It’s been nearly two weeks and I am still in shock that I am a mother. I still feel like I’m taking care of this little baby, but he isn’t mine. Like this is a dream and I haven’t woken up. Owning my new role is still hard to grasp even though I’ve been preparing for it since the beginning of the year. I’ve never been so overwhelmed in my life yet so happy. Charlie has given me a moment to slow down and take in the little things. I can’t move as fast as I always have. And that’s okay. I’m living each moment, day by day.

Now I’ve had TONS of advice on babies. People have no problem sharing their insights and I’ve asked a lot of questions. But what I didn’t think too hard about is what would happen to ME after baby. I didn’t think about my recovery. I just thought how I would adjust to a new member and exhaustion from lack of sleep.

If you don’t want to know what happens to a woman when she gives birth, then this post probably isn’t for you and I would stop reading right now. This post is for all you moms-to-be that are preparing for one of the most miraculous days of your life and then what to do after.

Giving birth is like running a marathon (or arguably harder according to some articles). It’s the most exhausting experience for a woman. I thought the epidural would solve all my problems but after my water broke and I was in full labor, I felt the most painful contractions even under the pain-relieving epidural. My nurse helped me use the feeling to my advantage and help push. But it was not comfortable. I ended up with a second degree tear which isn’t that bad at all, but I never thought that I’d have a couple of days where I struggled walking. Because my contractions were still so strong even after the epidural, I was given the power to push a button every ten minutes to release more of the drug into my body. While it helped me with delivery, I lost all sensation in my right leg through the next evening. When I finally got to use it again, it was a relief! Not being able to walk is excruciating for me!

In the past week, I have discovered some amazing things that helped me recover and I wanted to share them with you! Since I know you’re reading this to seek a little advice, right? ;)

Here are some postpartum must-haves for both mom and baby that I swear by!

Padsicles: Girlfriend, birth is hard. Whether or not you had tearing, you just brought a human into this world. Treat yourself to a few ice packs and Netflix. You deserve the relief.

Nursing Pads: If you are breastfeeding, I highly recommend these. Get a few, you’ll go through them quickly! I have both disposable and washable ones. My washable ones are the softest and I love them! But when I they are washing, I use disposable ones that have adhesive strips to stick it right on your bra. They’ll give your nipples a little bit of relief and your bras a break from leaking!

Nipple Butter: I love this organic brand. Breastfeeding is not a walk in the park and sometimes you get sore. Rub this on post feeding.

A Nursing Bra You Love: I recommended Playtex in a previous post and I love the bra they sent me. You will live in nursing bras if you are breastfeeding. I keep sleeping in mine- they are so comfortable! I also ordered a 3-pack from Amazon that I love. I highly recommend ;)

A Nursing Top: To be honest with you, I don’t own any yet! And I wish I did. But a friend’s mom sent me a nursing dress and wearing it out made it so EASY when I had to nurse Charlie out of the comfort of my home. I’m so tired of having to take off my shirts every time I need to feed him. This is a purchase I need to make asap. Especially since I plan on breastfeeding for a while. I found some really cute ones here, here, here, here, & here.

A Sound Machine: How adorable is the above lamb? It also side hustles as a sound machine. A friend gave that to me and it’s my best friend! Now you don’t need a stuffed animal sound machine. There are plenty of other ones and we also have this one I love. The lamb is just a cute touch. I use a sound machine at night to help coo Charlie to sleep. I tried it one night and it worked like a charm. It helps me sleep too!

Glow in the dark pacifiers: I swear by these. A lot of pediatricians won’t recommend you use a pacifier until your baby learns to latch first though. But once your baby is ready for a pacifier, I LOVE Dr. Brown’s glow-in-the-dark ones that help me so much at night! I wish I had a thousand because you’ll realize how you slip them into so many bags, you can’t find them! Order a few sets ;)

A Rock n’ Play: I wish I had one for both upstairs and downstairs. I showed this image in a recent post but now that baby is here, I can’t emphasize enough how much I love it!  Charlie absolutely loves it too and it’s my favorite thing to use to quick rock him to sleep while I get stuff done.

A good nursing pillow: Again, Dr. Brown’s to the rescue. They sent me the most amazing pillow and cover that I’m totally in love with. It’s my breast friend (HA! I wish I had come up with that on my own…. ) You’ll need extra support when you are feeding a kiddo! They may be small, but your arms will get sore! It’s also an easy resting spot for your baby while your husband admires him ;)

Baby Nursing App: My friend sent me this app to track my feedings and it is amazing. It just makes life easier so I know which side to start on, remember what time I fed last, and track how long each feeding lasted. You can also plug in your baby’s weight as you check in with the pediatrician! I also recommend getting some games on your phone like solitaire or yahtzee for those middle-of-the-night feedings! They can be so tiresome and you’ll want something to do with your other hand!

Moms– what products/tools have been your favorite? I’m still brand new the game and always looking for ideas!

Shop Nursing Tops:

Thanks for reading! XO

Austin Blogger dr. browns new mom nursing tops postpartum