When I came home from the hospital after having my first baby, I had no idea what I would need afterwards for a healthy recovery. I bought things that I didn’t need to because the hospital stocked me up on samples before I came home, and I had to run out to the drug store to buy other things that I didn’t even know I would want or need.
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When Kate was born, I was much more prepared. I had my postpartum care kit stocked full of essentials and tucked away in a convenient bin in the bathroom, ready to use. And what a difference it made!
When you’ve just had a baby, you need to be able to focus on taking care of the baby AND yourself. Your body just went through a pretty traumatic experience, after all! It’ll take some time and TLC to heal.
It’ll make all the difference in the world if, when you come back home, you already have those postpartum recovery supplies organized and in one easy-to-find place. That’s why I highly recommend creating a fully stocked postpartum care kit like this one:
What to include in your postpartum care kit:
Here’s a closer look at what to include. I added links to where you can buy each thing online if you want to make your own kit (and which things you shouldn’t buy because the hospital will likely give them to you during your stay.)
- Reusable overnight nursing pads: These are my favorites. I saved them from my first baby and they’re still working perfectly.
- Reusable daytime nursing pads
- Disposable nursing pads: I bought a box of these for the first few weeks. I didn’t want to get stuck in an emergency situation just because I didn’t get to do laundry one day. I also stuck a pair of these in my diaper bag and my pumping bag just in case.
- Lanolin: The hospital gave me enough samples of this to last a year. My doctor gave me more at Kate’s 2 day appointment. No need to buy it yourself!
- Soothies: My hospital gave me some of these, but I also bought some myself because they are awesome and I used them constantly for the first week or so.
- Pads: You’ll need them in every size. The hospital will give you a ton of huge ones, so don’t worry about those. Just have some normal sized ones on hand.
- Pain relief spray: I got all I needed from the hospital. Note: Apparently you want to get the blue Dermoplast- not the red one like I have shown here!
- Advil
- Stool softener
- Cleansing bottle: Don’t buy it. Take it home with you from the hospital.
- Water bottle: I included this because everything is better when you’re hydrated. Keep a water bottle with you always, and drink up!
- Medicated pads: These are great! I didn’t need to buy any more than I took home from the hospital with me.
- Heating pad: I used this every night while I was pregnant for all my aches and pains. I kept it handy afterwards for the same reason.
- Ice pack: This is the perfect size to sit on, and it’s reusable, unlike the ones they give you in the hospital which only last 10 minutes.
NOTE: As a 4-time mom, I have tried out all the nursing bras. All of them. 🤣
My all-time favorite is the Simply Sublime nursing bra from Kindred Bravely. Try it out- you won’t regret it. (And you can get 15% off if you use this link!)
Now all that’s left is to pack it all up and find a convenient place (like the bathroom) to store everything during your first few weeks back home.
I’m so glad that I had this postpartum care kit stocked up and ready to go before I brought Kate home. I hope I’ve given you a few helpful tips to help you collect and organize your own postpartum supplies for a healthy recovery. And if I forgot anything, be sure to let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
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