Five Ways I’m Upgrading My Early Postpartum Care

Thank you to Always for sponsoring this post, all thoughts and opinions remain my own. Original photography by Victoria Gloria.

We are coming up on one year since Luca was born and I have been feeling ALL the feels. I’ve been reflecting a ton on my final days of pregnancy, my labor, his birth and my early days postpartum. One of the main things I’ve been thinking about, especially since Alex and I are talking about trying to conceive again, is what I can upgrade for my postpartum care the next time around.

My experience as a first-time mom with Luca had me 100% focused on him (rightfully so), but that meant my own self-care took the back seat. My blog and Instagram are spaces where I like to empower women and preach self-love and care so I am excited to dive into today’s post!

Five Ways I’m Upgrading My Early Postpartum Care

Upgrade My Pads

This is a big one for me, as I am not a huge pad user. Postpartum bleeding (known as lochia) is unlike a regular period (see: more blood, and for a longer time) and you have to use pads. I made the mistake of not doing my research on pads during my recovery from Luca’s birth. The generic pads I went with were icky, did not hold fluid and even gave me a rash!

My number one upgrade for the next time around will be going with Always Infinity with FlexFoam. I tried these out during my last period and let me tell you, it’s a WORLD of difference! They are breathable, moisture-wicking, flexible and impossibly thin. For real, I looked at them and thought there’s no way this pad will do the job – I’ll have to change it every hour! But I am so happy to report that they surprised the hell out of me! The FlexFoam technology moves with you, not against you, and literally feels like nothing. I found that they also wick all the wetness right away from your body keeping you clean and fresh for hours. For once a pad that works AND is comfortable – no leaking AT ALL and the farthest thing from the clunky diaper feeling! I will definitely be giving up ordinary pads that let me down and upgrading to Always Infinity with FlexFoam.

I’ve seriously never been so excited about a pad. They can definitely stand up to postpartum bleeding and I feel so relieved to have found them after my fiasco with pads the first time around! Always Infinity with FlexFoam will 100% be part of my upgraded postpartum care arsenal – in fact, I have already started to stock up! Check them out right HERE.

Ask For Help

I truly mean this! Whether it’s from your husband, a friend, mother, sister, father, boyfriend – ask for help if it’s not forthcoming. I made the mistake of thinking I could do it all and it just ended up stressing me out which then lead to some anxiety. This is your time to bond and nurture your new baby, so do THAT. And pretty much only that. The next time around I will for sure ask for help with the household chores so that I’ll be able to focus more on the baby’s needs and healing myself.

Limit Visitors

Again, this is YOUR time with your new babe. You’re trying to figure each other out, navigate breastfeeding (if you choose/are able to do so), bond in general. And it’s really hard to do that when you’re also trying to entertain guests. In my opinion, if someone is coming over they should be helping you with something around the house that you can’t get to (see above). I know everyone wants to see the new little baby but I don’t think it’s the worst thing to hold off for a few weeks. Not everyone will agree with me but for my next go at this, I plan on bonding with just our immediate family (minus some close family helpers) for at least the first two weeks.

Meal Prep Before Baby

My husband actually came up with this one! The next time around I would love to eat better during my recovery, and to me, that means more home-cooked meals. It took me legit two months to even try to start to cook again. I know that’s not the case for everyone, but I just couldn’t do it and still to this day Alex does most of the cooking, if not all. So, our plan for the next time is to meal prep during the last few weeks of pregnancy. This way we will have a stockpile of delicious, home-cooked meals that we’ll only have to heat up. So much better than takeout every night or trying to cook full meals while also figuring out a new family dynamic!

Give Myself More Grace

I know this phrase is thrown around somewhat loosely, and it’s definitely easier said than done, but in this case, it IS very fitting. GIVE YOURSELF GRACE. You’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to think ungodly thoughts, you’re going to feel foreign in your own skin, you’re going to lose your sh*t on more than one occasion, and guess what? IT’S OK. No one is perfect and we’re all trying to do the best we can for our families. I was SO hard on myself those first few weeks and it took a toll on me. I am lucky to not have developed PPA or PPD but definitely had moments of feeling anxious, sad, lonely, you name it. So, my goal for next time is to give myself more grace and not be so hard on myself. I think this will greatly, greatly improve the quality of my early postpartum care and recovery!

I would love to hear ways YOU would upgrade your early postpartum care!

If you are looking to read more about Always Infinity FlexFoam pads click HERE.