagrams e.g. from Jack Newmans breastfeeding site would be helpful.

Good luck!

[1love4ever]

I would definatly stick to all natural PP creams and such(and NOT Tucks which have parabens and other nasty chemicals).  The EMAB stuff is supposed to be good I hear, I am getting it too.  I also am getting the spray which would have been great last time on my large tear(it was a hospital birth), and just because it would cover more area without me having to apply it all over. 

I never had discomfort in my breasts even when they were near bursting with milk, they only felt a little tight, so I am glad I didnt get anything to try to relieve engorgement pain.  I did have troubles with very sore nipples and I loved Motherlove nipple cream.  I also found that Lansinosh protected better under clothing/breast pads so I used the motherlove one time, the lansinosh the next time I would BF.

About the honey- honey has natural antibacterial and antiviral properties and is good for cleaning out wounds and helping them heal faster.  While in nursing school we learned and experienced first hand that wounds bandaged with honey healed faster and with less scar than wounds treated with antibiotic ointment:)

[sarah_bella1050]

I found Recharge to be very helpful postpartum.  The birth left me a bit dehydrated after hours of not really wanting anything to drink.  The recharge gave me a little energy boost and had me feeling a lot better physically.

[Baby_Cakes]

I picked up breast shells and a shield ahead of time just in case.  You can always return them unopened if you don't need them, but you don't want to need them and not have them.  

If you freeze the witch hazel pads, put foil between them to keep them from freezing together.  It feels heavenly, and if you stick them to a Depends you don't have to worry about a soggy bottom as it thaws.

[1love4ever]

I'm not really sure what Recharge is, but this reminded me that coconut water has electrolytes in it and is very good for dehydration and re-energizing, for those who want something completely and truely natural!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarah_bella1050 

I found Recharge to be very helpful postpartum.  The birth left me a bit dehydrated after hours of not really wanting anything to drink.  The recharge gave me a little energy boost and had me feeling a lot better physically.