What to Prepare When You're Expecting (for After Your Delivery)

Amidst the preparations for a baby’s arrival – having a go bag ready for when you need to head to the hospital, getting that all-important car seat for the ride home, arranging a nursery – it can be easy to forget that there will also be another person who needs to be taken care of: the mom!

When you’re expecting a baby, it’s important to have a few important supplies ready for what your body will need after the birth. Read on to create a checklist for mom’s needs after birth:

Heavy Pads

After any birth, there will be a flow of vaginal discharge called lochia (LAH-kee-uh) that is a mixture of blood, uterine tissue, and other material that your body needs to expel after birth. It can last for several weeks, but the flow will decrease from usually quite heavy to light until it disappears.

You’ll want to have lots of pads around for this stage because it is not safe to insert a tampon, use a menstrual cup, or douche during this time. Unlike a normal period, the discharge released during this time needs to leave the body right away, not get held in a tampon or other period device.

Pick up enough heavy pads for a lot of flow in the first 1 to 2 weeks, then some slightly less-heavy pads for the weeks following. (You won’t want to be worried about remembering to pick up more while you’re taking care of your 3-week-old!) After weeks 3 or 4, you may want to assess how heavy the flow is and whether you can pick up a lighter pad or pantiliner.

Keep in mind: Most hospitals will supply you with pads during your stay, but if you have a particular brand you prefer, you might go ahead and pick up a pack. You’ll definitely want them for when you get home!

Mesh Underwear

This one is taking a hint from the hospital – many provide new moms with mesh underwear in the hours or days following a delivery. They are disposable and about as stretchy as underwear gets, making room for those heavy pads mentioned above, as well as leaving space for any healing that the vaginal area may be doing. Pick up a package and see how you like them when you’re in the hospital, then use them as long as you’d like when you get home. 

Seat Pillow

If a baby is delivered through the birth canal (as opposed to a Cesarean section), a birth is an intense experience for the vaginal area. It is common to receive stitches in the perineum (the area between the vagina and the anus) after the delivery, but even without stitches, the area will likely be very sore and painful to sit on. Look for a “postpartum pillow” or “perineal comfort cushion” – basically, a pillow that will protect this tender area from the seats of chairs and make it possible to sit more comfortably.

Perineal Squeeze Bottle or ‘Peri Bottle’

Another supply you may be handed in the hospital is a small squeeze bottle with a long, angled tip. This is referred to as a ‘peri bottle’ because it is helpful for cleaning the perineum. Many women find that urinating in the first few days after pregnancy is very painful because the perineal area is so sore, dried out, or crusted with lochia. Filling a peri bottle with warm water and spraying it on the area while peeing is much more comfortable – it may sound strange now, but you’ll thank us when you get there!

Additionally, use of a ‘peri bottle’ will help prevent infection as any wounds in the perineum heal. And finally, it also just plain helps you feel fresher and cleaner during this somewhat messy time down there. It can be hard for new parents to find time to care for themselves – showers or baths can get skipped in favor of another feeding or catching a few treasured minutes of sleep – so a ‘peri bottle’ makes it easy and quick to give some care to your healing body.

Pain Relievers and Numbing Spray

If you haven’t already guessed from the above information, we’re going to be straightforward with you: things are going to hurt in the days after delivery. And that pain may not just be located in outer areas, like the perineum, but also internally. Make sure you have Advil, Tylenol, or other pain relievers in the house for that internal pain, and pick up a numbing spray and/or witch hazel pads for the perineal area.

Nursing Pads, Bras, and Tops

If you’ll be nursing your newborn, there are particular clothes and materials out there to make it much easier to feed your baby when she or he is hungry. Nursing pads are essential for making sure you aren’t constantly feeling like you need to change clothes – between feedings, nipples will naturally leak extra milk, so pads are inserted into nursing bras and clothes to absorb that extra leakage.

Nursing bras are specially designed to be easy to lift up, unsnap, or otherwise move the bra out of the way so your newborn can latch on. There are also specially designed nursing tops, but if that’s an expense you’d rather not add, just make sure you have some button-downs, zip-up sweaters, or other tops that will make it easy on you to nurse (and won’t require you to sit there cold and half naked!)

With these supplies nearby, you can make the healing period after birth that much less painful, more comfortable, and more manageable. Your providers at Summit Women’s Health will also be here every step of the way to answer questions and provide extra comfort wherever we can. Feel free to bring up postpartum preparation in your next checkup appointment with us. If you’re not sure when that next appointment is, give us a call at (681) 282-5591 to confirm your checkup schedule.