The best things I did to help myself with postpartum healing.
Postpartum healing is no fun, but there are super simple things you can do to prepare to help yourself feel the best postpartum. I attribute feeling so great quickly after birth because I prepared beforehand to help myself feel my best. I made it a goal to have all of my baby shopping done by 38 weeks just in case he came early and I worked really hard to have everything ready when the time came. Some of the things that helped me the best with my postpartum healing include:
Padsicles- I made frozen pads with aloe vera gel (I got the kind with lidocaine. It was the best decision I ever made!) Lavender essential oil and witch hazel, the non-alcoholic kind (I found some at Whole Food in the health and beauty aisle in the face wash area). I made a ton of these, I didn’t end up using all of them but I was very glad to use them as often as I wanted. I like using the overnight pads for this because they had more surface area and kept cold longer. To make, I poured a couple tablespoons full of witch hazel onto the pads, then put 3 drops of lavender in the middle, and finished it with the aloe vera on top using a spoon to spread the ingredients around. When they were done, I folded them back up into their original packaging and placed them all in a large freezer bag and put them in the freezer.
Bottom spray- I also made a spray that I found to be more effective than what I was given at the hospital. I made this spray out of:
-6 tablespoons witch hazel (Non-alcoholic kind) I bought it at whole foods but it is available on Amazon as well https://www.amazon.com/Thayers-Alcohol-free-Unscented-Witch-12-oz/dp/B0045PCAI6/ref=sr_1_9_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1547490314&sr=1-9&keywords=witch+hazel
-3 tablespoons aloe vera (with the lidocaine) Like this kind from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Solarcaine-Cool-Aloe-Burn-Relief/dp/B01IAI1Y2Q/ref=sr_1_27_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1547490364&sr=1-27&keywords=aloe+vera+gel+with+lidocaine
-6 drops Frankincense essential oil ( I used DoTerra brand but you can use whatever brand you have on hand)
-6 drops lavender essential oil
I mixed all of the ingredients into a glass spray bottle that I got from Whole Foods and put it in the fridge to help add a little more cooling effect.
Depends- I loved using depends over pads to help me feel completely covered and not have to worry about leaks. I wore these for a couple of days afterwards until my postpartum bleeding greatly decreased.
Stool softener- I highly recommend starting a stool softener regimen as soon as you have given birth. (You will thank me later!)
Tucks- I had some delightful postpartum hemorrhoids and this helped tremendously. I ended up getting hemorrhoid relief suppositories because they just would not go away.
Bidet- I got a portable bidet that I could fill with warm water. They give you a bottle at the hospital but the extendable arm bidet I got from Amazon helped so much more. https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Sprayer-Travel-Personal-Cleansing/dp/B01D8RKUCO/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1547492294&sr=1-1&keywords=bidet+sprayer
These are some of the things that really helped me with postpartum healing. I know it sounds crazy, but within 2 weeks you will feel like a new person. I hope these tips help you as much as they helped me! First and foremost, don’t push yourself and take advantage of people who are wanting to help you! Comment below with your postpartum trick and tips to help healing be smooth sailing.
