What’s Actually Essential Postpartum?

There are so many lists out there of must-haves to prepare for baby.
What should I buy? What should go on my registry?

Bottle warmers, wipe warmers… so many gadgets.

But what’s actually essential? Will I really need all of this?

I created a list of what was truly helpful for us in the early weeks postpartum. Not everything you could buy—but what genuinely supported healing, comfort, and ease. Let me know what you think. What did I miss?

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Labor Prep Items I Actually Used

My midwife recommended Mountain Meadow Gentle Birth for birth prep, to help prepare my body for birth. It can help manage contractions, support Braxton Hicks contractions, and may help contribute to a shorter, more efficient active labor.

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Postpartum Essentials for Mama

Peri Bottle
This peri bottle works wonders during postpartum recovery and is, in my opinion, a must-have.

Squatty Potty
These are a good idea for everyone. This position supports healthy bowel movements, and postpartum it can be especially helpful for supporting your pelvic floor.

Motherlove Sitz Bath Spray
I’ve always loved Motherlove products. I used to sell their full line in my office when I had a full-time practice. Their sitz bath spray is a convenient, mess-free version of a traditional sitz bath soak for postpartum comfort.

Sitz Bath Herbs
There are many herbal blends available that can be added to a small amount of bath water to soothe the perineum. This is something you can do a couple of times a day during the first few weeks postpartum.

Nursing Bras
I lived in these sleep bras early postpartum and still use them overnight now. I wasn’t leaving the house—or the bed—much those first weeks, so these were my all-day bras. Later, I transitioned to this bra that was also very comfortable. These two were my favorites. Be prepared for your breasts to grow once your milk comes in.

Mesh Postpartum Undies
They’re not cute—but sometimes they’re the only thing that gets you through those early days. I used these mesh undies with postpartum pads after both a vaginal birth and a cesarean births.

Organic postpartum pads

I like using organic when ever I can. These pads are nice because you can order them online and get them in my local grocery store.

Postpartum Undies
Black organic cotton undies can be helpful when you’re bleeding postpartum.

Postpartum Blues

WishGarden Herbs Postpartum Emotional Baby Blues was an herbal supplement that really helped me this time around. In my first posprtum journey I had my placenta encapsulated and that really help with my mood. But this product was more helpful to me this time around.

Afterbirth Contraction Support
Not everyone experiences afterbirth contractions, but they are normal, temporary, and common—especially for those who’ve had multiple births. This herbal product helped support me during that time.

Soothing Gel Pads
I ended up ordering these during the early weeks with my son. We had many nursing challenges, and I had to give one side a day off a few times. Lactation consultants are a must, and these gel pads gave me some relief when things weren’t going smoothly.

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What Helped Us Most for Baby

Diapers
We used disposables for the first few weeks after our second child and whenever we traveled. We planned to cloth diaper like we did with our first, but disposables made those early weeks easier. You never know how big your baby will be, so I don’t recommend stocking up on too many newborn diapers—just a few, maybe in a couple sizes. We liked HealthyBaby (available locally) and Bamboo Nature (easy to order on Amazon, especially while traveling).

Pacifiers
My son had trouble nursing—I was in pain, and he wasn’t gaining enough weight. We worked with a lactation consultant right away, and she recommended the Evenflo Feeding Balance pacifiers. I used to believe pacifiers weren’t good for babies, but she explained how these could actually support his oral strength and improve nursing.

Bottles
These Pigeon glass nursing bottles were also recommended by our lactation consultant.

Baby Wearing
Baby wearing is incredibly helpful. Newborns want to be close—this is a whole new world for them with so many stressors. Wearing your baby can help regulate their breathing, temperature, and heart rate, and can encourage better sleep. It may even support early language development. We used a wrap starting when the newborn is around 7 pounds and transitioned to a structured carrier as our kids grew. Our two-year-old still snuggles into ours.

Infant Massage
I teach infant massage classes for parents and caregivers. This is a beautiful way to bond with your baby. These classes are best taken when babies are around 6–8 weeks old.

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Postpartum Nourishment & Support

If you don’t have family or friends caring for you in the early weeks, having a postpartum doula can be incredibly supportive. Sonja came to our home, helped with breastfeeding, held the baby so I could rest, listened while I vented or cried, and cooked amazing meals. This was such a meaningful part of my postpartum experience.

If you do have family or friends who want to help, consider setting up a meal train. In the early days, you don’t need to entertain—you need food and rest. The best meal trains involve food dropped off at the door, allowing you and your baby uninterrupted time to rest and bond.

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If you’re expecting or newly postpartum and want more guidance beyond products, I offer prenatal and postpartum massage, infant massage classes, and education to support your healing and connection during this season.

Save this post for later, share it with a friend who’s preparing for postpartum, and explore the resources on my site when you’re ready for extra support.

Every postpartum journey is different, and what feels essential for one family may not for another. I hope this list helps you feel a little more grounded and confident as you prepare for life with your baby.

If you’ve already been through postpartum, I’d love to hear—what supported you the most in those early weeks? Leave a comment or share this with a friend who’s preparing for their postpartum season.

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A Taste of the Village!?

This summer, I got a little taste of what it’s like to live near a lot of family — and it was pretty great.

My daughter (12), my son (1.5), and I flew to upstate New York for 16 days (17, if you count the flight delay/cancellation/fun). My husband joined us for the second half. We stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house for the whole time — which, honestly, is a lot. I still can’t believe they put up with us that long.

But that’s just how their house is — full of people all the time. And I’m completely jealous. Seriously.

Three out of their four kids live nearby, and their kids now have kids… who are now having their own kids. That means my aunt and uncle have great-grandchildren in their house regularly — daily or weekly. It’s just… normal for them.

Over the years of working with pregnant and postpartum people, I’ve seen clients move “home” — maybe during their first pregnancy, maybe after their second. Or sometimes, their parents make the move to be closer to them and their grandchildren. What a dream.

When I think about what it would be like to live in a “village” — the way it used to be, the way it’s meant to be while raising children — I think of my cousin (second cousin once removed… something like that). She drops her little one off with her grandmother most days to go to a workout class. While she’s gone, her grandmother gives the baby a bottle and puts him down for a nap. By the time she gets back, baby’s napped and ready to play.

WHAT. A. DREAM.

Me? I pay big bucks to get a few hours of free time from my guy. And that’s the price I pay for moving away from family — and living in this lovely place I now call home.

The first time I heard someone articulate this deep longing for “a village” was in a Huffington Post article I read back in 2019. (If you haven’t read it, please do.)

So now I’m curious…

Do you have a village made up of family — or have you created one with friends?

How did you do it?

I really want to know.

What the Heck is Mommy Wrist?!

The technical term for what I’m dealing with is De Quervain's Tenosynovitis—but let’s just call it Mommy Wrist for simplicity’s sake. It’s an incredibly painful condition that affects the tendons running along the thumb side of your wrist.

If you're wondering how to check if this is what you’ve got, here’s the super-easy self-test: tuck your thumb into your palm, wrap your fingers around it, and then drop the pinky side of your wrist downward. (I know, real fancy, right?)

I first realized this was what I had back in March, as I was getting ready to return to work after my maternity leave. I had been feeling amazing, finally no longer pregnant, and decided to join a reformer Pilates class. Let me tell you, it felt so good to move my body again. But a few classes in, I started noticing a strange sensation in my wrist—nothing too serious at first, but it lingered a bit.

Looking back, I also remember feeling something after a postpartum massage, which should have been my first clue. After finishing the Pilates series, I switched to weekly yoga, excited to get back into the groove of things. As a mom in my late 40s with a new baby, movement was essential for my well-being. It was like I was finally finding myself again.

But then, the wrist pain crept in—and it wasn’t going away.

I thought if I just cut back on giving massages, maybe my wrists could handle it. But no. Massaging became excruciating. It was constant, a level 11 out of 10 pain. I was finally told to stop working for six weeks to give my body time to heal.

During that time, I tried everything: physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care—and nothing worked. I did my best to stretch and rolling out my neck and upper back, but that didn’t help either. I even wore wrist braces at times, though honestly, they were more of a nuisance than a help, especially when you’re caring for a newborn.

I get the logic behind braces, but the reality of newborn life is different. Between nursing (this boy loves to nurse!) and carrying my baby around all the time, there’s not much room for wrist rest. I’ve learned that my upper body is working overtime—especially when I’m nursing him side-lying. And, of course, there’s the endless picking up, holding, and carrying. There’s just no time to fit in the ideal self-care routine I’d like to have.

After trying all these things I gave in and went to see an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hands. The result? I got cortisone shots in both wrists.

And miraculously, they worked. The constant pain that had been at an 11 dropped to a 2, and within a week, it was completely gone. Hallelujah! After two months of excruciating pain whenever I held my baby, tried to put on my pants, bra, or carrier, or carried groceries, I was finally pain-free.

It felt so good, I could hardly believe it. But, of course, the joy of being pain-free didn’t last long.

A month after the cortisone shots, I went rock climbing with my family—just to watch them, since I’d missed it. But this day, I thought I’d try a couple of short, easy boulders... and bam, the pain came rushing back.

I ended up getting a second round of cortisone shots, fully aware they might not last. I had to face the fact that I just needed to slow down. I had to take a break from yoga, climbing, and all the things I loved to do. Which was difficult for me, but I did it.

Months passed and the pain lessened andam no longer in pain. I have started lifting weights again, but in a more supportive way. Slowly, I resumed yoga and climbing. And then, before I knew it, my son was 20 months old—and I had learned to embrace a new normal.

Have you had “Mommy Wrist”? How long did it take to get better? I hope you can get to a pain free place soon!

— Heather