My Ten Postpartum Wellness Essentials

Pregnancy is hard, but postpartum recovery takes it to a new level.

Although I had a fairly straightforward birth, I still spent 8 weeks in recovery mode. 

These products were my saviors for the early days of postartum. I call them my newborn days ride or dies. Many of these seem obvious, but others might be new to you! I would have literally died without these products. Although this platform is based on nutrition and blood sugar bliss, I thought it would be a fun and realistic refresher to focus on wellness without pre and postpartum stages. Plus, many of my patients either conceive shortly after working together, or work together to optimize their pregnancy, forego the gestational diabetes test and improve their health which leads to a better pregnancy and better recovery!

What will the next blog post on pregnancy cover? The things I returned/didn’t use/are collecting dust in the closet. Stay tuned! 

My postpartum essentials

1. Kudos wipes + diapers – I had a small baby, which I didn’t expect. These diapers were a godsend, thanks to my bestie who brought them over when nothing else fit (honest brand also ended up working, too!). They were “high rise” on him but held all the blowouts. They’re also a clean brand and the wipes are bigger (don’t’ quote me) than others and I use less per change. Use code WHITNEY10 for 10% off if you want to try them out! 
2. Portable fan – my child is so hot so this is a must for Texas summers! 
3. Sterilizer bags (I returned our big sterilizer since we didn’t start using bottles until week 4) and the bags are super easy to throw in the microwave. Plus it saves us tons of space on the counter. I will be a minimalist even with a child. 
4. Boon drying rack / this drying rack (we have a small little bottle station that was supposed to be a wet bar but I house all the cleaning/bottle/feeding items here and it helps SO much.)
5. The doona stroller – if you’re only having one baby, this is where it’s at. Converts from stroller to carrier and it is so light. I didn’t carry it the first two weeks but then I was fine and I feel super confident using it now! Otherwise, my friend with multiples swear by the UppaBaby with all of its inserts.
6. Aerie period underwear – these and the Rael disposable underwear made me feel half human. Don’t make me wear a pad, I just can’t. These are super absorbent and cheap. I bought like 10 for $20 on a flash sale. 
7. The moby wrap – this worked so well to get through TSA at 8 days postpartum. I wore my baby the entire plane ride (except for takeoff they have to come out) in this. Also very easy to put on – watch the video here. 
8. These tanks and bras – super cheap because as we know they’ll probably get stained with milk or baby vomit. Oh well! 
9. This Best Friend pillow worked best for feeding and I actually use another one at night… frida pillow PM and boppy AM (when they’re bigger you can use this for tummy time etc) 
10. These trays – I put them on the couch and keep all my essentials on it: 
    1. Charging block
    2. Electrolytes – I’m drinking two packets a day.  
    3. Big water bottle – Reduce 40 oz, like a Stanley but way cheaper. 
    4. Blue light glasses 
    5. BTR bar or jerky 
    6. Cell phone with long charging cord
    7. A aforementioned fan
    8. Mama-focused supplements through Needed and Tend Prenatal (code whitnessnutrition). 
11. THE ELVIE PUMP – I hate my spectra. I just felt locked down and lonely. Elvie is amazing and more comfortable IMO. 

Side note, I started taking my encapsulated placenta pills and have a huge burst of energy. Has anyone else experienced that or do you think I’m crazy? My midwife has confirmed this is a reported symptom. Alright, that’s all for now, I’ll be sharing more about my pregnancy journey throughout the summer!