Our favourite products for postpartum recovery

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Realistically, new mothers primarily need physical rest, mental support and nourishment through meals – but this is a collection of some tried and tested postpartum products that can help to heal and soothe a mama’s healing body after birth. These are the things I wish someone had told me about earlier – that would be so helpful to pack in a hospital bag or find in an easy-to-reach place for home birth mamas. Please note this is not an exhaustive list of what is on the market, there are some amazing brands out there creating beautiful, helpful products once you start looking (I have a feeling your Instagram feed will never be the same) but it will certainly give you some context to get started. Just remember to take it with a grain of salt mamas – we don’t need everything and every postpartum journey is different. 💜

Cool and heat packs ❄️🔥
These are hands down one of my favourite postpartum recovery go-tos, perfect for soothing things post birth. Sometimes your body will need cooling and other times you’ll need warming (speak to your GP or midwife about this) but having something on hand that you can both heat and cool is certainly beneficial. I loved the BareMum warm and cool insert that very cleverly goes inside the pocket of their Postpartum briefs (see below) – it actually smells lovely and is nice and flexible even when chilled. You can still feel it when wearing a pad too (and yes this is a VERY important detail to have included).
On this thread, you can also purchase a set of reusable breast gel packs (I just had the Kmart basic brand but BodyIce, Viva La Vulva and BareMum have lovely ones) that are great to help cool things down after milk comes in. Or you know, a bag of peas could help too! Make sure you also have a regular full size heat pack handy for sore shoulders/back from all the feeding/rocking you’ll be doing too.
Supportive Postpartum briefs/belly wrap 🩲
I opted for the excellent high waisted briefs from BareMum (that pair with the cool pack above) – these have 2 clever cut outs to insert the cool/warm pouch within the underwear, either in the gusset or across the abdomen (perfect for belly births) which means it’s not actually touching your skin. They’re ultra high waisted with a nice bit of compression which is exactly what your belly is going to need when everything is coming back together after birth. Note you should definitely speak to your Women’s health physio/midwife/GP about compression and perhaps get some tubular wrap for your belly which will also help hold everything together effectively (great alternative to purchasing a belly band – which is also an option).
You’ll also find that many doulas now offer belly binding which is an age-old tradition practiced across Asia, Europe and Latin America – where a lovely soft cloth is wrapped intricately around the abdomen after birth. These can be done as an in-home service from Doulas and is such a beautiful way to show some love to your body after all it’s done growing another human.
Disposable Maternity pads / underwear 🩸
Postpartum bleeding is a big part of recovery post birth – so you want to be prepared for it. You could opt for full disposal postpartum briefs (basically mama nappies) from brands like Bubba Bump or Partum Panties, making sure that they are the ones that have pads built in. There are some options from the supermarket too from brands like Always or Tena.
The ones I bought (New Beginnings) were described as reusable mesh underwear that unfortunately were pretty useless to me as they hardly held a pad in place (I had assumed that was their main function). Realistically you can just grab a super pack of organic pads from the supermarket and wear some basic high waisted undies. Some clever women on Tiktok and Instagram show their DIY soothing ‘padsicles’ which is basically the addition of witch hazel and aloe vera spread on them before freezing – these are great for the first day or two of postpartum inflammation (chat to your health professional about them too). You can ofcourse buy pre-made cooling padsicles for your immediate PP from brands like Noonie too.
Comfortable nursing bra and pads 🤱
Gosh your poor boobs really do go through the ringer during postpartum, whether you choose to breastfeed or not. You will want to go for wireless support with a soft material like bamboo or cotton which you could grab from Boody, perhaps even a leakproof one from ModiBodi or the soft reversible Postpartum Bralette from BareMum (which has inserts for their warm/cold packs too). I was gifted Bonds breastfeeding singlet which was actually so perfect for wearing under a tshirt/jumper (you dont flash your belly to everyone) and you really couldn’t go past this option in Winter.
If you are breastfeeding you’ll notice that your supply is still getting established that you may be prone to leaking – I found these Econaps reusable bamboo nursing pads to be so easy to use, wash and swap out whenever I needed. Bonus use for once your done with leaking/feeding journey – they make excellent makeup remover wipes!
Nipple shields 🛡️
These were the real MVPs that helped me get on my feeding journey, as things start to get rather raw and sore after a few days (especially when bub is trying to help bring your milk in by cluster feeding). They are basically just thin silicone covers which create a barrier to your nipples. I found the ones from Avent to be perfect that you can grab from any supermarket/chemist – I didn’t find the thicker silicone ones (i.e. Haakaa brand) to be up my alley.
Silverettes are often raved about and I did invest in some before bub arrived – they are mostly helpful for protecting the nipple and surrounding skin from sticking to the material of your bra/nursing pad – which is ideal if you’re having any difficulty managing nipple damage from feeding. They are made of medical grade sterling silver so they are antibacterial and antimicrobial. Certainly worth asking around to see if anyone has some you can borrow – they are just another tool in your kit that will not be used forever. We sought the help of an IBCLC – which I would 100% recommend as every mama and feeding journey is different.
Easy to sip water bottle 💧
Still to this day, my Frank Green 1 litre stainless steel bottle was my constant companion from pregnancy and beyond – as i’m sure you know hydration is absolutely KEY in postpartum and in particular, whilst breastfeeding. Even if you grab a copycat bottle from Cotton On or Kmart, try get one that you can sip easily from a straw (without tipping upwards) and ideally with a loop or handle that you can hold with 1 or 2 fingers rather than gripping the whole thing. Chances are you will be juggling a newborn, your water bottle and perhaps even a snack at the same time!
Insulated travel mug ☕️
Sure, I enjoy a nice porcelain mug of tea when i’m sitting comfortably up and resting – but chances are in postpartum you will either be rocking in a feeding chair, lying down or moving (slowly) around the house with bub and thus very likely to leave your cup of tea/coffee in another room to go cold. I love my Fressko cup which is so well insulated that it actually keeps my cuppa hot (for up to 3 hours) whilst staying cool to the touch on the outside. With a quick snap-close lid it makes it so much easier to sip on my chai around my baby (now toddler) rather than setting it aside and letting it go cold when i’m busy parenting/resting/driving. You can literally seal up the lid and pop it straight into your bag and it won’t leak!
Breastfeeding probiotic 💊
This one is MUST have if you’re breastfeeding, but it’s worth noting that you should be continuing any supplements after birth (although many women don’t/forget to continue doing so once bub arrives) as its SO important for recovery. When I started to feel the symptoms of mastitis coming on after several weeks of feeding (hot/cold from fever, sore breasts from blocked ducts etc) – my epic amazing naturopath (Paige, who is Nourishin’s in-house naturopath) recommended to me these Qiara Pregnancy and Breastfeeding probiotics which helped me get it sorted quickly. You can get it from quality chemists (you may need to call around, not everyone stocks it) or get it from The Memo here along with some of these other essentials.
Perineal Spray + Salts 🧂🛀
After a vaginal birth you are certainly going to be tender – and will have an array of things to manage down there (bleeding, potentially stitches and then actually going to the bathroom). Aiding in soothing and cleaning easily are an array of handy spray bottles like this ergonomic ones from BareMum, Viva La Vu lva or this handy little one from Noonie.
I’d also highly recommend doing a sitz bath which is basically where you sit your tender parts in a shallow bath to help soothe and heal. You could do this either in a bathtub or a small shallow tub (BubbaBump have this nice kit) – adding to the warm water epsom salts and even combine with soothing herbs like dried chamomile, calendula and lavender. Super helpful for haemorrhoids (which are extremely common after vaginal births and quite painful) and general soothing of the area.
Comfortable slippers and warm dressing gown 🥿👘
Before I was pregnant, I was an ugg boot girl – but oh how the times have changed. Getting up in the middle of the night to feed and tend to a newborn (change/feed/rock/repeat), pulling on ugg boots was NOT going to happen. Parked next to my bed was a pair of UGG sheepskin slippers, which are honestly exactly what your tired feet will need in postpartum. Paired with a thick, warm cotton bath robe/dressing gown (I prefer to steer away from the polyester ones) like this one you will be able to brave the elements no matter what time of the day or night you’re getting out of bed.
BONUS: A freezer full of nourishing meals! 🍲
If you are prepping meals for yourself, I’d recommend the IKEA 365 glass/stainless steel containers with clip on lids which are both oven and freezer safe, but you can also opt for standard aluminium foil trays from the supermarket (just make sure they have a lid) that will cut down on the washing up!
If you or your partner don’t quite get around to prepping everything for yourselves, you certainly need the Nourishin app in your life to rally your village for support and dropping you a meal(you can still download it on the Apple App Store or Google Play for free).
Alternatively, you could consider one of the delicious options for postpartum specific meal services that operate all over Australia – a more nutrient dense option that ordering takeaway but that’s always still an option! Whatever keeps you and the rest of your family nourished and happy.