Got a question about something you’re dealing with postpartum right now, or that you’re wondering about as you plan for the postpartum period? Pop it here.
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Does anyone have advice on avoiding getting “touched out”/ sensory overload? I have suspicions that the answer is “more sleep”.
Also, I haven’t heard of a “peri bottle” here but lots of US sites recommend them to make peeing more comfy after - would a spray bottle do?
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I used a condiment squeeze bottle (that we probably nicked from work). In recent years I’ve used a small spray bottle and cloth wipe when camping and it works well but that’s in a very very very post partum time so I’m not sure which method would feel nicer.
https://www.ebay.com.au/b/Kitchen-Squeeze-Bottles/20651/bn_72956439
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I have several friends swear by them (and they particularly liked the FridaMom braded one better than the one that the hospital sent home).I’m not post-partum yet but I think the point is that you spray a steady stream of water during and after you use the bathroom which helps with the burning sensations. A spray bottle would probably help but would be a little harder to use mid-stream.
I’ve also heard of people installing a bidet attachment to the toilet for a similar reason.
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And sometimes also right before to help the pee get started when your bladder is too shocked to know what to do. 
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oooh. I was in the hospital last time and couldn’t pee so they had to cathetarize me but this is genius!
You can also put witch hazel in the water for a little extra soothing.
I had a regular peri bottle from the hospital and the frida momwasher which arrived a few days after my (early) baby but it was still really nice to use.
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Question: what things do I need on my to-do list for after birth? I want to get some things set up with calendar reminders so I don’t miss deadlines.
So far I have:
- Add baby to insurance (currently have a reminder set for 10 days after planned c-section)
- Get SSN? I think my hospital may do this?
- Freeze baby’s credit (post SSN, I’m not sure how long that usually takes?)
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Do you want postpartum medical care stuff too? Set up a women’s health/ pelvic floor physiotherapy appointment for 6 weeks after giving birth.
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Thanks for that. I’m a little turned off using that brand because they used “vajay” instead of vagina but the concept is excellent. Our hospitals don’t have them and the midwives didn’t know what I was talking about when I had Duckling!
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Their branding can be annoying, but I’ve loved all their products (esp peri bottle) and they’re women owned small etc.
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I’ve only used the nose-frida (we bought a 2nd) and the mama bidet, but both were A+. That marketing sounds annoying and I think they’ve had a proliferation of products that I’m not sure I’d go for, but really A+++ on those two things.
Postpartum plan - I know you’re asking about some logistics things, but I think people really underestimate how much they need to plan for getting care for the postpartum period. My doula from my last birth is giving a virtual class on this that I would 100% pay for if I were expecting. I didn’t have a postpartum doula, but I’d work with one a 2nd time around even though I’ve been through it before.
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I’ll add to my previous comment. I recently lost a pregnancy and am going through the recovery of that. I ended up getting connected to a loss doula who has helped support me and our family through the process and when the miscarriage completed, she called to let me know that the period after a miscarriage you encounter some of the same hormonal shifts that are present and even with that reminder, I’ve been shocked by some of the things my body is doing.
I love doulas. My husband loves doulas. We’ve had two pregnancies and worked with two doulas (the first moved and doesn’t do this kind of support but helped me find the second and if I have another pregnancy I sure hope that second doula will be there with me throughout it) and I recommend them to everyone. They can help from afar with planning and also come and help in person.
Many work on a sliding scale if you’re not sure you can afford them. But if I was making a list of the things I need to do now to make postpartum better, it would be to hire a postpartum doula (and/or a birth doula who also does postpartum!!).
Happy to talk more about doulas if anyone wants. They’re the best. I might cross-post this to the pregnancy one too if I can figure out how.
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Thanks, I’d love to hear more about the kind of support you got from your doula post-partum! We have hired one (and now I’m scheduled in for a c-section so she won’t actually be able to join us at all in the hospital because of COVID). She’s said several times that she will be there for whatever I need after birth but I’m not usually quick to reach out and not sure what kinds of things that means.
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My two post partum doulas (work bestie and clinic owner) got annoyed that I didn’t call them and showed up. Both separately ensured I showered, checked on breastfeeding, my nutrition, my mental health, fed me etc. Like an ideal imaginary mom or mary Poppins showing up. If you just let them in, they’ll fix things.
Maybe they did dishes?
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Todo list for after:
- SSN - our hospital automatically gave us a form to return to the nurse, along with a big packet of other paperwork.
- Pediatrician appt if you don’t have one lined up yet
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Can you give some more details on this class? What does it cover?
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This thread is for all things postpartum! I’ve already picked a private lactation consultant to have a pregnancy and postpartum meeting with, and have started organising our parents and siblings on what support they’ll be available to provide.
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Yesss finding a ped and setting up an apt ahead of time is a must. Our practice sent out doctors each day we were in the hospital to check on me and the baby. Admittedly, I had a complicated birth. But I think they would’ve done it at least once if not twice even if I hadn’t.
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We were in hospital for a few days after birth (standard practice for our hospital) and that worked well for us because we also got seen by the ped right in hospital and had all Duckling’s newborn/ first week tests done without us having to travel anywhere. It was also very nice to hand baby over for a couple of hours to the nursery midwives even if emotionally it was hard.
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