New Mommy Survival Kit

This is another post for all my pregnant friends out there. 

One of my dearest friends recently gave birth and it got me feeling all nostalgic and weepy about the time we brought Echo home from the hospital. Those were some magical, exhausting, painful yet joyful days. Bringing home a baby is amazing and wonderful but the aftermath of birth can be not so fun. Here is my list of recommended products to get you through the first two weeks. In my opinion the first two weeks are the worst! After that you tend to figure out what you're doing but in the mean time you might need these survival tools.

1. Witch Hazel Pads. I really didn't think I would need these but my nurse practically insisted I try them and I was so glad I did! they are incredibly soothing on a very sensitive area of your body after you have put yourself through a lot. They sent me home with a bunch of extras and they really helped me though my healing process.

2. Gel Nursing Pads. These are a gift from God! I can't tell you how much these saved my life. Breast feeding was very painful for me at first and I ended up being really sore and chapped. I honestly don't know if I would have made it without these, they saved my life and allowed me to continue nursing even though I was in a lot of pain.

3. Some kind of E Reader. If you don't have one already, I highly recommend you get one. I took Eric's old one when he got a newer, fancier version and it is great reading while nursing. Personally, I got really bored while nursing in the beginning. It used to take Echo around 20 minutes to eat and I hated sitting there doing nothing. The E Reader is great because you can easily hold it and turn the pages all in one hand which allows you to position your baby with the other. Of course if you can get your husband to read to you that's even better. Eric always reads to me when he's home but once he went back to work and i was by myself during the day it was great to have a book in a format i could easily handle.

4. Yoga Pants. Your body takes a bit of time to get back to normal and being comfortable is really important while you heal. I lived in yoga pants for the last part of my pregnancy and soon after birth. They are as comfy as pajamas but not quite as embarrassing to wear out in public as flannel pants with bunnies on them. You may also want to pick up a pair of fat jeans at the thrift store to wear until you can fit in your old ones again.

5. Sleep Mask. I didn't actually have one of these but looking back I wish I did. You get so little sleep in the beginning and you have to take your naps where you can get them. This was really hard for me since I'm not a napper by nature. I think it would have been easier if I could have blocked out the light with a little sleep mask.

6. Netfilx. This is along the lines of the E Reader as in it's a way to entertain yourself while nursing. I would use it mainly at night when I was up for countless hours rocking and feeding my new baby. It kept me from freaking out about the fact that I wasn't in bed asleep. It's also nice for during the day when you're just too tired to do anything else. Save up a good series or two that you can watch straight through after your baby arrives, it will save your sanity.

7. Disposable Underwear. I know this sounds silly but the disposable underwear they give you at the hospital is the best stuff ever! It's not the sexiest thing ever but I have never worn a pair of panties this comfy in my life, I would wear them all the time if I could.

Your experience may be different from mine and you may have other great suggestions for things to help you adjust to your new life as a mom but these are what came in handy for me. Hopefully it will be helpful to some of you out there!