Man, what I wouldn’t give to have someone tell me to put together a postpartum care kit. Truthfully I assumed that my body would bounce back to normal after having our baby.
I was more worried about our hospital bags and making sure we had everything but didn’t consider what I would need when we got home from the hospital.
However, no one told me about postpartum recovery after having a baby. Except to look out for the signs of postpartum depression and baby blues. And as a first-time mom how was I supposed to know I had never had a baby before!
If you are feeling like you are in the same boat IT IS OKAY! You are a first-time mama. How are you supposed to know?
Now that I know what to expect I will defiantly be more prepared the next time around. And since I have been in your position I know how stressful it is when you are packing the hospital bags because you don’t want to miss anything but you also don’t want to pack your entire house.
Like I said I was more worried about not missing anything in our hospital bags that I didn’t even think about what I would need when we got home.
So to help relieve some stress I have made a list below of items that helped me during my postpartum recovery and what might help you as well!
Side note: Pregnancy brain is real and It isn’t all that easy to remember everything that
The Complete Guide To Postpartum Care Recovery Kits!
Freezer Meals
After you get home from the hospital and weeks later your body is recovering from labor and you are adjusting to life as a new mom. So you’ll want to prepare meals ahead of time that you can stick into your freezer.
In the first few weeks after having our baby, I had no desire to make dinner. And that is where freezer meals were a HUGE help. I would pull one out of the freezer in the mornings and put it in the fridge so that by the time dinner came it was unfrozen but still cold and all I needed to do was heat it up.
And voila dinner was severed.
Paper Plates
Having the dishes piled a mile high in your sink is stressful. I am sure daddy wouldn’t mind putting the dishes in the dishwasher but it is so much easier to not have to load up the dishwasher once or twice a day.
I suggest for the first few days or even weeks to use paper plates they are easy to through away and it limits the number of dirty dishes to do.
Get Comfy Pajamas and Robes
After having our daughter I didn’t wear real clothes for weeks. Plus a lot of my real clothes didn’t fit and were too uncomfy to wear. It was AMAZING! I basically lived in robes and my husband’s shirts. Having a robe makes your boobies “easy access” for constant nursing and easy for skin-to-skin time.
And if unexpected guests arrive it is easy to cover up. I even took my robe to the hospital with me since hospital gowns can be so scratchy and uncomfortable.
No matter if you get comfy nursing pajamas a robe or even both you will be so grateful that you did! I also recommend getting more than just one pair of pajamas or a robe so that when one needs to be washed you have a backup.
Nursing Bra
You are going to want a nursing bra. They make nursing so much easier since you basically clip on and off the cup. Make sure to include one or even two nursing bras in your hospital back.
I originally bought one and quickly found out (after having my daughter spit up on me multiple times a day) that I needed more. This nursing bra is the one I got to wear during the day. They offered good support, made it easy to put in nursing pads, and are really easy to get access to your boobs.
For night time you want to get a sleeping nursing bra. This bra is SO comfortable! And since leaking milk is a guarantee this bra holds nursing pads in place very well. You don’t want to make up soaked in milk, do you?
Trust me I have many times because I was too tired to put nursing pads in my bra or I was out! (Which is why I switched to washable nursing pads! btw they are AMAZING!)
Washable Nursing Pads
After I had our baby I was using disposable nursing pads. They worked great but I had so much milk that I was leaking through the pads like CRAZY! So I was buying a big box twice a week!
Since I was going through them so fast I switched to washable nursing pads and they are the BEST thing ever! You buy a set of them once and you’re done! It was so nice to just throw them in our wash whenever I switched them out. It saved us so much money since I wasn’t buying disposable ones anymore. 
These are the washable nursing pads I got. They are super soft, and comfortable to wear, and they come with a small mesh bag to put them in so you don’t lose them in the wash. My tip to you is to get a large size. That way they are bigger to cover more of your boob and hold more if you are leaking a lot.
Nipple Shields & Nipple Cream
I am sorry to say but, your nipples will be in a lot of pain when you first start breastfeeding. I remember curling my toes anytime my baby would latch because it hurt so bad!
I don’t say to that scare you but to prepare you. Give breastfeeding a good solid month. After a month your nipples will have gotten used to it and your baby will be better at latching.
But in the time being a way to help is to get nipple shields and nipple cream. A nipple shield is a plastic shape nipple to put on before you nurse your baby to help your nipples not hurt so much. And nipple creams help with any cracking and soreness.
I put on nipple cream before and after I was done nursing my daughter. These are my favorite nipple shields and nipple cream.
Maternity Pads & Undies
After having your baby expect to be bleeding… a lot for the first few days and maybe even weeks. I was heavy bleeding a few days after leaving the hospital and then the bleeding started to slow down.
Don’t expect to be wearing your normal cute underwear anytime soon. Your “downstairs” area is going to be pretty sore for a while. You will want to get 2-3 packages of maternity pads. These ones were my favorite and they are the same pads the hospital gave me.
The hospital will probably give you mesh undies (they are incredibly comfy!) But after I left the hospital I got these maternity undies they were soft, comfy, and helps the huge pads in place.
Stool Softener
It is hard and painful to poop and even pee after having your baby. The hospital will most likely rotate you on pain killers and stool softeners. And before you are discharged you can ask them to prescribe you some painkillers and stool softeners so that you can continue at home.
Peri-Bottles
You will get one of these at the hospital that you can take home but it doesn’t hurt to get a few more to have one in each bathroom and diaper bag. It can be a pain to be stuck on the toilet while your husband tracks down your peri bottle. You can get a pack of three peri-bottles for super cheap!
Sitz Bath (Epsom Salt + Essential Oils)
I loved loved loved sitz baths! They were so relaxing and really helped to soothe my “downstairs area” I had a 2nd-degree tear so sitz bath really helped to heal my tear.
Vagina Popsicles
I know these sound funny but man o’ man did they help so much! At the hospital, they will give you ice packs to place down there but I never felt like the ice packs were really getting where I was sore.
But Vagina popsicles sure did! Take a condom and fill it with water and place it in the freezer. Once it is frozen you lay it lengthwise in your undies to help give your girly parts some relief! You can place a towel between your legs to help catch the ice’s perspiration.
Breast Therapy Gel Pads
On sore breasts applying something cool can be very comforting. My breast felt very hot after nursing my daughter so having these breast therapy gel pads helped so much! I kept mine in the fridge so they were not frozen but cold.
Relax & Take A Break!
Having a baby is not easy. It is hard work! So you deserve to take it easy, rest and spend time snuggling your baby while you recover from labor and adjust to life as a new mom. If you have your postpartum recovery care kit all put together before your baby comes then when your baby arrives, 100% of your attention on be on your little bundle of joy!