My Top 5 Must Haves After Baby
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Baby’s here, hurray! But like me, you might find there are a few more things you need to make life easier. In the first few weeks at home with our girl, there were definitely some Amazon orders being made in the wee hours. Let me save you the trouble: these are the things that I wished I’d had before she was born. Once you’ve read through this list, check out my post on how to survive the newborn stage. You got this, mama! Here’s my list of must haves after baby:
Heating Pad
After hours (and hours and hours) of breastfeeding, I had serious back, neck, and shoulder pain. I was already taking regular Tylenol doses to ease the rest of my aches, but it wasn’t enough. After some googling (and my husband’s eager suggestion of tiger balm), we ran out and picked up a heating pad. What a lifesaver! I used it every time I sat down to nurse and it made a huge difference. I also made sure to do some specific stretches – this youtube video was helpful. Here’s the heating pad I purchased: Sunbeam XL Kingsize Heating Pad. This is definitely a must have after baby that will be useful long after you’re out of the newborn stage.
Orthopedic Donut Pillow
This one might not apply to everyone, but I experienced pretty significant tailbone pain after delivery. I sat on pillows and tried to lay on my side for the first couple of weeks but it didn’t quite solve it for me. This Milliard Foam Orthopedic Cushion made sitting quite a bit more comfortable, and the mesh cover makes it just slightly less awkward. Gotta keep your sense of humor, right? Take a look at my post on what I wish I knew about postpartum recovery for more on that. This was one of the unexpected must haves after baby that’s for sure.
Natural Nipple Balm
I used a lot of Lansinoh HPA lanolin in the early days of breastfeeding. It was absolutely essential to keeping everything healed and comfortable so I could keep breastfeeding. However, the lanolin is very sticky and sort of makes a mess of any fabric it touches. I had heard good things about Earth Mama’s Organic Nipple Butter so I gave it a try. This was the perfect solution! While I continued using the lanolin until my peanut was probably 8 weeks old, I started using the nipple butter at night and it was a nice soothing option to get some moisture back into my skin. It smells great and doesn’t gunk up my clothes or nursing pads.
Vitamin D Drops
If you are exclusively breastfeeding your baby (meaning no formula at all), your doctor is likely to recommend that you supplement with Vitamin D Drops. I didn’t hear about this at all prior to our girl’s arrival, so it was a bit of a surprise when our pediatrician mentioned it. We got a sample of Ddrops Vitamin D drops from the doctor’s office and we’ve continued to buy that brand after reading reviews and using it at home. I guess this is a literal must have after baby. It’s easy to dispense – or as easy as anything can be with a hungry baby on your hands!
Reusable Nursing Pads
I had put some of the Bamboobies reusable nursing pads on my baby registry without really knowing whether I’d like them. Lucky for me I did! I absolutely love these pads, and they were another must have item in those first weeks of breastfeeding. They are very soft, absorbent and easy to clean. They’re on this list because I ended up buying another combo package so that I would have even more to use before I needed to wash them. If you are on the fence and considering these versus disposable nursing pads, I would truly recommend these. I find that the reusable pads are better absorbing and much more comfortable to wear. Plus, less waste for the environment. I wash mine in a mesh laundry bag so I don’t have to hunt through the baby clothes in the dryer to find them.
There’s definitely some other things that have been valuable in my first few weeks as a new mom, but these are the ones that we desperately needed in the middle of the night. Or at least that’s what we thought! If you haven’t already checked out my post on the best binge-worthy shows for new moms – don’t miss it. Those early weeks are magical and tough. What necessities did you need in the first few weeks after your baby was born? Tell me what your must haves after baby are in the comments below.
