Welcome Back!
This is your forewarning that this post might be a little TMI (and also a little long) but I think it’s an important one. Postpartum is something that isn’t talked about enough and was something that I wasn’t exactly prepared for. So I wanted to share my journey with you guys today and from my experience of it all.
I’ve gone back and forth a lot with this post and everything I wanted to say because everyone’s post partum journey is different. I mean every labor story is different, every circumstance, and how each woman transitions into motherhood is different.
The truth is, I have transitioned into motherhood much easier than I ever thought I would. If you have been following me for awhile then you know that this pregnancy was a huge shock to us and was super unplanned. I felt like my world had been rocked, like I wasn’t ready for this next chapter and was truly terrified of everything that was to come. At the end of the day though, this whole experience has changed me and has been completely different from what I ever expected.
I didn’t hate being pregnancy as much as I thought I would. I actually really grew to love my belly and didn’t mind the weight gain. Labor ended up being completely different than I ever expected (literally nothing like the movies) and my personal fear of labor was worse than the reality. Thank the good lord for modern medicine. The one part that I wasn’t worried about though, because I just didn’t really think of it, was the postpartum recovery that comes after giving birth. Everyone talks about labor and how scary/awful it is but no one really talks about the recovery part of it all.
I compare the whole experience to breaking your arm. The initial breaking of your arm is supposedly the painful part and is the one that everyone talks about, when in reality, the part you dwell on and end up hating the most is all that time you spent in a cast.
It’s uncomfortable, you’re bleeding, you have stitches, you’re swollen, sleep deprived and it all around just sucks… but honestly at the same time, you get through it and if I can do it, you can too.
Anyways, I really hope you guys find the products listed below and all my answers to the q&a helpful!
Favorite Postpartum Products
Frida Mom Postpartum Products
Frida Mom actually has a whole postpartum kit with every item you’ll need, but if you don’t want to buy the whole kit, below is a list of what I actually used and didn’t use.
- Perineal Bottle
- Instant Ice Maxi Pads: These are literally so bomb.
- Perineal Cooling Pad Liners: Pro tip – keep in the fridge!
(Frida Mom Products I Had but Didn’t Use)
- Sitz Bath Tablets
- Perineal Healing Foam
- Postpartum Underwear: I preferred the Always Discreet Underwear listed below!
MORE PRODUCTS
Always Discreet Disposable Underwear:
Panty Liners / Regular Pads: Your bleeding will be heavy some days and nonexistent on others. It’s just like a normal period, so having a variety of products is essential. Especially since you can’t use a tampon for 6+ weeks.
Prenatal Vitamins: You’ll want to continue taking these for a while!
Stool Softeners
Hospital Favorites
I remember people telling just how much the hospital supplies you with postpartum wise but I didn’t really understand until I got there. Take advantage of these products and don’t be afraid to ask for extras to take home with you!
- Ice packs: Trust me, the more the merrier! Even if you have the Frida ones at home, take your leftovers from the hospital and ask for more.
- Witch Hazel Spray: While I had the Frida Witch Hazel Foam (which is essentially used for the same thing), I liked the spray from the hospital so much more.
- Perineal Bottle: While the Frida Mom Perineal Bottle is much better, I didn’t bring any of my Frida products to the hospital with me so I had to use the one the hospital gave me and it worked perfectly fine! I even ended up bring it home with me so that I could have one in each bathroom.
If Breast Feeding…
- Nipple Shield: I can’t say enough good things about this product. It’s a little plastic shield that you put over your nipple to have your baby to nurse from as opposed to nursing straight from your nipples. It prevents much-unwanted nipple pain, makes it easier for babies to latch and I swear it’s the only reason I’m still breastfeeding.
- Haakaa Pump: This product is genius!!! You put it on the other breast while nursing and it catches all of the access milk.
- Pumps: I have both the Spectra 1 and the Elvie.
- Nipple Cream
- Silverette Nursing Cups: These cups are miracle workers for healing your nipples.
- Disposable Nipple Pads for leaking
- Nursing Bras
Favorite Post Partum Clothes
- These Aerie Oversized Boyfriend Tees (I have them in 4 colors and would just wear them over my postpartum underwear lol)
- This Aerie Oversized Sweatshirt
- This Button Pajama Set
- This Button Pajama Dress
- This Maternity / Nursing Top
- All the flowy dresses!!
Postpartum Q&A
Were the first few days postpartum more painful than actual birth?
Since I had an epidural, my answer is yes… but it wasn’t unbearable or anything. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t feel great (!!) but it’s morely just extremely uncomfortable. I mean you have stitches and swelling where no woman should ever have to have stitches or swelling. You’re constantly bleeding and it just sucks. I could barely walk across our apartment for the first whole week.
How long did it take to recover? What helped the most?
To fully recover? The whole six weeks ( + more) but things definitely start to get better after 2-3 weeks! As for what helped the most? Rest, ice packs, and the heavy-duty Tylenol my doctor prescribed me.
What’s your body like? Does it feel weird not having your belly?
It feels more normal now but the first few weeks were gnarly and kind of sad. I grew to love my belly and after giving birth it just felt so lifeless, mushy and empty.
Have you experienced the baby blues? If you are experiencing pp depression, have you sought help?
You know I’m not 100% sure. It’s weird times we’re living in and I can’t tell if it’s true baby blues that I’m experiencing or if I am more depressed about all this COVID stuff. This pandemic started in March but I personally feel like my life has been put on hold since November… so I’m just really ready for life to get back to normal. Having a newborn is hard enough without having to deal with a global pandemic on top of it. To answer your question though, no I haven’t sought help but the hospital gave me a ton of resources.
How has the balance been with Colton? Have you felt supported? Has there been a big shift in your relationship and dynamics?
Ya’ll, Colton has been amazing. I always knew that he would be a great dad but the way he helped me through my recovery was truly above and beyond. In terms of balance, this whole transition has oddly felt very natural for us and it’s like Teddy has been with us forever.
Be honest, does “down there” go back to normal or am I screwed?
lol. I checked and you’ll be fine. It all goes back to normal.
Did you have any concerns about breastfeeding? Did it come naturally like they say?
I went into breastfeeding with the mindset that if it worked out, then great! If not, no biggie and formula it would be. For us, breastfeeding did come pretty naturally. While it took a few days to really get comfortable, my supply came in fine and he also latched well. I’ll say again that the nipple shields listed above were a game-changer for us!! They truly protect your nipples and make nursing easier for the babe. I use them every single time.
Was there anything about postpartum that surprised you?
Of course! I’m a first-time mom lol. Everything surprised me. I remember going to the bathroom for the first time after my epidural wore off, with the nurse in there with me, having to help and show me what to do. I was traumatized as to how painful and swollen everything was but luckily that was the worst of it and it got better each day.
Other than that, just a bunch of small things. For example, I didn’t realize that I would still look six months pregnant when leaving the hospital. I thought that I would look normal but that wasn’t the case lol. It was also super shocking when my milk came in. I didn’t realize just how much bigger my boobs would get and that I would leak milk every time Teddy cried.
How did you manage the lack of sleep? Are you as tired as everyone says you’ll be?
While I’m exhausted, I still hate every person that told me to “enjoy my sleep now” throughout my whole pregnancy and I promise to never (ever) tell a soon-to-be mom those words.
Just like anything in life, you get through it. You’re going to be tired and the first month will be a blur. That’s just how it is. We took turns to make sure the other person was getting sleep and ran off a combination of coffee and adrenaline.
Any hair loss? Or what are you doing to prevent it?
Not yet! They say that comes around 3-4 moths pp so we will see. In the meantime I am continuing to take my prenatal vitamins, stay hydrated, drink collagen daily and am using this shampoo that my hairdresser gave me and swears by!
What’s something you could have done to be more prepared?
Literally anything. I was incredibly unprepared and it didn’t help that I went into labor 2 weeks earlier than expected. We didn’t even have our car seat yet lol!
I’d just suggest having some pp basics at home waiting for you. The Frida Mom Post Partum Kit really is the way to go. Anything you don’t have or need though, your family can get for you before you get home and if all else fails, thank the good lord for Amazon Prime.
What are you doing to lose weight? I’m so nervous I won’t bounce back!
Maybe not immediately, but eventually… your body will go back. It just went through something incredible and it needs time to heal. So while you may not bounce back as quickly as you like, know that it will go back with time. Especially if you work hard. I think that staying active throughout my pregnancy is what has really helped me the most. That eating healthy and breastfeeding.
Working out PP. Are you going to do a specific postpartum workout program?
Once I am fully cleared, my plan is to start Kayla Itsines Post Partum workout plan! I’ve done her BBG program a few times and trust her method!
Do you have a belly bandit?
Yes! My mom bought me this one.
How are you able to blog, exercise & care for a baby all at once? You are superwoman!
First of all, you are really kind lol but I’m far from it! I’m just doing the best that I can. I continue to work and blog because if I stop, I can’t pay my bills. I exercise because for me, it’s my therapy and the way that I release any and all kind of stress. Then I care for my baby because it’s up to me to keep him alive lol. Truthfully though, I’m able to do it bc I have help. With Covid, Colton has been able to be home so much more than he normally would. His office isn’t fully open so he is here with me most of the time working from home. My mom has also started coming over to help as well (she even deep cleaned for us a few times) and then lastly, sleep training him. Having him on somewhat of a schedule from day one makes it so much more manageable! We took the “Will I Ever Sleep Again” course from TakingCaraBabies.
Whats the best way friends can support a post partum mama?
Check in on her but be understanding if she doesn’t respond or answer you right away. If you want to bring dinner, just do it and don’t ask because if you do, she’ll most likely decline when in reality, it would be so helpful. New moms are bad at asking for help.
One piece of advice?
Don’t rush to get home and take advantage of everything the hospital has to offer. We had the option to leave Friday afternoon (a little over 24hrs after birth) but opted to stay that night and leave the next day around noon. It was truly the best decision we made! The nurses are there to help you and take care of you after one of the most grueling experiences you will ever go through. From pain and showing you how to take care of yourself while recovering, to lactation support, how to bath your baby and take care of their recovery (belly button and circumsition) , they give you postpartum support and are just overall so helpful. I can’t thank our nurses enough.
If you guys have any questions, just leave them in the comments section below.
xo,
Lauren
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Congrats & thank you for this honest post! As a first time expectant mom these posts are already helping me so much and getting me more prepared for the PP life. With CoVid going on, did you & Colton allow visitors to come meet Teddy? Did they have to quarantine first? How did you handle that?
Hi Chelsey – Congratulations on your bundle of joy! I will be honest, this was a hard one because we didn’t want to keep family away but had to be careful. Leading up to birth, all sets of parents made the decision to self-quarantine. Nothing crazy but they avoided going out to eat, goinng to large gatherings, parties, and didn’t do any trips. For friends that we knew were traveling and not being careful, we just had to be honest and let them know they couldn’t meet Teddy until things were better or they quarantined. We really talked to everyone, were as honest about our concerns as possibble, and hoped that they would use their best judgment.
Then lastly, we always ask everyone to please wash their hands and to please choose to wear a mask if they are even the least bit symptomatic. That’s what our pediatrician told us to do 🙂 Best of luck!!! I know these times are crazy. You just have to do what you think is right for your babe.