let’s chat about my favorite, favorite things postpartum: things I’m so glad I did + had + prepared. because of these, I’m so loving this postpartum period.
but first, here’s KK’s introduction post on instagram. weeee!
would rather read about my pregnancy + pregnancy favorites + everythingggg I did to prepare for baby? click here!
first off, prepare for worst case scenario. yes, not the most pleasant thing to do while pregnant - and I blame the majority of my pregnant nerves on this - but now i’m so glad I did because both me and my home were prepared for my heinous amount of tearing. because I was prepared, im able to recover in a level of comfort that wouldn’t have been nearly as easy to achieve if we had instead banked on a quick, easy postpartum recovery. and since i was mentally prepared for the worst, Im truly sitting here on my donut, with my horrendous number of stitches, sporting an obnoxious level of gratitude. like, “this isn’t bad at all!”
ALSO. here were my goals + expectations for postpartum, and I think that also helped tremendously.
(FYI I knew there could be a chance an emergency c-section would be needed and if that were to happen some of this stuff might not have been necessary, but I decided I’d rather have it and not use it, versus need it and not have it.)
buy a nice donut. DO NOT SKIMP HERE - this is your recovering vag we’re talking about! I sat on mine in the hospital, I sat on it on our ride home from the hospital, I sat on it at the pediatrician’s office, and am still sitting on it alllll day long at 10 days postpartum. it’s currently my most prized possession. other than ice packs.
make postpartum baskets for each bathroom. I’m talking a basket with a peri bottle, numbing spray, adult diapers, ice packs, pads, etc etc etc in EACH BATHROOM. walking sucked that first week (and still sucks, actually). having each bathroom stocked helped tremendously.
I talk more in my baby prep blogpost about how I stocked these baskets
or see all my recovery favorites here.
that first week, the numbing spray I used was this guy they give you at the hospital. but after that I muuuuch preferred this guy, as the hospital one started to burn for some reason and this one gave so much coolness + relief.
that first week I loved the premade ice packs (like this and this). but now I’m loving a baby diaper filled with Sonic Ice - a trick taught to me by a dear, dear friend (and one of my hospital nurses recommended it, too). this post kinda explains it better.
don’t let any of this scare you. ive already told brett multiple times during the last week that I want more babies. so while its uncomfortable, its definitely manageable (and joyful!)
stock up on all the postpartum recovery goodies. someone said to me, “why? you know the hospital gives them to you, right?” and now I could - again - just laugh. and laugh and laugh and laugh. one, if I only had what the hospital gave me, I would have run out on day freaking two. and two, a lot of times I preferred the stuff I bought vs what the hospital provided.
and see my quick Instagram post about my routines and goals for postpartum. this realistic mindset and all the prep I did while pregnant are 100000% the reasons why I think I’m loving this newborn stage so, so much.
make a changing station near where you spend most of your time. our house is only one story, but having a changing station in our master (which is near our kitchen and den) was quite the lifesaver, as going alllllll the way to baby girl’s bathroom every time a diaper needed to be changed would’ve gotten old really fast.
speaking of, we love…
this wipes dispenser to grab wipes one handed (the weighted plate in this gizmo makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE)
the blessed diaper pail that traps alllll the smells
I talk more in my baby prep blogpost about what I put at each changing station
see my “bedroom,” “baby prep,” and “baby” highlights on my Instagram to see these in person
designate several nursing spots (not just the nursery). especially one in the room you normally spend the most time in. like for me, before and during pregnancy, I was always in our den. had I not made a space dedicated to nursing in here, i definitely would not have felt as normal, especially because we’re not using her nursery right now (she sleeps in her snoo in our room), so only utilizing the nursery for nursing would’ve felt isolating and lonely to me. I’ll talk about this more as we go on, but trying to maintain little, tinyyy things I did before KK showed up reallyyyyy helps my spirits while we navigate this new time.
i made three nursing stations:
one next to a great big electric recliner (yes, those ugly ones - more on that next) in our den
one next to my side of the bed
and one in our nursery.
I talk more in my baby prep blogpost about what I put at each nursing station (but I’ll give you an idea in a second)
see my instagram “baby prep” and “postpartum” highlights for a visual of these stations
get a great big ugly electric recliner/rocker for one of the nursing spots, if at all possible. i kid you not. the high back means i’m not straining my neck. the lumbar support makes my back so happy. the reclining position and ability to raise my legs makes nursing a dream. plus, it’s literally the only surface in the house I can currently sit comfortably with my stitches. between my blessed donut and the plush, supportive seat of the recliner, im so happy. our chair was a handmedown from a neighbor, but I also see these babies allllll the time on Facebook Marketplace.
see my instagram “baby prep” and “postpartum” highlights for this chair/nursing station
put everything you might possibly need at each nursing spot. (this means owning multiples of several key items. mandatory? no. super convenient? yes.) yes, you could ask your partner to bring you things, but for me it’s so nice to have one less thing to rely on Brett, especially when he’s busy on a meeting or carrying the brunt of housework.
buy a cart like this while you’re at it for your main nursing station. i have it next to my big ugly recliner with alllllllll the things and it is currently my saving grace.
edited to add: our nursing cart eventually evolved into an eating cart. so, so helpful to have! I’ll link other favorites at the bottom of this post now that she’s older.
(side note: while my main nursing station has a cart, the other two are baskets. you do you, boo.)
see my instagram “baby prep” and “postpartum” highlights for a visual of these stations
timeout. let’s talk about what’s saving my boobs.
my wearable, hands-free breast pump to make a freezer stash of milk
my nursing bras (the softest + comfiest)
loose, flowy Old Navy nursing tanks (I detest tight camisoles, so you do you)
this cream - slather it on all the live long day
my reusable boob pads (I bought two packs)
find a heating pad. order a long extension cord if needed. keep plugged-in-heating-pad in the top basket of the aforementioned cart. it was easy to grab in those early days of nursing when those wicked uterine cramps would make an appearance.
(side note: i wish someone had told me they felt exactly like my awful high school cramps. that would have made them way less scary sounding.)
edited to add: PLEASE HAVE A HEATING PAD. once the uterine cramps disappear, I would have aches and pains associated with nursing. and toting a big ol baby around. currently ten weeks postpartum and living on the heating pad for some wicked upper back / neck soreness.
wearing a weighted vest on my daily walks reallyyyy helps my upper back pain, as doing a slowwww, weighted walk really helps our overused trap muscle - the one used to carry our head and the one that gets kindaaa spicy looking down at a nursing/sleeping/whatever baby - rest and reset.
this book and this post explain the benefits of doing a slowwwww daily walk with a weighted vest
linked our favorite baby things for our walks here
but please please please know I didn’t feel well enough to walk until 6-7 weeks postpartum. some people would be walking 3 days postpartum, one week postpartum, and I’d be so envious. everyone recovers differently, and that’s okay!
load up the nursing cart. tv remote, pain meds, my favorite hand sanitizer, burp cloths, baby blankets, laptop, ipad with kindle app, book(s), chapstick, nipple cream, nipple pads, hair ties, airpods, glasses, baby wipes, my favorite baby nose/nail/ear cleaner, baby aquaphor, pacifiers, migraine oil, applesauce pouches, ritz pb crackers, breakfast bars (these and these are my two favorites I always have on hand), heating pad, my thick face moisturizer, chocolate. and plenty of room in the top basket leftover for whatever drink or food I’m currently inhaling. a blanket is always nearby, too.
see all my postpartum favorites here.
see my instagram “baby prep” and “postpartum” highlights for a visual of this!
see my ongoing list of favorite books here + see alllll my reading FAQs answered here.
edited to add: at months 3 and 4, this cart transitioned to having a ton of burp cloths, a spot for drinks, her toys that we wanted to have for her mat, etc. (meaning it was still a nursing cart, but I was no longer chained to the chair with a nursing newborn and recovering vag.) at 5 months postpartum, I transitioned my nursing cart to an eating cart! so so so helpful.
put the longest phone charger you can find at each nursing station. load that phone up with the kindle app and podcasts and whatever your heart desires. between healing, resting, and nursing, there’s a whole lot of sitting going on.
see my ongoing list of favorite books here and all my reading FAQs here - I read SO much. so so much. too much TV drives me crazy.
which reminds me. baskets. nursing baskets. baskets for our blankets. baskets for baby blankets and swaddles. baskets in the changing table. baskets for dirty laundry. baskets for dirty nipple pads and swaddles and burp cloths. baskets for bottles and bottle parts. baskets (err, lazy susans) for first aid and medicine.
and totally not necessary, but we got a container store door rack for our pantry as a spot to store all of KK’s feeding things. bottles for now, plates/etc later on. I love that they’re all neatly corralled, and I love that they all dry here without taking up room on my god forsaken counter. this was a dreammmm!
speaking of. buy your baby first aid + medicine now. and momma + daddy stuff. buy it all. no one wants to realize at 3am that they could reallyyyy use a pack or bottle of XYZ. similarly, we made sure our first aid kit and adult medicine inventory were both stocked, as suddenly last minute trips to the store looked a lottttt less appealing now that a newborn was in the picture. pinterest gave me lots of helpful lists of good things to have on hand.
this post gives a full tour + explanation of our first aid organization. this post talks more about alllll the things we keep in our home to make our lives easier (both day to day, and in the event of a disaster) now that we have a bebe.
we have things like oogiebear, windi gas, gas relief drops, nail clippers, medicine dispenser pacifier, etc
edited to add: THIS WAS SO HELPFUL. and it was especially helpful to have alllll our adult medicine/first aid stuff up to date and replenished, so I added this task to our “yearly tasks and expenses” google keep to do every March and September.
read more about this “yearly tasks and expenses” list - aka the most helpful thing as a mom, wife, homeowner, and ADULT - here
hooks. hang all the hooks. hooks for easy access to robes in our room. hooks in our hallway for my diaper bag and our baby carriers. hooks in bathrooms for towels. hooks to hang the baby bathtub (like this), hooks in pantry for bibs. ALL THE HOOKS. makes it so much easier to keep the house neat, since between the hooks and the baskets, so many things have easily accessible, yet clearly designated spots.
(because I get asked all the time: anthropologie is my favorite source for hooks.)
see my instagram “baby prep” “hallway” and “home” highlights for a visual of this!
I talk more in my pregnancy + baby prep blogpost about this about other home + organizing projects I did
invest in multiple spots to safely set baby down. we have the snoo bassinet, the baby bjorn bouncer, the tripp trap high chair with the newborn insert, this playmat, the Nugget, and the dockatot (or, more specifically, this leopard one). as well as this sling and this carrier for me and this baby carrier for brett. some were bought new, some were bought used for cheapppp, some were gifts, some were amazing handmedowns. we are smitten with them ALL. we’ve been able to maintain a level of normalcy, simply because we have so many options of places to put KK. you may love different things, but the point is that having multiple ways to free up your hands is so, SO helpful.
ten weeks postpartum update: we use allllll of these still. my go-to carrier is definitely this one.
nine months update: carrier is still going strong, as is the high chair and the Nugget. i know Nuggets are more marketed towards older kids, but I 10000% love it for a baby. it served as a good tummy time spot, a good place to set her as she was learning to sit up, and now she loves loves LOVES crawling up and down allllll the configurations I set out for her, as well as pushing herself up to stand. we bought a second one because we love it so much, and it’s easily the best investment ever.
get three big butt jugs for water. (or however many - I have three so just go with it.) fill them all every morning and place in convenient spots. one less thing to beg your partner to do while you’re pinned to a nursing chair. i will say i’m quite taken with the three hospital cups we brought home.
but i do love my pink insulated tumblers, too.
filling my water cups with water every morning was a routine I had before KK showed up - and like I’ll mention several times in this post - maintaining a few of these teeny tiny routines during this newborn phase while we find our new normal was so calming and grounding for me - I can’t recommend enough.
brett is in charge of my pain meds and stool softeners. that brilliant boy early on portioned it all out into a pill dispenser and set alarms on his phone to bring them to me with water four times a day.
also, day 4 and 5 postpartum I had a wickedddd headache from dehydration + fluctuation of hormones. drinking a ton of water and generously applying this Amazon find to my forehead worked wonders.
while we’re on the subject, take the stool softeners religiously, yes. BUT ALSO focus on making sure you get plenty of water and produce and fiber.
add fiber powder to your morning coffee. or tea. or yogurt. or oatmeal. or smoothies. whatever you fancy.
put chia seeds and/or flaxseed on toast. or yogurt. or oatmeal. or smoothies. or whatever you fancy.
get prepared produce through some grocery delivery (or kind, thoughtful family and friends.)
make a daily smoothie. (more on this in a second.)
take fiber gummies at night. (if you have an HEB nearby, my favorite gummies are their generic HEB brand fiber gummies.)
i promise that first poop isn’t as scary as people say it is. (sneezing is a different story, IMO.)
get a mattress protector for your bed. and an additional heavy duty one for your side of the bed. and extra sheets. and/or towels for on top of the sheets. so many leaking fluids. postpartum is magical (and messy).
side note: I originally purchased the heavy duty mattress protector for just in case my water broke. but now we’re keeping it on for all the postpartum magic like night sweats and leaky boobs.
same goes with baby stuff. get extras. and more extras. swaddles, burp cloths, blankets, sheets, changing pads covers. babies are also magical and messy, but we’re trying to avoid laundry here.
prep smoothie packs. i prepped a ton of them while pregnant so that it’s easy for brett to grab one and make me my daily smoothie. feeling veryyyy grateful for Past Haley, as having my daily smoothie is giving me the most delightful dose of normalcy (and fiber).
see more about my smoothies here, here, and here
see my “smoothie” highlight on my Instagram
follow weelicious - she's where I get all my smoothie combo ideas
see my other routines here (like my daily smoothie!)
while I may not be able to do some of my favorite routines (like walk and swim) right now, finding ways to incorporate teeny tiny routines I enjoyed before KK joined us has had such a calming, grounding effect during this transitional time while we find our new normal.
for example, I’m loving drinking a smoothie every day (although Brett has to make it), drinking a loaded coffee every morning, filling my 96 ounces of water every morning to drink for the day, Grilling and Chilling every Sunday, and menu planning every Sunday.
see my Meal Planning 101 post for more
see my other routines here for a full list of our daily/weekly/monthly/yearly routines
freeze all the things. and not just dinners - while i did freeze quite a few dinner options, I wasn’t as worried about dinner given that I knew we had family help, that easy meals are available through grocery delivery, and that takeout could be an option. however, I wanted to make sure we had plentyyyyy on hand for all other hours of the day. like:
breakfast sandwiches + casseroles
muffins. allllll the muffins. homemade muffins. costco muffins. egg muffins. pancake muffins.
a ton of english muffins from our favorite bakery
pb&js on high fiber bread (google how to freeze pb&js! game changer + life saver)
waffles + pancakes
twice baked potatoes
multiple kinds of soup
kolaches (spent $80 at our favorite kolache place and froze an embarrassing amount of sausage and cheese kolaches. and blueberry cake donuts. these and the muffins and the sandwiches are saving are mornings.)
click here for my postpartum meal plan + what I froze for postpartum
see this Instagram post for my postpartum plans + routines + goals
See this Instagram post for more on my freezer cooking.
(Also peek at the "freezer" highlight on my Instagram.)
soups. freeze soups. and smoothie packs. and breads. something about postpartum has me craving all the soups, breads, smoothies, and produce. (we get prepped produce and bagged salads through grocery delivery.) fast food and heavier dishes don’t sound appealing at all right now, so i’m so happy I have so many of these options.
see my postpartum menu plan here. there you’ll also find the recipes and links for everything I froze.
See this Instagram post for more on my freezer cooking.
(Also peek at the "freezer" highlight on my Instagram.)
grab plentyyyyy of frozen options from costco and trader joe’s. (totally optional, but also totallyyy helpful in our house right now.) taquitos. fish sticks. mandarin chicken. chicken nuggets. frozen fish. waffles. pizza. breakfast sandwiches. smoothie fruit. the list goes on and on and on.
(that said, bless our garage freezer. bless it a thousand times over. if you have the room, I can’t recommend it enough.)
stock up on more filling snack/lunch options to have on hand. cheddar cheese squares, string cheese, prepped produce, premade salads, different types of greek yogurt (and regular yogurt - allllll the yogurt!), toast, sandwich stuff, mini muffins, pimento cheese and pita chips, turkey and cheese lunchables (these have been CLUTCH), peanut butter crackers, granola, etc.
i’m not a big granola bar fan, but that may be more your style.
invest in grocery delivery, if possible
this and our weekly house cleaning is having us feel incredible levels of normal. also, add the app to order groceries to your phone. this was the easiest thing for me to multitask while nursing.
see our other daily/weekly/monthly/yearly routines here
while I may not be able to do some of my favorite routines (like walk and swim) right now, finding ways to incorporate teeny tiny routines I enjoyed before KK joined us has had such a calming, grounding effect during this transitional time while we find our new normal. like grocery delivery, Sunday menu planning, and weekly housecleaning.
click here for my postpartum meal plan + what I froze for postpartum
see my Meal Planning 101 post for more
see my other routines here for a full list of our daily/weekly/monthly/yearly routines
see this Instagram post for my postpartum plans + routines + goals
buy paper plates. actually, get the biggest pack of disposable plates, bowls, and silverware you can find.
we’re not washing dishes for a hot, hot minute.
choose a tracking app. brett was in charge of finding a diaper/nursing tracking app that he loved. he chose Baby Tracker and we added it to both of our phones.
this is especially helpful those first few weeks for keeping an eye on things we learned in our sleep classes. which leads me to...
invest in good sleep. KK is the best sleeper in the history of ever. like, she wakes up one time at night to feed. the end. i’m not sure if it’s because she’s amazing, or because of the following things that we swear swear swear by, but I’m not willing to experiment to find out.
watch happiest baby on the block
SO GOOD. watch this one FIRST. (aka watch it before the next class, as the second class references his teachings.)
i swear this class and the next class is why brett is such a calm, confident, helpful dad.
watch Taking Cara Babies Newborn course
SO MANY JEWELS, like how to calm a baby and what to do during the day so that they sleep at night
buy quality white noise machines. buy multiple for around the house/car. buy both the normal version and the travel version.
the white noise calms her instantly (and you’ll learn why in both courses)
swaddle swaddle swaddle (and the two classes also teach what to do if your baby “hates” swaddling)
as of right now, KK wears a diaper, an Ollie swaddle, and the Snoo swaddle over that
(we used to do just the diaper + Snoo swaddle, but she is a Houdini and work her arms loose by 3AM, causing her to wake up. once we started double swaddling her, she would stay wrapped up and would sleep 12 straight hours!)
consider investing in a snoo
we say at least once a day “worth every penny” - KK sleeps like a DREAM in this
I did buy ours used on Facebook Marketplace. mainly because there it was half price and I just bought a few extra swaddles/sheets on the Snoo website. that way if for whatever reason the Snoo didn’t work for us, I could turn around and sell it for what I paid for. that’s just what I felt comfortable with.
(and, know that I’m wanting four kids. so a lot of these baby goodies we swear by I’m hoping to use with future siblings.)
edited to add at six months postpartum: this post talks about how transitioning from the snoo to a crib went.
buy alllllll the comfy clothes for you. buy multiple of each. i tried to avoid buying anything maternity specific, because i instead wanted to prioritize pieces that would be amazing postpartum. like, i knew i’d already be uncomfortable, leaking fluids, and presumedly wearing an adult diaper, so I thought the least I could do was ensure that I had some cozy pieces to wear while i healed. and I wanted enough options so that laundry could be avoided for as long as possible.
right now my favorites are allllll the robes, allll the dwell and slumber dresses, allllll the nesting olive dresses, and alllll the slippers.
I have so much tearing that even the thought of wearing leggings makes me cringe. these nursing friendly dresses are currently my BFFs.
but when I was ready for bike shorts and leggings at 6-8 weeks postpartum, the kind with some compression was heaven. (and my pelvic floor PT agreed.)
i splurged on a few new blankets during pregnancy (like those cozy, fun ones you see at TJMaxx and Home Goods) with the postpartum period in mind.
i also made sure I had both lightweight robe options and warmer robe options as my hormones fluctuated and caused me to run reallyyyyy hot or reallyyyy cold.
(edited to add: nesting olive makes my absolute favorite robe - the most comfy and flattering thing ever and WORTH EVERY PENNY - I always do our first nurse of the day in this thing, even at 10 weeks pp)
(PS clothes you disliked before pregnancy are probably things you’ll also hate postpartum. like, I hate bra straps and I hate tight camisoles. so even though everyone swore by certain nursing bras and certain nursing camis, I knew there was a high chance i wouldn’t feel comfortable in them and instead found options I loved. like, i’m obsessed with my nursing bras. SO COMFY. and instead of tight nursing camisoles, I opted for loose nursing tanks (from Old Navy - couldn’t find a link) and flowy nursing-friendly dresses.
similarly, if your newborn phase overlaps with warmer months, find a postpartum swimsuit you love. I tried on a million and a half it seems, and this one was hands down my favorite.
here’s my post on my summer essentials - alllll my favorite momma clothes and momma swimsuits.
edited to add at six months postpartum: I can’t recommend enough investing in flowy, comfortable clothing that you feel GOOD in. I’m still wearing these pieces even though I now feel back to “normal,” and I never went through the whole, “I feel gross! And I have nothing to wear!” phase that I hear about a lot because although I’d get spit-up on me, at least I was in clothes that made me feel good.
I will say that I fell into a habit of wearing all black, and on a whim I got my colors read to find out what colors I look best in. I CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH. I purged my closet of everything that wasn’t a good color for me - so now not only is getting dressed even easier, but now I only wear pieces that I feel AND look good in. Like, 10000% recommend, especially now that I am a mom. I wish I had done this earlier so that I would’ve only invested in comfortable postpartum clothing that were in good colors. I now feel like I have an amazing set of comfy, flowy, flattering clothes that would work while pregnant, not pregnant, and postpartum.
buy a good white noise machine. buy several. i’m a white noise snob, and this machine is the only one I love.
side note: brett and I have two of the white noise machines in our master bedroom, flanking our bed. we can’t sleep without them - that’s how much we love this white noise machine in particular. we also have one of them in her nursery, and one in our den - every room where she might sleep or nap.
then we have three of the travel version and we keep them in various spots: in her car seat, in the diaper bag, etc.
it calms her instantly (and you’ll learn why in the two courses I mentioned earlier.)
we brought them both to the hospital and every single nurse was so impressed with our white noise + calm baby situation.
buy this breastfeeding lamp. we keep one near my side of the bed and one near our changing table. it’s so helpful to check on her and to change her in the middle of the night.
also brought this to the hospital so that we wouldn’t have to turn on the overhead lights in the middle of the night
buy this for your shower. - it saved ours from the postpartum hair loss saga. and buy all the caps and headbands for those pesky baby hairs.
know that postpartum hair loss for me wasn’t bad, but it was annoying. the worst thing is that showers and all the loose hairs it would cause would enrage me, ha.
also, take this course.
any and all of her stuff is amazing, but this course was particularly helpful in easing my nerves. she’s a labor and delivery nurse, and she walks through what to expect during both your hospital and delivery experience. i needed this because the unknown had me SO wigged out.without boring you with the whole story, my epidural required a second anesthesiologist to place it correctly eight hours later, so i’m so glad I had watched her class because she has a whole section on “Oops! I Accidentally Went Natural!” and her tips made contractions (I didn’t get a correct, working epidural until I was 10cm dilated) totally bearable.
buy a programmable coffee maker. i set it the night before so that it goes off 20 minutes before her first feed of the day. i get up, brush my teeth, wash my face, change out my ice pack situation, choose a robe, make a cup of coffee, and settle in my nursing chair, just in time for homegirl to be ready for food. I love our mornings.
(i also add fiber powder and collagen powder - for protein - to my cup. it’s lovely, i swear.)
we love our daddy appliances. aka our affectionate nickname for the three appliances clustered on our countertop that brett uses.. we can’t say enough good things about all three. and it helps brett feel more involved.
I knew even before I was pregnant that I wanted to do a combo of nursing and formula feeding. so this baby keurig and these bottles makes that an absolute dream.
edited at six months postpartum: still using the baby keurig every day. BEST INVESTMENT EVER. buy a second funnel - it makes the frequent cleaning of this gadget a BREEZE.
side note: there were definitely some pricier baby gadgets I wanted to try, as you’ve probably noticed in this post. to be able to prioritize this, we did things a little differently than most: we didn’t spend money on baby clothes (everything she owns was a gift or thrifted) or her nursery. and most everything else baby-related we own - aka all the aforementioned pricier baby gadgets - was either gifted, a handmedown, or bought secondhand. I started searching veryyy early in my pregnancy for good secondhand deals - it was so worth it! and, like I mentioned earlier, I’m hoping to have four kids and I’m hoping at least some of these baby gadgets can be used for future siblings. also, in my opinion, trying a baby gadget that interests you is super fun. so I say why not.
made a “blow out/baby emergency” kit for the car - see my “baby prep” highlight in my instagram feed if you want to see a photo!
I keep something along the lines of these ideas in my car - I searched things like “blow out kit” and “baby emergency car kit” on Pinterest for ideas of what other moms did/loved
I linked all my baby favorites here, if you’re wanting to know some products I’m trying
adding things to my blow out kit like this baggie dispenser, extra just-in-case things (baby outfits, outfit for me, diapers, wipes, baby blankets, etc etc etc), gallon sized baggies, spray bottle of water, hand sanitizer (wipes and gel - simply because I don’t know which I’ll prefer!), disinfecting wipes, a bigggg blanket (like, to lay on in grass), stain spray (could spray dirty things with stain spray or water and throw in gallon baggie, is my thinking — stinky diapers could go in the aforementioned baggies, or double bagged in a baggie + gallon baggie?), towels, etc
we use this travel bassinet as a changing station in the car, but also like that it’s kept in the car for when we’re going on adventures or visiting family. i also loves that it folds up to teeny tiny, but when unfolded and set up it’s a good size for our big baby (I have a hatchback SUV, so easy to use the back part of my car for this). i also love that it has a ton of pockets i can load up with changing supplies
and we keep this smaller, cheaper changing pad in my purse, too
subscribed to a few fun things
again, just like trying a few pricier baby gadgets that interested me, there were a few subscriptions I wanted to try once KK was here. and getting a surprise in the mail is so.much.fun.
a dear friend gifted us the most darling bow subscription
the past teacher in me has had my eye on this subscription forever - Brett’s so science-y and nerdy that I have a feeling he’ll love it, too
a few more things that totally weren’t mandatory, but I’m so glad I did:
put rocking chairs on our back patio
subscribed to Food Network App
watching Barefoot Contessa while nursing? borderline therapeutic, I tell you.
cleaned out the garage, hung dog walking leashes, made room for our stroller to get in and out the garage door
see more home and organizing projects in this post
added a stroller fan and to our stroller and our car backseat
upgraded to a google nest doorbell - changed it so that we get alerts on our phones instead of the standard doorbell chime.
and added the prettiest no soliciting sign
finished up some adult odds-and-ends - basically things that we were like, “What would be easier to do now vs with a newborn?”
get me a new phone, get some overdue car repairs for Brett, got some overdue car repairs for me, update recalls on our cars, get annual car detailing, get Brett established at the nearby mechanic, get dogs groomed, get dog vaccinations for the year (um, do dogs need teeth cleaning?), renew my license (#officiallyold), get heartworm preventative for the dogs for the year, get taxes filed with CPA, see eye doctor, get some freckles checked out with the derm, get additional life insurance on brett, etc, etc, etc.
edited to add: SO GLAD I DID THIS. we truly were able to rest and enjoy the newborn period.
set up diaper bag
made going to that first pediatrician appointment - aka when I was functioning at, like, 25% - a breeze
ordered this insert to put into a tote as a diaper bag
I should have a photo of this in my “baby prep” highlight on my Instagram
ordered a changing pad to keep in the tote, too
I keep a travel white noise machine and my wildbird sling in here for emergencies - these have come in so handy when, say, we’re out to lunch with my parents and KK needs a nap - I’ll wear here and attach the white noise machine to the sling so that it’s near KK and she’ll fall right asleep
made baby binder
aka the spot where I put any and all baby-related papers
I got a three-inch binder and shoved it full of sheet protectors for all the registrations, manuals, proof of purchases, hospital documents, informative flyers, etc
see my “baby prep” highlight on my Instagram for a visual of this!
my sister came over to help postpartum and I was able to hand her the stack of hospital papers with clear instructions of where they should go
created KK’s childhood memory box
something like this idea
I know some people do a baby book, but I wanted a system that I could continue to add to as she gets older
so I bought this file box, these amazingly pink file folders, and for now only labeled three of the folders: “birth,” “baby,” and “cards”
makes for an easy spot to throw any sweet things from her birth, darling momentos from babyhood, and a place to keep any cards from loved ones in the coming year. as time goes on I’ll label the rest of the file folders with things like “first grade,” etc
we’ll be storing her memory box in her closet :)
those precious arm bands and darling hospital onesie and memorable papers about the Labor and Delivery ward’s Covid precautions? the sister I just said came over to help threw all these in KK’s memory box, so three cheers for Pregnant Haley for making this box ahead of time.
see my “baby prep” highlight on my Instagram for a visual of this!
I talk more in my baby prep blogpost about all of these
edited to add at 10 weeks postpartum - wanted to add a few other things that have turned out to be helpful:
housecleaners. this may not be a huge priority for everyone, but we overhauled our budget to be able to afford housecleaning. this has been amazing.
started going to pelvic floor physical therapy. this was my plan regardless of how my recovery went (aka even if i just got a paper cut from delivery) and it’s been so darn helpful. a bit humbling at first to hear how torn up I was, but incredibly helpful.
as I stare at the thousands and thousands of photos on my phone of my baby, it got me thinking about how we want to preserve + display our memories. and because I just can’t baby book or baby journal - I tried, but I just can’t. here is our system for preserving, displaying, and organizing our memories.
kept our stroller + carseat in our laundry room for now. we put a dual port charger nearby so that we could easily charge our stroller fans + white noise machines while the stroller and carseat were “parked” in the laundry room
love this resource for activities from my dear friend, too
aaaand her course on how to create a home that promotes and encourages indpendent play. seeing her home on her Instagram stories and how she utilizes it to best meet their needs is one of my FAVORITE and most inspirational things
having an amazon wishlist made for KK easily lets me add things as I think about (or learn about) them that might be helpful to ask for for Christmas, or for us to buy later on.
I mentioned it previously, but this neck heating pad, this pain relieving patch, and a weighted vest has helped any aches and pains associated with this big ol baby
I walk with a weighted vest - this book and this post explain the benefits of doing a slowwwww daily walk with a weighted vest
tldr: it allows your overused trap muscle - the one used to carry your head - to rest and release, among other benefits. I often used to get horrible neck/back pain until I started this routine.
linked our favorite baby things for our walks here
also hi hello. a daily walk has helped me IMMENSELY.
also helping me? eating dinner with brett every night at the actual table. because I realized I miss him, I missed having a date with him (but hi, hello, there’s a pandemic and we have a newborn), and I missed having my routine of cooking + meal planning. so we decided to start eating dinner at our table every night together (pre-kids us ate on the couch in front of the TV).
I meal plan, we made nightly dinner themes, I wear KK in this carrier or I set her in our bouncer while I prep dinner, we set KK in the tripp trap high chair with the newborn insert while we eat, and we answer questions from this book (like we used to do when we were dating).
this sense of structure and routine (and time with brett!!) (and cooking dinner and meal planning like old times like my old self!) (and cultivating this identity outside of “mom” by trying new things like new recipes! and learning how to make cheese plates for Snack Dinner Saturday!) has been invaluable for me.
what could you do - when you’re ready! - that makes you feel yourself and gives you a sense of structure + identity?
similarly, this got me thinking about what traditions we wanted to start. and that’s how things like Grill and Chill and Snack Dinner Saturday came to be.
see our full list of traditions here
we have this play gym as a handmedown from a friend - I know it’s pricey, but we have decided it’s 1000% worth it. MY WORD.
also I know I already mentioned it, but I wouldn’t survive without our bouncer and my carrier.
we move the bouncer alllll over the house because she loves to sit and watch us. I got it secondhand on facebook marketplace in case she/we didn’t like it, but it has become one of our must-haves. usually it lives in our master bathroom so that we can get ready in the mornings, but I’ll move it allllll over the house for wherever I’m working, meal prepping, working out, etc. we also learned in a class that it’s awesome to use for taking a wet, slippery baby out of the bath - just lay her towel over the bouncer so that you have an easy, safe space to put that clean baby.
my favorite carrier is pricey, but it has been worth every penny since I use it every day. it doesn’t hurt my back in the least, and I use it to cook dinner, do work, go to Costco in a pandemic, etc. at one point she was predictably grumpy and fussy every evening around four, and would refuse naps - the only way she would sleep is if I wore her in this carrier. I also used it to take her to her two month appointment as well, to move my sister in her new apartment at 4 months old, and Ikea on NYE at almost seven months old. SO WORTH IT.
aaaand there ya have it. allllll my favorite things that are making this newborn, postpartum phase so sweet…and so much easier than I ever imagined.
also:
see my baby favorites: 0-6 months here.
see allllll my baby, kid, and family related posts here.
and here’s what I’m doing in the meantime to prepare for the next baby.
huuuuge hug to you all.
Photo credit: Hannah Black Photography
