Postpartum Must Haves

*This post is sponsored by Bellefit. All opinions are my own!

I spent a lot of time preparing for pregnancy and labor that I didn’t give much thought to what I’d need after baby for myself! And honestly, I don’t hear a lot of women talking about recovery after baby. It seems that everyone just bounces right back to their normal self after labor. Even though things have been pretty smooth for me since I had my baby, it definitely took some time to physically recover after birth. So I’ve rounded up some of the things I’ve been using postpartum that have saved my butt (literally!).

1) Dwell and Slumber Caftan: Comfy clothes are soooo important after you give birth. Even though my bump went away pretty quickly after birth, I was NOT in the mood to wear “real” clothes. I lived in my Dwell and Slumber dresses (I have two). I also slept in them. I also wore it as my going home outfit from the hospital. I recommend getting one in a dark print because you will get poop, pee, and throw up on you!

2) Bravado Nursing Bra: Comfy nursing bras are also a must. I only had about two nursing bras and I could have used a lot more. I love the pull down style of this one because it just makes things easier. It’s also really comfortable to sleep in.

3) Dermoplast Pain Relieving Spray: This is an item that I got from the hospital. I took two cans home but I ended up needing more. Maybe I was really naive but I didn’t realize how sore I would be down there after birth! I mean, I just pushed a tiny human out so of course I’m going to be sore! This spray really helped with pain relief and itching (which comes from the stitches healing).

4) Bellefit Corset: I was really concerned about getting my figure back after birth so I was excited when Bellefit reached out to me and asked me to review their corsets. The Bellefit corsets are medical grade abdominal compression binders to help with postpartum recovery. The Bellefit corset helps with lymphatic drainage by compressing the abdominal area and decreasing the risk of fluid collection and swelling. The corset also helps with core stability and keeping abdominal muscles in place. And anything that helps speed up my recovery time is a must have in my opinion! You can also use the corset if you’ve had a c-section. More information below!

5) Fridababy Peri Bottle: I got a generic peri bottle in the hospital but if you don’t get one there this one by Fridababy is a must have! It really helps with keeping your nether regions clean. Plus the warm water feels good on your skin.

6) Witch Hazel Hemorrhoid Pads: Guys, I didn’t even know what hemorrhoids were until now. And let me tell you, they suck! These pads really helped provide relief. I would line my pad with them and the cooling effect was really nice. They had these at the hospital too but if you don’t stock up from the hospital you’ll want some extra.

7) Mustela Body Firming Gel: This gel helps to tighten and firm skin after childbirth and is formulated without harmful chemicals, is safe to use during and after childbirth and breastfeeding. I haven’t tried this yet but I’ve been looking for something to use to give my skin a little extra boost. Luckily, I didn’t get any stretch marks but if I did I’d be trying the Stretch Marks Recovery Serum.

8) Comfy Underwear: I have a lot of nice, frilly underwear but after childbirth you are going to want some comfy, breathable underwear, preferably in dark colors. You are going to be wearing a pad for a couple of weeks due to the bleeding. I actually wore the mesh underwear from the hospital for the first week because the bleeding was a lot heavier and they really are comfortable!

Other things you’ll need: LOTS OF PADS, stool softener (seriously, going to the bathroom is NOT fun), ibuprofen, and nursing pads.

MORE ABOUT BELLEFIT

(1 week postpartum!)

As you can see above, the Bellefit corset really sucks things in! My belly did shrink naturally a lot during that first week so I was really lucky. But the corset definitely helps to keep things together a little bit better.

I wanted to give you guys more information about the Bellefit Corset.

• You can measure yourself for a corset starting at 30 weeks. I ended up being a size Medium.
• You can start wearing the corset when you are discharged from the hospital (usually 2-5 days). I was really sore and uncomfortable so I decided to wait about 2 weeks after the birth to wear mine on a more regular basis. But the sooner you start, the better.
• It’s recommended that you wear the corset 12-24 hours for 120 days. But it’s really up to you and what you feel comfortable with. Some people see results after short periods of time and don’t need to wear it for that long. And if it’s been a couple weeks or months since you’ve given birth you can still benefit from wearing the corset. Pregnancy hormones are still present for about 6 months after childbirth so your body is still changing!
• The corsets have easy access to the groin area with hooks so you can still easily go to the bathroom and wear pads.

Have any of you tried a corset after birth? What did you think?

Are there any postpartum must haves that I missed?