In My Mom Uniform Era
What to wear, eat, join, and buy postpartum for a thriving 4th trimester!
Having a baby is hard work, but I bet you knew that! Everyone does, but the reality of it doesn’t really hit until several weeks after you’ve given birth. The overwhelming elation and joy of his arrival has quieted and the visits have stopped. The prepped meals have run out. You’re up for the third time that night feeding, pumping, or soothing in a dark house desperate for more sleep and for that bundle of joy to become or stay peaceful and content. And it dawns on you these are the next weeks and months of your life. In horror, you speculate that you may never sleep through the night again!
You may never eat a hot meal again!
You may never finish a whole cup of coffee again!
You may never get your hair and makeup done and clothes on altogether at the same time ever again.
Those thoughts start to spiral, stirring up anxiety and fear. Then he gazes up at you and coos. The agitation just slips away like raindrops.
And those nights just keep slipping away…you wake up six months later with a smiling happy baby who is about to crawl and a whole new appreciation for your own mother and every woman out there who undertook this journey.
Motherhood is WILD, and the emotional and mental shift that happens over that fourth trimester is like a lightening bolt, shocking your system.
So here are some postpartum necessities that helped me cope with that shock and thrive more days than not!
No. 1 Subscriptions & Deliveries
Subscribe and join any service that reduces your work load at home. Grocery delivery and/or pickup is a game changer! Maybe you are already on this band wagon since COVID, but I never used this service till now. It has been so easy to order online and then swing by the store and let one of the employees bring it out to the car and load it! Baby stays snuggly in his seat and we are usually off in minutes.
For grocery delivery we love Thrive because you are guaranteed that the brands are organic and more environmentally conscious. The App is very easy to use. You can save shopping lists and there are auto ship and buy it again features. We’ve been members for about 5 months and every box has come quickly with the contents safe and sound. Get $40 off your first order with my link!
Do you know about Amazon subscriptions? Probably, it’s just me behind the times. Oh well! Set them up for anything you buy regularly from there and avoid that scramble when you run out!
No. 2 Prioritize Your Health
One of the best ways I’ve helped my body recover from pregnancy and birth is the Every Mother program. It is a fitness approach that focuses on avoiding or repairing diastasis recti with gentle core compressions, breathing, and Kegels. I started the pre-natal program at 3 months pregnant and did it regularly the rest of my pregnancy. I barely had a 1 finger separation, and it has closed now after doing the reclaim postnatal program. The workouts are awesome! They are quick and engaging just what you need when time and attention spans are short.
No. 3 Make Breastfeeding Easier
Breastfeeding is truly a labor of love. It has been one of the toughest yet most rewarding experiences of my life, and I think most mothers would say the same. Although it is natural, breastfeeding doesn’t just happen. James and I started out of the gate strong, and then when the 4 week cluster feeding started it all fell apart. We had to supplement with formula and for about 2 months we stopped nursing altogether and just pumped and bottle feed. Then after seeing a pediatric chiropractor who released James’ body tension we went back to nursing successfully. We made it to my 6 month goal, and we are still going!
I could probably do a whole post about making breastfeeding easier, but here are my 3 must haves:
- Handsfree, wearable pump – I bought the Momcozy M5 and love it. Being able to get up and move while pumping really made a huge difference to my attitude and approach, especially when you are doing it 5+ times a day. I know a lot of experts say that the wearables aren’t as efficient as the hospital grade, but I have one of those too, and I get more output with the M5.
- Pumping spray – Lubricate your flanges ladies! Lubricate your flanges!
- The right nursing bras – I am a busty gal, and it took a lot of trial and error to find the right nursing bras for me. I tried various Kindred Bravely and Momcozy ones, but those just didn’t fit right or the fabric was icky. Eventually, I settled on the Bodily Do Anything Bra for lounging and nighttime wear and for daytime wear this inexpensive seamless one at Target.
No. 4 Educate Yourself
Finding reliable sources of information, advice, and a community of moms and experts you can turn to is critical! Here are my favorite books:
On Becoming Babywise – great for general advice, sleep training, and schedules.
Bringing Up Bébé – a fun, unique look at raising children with a French perspective.
Twelve Hours Sleep by Twelve Weeks – helpful for building healthy sleep practices and practical sleep training.
The Happiest Baby on the Block – The 5 S’s….you need these for calming that fussy baby!
My favorite accounts to follow on IG:
No. 5 A Mom Uniform
In my mom uniform era, and I’m not mad about it!
I have always loved dressing up. I use to wear heels more often than not and dresses regularly, but since James came along I just don’t have it in me. There are so many other things I would rather think about and do. Putting an outfit together and getting dressed up are antipathetic to me right now, but I still want to look presentable not like a slob, so enter the mom uniform!
Mine consists of these ultra soft and comfortable LandsEnd performance tunics and either the All in Motion high-rise taper pant or the flex motion mid-rise shorts. The tunics are button-down, so breastfeeding is accessible, and they are a great length for wearing tucked in, tied up, or over leggings. I literally own every color now! I love the All in Motion flex woven bottoms. They look tailored and nice, but the fabric stretches allowing you to move around easily. You can run errands and then work out in them. All of these pieces are really reasonably priced — nothing over $40!
For shoes I’m usually in a slip-on New Balance, Rothy’s ballets, or these Tevas. Our diaper bag is a classic canvas tote from LandsEnd.
Alright Peonies, I hope you’ve found something useful in my list of postpartum necessities! Keep calm and mother on!