Postpartum // My Essentials

Happy Monday!

We survived our first weekend at home with Emerson! If you follow me on instagram then you know her first week was spent in the NICU at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. It was a stressful week. I have so much to blog about this week from her birth story to our NICU experience to her nursery reveal. Just warning you now this week will be all baby. Don’t worry next week I’ll be back with food, fitness, adventure and a dash of Emerson!

While I was pregnant I found posts about “the essentials” very handy. Since this was my first pregnancy I didn’t know what to expect over the nine months or postpartum. Everyone’s recovery time is different, but these are a few things that helped me make the transition from pregnant to postpartum just a bit easier.

Cute Sweatpants: You just pushed out a 7+ pound baby and all you want is to be comfortable, but also feel good. For the last few weeks I’ve lived in leggings or cute sweatpants. Just because you’re a mom doesn’t mean you still can’t look good!

Ugg Slippers: Yup lounging around the house calls for a good pair of slippers! You can’t go wrong with Uggs.

Lansinoh Lanolin: I’m lucky Emerson is up for breastfeeding and is good at it! I know other mamas swear by this stuff and well so far it’s helped make the transition to breast feeding 90% of the time easier. Yup I pump and the dad bottle feeds too. Don’t forget to pick up some nursing pads as well.

No-Show Hiphugger: After a day or two of wearing the lovely hospital mesh panties I upgraded to these VS hiphuggers. They are amazing! So comfy and super breathable. They’re perfect for leggings — Hello no panty lines! I purchased my normal size and they fit just fine.

Gilligan O’Malley Nursing Cami: If you’re breast feeding then a number of nursing tops are essential. I personally like this cami. My advice is try on a few different styles around 37 weeks and pick what is most comfortable to you. I also have been sporting this sleep nursing bra.

Zico Coconut Water: Hydratation is the name of the game. Aside from water I’ve been enjoying coconut water daily. Babies really drain you, but they are worth it.

Yogi Tea: I’ve also been staying hydrated with some yummy tea that is said to help boost milk production. win-win

Always Maxi Pads: Let’s be real you are going to have longest period ever… just stock up. I found the Always infinity with flex foam to be my favorite. Not wearing pads since a teen I had no clue which ones to buy luckily these worked out nicely! Word to the wise they’ve come a long way over the last 15 years.

Belly Bandit: Keep it tight. I went back and forth about whether or not I needed it. Honestly my stomach is pretty flat after a week (more on that later), but now I feel I need a little something extra to help pull everything together. The belly bandit does just that. It really holds everything in place nicely while your body is healing. I have the bamboo version in xs.

What items couldn’t you live without postpartum?