1. A Fabulous Moisturizer
Just like in the beginning of your pregnancy, after you give birth your hormones are all over the place. For me this caused some random breakouts and a lot of VERY dry skin. I’m talking drier than the Sahara desert. My skin looked disgusting, flaky and made me feel so uncomfortable. I started moisturizing every single time I went to the bathroom and within a few days my skin began feeling much better. When you’re at the store I recommend grabbing a few extra tubes of your favorite moisturizer to have on hand incase this happens to you too. I’ve linked my favorite moisturizer below.
Another thing I recommend adding to your facial care routine is a good exfoliating face wash, I use mine every few days in the shower because well, mom life, and that’s the only time I have. Here is my new favorite exfoliating wash.
2. Dry Shampoo
I’m a big believer in a daily shower but there are some days when that shower just does not happen. For those days I introduce to you your new best friend, dry shampoo. My favorite is the Living Proof brand you can get it at Ulta.com or in stores. Now that we are a one-income family, my budget gets in the way a bit and I use a more affordable brand. Not Your Mother’s dry shampoo works just as well and I have found they both smell amazing. Each of these dry shampoos you can find in most beauty stores. I linked Ulta because that’s where I normally buy my beauty products.
3. Loose Fitting Sandals or Slippers
If your anything like me you’ll leave the hospital feeing bloated and still about 7 months pregnant. Not only did my stomach still look huge my hands and feet seemed to enlarge about 3x their normal size from all the fluids I was given. For the first week of my postpartum recovery I could not fit into a single pair of my shoes. I actually had to send my mom to Target to by me a pair of Birkenstock like sandals so I could leave the house for my baby’s first doctor’s appointment. I put the sandal buckle of the very last hole in order for them to fit. Luckily today when I wear them I’ve been able to tighten them up a bit. Here are the sandals that I found.
4. Large Reusable Water Bottle
Breastfeeding or not, staying hydrated is a must. It’s a little difficult to keep up with your water intake when you’re running around the house all day taking care of your new baby. I was so guilty of not drinking enough water in those first few weeks. I finally decided to always carry a large bottle of water with me wherever I went, this not only helped me stay hydrated but I also noticed my milk supply increase. Hooray for more milk! If you can’t remember to keep a water bottle with you at all times, try leaving full bottles of water at all you baby “stations” throughout the house. I have linked a similar water bottle to what I use below. I recommend one with a large bendy straw, it’s much easier to use while your busy breastfeeding or rocking your baby.
5. Pre-made Freezer Meals
“Sleep when the baby sleeps”…in my opinion, that phrase is utter crap. Those rare moments when my son was actually asleep enough for me to put him down without crying, I found myself trying to get all my daily tasks done. One thing that did allow me some extra time for a nap or two was having premade dinners in my freezer. I made these while I was still pregnant and just popped them in the freezer for later. Instead of slaving away in the kitchen, I just thawed one of those suckers out and popped it into the oven. The recipes I have are so easy and delicious. I’ll be sharing those with you in a later blog post.
Everyone is different but I hope at least a few of my suggestions will help make those first few weeks of postpartum life just a bit easier for you. Are you a more experienced Mom and have any more essentials you’d add to my list? Comment below or shoot me a message on my contact page. I’d love to do an updated blog post with even more information for new moms!
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