Postpartum Tips
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I’ve always been known to be a pretty organized person and when things need to get done, they get done… until the first time I was postpartum. I felt like I was just staying afloat, getting tasks done just in time for me to feel like I am running behind on the next task. I have 2 beautiful children, so I was able to go through postpartum twice and really analyze what I was doing wrong the first time and how I can make postpartum easier the second time around. I’m going to share with you some hacks that made postpartum with my first and second baby seem like night and day.
Plan for Food
First and foremost, you need to plan out what you are going to eat for the first couple weeks postpartum. Whether you plan to prepare a ton of homemade freezer meals, buy premade Costco meals, or budget ahead of time for take out, you just need to have a plan. It will make postpartum so much easier! During postpartum, I used grocery delivery services and I still feel like it was worth every penny spent on delivery fees. I also recommend stocking up on fruits and vegetables that don’t require cooking, so you get some nutrient dense food that need little to no prep.
Streamline Aftercare
Having a system for aftercare and supply refills will save you from all the inconvenience of not having what you need when you need it. In one of my previous blogs, “Postpartum Aftercare Essentials,” I mentioned all the aftercare supplies that I found most useful during postpartum. It is definitely worth the read if you are still trying to figure out which aftercare supplies are essentials for a smooth and speedy recovery. If you are able to, I would stock your aftercare supplies within reach in all of your bathrooms and restock regularly. I also found that refilling my peri care spray bottle after each time I used it ended up being one of my more helpful hacks. With a weak pelvic floor, I needed to pee often, and it could not wait! I found it difficult to fill the spray bottle immediately prior to peeing because everything feels like it takes longer when you are doing a pee dance.
Supportive Clothing
During postpartum, comfort is key. During my first time being postpartum, I thought I could just get away with wearing my old pregnancy clothing, but postpartum, I was an awkward in between size where I was smaller than when I was pregnant, but much larger than I was pre-pregnancy. None of my clothes seem to fit right or offer any kind of abdominal and back support. Opting for postpartum pants or postpartum leggings, after my second delivery, helped smooth the look of my lumpy postpartum belly, increased my self-esteem, and gave me extra support much like a belly band did, without having to worry about putting on one more extra thing. Some of my favorite postpartum pants and leggings came from Seraphine.
One Load of Laundry a Day
The laundry was a constant source of stress during postpartum. It is one chore that piles up quickly and never actually ends. Doing one load a day without worrying about doing all the laundry all at once, kept me from feeling overwhelmed. I got in the habit of throwing a load of laundry after my first feed in the morning. Though it was challenging to find time to throw it in the dryer and fold it at some point during the day, I found that one load was manageable and all of us always had clean clothes to wear!
Invest in Comfortable Breastfeeding Attire
Postpartum is hard, and breastfeeding and pumping is a whole other animal. You are going to be busy postpartum and one of the last things you want to do is be putzing around with difficult tops that are hard to breastfeed in. Between my two children, I’ve tried them all. I’ve tried fancy drapey nursing tops and the zip up kinds, and to tell you the truth, they look cute, but the majority just got in my way. Hands down, the best tops for breastfeeding or pumping were button down shirts, clip down camis, and supportive nursing bras. Though button down shirts and clip down camis were the easiest to nurse in, they were less discrete if you were planning to breastfeed in public. If you are wanting some coverage, drape a nursing cover with a wire like this one from Bebe au Lait. I found that when I was learning how to nurse, this was the easiest cover to use because I can see what I’m doing! Though you cannot speed up how fast or slow your baby nurses, you can streamline your nursing sessions before and after if you are prepared.
Sleep When the Baby Sleeps
This is one piece of advice that always gets passed down from generation to generation. It doesn’t seem realistic, with everything that needs to get done, but do it. You need sleep. Proper rest will aid in healing your body, improve your mental health, and give you the energy you need to care for your baby. I gave myself a pass for any other chore in the house, except for the laundry and dishes for the first month postpartum. So other than those 2 things, everything else can wait in order for you to get adequate rest when you can.
Shower Everyday
As silly as this sounds, this was the first step I took toward self-care in the early postpartum period. Making sure that each day I took time to take a shower gave me a sense of self-care in the midst of chaos. A warm shower is also great for good hygiene to prevent infection as well. Showering around the same time everyday also reoriented my time clock rather than having all my days and nights blend together, which can be really easy to do when you are waking up around the clock to feed and change your baby.
Pelvic Floor Specialist
If you are able to, getting a referral to see a pelvic floor specialist to help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, will greatly impact your recovery. Your pelvic floor goes through a lot during pregnancy and after a vaginal delivery. Before getting pregnant, I didn’t really think about how vital these muscles are in their role of holding up all of your organs. Seeing a pelvic floor specialist is something that I did after my second child was born and it helped my whole body feel supported and ready to get back into exercising a little earlier than after my first child.
Whether these postpartum hacks are new, or things that you’ve heard time and time again, I hope they are helpful! And, if you have not already read my blog posts on “Postpartum Aftercare Essentials,” and “Tips for Breastfeeding Moms,” I recommend you bookmark them and read them next! Postpartum is about taking care of 2 things, your baby and yourself. Recovery from delivery should be high on your priorities during this time and with the essentials and recommendations mentioned in those posts, you can try to prepare the best you can for recovery and a smooth breastfeeding journey.
