C-Section Recovery Checklist
I knew postpartum wouldn't be a walk in the park, but I was not prepared when I left the hospital. Resulting in my sister (who thankfully came to visit right after I got home from the hospital) having to run to the store to quickly get me some ESSENTIALS.
My biggest mistake was not being prepared for a potential C-section which is what ended up happening.
Here is everything that made my postpartum recovery a little easier.
Motrin was an essential for my recovery
This was the Peri Bottle I loved
Next up the Peri Bottle, now even though you had a C-section you will still be bleeding down there and if your experience was anything like mine you realized after pushing for some time that it was going to result in a C-section. I loved having the Peri bottle because I was still sore from the initial pushing, and it just helped me feel clean.
Other bathroom essentials that saved me were Tucks medicated cooling pads, Dr Butlers hemorrhoid cream, Dr Teals Epsom salt, the Honey pot herbal postpartum pads and finally stool softeners.
If you get a hemorrhoid you will NEED the Tucks cooling pads, Dr Butlers hemorrhoid cream and the Dr Teals Epsom salt!
I was not great about taking my stool softeners (I will be taking them religiously the next time around) and it caused me to get a pretty bad hemorrhoid. I even got prescription hemorrhoid cream and I still would swear by Dr Butlers because it just worked so much better. It would almost immediately relieve pain and start healing. The Tucks' cooling pads in combination with the cream is essential.
Because I was so uncomfortable after the first week I went a step further and would soak in an Epsom salt bath which helped SO much. I was very careful not to get my incision wet and would only fill the tub a little bit.
Finally moving on to the Honey pot herbal postpartum pads. I absolutely love this brand and use their panty liners and regular period pads so it was a no brainer when I saw they also had postpartum goodies. I really loved these because they are so cooling (some people I've recommended them to did NOT like the cooling) but I love it. They are thick enough that I wasn't worried I was going to have any accidents but not so thick that they were uncomfortable to wear outside of the house.
Moving on to comfort must haves:
Wearing a seatbelt was so uncomfortable because I always felt like it was digging into the exact spot of my incision. I ordered one of these hysterectomy pillows and it was a game changer!! I actually still use this pillow even 2 years later, I just use it across my chest instead of across my lap.
Another thing I found myself wanting was high waisted underwear because I was so nervous about anything rubbing my incision the wrong way. I splurged and bought a three pack of the Bodily All-in panty and they might actually be the most luxurious underwear I've ever put on my body… The material is so soft, cooling and breathable. I really can't say enough great things about them and I actually buy a 3 pack for every one of my friends who is pregnant.
As much as I wanted to buy more bodily panties I did also buy these wirarpa high waisted underwear from amazon and loved them as well. I still wear these and the bodily ones 2 years later.
The wirarpa panties were not as buttery soft but did have more structure and felt like they helped to hold everything in place if that makes sense? All my first time moms reading this it will likely feel like your stomach/guts are going to fall out (not in a painful way just in a something feels weird kind of way)
You may already have these but compression socks are a MUST after surgery. My legs were gigantic after surgery. It really freaked me out to be honest but wearing these blueengoy copper compression socks was so comforting and helped the swelling and blood circulation. You will always want to get some fluffy softs with grips on the bottom for after the swelling in your feet/legs goes away.
In the theme of comfort it took a while for me to be able to comfortably lay flat on my back and just sit up on my own. You don't realize how many stomach muscles you use to go from laying down to sitting up.. Here are a few things that made a world of difference for me.
First up this three piece Bedluxe orthopedic pillow wedge set. I LOVE THIS PILLOW SET, it is so comfortable and versatile. This was a life saver for the first week or so when it really hurt to sleep laying flat or when I just needed to keep my legs up for a little to help with the swelling.
I still will use this bedluxe orthopedic pillow when I have a stuffy nose and need to keep my head elevated and it helps so much!
Another lifesaver for the bed was this vive bed ladder. I know this may seem silly but it made sitting up so much less painful, helping to prevent me from having to use your stomach muscles and be in pain.
Last up is this popda extra long grabber. This was amazing for picking things up from the ground so I didn't have to bend over but also for reaching this in my cabinets without putting any strain on my incision.
This is another item that I still use weekly.
