I love polling you all on Instagram when I’m in need of some advice. I’ve joked about it before but I’m so serious – you guys are like the older sisters I never had with all of the amazing postpartum advice! Here’s me passing along the info to you if you’re expecting or for you to share with one of your friends!

ALSO! PSA, I go into some details here and share my experience, which may be completely different than yours. There are some postpartum products I was prepared with that I never used and then products I realized I needed that I had to order afterward. All of them are below 🙂

Depends

Adult diapers?! Uh, yes, girlfriend! Trust me, they’re easy to change, surprisingly comfortable, may I say “absorbent.” Just trust me – you’ll want a few on hand. Without giving TMI, you may be surprised at how quickly you’d go through regular pads in the beginning. I got a large pack here and they were just enough.

Pads

Once you “graduate” from Depends, you might want to get some pads for overnight or throughout the day. I like these.

Lip conditioner

Crusty lips stay crusty after birth, especially because of pushing. Pushing chapped my lips like crazy to having this lip conditioner nearby helped me feel a bit more put together and helped my lips heal.

Nipple butter

I hands down recommend this nipple butter! This specific kind is quick to heal, not too oily, smells great, and is safe for baby so no need to wipe off or clean in between feedings. If you plan to breastfeed, your “ladies” have to take a second to adjust to all of the new commotions they’re experiencing and if you do crack or bleed, it can make this nursing experience less of a bonding time and more of something you dread due to pain.

Nursing bras

These are great, so cheap, so comfy, and make feeding so easy!

Elvie pumps

These are the breast pumps that I use and wowie! they’re amazing! They don’t have tons of tubes and parts, they break down easily, they’re extremely quiet, I can pump in the car and they connect to an app for easy turn on/off and tracking your supply. I have two so I can pump both sides at once and have loved them. A full review is coming but just trust me – they’re a 9/10!

Dry Shampoo

While I had people at my house to help (family and friends), I was able to shower and it helped me feel like myself to even rinse off every day. However, when the people left and the house got quiet, I didn’t get the showers as I did in the beginning. Even just getting out of my pajamas and putting on comfortable clothing or heck! Even another pair of pajamas, helped me feel like “me”. Spraying some dry shampoo, putting on a tinted moisturizer, and putting on my lip conditioner made all of the difference.

Nursing Pads

When you use the nipple butter (above) during your breastfeeding journey, I suggest having these nursing pads to tuck in for any leakage and to make sure the nipple butter doesn’t get on your bra.

Snacks by bedside

I got sooo hungry in the middle of the night when I would get up to nurse. Even keeping some trail mix, granola bars or a treat by your bedside would be so helpful!

A good water bottle

I bought a pack of these water bottles with straws, they’re no sweat, fit an entire 16oz bottle of water. It helped to have several of the same kind so I could quickly wash them, and have another one ready to go.

Tucks Pads

Have these in your bathroom ready to go. Hemorrhoids are a real thing postpartum and

Padsicles

I have heard the most amazing things about these guys. They’re basically frozen maxi pads with aloe vera and witch hazel with a few drops of lavender to promote healing and comfort after birth. I made an entire pack of 40 using these directions but didn’t find the need to use them. But, I have some friends that swear by them. It may be worth making them and popping them in the freezer just in case!

Epsom Salt

I bought a larger bag of Lavender Epsom Salt and have loved taking baths pre and postnatal. It also promotes healing if you received stitches.

Peri bottle

Most times, the hospital will give you one to use afterward if you have several stitches that need tender care and wiping isn’t always best. I grabbed another one off of amazon to have in several bathrooms so I wasn’t having to carry it around with me if I found myself using a different restroom than the one attached to our bedroom.

Nursing Shirts

I’ll be honest – I lived in my robe constantly and rarely put on an actual shirt (unless we had visitors). However, when I did throw on a shirt, these were amazing and truly easy to style with anything from leggings to jeans later on. They unbutton or unsnap easily for nursing.

Robe

As I said, I stayed in a robe and this one was lightweight (I got super hot easily) and so soft + affordable! I used it in the hospital as well!

Apps we’re loving

There are a few apps that are helping us keep things on track. One of them, Baby Tracker, keeps track of diapers and feeding as well as sleep and other pieces of the baby’s life. We don’t use the “sleep” feature, it seems like a lot to keep up with. But, keeping up with diapers and counting them for our pediatrician in this app was amazing. Being able to keep track of feeding times and lengths was great as well since I was getting used to his hunger cues and breastfeeding.

Wonder Weeks is another app that is so cool to keep track of what’s happening in your baby’s mind and world. It’ll tell you and predict when your baby may be fussier or clingier than usual.

Bump – I used this app throughout my pregnancy but it keeps up with the baby, too!

If you’re reading this because you’re a new mama, you’re doing great! You’re loving your baby so well. I know it’s hard and nights are late and long, and you wonder when we’ll ever sleep again. But, remember this – we’re in this together! Giving you a huge virtual hug from here. Xoxo sister!