Postpartum Products Guide By Symptom

You made it home from the hospital, congratulations on your precious little one!!! You've been anxiously awaiting this moment for nine months and are thrilled to finally meet your precious babe. But your baby is not the only one in need of some serious TLC when you arrive home. Every postpartum journey is different, but one thing I think we can all agree on is that a little preparation goes a long way.

Those first few days / weeks after delivery are physically challenging. I remember thinking that if I was just physically okay right now, I would be crushing this. But my body had just delivered a baby (and don’t forget, the placenta, an entirely new organ your body also grew for nine months) and I wasn’t going to be physically okay without some thoughtful care and time to heal.

I tore a grade two during delivery, as is common with vaginal births, and was stitched up by my doctor. My stitches came out five or six days postpartum which is NOT common, and this delayed my vaginal healing (and was emotionally stressful).

Since Crockett is my first baby, I was hesitant about whether what I was feeling was “normal”, but my gut told me that something was wrong. Around day six postpartum, something felt off. I called my doctor and explained that the pain and discomfort had taken a sudden shift and I was worried I had an infection. I couldn’t explain how it felt different, just that it did. My doctor had me come in that afternoon for an exam and sure enough my stitches had come out early. There was no particular reason why this happened, but my doctor explained that the vagina is a “miracle worker” capable of healing on its own and we should monitor the situation and determine in another two weeks whether new stitches were necessary. I was shaken by this. The thought of having to get restitched and start the healing process over had me in tears. All I wanted was to feel better so I could be completely engrossed in Crockett and this felt like a major setback (and one none of my friends had experienced / could reassure me about). Also, I was terrified that my vagina would not heal 100%. My doctor reminded me how necessary it was for me to take it easy and focus on my own healing to not make the situation worse. That day I bought a donut to sit on and promised myself to try and be better at resting.

Ultimately, I healed without requiring new stitches, but at the two week check-in I had granulated tissue that had to be treated with silver nitrate (good explanation of what this is here). This was an unexpected healing journey, but through the Grace of God, I did heal 100%. Important lesson here: If something doesn’t feel right to you, SPEAK UP. If I hadn’t, by my 6 week postpartum appointment I may have had a different healing journey to share.

If this happens to you, you are not alone! Feel free to reach out to me for support. You WILL be okay. Your vagina WILL heal completely and properly (I was terrified it wouldn’t). You DO have to take it easy and take care of yourself.

My stitches coming out early was one difficult part of recovery, but it was not the only part of my recovery journey.

Below, I’ve listed out the changes I experienced postpartum and the products that helped me get through. I was lucky enough to have many mamas before me give me great postpartum advice, so this is a compilation of knowledge from the mamas ahead of me in hopes that it’s helpful to all the mamas after me. One of my favorite pieces of advice I received was to prepare a bathroom caddy of all the postpartum care items and place it next to the toilet (or prepare two if there will be two restrooms you are using) so that everything is easily accessible within reach.

(yes, our rental house has pink bathroom tile)

I broke down my list of products between “hospital products” that I was given while at the hospital and “at home” products that I purchased independently. It’s important to come home from the hospital with plenty of supplies to care for yourself, but there were some purchased products that I found more comfortable than the hospital provided products that I also used. Make sure to tell your postpartum nurse which products you find helpful so the nurse can send you home with a bag of goodies. Do not be shy to ask for things! Some of the hospital items were my saving grace. Your L&D or postpartum nurse will accompany you on your first trip to the restroom after delivery. The nurse will show you how to care for your wounds and make your “diaper,” which you will be wearing for a while…

Postpartum is a marathon, not a sprint. Be kind to yourself and patient with yourself. And PLEASE ASK FOR HELP. From your partner, your friend, your mom, your neighbor. Do not try to do this alone. If someone offers to drop off food or groceries, say yes.

I would LOVE to hear from you C-section mamas about products you did and did not like, so that future mamas can have a helpful guide if they have a C, whether planned or unexpected.

Vagina Care 

You just delivered a baby. Be patient and kind to yourself and pay attention to the signals your body sends you. Don’t push yourself. Talk to your partner about how they can do little things like keep your water cup full and bring baby to you for feedings to help make your recovery easier. Specific symptoms below.

Vaginal Bleeding

Disposable Underwear: Necessary. You bleed whether you have a C-Section or Vaginal delivery. The bleeding comes from your uterus getting rid of extra blood and tissue after delivery, not the vaginal delivery itself.

• Hospital item - this is the base layer of your healing “diaper”. They are perfectly adequate and you are happy to toss it in the trash when you make your next trip to the restroom. I recommend coming home with a stack of these, because you will likely change them out frequently, but I preferred the FridaMom disposable underwear. I wore the disposable underwear for probably 10 days. They’re more flexible than your regular underwear and it’s nice to trash them after each use.

• Purchased Item - These FridaMom disposable underwear were significantly more comfortable and I would recommend buying one pack if you’re also combining with the hospital underwear. If you’d rather go straight to the comfy ones and ditch the hospital kind, get two packs. FridaMom also makes a C-Section specific disposable underwear.
  

Pads: Necessary. These aren’t just “super” pads from the menstrual section of the grocery store, these are extra long pads to pair with your disposable underwear to make the base of your “diaper” to deal with postpartum bleeding. Everyone bleeds in different degrees of heaviness and length postpartum. For me, it was the full six weeks they say it might be. But don’t worry, you still graduate out of the diaper and into just wearing postpartum pads, then regular pads, then liners.

• Hospital Item - definitely come home with a stack of the pads they give you at the hospital because you may end up going through them quite quickly.

• Purchased Item - I loved the Honey Pot Company for postpartum care. Once I ditched the hospital set up a few days out, I switched to using the FridaMom underwear and the Honey Pot Postpartum Herbal Pads and they were WONDERFUL. Once I graduated from the “diaper” altogether, I switched to Honey Pot Regular Pads, followed by the Honey Pot Everyday Pantiliners. Your needs will fluctuate and the bleeding may come in waves, but I recommend having 1-2 packs of each on hand to start. If you have extras, you can pass along to your next pregnant friend. If you need more, you will have enough product to get you through making that determination and can buy more before you run out. I have had friends bleed heavily and some only bleed a week, you really won’t know until you’re there. Target also sells this brand.
  

Vaginal Pain

Perineal Spray Bottle:

• Hospital Item - If you had a vaginal delivery and especially if you tore and received stitches, you will use the spray bottle in lieu of toilet paper to gently clean after using the restroom for quite a while. I brought a spray bottle home from the hospital as a back up, but much preferred the FridaMom spray bottle because it is shaped in a way that makes much more sense for its purpose.

• Purchased Item - The Frida Mom Peri Bottle just makes sense. I recommend getting two or having one from the hospital as a back up because I dropped mine in the toilet in the middle of the night once (hello exhaustion) and ended up leaving it there because I was too grossed out to retrieve (it was ultimately retrieved in the light of day).
  

Ice Packs: This is necessary for a vaginal delivery to sooth your pain. Use ice packs as long as you feel is helpful. At some point when the swelling and pain decrease, it will be more comfortable to sit without them. You’ll know when the time is right.

• Hospital Item - The hospital will provide you long crack and shake ice packs. Definitely come home with a stack. I alternated between the hospital ice packs and the FridaMom ice packs. They are different thickness levels so I preferred both styles at different times.

• Purchased Item - The Frida Mom Instant Ice Maxi Pads are also designed to be absorbent to serve as both your ice pack and pad. Those first few days when I bled pretty heavily, I still wore an actual pad. Like I mentioned above though, you may prefer one over the other depending on how swollen you are and your pain level. These were convenient, one 8-pack was enough (combined with using the hospital ones).
  

Witch Hazel Pads: I used witch hazel liners for weeks because they were extremely soothing and I was advised they were particularly helpful for my healing when my stitches came out early. They were also very soothing after the silver nitrate treatment.

• Hospital Item - The tucks pads the hospital gives you are large and circular, medicated with with hazel to provide soothing relief. Because of their shape and size, you have to use multiple to line your “diaper”. This was a bit annoying, but still worth it because they were better soaked in witch hazel than the more convenient alternatives. I preferred these those first few days when the going is really tough.

• Purchased Item -

  • Frida Mom - These Frida Mom Perineal Witch Hazel Liners were extremely convenient and useful. They are the length of your postpartum pad so you only have to use one and it’s easy to use. This is great for middle-of-the-night zombie trips to the bathroom.

  • Preparation H - These Preparation H Medicated Wipes have the exact same ingredients as the FridaMom liners, just a different shape, but are much cheaper. Keep in mind that I linked a four pack (which you don’t need), but you can get a single pack at the grocery store! I could use two Preparation H wipes in place of one FridaMom liner (and fold the Prep H wipe in half to be thicker). Great less expensive alternative.

Numbing Spray (hospital item): This sh*t was my postpartum JAM. You bring this home from the hospital and I recommend coming home with as many as you can. I used this numbing spray liberally and it was fantastic. I don’t know if you can buy the same quality/strength elsewhere, but I came home with six or seven from the hospital so I didn’t need to. Cannot recommend enough.

Donut (purchased item): I wish I would have purchased a donut ahead of time instead of after my stitches fell out. I feel like this would have helped ease the general discomfort / pain with sitting especially those first few days. I purchased this donut and was very happy with it.

Sitz Bath (purchased item): As always, follow your doctors advice (I think there are mixed opinions on this one), but once I discovered the sitz bath I wished I had started sooner. It was very soothing. I loved the Spoiled Mama Sitz Bath, but it was a pretty small quantity (or I used too much in one sitting) so it did not last me long and I ordered a random brand on Amazon. You do not need a special sitz bath device, just fill up your bathtub with a few inches of water and voilà.

Pain Medication:

• Prescription pain meds - While at the hospital, I felt like I was managing my pain fine, but when the adrenaline (and 24/7 nurse assistance) wore off, I called my doctor for a prescription. I was offered a prescription at the hospital, but passed and said I would call in if needed and I wish I would have just accepted at the hospital. It’s one less thing to worry about once you’re home and it’s always better to stay ahead of the pain than try to catch up to it with medication. You can then monitor how you feel and decide what you need and when you’re comfortable stopping.

• Motrin / Tylenol - Have both on hand at home. I somehow was out of Motrin at my house, which was poor timing.

Products to Skip:

• Frida Mom Postpartum Kit - Ditch the kit and instead get the items individually. When purchased individually, you can get an 8-pack (rather than the 4-pack in the kit, which just isn’t enough) and I ended up not wearing the Frida hospital gown or using the Witch Hazel spray (I found it messy and when you’re tired, you don’t want messy). So any cost-effectiveness I thought I was gaining with the kit, I actually lost because I ended up needing more than 4 of the items I liked and I did not use everything in the kit.

• Earth Mama Perineal Spray - I thought I would love this because I used and loved the Earth Mama Perineal Balm in my last month of pregnancy to soothe general discomfort I was experiencing, but the spray was too hard to actually spray and I gave up. (I do, however, recommend the balm for pregnancy discomfort and/or hemorrhoids).
  

Nipple & Breast Care

(see also my full breast care post here)

Nipple Pain (general pain, cracked nipples, blistered nipples)

During those early days of establishing breastfeeding, nipple pain is inevitable. You will hear that nursing “shouldn’t hurt,” but frankly I call bull shit on that line. I have not met a single mama who breezed right through establishing nursing without any pain. Even if your baby has a great latch, this is something new for your body to get accustomed to so it takes some time to adjust (although if you master the latch, the pain will subside much more quickly!). I think general nipple pain is unavoidable until your nipples have an opportunity to adjust to their new purpose. While working to establish a good latch, you may also experience cracked, blistered, or bleeding nipples. My best advice on this is to keep working on getting that perfect latch. Once I had a “pretty good” latch with Crockett, I stopped trying to improve things and it prolonged the discomfort until we really mastered it. Don’t give up. Keep working at it. FaceTime your close friend who also breastfed for support (once you have a baby, all modesty goes out the window, ain’t nobody got time for that). Consider seeing a lactation consultant (but read lots of reviews and make sure they’re a good one). This is the time where more support is better and no question is a bad one. The other struggle around nipple pain is you will go through periods where your baby cluster feeds (feeding every 1-2 hours) and I remember thinking “how am I going to keep doing this”. I phoned a friend. And gave Crockett his first bottle (at 6 days postpartum) to give my nipples a break and help get me through it. FED is best. If you’re feeding baby, you are doing a perfect job, don’t listen to anyone who suggests otherwise.

Nipple Cream: I used nipple cream after every nursing session and it helped. I tried the Earth Mama, Mother Love, Lansinoh, and Medela nipple creams. My two favorites were Mother Love and Medela.

• Hospital Item - The hospital sent me home with about five mini-Medela tubes and it was awesome because they were small, easy to use (just squeeze it out the tube without worrying about keeping it sanitary) and I could put one in each room so there was always a nipple cream at arms reach when breastfeeding. My recommendation is to hold off from buying these and instead wait and see if your hospital has them. If so, ask for a handful to take home with you. If not, consider buying on Amazon. The squeeze tube was my favorite for convenience. You can see the sample size the hospital gave me in this Medela package (.3 ounce tubes).

• Purchased Item - My favorite for effectiveness was the Motherlove brand. The only downside with this brand is the packaging. Because the nipple cream comes in a jar, you need to keep Q-tips by the jar to use as an applicator to prevent any bacteria from your finger dipping into the jar and living there. This is why I liked having both the Motherlove (which I kept by my bed with Q-tips and applied at night) and the Medela squeeze tubes (which I kept around the house and in my diaper bag for convenient application).

Medela Soft Shells: These were another hospital parting gift and they were wonderful. When my nipples were cracked (and not just sore), I would apply breastmilk to my nipple, fan the breastmilk dry, then put on these nipple shells for 20 minutes or so to air out my nipples. Once dry or I was tired of wearing the shells, I would then apply Motherlove nipple cream. I also tried the Avent brand shells because I was gifted a set, but I found them to be less comfortable on my nipple. The Avent brand almost had a suction-like feel, which left a ring around my areola, while the Medela brand was comfortable and fit well. Sometimes your nipples will leak while wearing the shell. That’s okay! Use the milk that the shell caught on your cracked nipples to help with healing.

Gel Pads - The hospital also sent me home with cooling gel pads that I could refrigerate (to chill) and apply to sore or cracked/blistered nipples. While these felt great, I had a hard time keeping them on. Request some at the hospital to try and if you like them, ask for some to take home. (I did not buy any, the brand linked is just to show an example of what I’m referring to).

Silverette Nursing Cups: I did not personally try these, but I have read amazing reviews for Silverette Nursing Cups and plan to try for next baby (God willing and if we survive the current sleepless nights).

Leaking Breasts

I have read that not everyone has leaky breasts. From the day my milk came in until about 16 weeks postpartum, my breasts leaked. Everyone’s experience is different here, but I suspect during those first few weeks when your milk comes in and you are establishing supply, it’s likely you will have some leaking and would be nice to have nursing pads on hand. There are two routes to try here, disposable nursing pads and washable nursing pads. I registered for disposable pads, but ended up switching to reusable pads for comfort.

Nursing Pads:

• Disposable Pads - I’ve tried two brands here, Lansinoh and Medela. My preference is Medela. In my experience, the Medela pads are softer and more comfortable than the Lansinoh brand.

• Washable Pads -Those first few weeks of nursing I had very sore nipples. The disposable nursing pads felt like sandpaper on my sensitive skin, so I decided to try the reusable route. At first, I tried bamboo nursing pads because they are popular and well advertised these days. They were more comfortable than the disposable pads, but the real MVP turned out to be these organic cotton pads from BuyBuyBaby. They were so soft on my sore nipples and they did not stick to my nipples like the bamboo pads sometimes did. I did leak through the cotton pads when I wore them at night during that first month when my supply was in overload, but I didn’t care because they were so incredibly soft on my sore nipples it was worth it. As for bamboo, I ordered a random brand on Amazon and they worked well (although the cotton was still by far my favorite). If you do decide on washable pads, order a few sets as you may be blowing through them when you’re establishing your supply.
  

Breast Engorgement

When my milk came in around day four postpartum, my breasts became painful, rock-hard, bowling balls on my chest. And a four-day old baby does not drink enough milk to relieve the pressure that may build up. To ease the pain, I used a heating pad and took Ibuprofen (of course, check with your healthcare practitioner). The MOST helpful thing, however, was using my all-time favorite product… the Haakaa. The Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump served three purposes: (1) relieve engorgement; (2) facilitate latching; and (3) start a milk stash.

• Relieve Engorgement & Facilitate Latching - I did not expect to use / need the Haakaa so soon so it was tucked away somewhere in my pantry unwashed. Get this sucker out and have it washed in ready before you go into labor. When my breasts felt engorged, I would suction the Haakaa onto each breast (one at a time) for about 5-10 minutes (depending how engorged I was) and this simple, but magical item would provide immediate relief. Not only did using the Haakaa provide serious physical benefit to mom, it provided a great benefit to baby. It is extremely hard for a baby to latch onto engorged breasts because the surface area baby is trying to latch onto is hard and flat. Imagine trying to bite into a bowling ball. Sounds impossible right? Instead, baby needs a softer/more flexible surface area to latch onto. The Haakaa helps you accomplish this.

• Milk Stash - You will quickly learn that breastmilk truly is liquid gold and you don’t want to waste a drop. During those early days when my milk first came in, I would sometimes have five ounces in the Haakaa when relieving engorgement. This made me feel so accomplished to capture this milk and store it for later. In addition to collecting milk when engorged, I use the Haakaa to collect milk from my letdown on the breast Crockett is not feeding on. Even if it is just an ounce, it’s worth saving the milk. There will be times when you need just a 1 or 2 ounce topper or if you feel like you didn’t collect enough to freeze, you can use the amount collected for diaper cream, on your sore nipples, as chapstick for baby, up baby’s nose if he gets congested, in baby’s bath… the list goes on. I cannot recommend the Haakaa more highly. I don’t use it as frequently now, but I keep it by my bed and use it in the middle of the night sometimes if one of my breasts is feeling engorged. For middle of the night use, I’ll suction it onto the breast that is uncomfortable and lay down with it. In 10 minutes I’ll wake up and pop it off and leave it by my bedside (by conservative schools of thought, milk stays good at room temperature for four hours). The next time I get out of bed, I bag it, label it, and freeze it.

  • Trick for keeping your Haakaa on - https://www.instagram.com/p/B5-8XYcgMKA/?igshid=1qew06eru79z2 this also works if you don’t have your pumping bra handy and need to pump! You will have to hold it with your hands for more support when pumping, but it’s a good start.

  • Milk storage guidelines - https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/

  • CRYNG OVER SPILLED MILK - It’s a thing, you will do it, and I empathize with you more than words can express. More than once, I have knocked over my Haakaa full of milk and on each occasion, have cried to Conley about it. Whoever made up the saying about not crying over spilled milk didn’t breastfeed.

Ice pack: I purchased these long ice packs for vaginal swelling, but ended up using them to ease breast engorgement pain (and the disposable ice packs for vaginal pain) because they fit across both breasts. I also loved these for sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy. Highly recommend because they’re useful for all sorts of body aches.

General Post Partum Symptoms

Cramping: One recovery symptom I was not aware of was postpartum cramping. When you start breastfeeding it triggers your uterus to start contracting to shrink back to its pre-pregnancy size (by full term it is the size of a watermelon). The cramping can be quite intense at first and feel like early labor contractions. The hospital sent me home with crack and shake heating pads which were great to have around the house for quick convenience, but I preferred this heating pad because it was larger and more comfortable. Purchase in advance and have it ready by your bed. I would turn it on and put it on my belly during breastfeeding sessions. If you find it easier to have the disposable heating pads just make sure you come home with some from the hospital so you don't have to buy any. This symptom was most intense the first 5 days postpartum then got much better. Like everything, this varies for each mama’s recovery.

Night Sweats: Another surprise symptom and oddly one of the worst for me on this list. The night sweats are another side effect of the huge hormonal shift your body is going through + your body trying to rid itself of all the excess water from pregnancy and child birth. I had these very bad (again, varies widely mama to mama and most of my friends did not experience this as intensely). I would soak the bed and wake up hot and cold all throughout the night. I had no idea this was a thing so it took me a little while to figure out how to help myself. I slept with a towel under me, wore a light cotton robe, kept my hair up in a bun with a headband and kept a hand towel next to my bed to wipe down my face and chest when I woke up sweating. I also kept water wipes by my bed to wipe down my breasts before breastfeeding. Another useful trick was that I put nipple pads between my breasts since my engorged breasts were on top of each other. This may not happen to you, but I don’t want you to be caught off guard like I was. The night sweats got better over time but did not stop for me until six weeks postpartum. 

Constipation // Hemorrhoids: This was something I was VERY prepared for because I have heard horror stories from close friends. I also experienced the joy (pain) of hemorrhoids during pregnancy (my best friends and I affectionately named mine “hemmie”, “hemmie” was a real bitch). Because I dealt with hemmie during pregnancy (after weeks of my body alternating going from being constipated to having diarrhea), I was convinced this would be a big issue postpartum and studied up. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the advice I received on this topic because I completely avoided constipation and hemmie postpartum, and as I’ve learned from my friends, you really want to avoid both if you can.

Constipation: The pain medications you receive during delivery and after can lead to constipation. Constipation is particularly problematic post-vaginal delivery as your perineal area is extremely sore and swollen and the last thing you want is to try and pass a hard (and therefore extremely painful) stool. My methods sound like I went overboard to avoid this, but I would suggest nothing is overboard when making your postpartum recovery less painful. Plus, my methods worked for me. My first postpartum poop was painless and I literally texted my mama squad thrilled and so relieved about this. They all celebrated with me (the things you have to look forward to!!).

• Magnesium - I took magnesium every night before bed during pregnancy, and upped my dose those final few weeks. Magnesium is amazing. It helps with restless legs, sleep, and aids in keeping you regular. (Of course, discuss with your doc before taking anything). I also packed it in my hospital bag to keep taking after delivery. Don’t stop taking postpartum.

• Miralax - If you read my birth story post, you know I was lucky enough to have plenty of warning baby was coming with my never ending contractions. Because of this, I took Miralax daily those final few days leading up to birth. I also packed some with me to take daily after delivery (if permitted and it was).

• Prunes - My sister (who is a Godsend) brought me an amazing fruit basket after I delivered C and part of that was a pack of these individually wrapped prunes. She told me to eat one with every meal and I did. I continued to eat 1-2 daily once I was home from the hospital until I felt “out of the clear” on fearing a painful poop.

• Colace - I took daily at the hospital and nightly once coming home from the hospital.

• Fruit & Water - I ate a TON of fruit (thank you Juliana for the fruit basket!) and drank an obscene amount of water.
  

Hemorrhoids: My excessive preparation in this department paid off. I did not get a hemorrhoid during delivery or postpartum and I attribute it to my above methods. If you do get a hemorrhoid, tucks pads (see discussion above about witch hazel) and a prescription strength topical cream will be your best friend. My L&D nurse specifically checked me for a hemorrhoid and I recommend you asking your L&D nurse to do the same if you’re unsure. If you have one, make sure you come home with a spare tube of the topical medication because it is much stronger at the hospital than what you can buy over the counter.

Hunger & Thirst: If you thought you were hungry or thirsty pregnant, postpartum is a continuation of exactly that. I was attached to the hospital water bottle with a straw and drank about 100 ounces of water a day. I was also attached to snacks. One of my best friends brought me a basket of snacks for my bedside at home, which was brilliant and something I highly suggest you preparing for yourself (or having a loved one prepare for you). I usually ate a packet of peanut butter crackers in the middle of the night after feeding C. You need to fuel your body to assist in your recovery and to keep up with milk production for baby. Think of easy one handed snacks you love and stock up on them beforehand.

I recommend setting up a meal train before giving birth so when your friends and family offer to send food and ask you when would be convenient, you can simply respond with a link to your meal train and not have to think twice about it.

Emotional Rollercoaster: We joked that 5pm was my “witching hour” because that first week postpartum I would cry on cue around 5pm for no apparent reason. Your hormones are going CRAZY. You may find yourself crying spontaneously or having other strong emotional reactions that you don’t feel in control of and that is TOTALLY NORMAL. DO NOT be hard on yourself. DO be kind to yourself and accept support from your family and friends. You just delivered a baby and your placenta which is LITERALLY an entire separate organ full of hormones that you suddenly are without! That’s a giant accomplishment and overnight change for your body, don’t forget it. You are SO strong and this experience is temporary.

I focused on prayer and gratitude during those first few weeks. When I was in pain, I thanked God for my healthy baby and safe vaginal delivery. When I was exhausted in the middle of the night feeding Crockett with sore nipples, I thanked God for Crockett's ability to latch and my milk supply. This helped me focus on all the things that were going right and not take any of those early moments with Crockett for granted. (This is not to say you have to feel grateful all the time or that gratitude will overcome the pain you're feeling). When I look back though, the pain feels like a distant memory (you really do forget and I only remember all of this because I wrote it down for a friend), but I distinctly remember one middle of the night feed in particular when I just starred at Crockett soaking in every inch of him and wondering how I would ever be able to let him go. Those early days fly by and your little bitty newborn turns into a baby before you know it.

Postpartum is a wild ride, but it has beautiful moments alongside the challenging ones. You will get through it mama.

XOXO,

The mom next door