Your pregnancy journey can come with a lot of new information to take in, and it can be exciting learning about all the different things your body will go through during labour or your postpartum recovery.
But with all these biglittlethings can also come information overload, particularly when it comes to what you should or shouldn’t do, or what products you do or don’t need to buy.
But mama-to-be, don’t fret. We’re here to help guide you through this journey one step at a time. Starting with what products might be recommended for your pre-birth routine, labour care, or postpartum recovery, and why you might choose to use them.
Products to help you prepare for birth.
We’re big believers in self-care throughout your journey, making sure that you take the time to listen to your body and rest and recover where you need. We know you’re working to take care of baby, but don’t forget to take care of yourself Mum.
Perineal Massage Oil
Perineal massage can help to keep your skin soft and flexible to help avoid vaginal tears during childbirth, and this gentle massage oil can help with that process by keeping your perineal (the skin between your vagina and anus) soft and moisturised.
A small amount of oil on your hand, index finger, and thumb can help with lubrication while massaging the perineum, vaginal opening, and wall. Perineum massage is a gentle way to stretch the perineum over the last few weeks of your pregnancy, and helps to reduce the risk of tearing during vaginal birth. Perineum massage is generally recommended from 34 weeks onwards and can be done 3-4 times per week after a shower or bath for maximum benefits.
Organic Raspberry Leaf Tea
Did you know that raspberry leaf tea has traditionally been used to help support a healthy pregnancy during the later stages of the third trimester?
Drinking this organic tea (from 32 weeks) can help to strengthen and tone your uterus in preparation for childbirth. You can also drink raspberry leaf tea postpartum as a way to support your uterine health post-birth, and it has even been known to help bring your uterus back into place more quickly (and with less pain) after birth.
Labour care kits.
The first step to preparing your body for labour is chatting with your medical care team about your birth plan and seeing what they recommend for your specific circumstances. Then it’s time to think about what birth products might help you throughout the process and recovery.
Labour Aid
For most Mums, labour is the most strenuous physical activity our body will go through during our lifetime. And just like any intense physical activity, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re keeping your body properly hydrated.
Labour Aid is an electrolyte drink to help avoid dehydration during the labour process. Because trust us, between the sweat and potential tears, you want to keep up your fluids as much as you can.
Don’t end up using it during labour? That’s ok, because if you’re breastfeeding you’ll need to keep your fluids up just as much (if not more!). Add this to your water bottle and have it handy to keep you hydrated during those cluster feeds.
Clary Sage Roller
Clary Sage oil is a natural uterotonic and can be a useful way to help induce labour, speed up the process, and reduce postpartum haemorrhaging.
Applying this sage roller to your wrists, ankles and pressure points after labour has begun can help improve the effectiveness of contractions, as well as provide a strong scent to focus on instead of the surges you’ll experience during those early stages.
Birth Kit
Want all the things to prepare you for birth? This birth kit of essentials contains our favourite Perineal Massage Oil, Organic Raspberry Leaf Tea, Labour Aid, Clary Sage Roller, and more (including some tools for your postpartum recovery).
It’s a great way to get what products you need for birth, while making sure you can nourish your body as best as possible throughout your labour care.
How do I take care of my postpartum body?
Congratulations mama, your body has just done something amazing. Now it’s time to give it some proper postpartum care to ease those aches and pains.
Postpartum Briefs
Specially designed postpartum briefs can help with your recovery whether you’ve given birth vaginally or via C-section. They’re breathable and stretchy to help support your changing body post-birth, and are uniquely designed to hold Warm & Cool Inserts to bring soothing relief over the site of a C-section wound or in the genital area.
Trust us when we say that these Postpartum Briefs plus our Herbal Infused Postpartum Pads are a necessity, whether you’ve given birth vaginally or via caesarean (fun fact, you may still bleed vaginally after a C-section).
Warm and Cool Inserts
Inflammation, irritation, and pain in sensitive areas is common after birth. These inserts can help provide some much-needed relief throughout your postpartum recovery, whether you’re warming them up in the microwave to provide relief from cramping, or popping them into the fridge or freezer to cool them down for inflammatory relief.
They’re specially designed to fit into our Postpartum Briefs through the front opening where they can sit over the site of a C-section. Or they can be slipped into the widened gusset of the briefs to provide comfort to the perineal area.
Herbal Infused Postpartum Pads
Whether giving birth vaginally or via C-section, postpartum pads should be on your hospital birth checklist of one item not to forget.
This herbal-infused variety is made with 100% cotton making them soft and comfortable, without the bulk. They’re also ultra-absorbent to help with postpartum bleeding or incontinence, and can be worn with Postpartum Briefs. And you can keep them in the freezer to soothe and cool (it’s always handy to have a few in there ready to go before birth!)
Perineal Foam
Perineal foam can help support that delicate genital area after birth by soothing irritation and bringing some comfort and relief to perineal swelling, tears, and haemorrhoids. The foam can be applied to postpartum pads and is designed to absorb into the skin, not the pad, to ensure maximum comfort.
This is hands down one of the most relieving products (and one of our personal favourites for postpartum care) whether you’ve birthed vaginally or via C-section. It’s like a cloud of comfort for a swollen vagina, tearing, bruising, haemorrhoids, or other discomfort down there.
Perineal Wash Bottle
Even simple tasks like going to the bathroom can bring forth pain and tenderness after birth. A specially designed Perineal Wash Bottle like this one is ideal for gently cleaning sensitive areas without the pressure of wiping.
Filled with cool or lukewarm water, or a natural sitz bath for further relief, you can help relieve the sting of urine and keep yourself clean. Leaving you to pat or air dry as needed, depending on your level of tenderness.
It can also come in handy if you’re struggling to reach down and wipe yourself after a C-section, as it can help keep things clean without having to lean over and put pressure on your wound area.
Healing Peri Spray
A Healing Peri Spray can not only help to bring relief from discomfort after birth but can also keep your perineal clean and soothed, or relieve haemorrhoids, to help with your postpartum recovery.
This spray is both nourishing and relieving to tender areas and can be applied multiple times per day to both the perineal as well as wounds from a caesarean section. You can even store it in the fridge for maximum benefit and cooling relief.
Postpartum Bath Salts
You may have heard of the benefits of a sitz bath, and these Postpartum Bath Salts are the perfect addition to your body’s recovery after birth.
A sitz bath is a therapeutic method to help soothe pain, itching, and other irritations of the genital area, or keep them clean if it’s still too difficult to shower. A shallow bath to soothe the perineal area or cover your incision after a C-section can be incredibly relieving in the days immediately after birth, and these Postpartum Bath Salts are a beautiful blend to soak in as you aid your postpartum self-care journey.
Feeding and Support Pillow
If you choose to breastfeed, it can sometimes be difficult after birth to hold your brand-new baby up for the duration of feeding time. Particularly if you’re still feeling a lot of pain and discomfort in the uterine area or avoiding putting pressure on a C-section incision.
A feeding and support pillow can help provide the support your baby needs while acting as a nursing aid and barrier to your most sensitive areas, so you can feed when and where you need with less discomfort. It’s also ideal for helping support your posture, which can otherwise lead to a sore back very quickly if you’re holding yourself in an awkward position throughout the day or during those tired night feeds.
They also come in a sweet and minimal design and a range of colours to suit your nursery aesthetic; Gumdrop, Birch, Slate and Natural.
The Complete Recovery Care Kit
This comprehensive postpartum care kit has been designed to help cleanse, support, protect, soothe, restore, and nourish your body after birth. With some of our most popular and essential post-birth care products including a Perineal Wash Bottle, Postpartum Briefs, Herbal Infused Postpartum Pads, Warm and Cool Inserts, Perineal Foam, and Postpartum Bath Salts. It’s the perfect bundle for yourself or to gift to another Mum after birth.
We hope this list can help you throughout your pre- and post-birth care routines. For more products that can support your birthing journey, shop our full collection for birth or products for postpartum care here.
