What to stock up for post partum recovery?

[charcb]

Posted this in the postnatal forum but didn't get many responses so trying here! Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone! I've been told that a peri bottle may come in handy in case you tear. Are there any other items that were good things to have to take to hospital / have at home to help you recover?

My personal list:

Maternity pads rather than sanitary towels. Nice and squishy to sit on.

Cereal bars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And a bottle with a one-handed straw top that your DH will refill nine thousand times a day.

Pre-made food that won't be horrible if it gets cold before you eat it.

Audiobooks, or lots of Radio 4 downloaded onto BBC Sounds.

On my personal list is also soft fruit, prunes and laxatives. DH baked me a brilliant toffee prune cake after #1. I wonder if I can get him to do that again? You can buy lactulose over the counter - or, as we call it in this house, honey poo juice. It's a sweet liquid that, when taken with enough water, turns your poo liquid too. Use with caution! But I find it very psychologically reassuring for the first few poos when my brain's still trying to work out which bits of my bits do what again.

Oh, also the phone number of the local Dominoes. Labour's hard work and hospital food is meh and I really appreciated my massive pizza after giving birth to #2! DH already bidding for it to be fish and chips after #3, but I'm undecided.

Can't believe I also never heard of Spritz for bits until this thread with my 2 previous- so glad saw this- buying now!

I've also got ready-
Lots of Primark packs of x 5 pants in larger size than you'd normally buy- IMO not even supermarket pants are as good value or decent quality

Some large baggy but soft t-shirt's in grey/white/black from Primark or H&M to have ready to wear

Few new pairs of leggings/trackie bums/harem trousers

PerspicaciousGreen I SO second this! My biggest debate in pregnancy is which my get home from hospital takeaway that night should be... still deliberating....
Oh and I also have on standby a bottle bubbly & my favourite bottles of Rosé to finally be able to enjoy some glasses of wine with my takeaway

My list was -

Huge comfy granny knickers

Maternity pads.. sanitary towels too scratchy and uncomfortable

Movicol or something similar to help you poop, take them regularly.

Rubber ring to sit on in case of hemorrhoids

Plenty pain meds, paracetamol and ibuprofen

Rock salt for salt baths to help heal stitches

A flask of coffee/tea/juice by your bed and the sofa along with biscuits and snacks so wherever you're feeding you have everything.

And the best one I thought of was a nappy caddy upstairs and one downstairs so you're not having to run up and down the stairs to grab nappies/wipes/spare vests etc! Helps massively if you've got stitches and walking hurts!!

Good luck

What ever size knickers you are normally and then buy three sizes bigger! And full on granny pants. The higher the better!

@Muststopeating

Fridge with any nice food/drink you couldn't have while pregnant- it will taste a million times better than normal!

Yes!!!! I have a list of things that I expect to be fed when bubs arrives. Don't care if that sounds entitled. I've done this 3 times and I want a rare steak.

In terms of executing this... I would suggest creating a Tesco (or equivalent) online order for 2 weeks after your due date so you can add all the things you fancy (plus milk, bread, etc) into it. That way you can log on and change the day for delivery for after you get out of hospital and don't have to try and figure out a shop when you have your handsful of baby!

Haha well when I was pregnant there was a Burger King ice cream that I really really wanted (I had GD) and when I had it the day after it was horrible! I asked my ex to get me a chocolate bar when I was back on the ward and he brought me a twix as he knew I hated them, but I scoffed the lot and it was the best thing ever.

After 3 vaginal births, first 2 with stitches, third, small tear no stitches, I've never needed any sprays, peri bottles etc, just a couple of packs of maternity pads, and then regularly sanitary towels and big pants.
Wasted money on them with the third and never used them.
One think I would recommend is pile cream. Never needed it with the first 2 but had a tough labour with the third and the piles were terrible, inside and out, but his will need suppositories for inside if it gets that bad. Honestly agony.

Definitely the peri bottles.

There are also disposal chemical ice packs for perineal use. I'll look them up and see if I can find a link. They help with your swollen undercarriage.

Witch hazel pads for hemorrhoids. Also Preparation H.

Breast pads to absorb leaks.

Insulated mug to keep your tea or coffee nice and warm for you.

A partner with a can do spirit and a positive attitude 🙂

I was told no immersion in a bath for six weeks, so if you don't have a shower at home, maybe look into getting one installed.

A bedroom fan - you will find yourself sweating like a pig in the week after birth.

Big, cheap towels to put on top of your bedding to sleep on. You will leak.

Plug- in night lights so you won't be woken by the harsh glare of lights but will be able to see your way to the loo.

Also, Lucozade Sport! Fantastic during labour for keeping hydrated and keeping every up, but also wonderful for immediately afterwards. I think I chugged an entire bottle in five seconds flat while DD was on my chest and the midwife was mulling over the placenta. Eating was a bit of effort immediately afterwards but the instant liquid intake of sugar, sporty bits and artificially colouring perked me right up.

I bought period pants - massive black knickers that ABSORB and can be washed. They were UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING. I also used scrap fabrics to make disposable pads which was much more environmentally friendly and significantly gentler on sore bits than tissue-based pads. Witch hazel cooling pads, arnica, ibuprofen + paracetamol. I had other things, but these are the ones I will be going for again this time.

A warm dressing gown for middle of the night feeds
A comfy chair for middle of middle of the night feeds
A table next to the chair with a charger, a large insulated cup with a lid for hot or cold drinks, a bag of snack bars (fruit and nuts work well) tissues, lanisoh and muslins
Put dimmer switches on the light for any room you will do night feeds in
Put a white board on the hallway wall so you can leave notes for ypu other half about when the baby last fed etc, so they dont have to wake you up with questions (and vice versa) when you share the night shifts
A stash of chocolate somewhere secret
A freezer full of one portion microwave meals that you can eat with just a fork and dont have much garlic or onions content (suggest mac n cheese with bacon bit and peas)
Remove the doorbell ringer
Get blackout blinds for the room where the baby sleeps
Buy or borrow a device that will swing and jiggle the baby to help them go to sleep (dont spend a lot of money the baby might hate it)
Swaddles
A changing station with everything at hand. Make sure its easy to wipe down when poop explosions go everywhere

A nightdress and not pyjamas. Ideally one that buttons up the chest so you can get your boobs out without flashing everything. I had a catheter after my first and had given birth in the only nightie I had and we binned it because it was covered in gunk. Couldn't wear pyjamas because of the catheter so had to be lent a nightie by the ward.

With my second, I had a giant t shirt for the birth and kept my "nice" nightie for afterwards.

Also, FWIW, I don't remember using peri bottle, witch hazel, cold pads or any of that. I'm sure I had some for the first birth and just never got them out. You just don't know what you're going to end up with in the downstairs department!

Dried prunes and apricots :o

They are non crumby non melty high energy night time snacks and they will help soften that first poo.

Things that were useful for me:

• Lilets maternity pads - ginormous but very comfy and I had no leaks at all.
• Pack of disposable undies.
• Lansinoh
• Jug/bottle/cup of water to pour over myself when I went for a wee as I had an episiotomy
• Chocolate, takeaway food and red wine!
• Sudocrem - a tiny part of my stitching tore open about 6 weeks PP and the GP advised regular Sudocrem applications
• Paracetamol and ibuprofen although I was initially prescribed diclofenac which was great
• Coccyx cushion, I got coccyxdynia in pregnancy and still had it for a good few weeks after birth as it all healed. This also helped me sit comfortably with the sore episiotomy site too.

Place marking...

This is such a helpful thread, particularly for first time mums like me who are staring into the future in blissful ignorance to what it really holds 😂 - thanks OP and posters!

@mathanxiety

I was told no immersion in a bath for six weeks, so if you don't have a shower at home, maybe look into getting one installed.

I was told the opposite! Three times! And it worked well for me 🤣

If you decide on showers, and I can’t believe I’m actually typing this, do not let your breasts go under the shower, whether Breast feeding or not, showers bring the engorged breasts and pain!

Also- baby constipation tip (told to me by many midwives and worked)... if baby gets constipated... boil water. Put pint’s worth of that water into a jug and cool in fridge. One teaspoon of fresh orange juice (no bits), put couple of Oz into baby bottle and constipation sorted.

Another one- if baby’s eyes get sticky/ conjunctivitis. boil water, put a teaspoon of salt in. Dip cotton wool on and wipe gently. Keep the solution in the fridge and it’s good for 24 hours. Usually sorted after first or second go anyway.

Take vitamins!

PS I never heard of a peri bottle before this thread 🤣 I just used a jug of salt water after vaginal birth. And bathed in salt water after section.

I had an episiotomy and a doughnut cushion to sit on made a massive difference, I bought it on amazon on day 3 afterwards. So maybe an amazon prime subscription? Also ibuprofen and paracetamol, I took the maximum dose for maybe 2 weeks.
I initially bought tesco maternity pads but found they irritated my stitches, I switched to always night pads and they were much more comfortable.
I leant forward, sort of hands on the floor, when having a wee afterwards and it wasn't painful. Then rinsed with a jug of lukewarm salt water, patted dry with toilet paper and had a dry with a cool hairdryer, which weirdly really relieved the pain! Also good for drying after a shower.

How funny about the bath - in the UK where I had DS1 I was defo encouraged to have baths. In Germany where I had DS2 - absolutely not!! Huge infection risk! Lochia might get into your nipples () - baths on the children's ward absolutely off limits to newborn mums, and a separate toilet for those still having lochia as well.

I found it funny :o

Never found that showers made my boobs extra engorged or painful BTW.

@Oatsamazing So maybe an amazon prime subscription?

Best suggestion on the thread. It's always my suggestion for newborn baby equipment. You can even make an Amazon wishlist in advance then just click away once you know what problems you need solutions to afterwards.