Postpartum essentials for mom: A complete checklist for recovery

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Created with Nataliia Yermolovych, MD, Obstetrician-Gynecologist

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In a nutshell

The postpartum period can be exciting, yet it’s also filled with challenges. To be ready for it and make the healing process effective and comfortable, it’s good to prepare some postpartum essentials in advance. 

The key categories of items to prepare include:

  • Clothing,
  • Recovery and hygiene products,
  • Breastfeeding supplies,
  • Mental support items, and so on.

After you give birth and finally meet your awaited newborn, you’ll step on a new, exciting journey together that might feel overwhelming in the first weeks. There will be many lifestyle adjustments and new things to learn. 

One way to reduce unnecessary stress and ease into your new role is to ensure you have all the necessary postpartum supplies for recovery, comfort, and self-care. These supplies should include not only items for physical recovery but also products for suture care (in case of a cesarean section or episiotomy) and pain relief if needed.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the core postpartum essentials for moms you’ll need at the hospital and beyond. After reading, you will have a complete checklist to ensure you have everything necessary for a stress-free postpartum period.

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Why you need postpartum essentials

The postpartum period begins soon after labor and typically continues for 6–8 weeks, depending on your individual situation and needs. Traditionally, it’s believed that the end of the postpartum period is marked by the mother’s nearly full return to their pre-pregnancy state.

The postpartum period is pivotal for both mother and baby’s short- and long-term health. Hence, proper postpartum care is essential to ensure proper recovery, hygiene, and comfort.

Knowing that you have everything you might reach for on hand during this time can greatly reduce stress. Planning and preparing all postpartum necessities in advance will give you true relief, making you feel better prepared for labor and weeks beyond. Besides, having everything ready can reduce the bustle and anxiety during the postpartum period, letting you focus on what matters: healing and caring for your baby.

Complete postpartum essentials list for mom

1. Clothing and comfort

You undergo significant physical and emotional changes after giving birth, and your habitual lifestyle will likely change a lot, especially during the first weeks into motherhood. To get through this period with maximum comfort, you will want to choose comfy, loose, breathable clothes, such as:

  • Loose tops
  • Big t-shirts
  • Nursing tops
  • Maternity legging
  • Loose joggers (preferably high-waisted and with an elasticated waistband)
  • Postpartum underwear
  • Nursing bras

Clothing like this can perform multiple important functions, including making you feel comfortable despite swelling and sensitivity, providing simple access to breastfeeding, helping your body’s temperature regulation, and also giving you emotional comfort.

2. Recovery and hygiene products

While every labor experience is unique, there are certain physical consequences and limitations that might cause discomfort in your daily life postpartum. Namely, completing your habitual hygiene rituals might get harder during the first weeks after delivery.

To ensure proper hygiene as you heal from delivery, you might want to prepare the following recovery and hygiene products:

  • Perineal care (witch hazel pads, peri bottle, sitz bath)
  • Maternity pads
  • Ice packs for swelling

3. Breastfeeding and lactation supplies

During the first few days after delivery, breastfeeding is an important part of you and your baby getting to know each other. It can be somewhat overwhelming and challenging at first. However, you can prepare for it in advance by getting the following postpartum items for mom:

  • Nipple cream
  • Nursing pads
  • Breast pump
  • Milk storage bags

👉Find out more: Can you get pregnant while breastfeeding? Everything you need to know

4. Mental and emotional support

While many moms-to-be tend to be meticulous about preparing everything their newborns might need, they often overlook their own needs, especially when it comes to mental wellness.

The truth is that your mental health might be a little unstable. Women can be more vulnerable to a variety of psychiatric disorders during this period, including postpartum blues, depression, and psychosis. Hence, it’s important to take decent care of your mental wellness after childbirth.

Here are some postpartum necessities that can help you ensure mental and emotional support:

  • Self-care products (lotions, relaxing teas)
  • Mindfulness apps or resources
  • Postpartum support groups

5. Additional practical items

Apart from postpartum essentials, there are also some extra, often overlooked things that can come in handy. For example: 

  • Water bottles
  • Nutritious snacks
  • Cozy blankets

Specialized postpartum care products

The checklist we shared above spans the overall potential needs of new moms, including some of the most important item groups ensure an effective and stress-free healing period. Nevertheless, since every pregnancy and labor is unique, specific postpartum needs for mom can vary greatly, which is why it’s important to personalize this list to your needs, especially when your situation requires specialized care products.

Namely, some specialized care items you may want to include in your new mom’s arsenal include:

  • Abdominal binders. Using postpartum belly binders or wraps can provide additional support and stability for your tummy and pelvic floor muscles, which might be weakened after giving birth. Whether to use belly binding or not depends on your physical feelings after labor. However, it might be a necessity in some situations, especially for C-section recovery.
  • TENS units. Women who have recently given birth may face certain ongoing postpartum symptoms, such as uterine contraction, vaginal soreness, pain during breastfeeding, and others. TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) has been proven to be a powerful relief for postpartum pain. So, TENS units might be among other postpartum essentials for new moms who experience a lot of pain or contractions.
  • Pre-packaged postpartum care kits. For those who find it hard to shop for postpartum supplies or who aren’t sure which items are worth buying, there are pre-packaged kits that already contain all the essentials. These kits typically contain the most crucial and frequently needed care products, including specialized underwear, pads, nipple products, peri wash bottles, etc. Most importantly, it’s possible to personalize these kits to your specific situation, depending on whether you had a C-section or have other unique needs.

Post-Cesarean section care and perineal suture care

Women recovering from a cesarean section or a perineal suture after childbirth need specialized products to support healing and comfort. Key items include:

  • Silicone scar strips: These help reduce scarring after a cesarean section by creating a protective barrier and retaining moisture. This promotes uniform tissue healing, making the scar less noticeable.
  • Compression stockings: Essential for improving blood circulation and reducing the risk of blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), after a cesarean section. They also help minimize swelling.
  • Cooling compresses or ice packs: These are useful for reducing swelling and numbing the suture area after surgery. Ice can ease pain and decrease inflammation in the first few days post-C-section. 
  • Peri-hygiene bottle: This bottle is helpful for maintaining perineal hygiene, especially if the perineum was damaged during childbirth. It provides a gentle way to clean the area without causing discomfort.

These products aid in both physical recovery and pain relief, making the postpartum period more manageable.

Navigate your postpartum recovery
with confidence

Femia offers personalized insights and helps you stay in control

Try Femia now

Tips for preparing postpartum essentials in advance

Most postpartum care products will come in handy soon after you deliver your baby. So, if you don’t want to stress out about it after you arrive at home, you should have everything ready well in advance.

A good rule of thumb is to stock up on all basic products you’ll need at the beginning of your third trimester. Doing this around 2–3 weeks before your expected due date should give you enough time to get everything ready and ensure you don’t miss anything.

👉Find out more: Understanding postpartum dizziness: Causes, duration and when to seek help

Considering using checklists to your benefit

In addition to preparing early, consider making the most out of checklists. Checklists are a kind of cognitive aid that’s both effective and easy to implement. They can be used to guide task performance in any field and are incredibly helpful when stocking up on your postpartum basics.

To use it to your benefit, download a detailed postpartum essentials list for mom—for example, the one we shared with you here—print it out, and start shopping for care products according to the list, crossing out everything you have prepared. This can help you mitigate the stress and anxiety associated with your pre-labor preparation and also give you a sense of control and readiness.

Stock up on recurring essentials with subscription services

If you want to ensure even more comfort and convenience during your postpartum period, it won’t hurt to think about some recurring items that get used up too fast and need to be purchased again regularly. It can be helpful to leverage subscription services for such items. Brands like Cater to Mom, Bump Boxes, and similar offer convenient solutions to effective recovery. These services allow you to specify your type of birth, feeding plan, and other specs, then receive monthly boxes with healthcare and recovery goods based on your needs.

Questions from the Femia community

  • When should I start gathering my postpartum essentials?

    The general rule of thumb is to gather all essentials by the third trimester, and keep them ready for the time you head to the hospital and give birth. This can help your preparation be stress-free and ensure you don’t miss something out of sight in a rush.

  • How long do I need postpartum supplies?

    Most of these essentials are only needed for about six weeks after giving birth. However, some items might come in handy in the longer run; for example, nursing bras might be used for the entire breastfeeding period.

  • Do I need different postpartum items for a C-section recovery?

    Yes. Since a C-section implies a surgical intervention, it typically has different recovery time and demands. Some specific products you may need include abdominal binders, silicone strips, compression underwear and socks, ice packs, peri bottles, and scar care products.

The bottom line

The postpartum period is all about meeting your newborn and getting to know each other. This time is typically filled with many exciting explorations and changes. However, it’s often accompanied by certain stress of getting used to your new role, not to mention the recovery from childbirth.Being proactive and preparing for this period in advance is a good way to minimize stress and feel ready for your first weeks of motherhood. 

A big part of the preparation includes stocking up on various postpartum essentials that can make your and your baby’s postpartum journey more comfortable and enjoyable.After reading this article, you have a comprehensive postpartum essentials list for mom that can be used as a checklist to prepare for this new chapter of your life. Don’t hesitate to customize the list based on your personal recovery needs with a focus on comfort, healing, and self-care.

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