DIY All Natural Postpartum Survival Kit

Having an all natural postpartum survival kit ready to go before birth is helpful because the first week postpartum can be really tough. Parents are transitioning to taking care of a baby, the postpartum body is recuperating (quite well thanks to this postpartum survival kit!) from the physical journey of childbirth, there’s sleep deprivation, baby blues, and breastfeeding… basically it’s a little nutty.

Despite the chaos, mom’s ONLY priorities are:

1. Taking care of herself (going to the bathroom, taking the occasional shower, accepting food and drinks from friends family) and
2. Taking care of baby

Ideally, everything else should not be mom’s concern.

On This Page

7 minute read
↓Postpartum Survival Kit Ingredients
↓Postpartum Pads
↓I ♡Adult Diapers
↓Overnight/Heavy Flow Pads
↓Regular Flow Pads
↓Panty Liners
↓DIY Postpartum Survival Kit
↓Perineal Balm
↓Perineal Spray
↓Wish Garden AfterEase Tincture
↓Homeopathic Arnica
↓Rhoid Balm
↓Flushable Wipes
↓Peri Bottle
↓Postpartum Herbs
↓Anxiety Aromatherapy Spray
↓Placenta Encapsulation
↓A Chocolate Stash

Postpartum Survival Kit Ingredients

After spending a week with my adorable new baby, and plenty of visits to the bathroom, for whatever reason I really wanted to share with you what I would consider a postpartum survival kit.

I highly recommend purchasing these items ahead of time, and not waiting until after baby is born. Your postpartum self will thank you for the advanced planning and thoughtfulness!

Below is a picture of my basket that I left in my bedroom/bathroom that had everything I needed for postpartum care. Especially for first time moms, I thought this might be helpful to know and to give an idea of what to expect.

Postpartum Pads

The bulkiest items in a postpartum survival kit are various postpartum pads for the first six weeks. Here are the different types of pads I used, how many I bought, and how long I used them for.

I ♡ Adult Diapers

(not pictured) 6 Adult Diapers – I prefer adult diapers for during labor and immediate postpartum. It’s so much easier to use these than try to use a pad in underwear when your bleeding is heavy. If you decide to make/use padsicles, you’ll put one inside an adult diaper to contain leaks. Throw the padsicle away when you’re done, but keep the adult diaper on if it’s still clean.

Keep these c-panties below in mind if you are planning for or had a cesarean birth!

Overnight/Heavy Flow Pads

1 Package of Overnight/Heavy Flow Pads – After using the adult diapers, I started wearing these. They are huge, but perfect for the heavy flow you still have 1-2 days postpartum.

Regular Flow Pads

1 Package of Regular Flow Pads – At a week postpartum my bleeding is pretty light but sometimes it’ll be a bit heavier. Panty liners wouldn’t work at this point.

Panty Liners

1 Package of Panty Liners – After 1-3 weeks you’ll likely only be using panty liners.

DIY Postpartum Survival Kit

Beyond pads, I’ve pieced together some postpartum essentials that really saved me during those first weeks.

Perineal Balm

Earth Mama Perineal Balm – This balm is probably my favorite thing in this postpartum survival kit. It soothes and cools my lady bits and is refreshing. Ladies, it smells amazing and has this cooling tingly sensation that makes everything just feel alright. I highly recommend it to all new moms moms. Seriously, it’s that good! Best of all, it’s non-toxic and petroleum free.

Here’s how to use it.

1. go to the bathroom (pee, poo… whatever)
2. use my peri bottle to cleanse the whole area
3. use toilet paper to dab and wipe
4. put a new pad in my panties
5. wipe a small amount of the perineal balm all over my vulva

Perineal Spray

Earth Mama Perineal Spray – This perineal spray isn’t as awesome as the balm, but it’s still lovely to spray. The smell is nice and it’s uplifting. Some parents prefer this to the perineal balm.

Wish Garden AfterEase

(not pictured) Wish Garden AfterEase – Holy after birth pains, Batwoman! I definitely didn’t have that bad of cramping the first time around but for the first 1-3 days after having my second I was literally having to breathe through the pain of the contractions/cramping. Oy. I think this herb blend helped… and when it wouldn’t cut it I took ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen – Don’t let the pain get out of hand! If the AfterEase isn’t cutting it, take 2-3 ibuprofen as needed. I was so surprised about these postpartum contractions!

Homeopathic Arnica

Homeopathic Arnica – Homeopathic Arnica is perfect for immediate postpartum. Arnica is helpful for bruising, swelling, and other trauma on the body.

Rhoid Balm

Motherlove Rhoid Balm – If you have hemorrhoids you’ll love Motherlove’s Rhoid Balm. I love Motherlove’s products in general, but their rhoid balm has been a lifesaver for many.

Flushable Wipes

(not pictured) Flushable Wipes – Wipes are so much kinder than toilet paper and your behind will thank you when you have your first postpartum bowel movements. FYI – most plumbers don’t recommend flushing flushable wipes.

Peri Bottle

(not pictured) 1 Peri Bottle – use this instead of wiping with toilet paper. You can put warm water in it and it feels really nice. If you use postpartum herbs, you can put your “tea” in there instead of just water. Frida Mom made this really cool peri bottle that’s even easier to use than the standard peri bottle. Less mess!

Postpartum Herbs

(not pictured) Postpartum Herbs – My midwife gave me her herb blend to encourage postpartum healing. I used it in my peri bottle instead of water. Basically you make a tea, and put the tea in the peri bottle and spray your vulva after peeing in the toilet. If you don’t want to make your own, I know Earth Mama sells them.

More Postpartum Survival Kit Ingredients

Here are a few more ideas for your postpartum survival kit that I found to be helpful.

Postpartum Anxiety Aromatherapy Spray

Postpartum Anxiety Aromatherapy Spray – Essential oils have absolutely helped me cope through some tough times and were one of the many tools I used to heal. The following is a postpartum anxiety aromatherapy spray that is easy and fun to make, that can help in your postpartum healing.

Placenta Encapsulation

Placenta Pills – After taking placenta pills I noticed increased energy (if only my body could keep up with my energy!) and a decrease in anxiety. There are so many benefits to placenta encapsulation. Highly recommend it!

A Chocolate Stash

Chocolate – Does this really need an explanation? Enjoy this treat. You’re worth it. 🙂

Postpartum Survival Tips

Here are some postpartum survival tips and advice I found to be helpful after having my babies.

• For me, one of the most irritating postpartum stress triggers is clutter/a dirty home. If you’re having a hard time dealing with the clutter in your home, clean up your bedroom or the room you spend the most time in. I felt so much better if even the small area in my bedroom was clutter free which helped me to relax about my messy home as a whole.
• Schedule visiting hours to contain visitors for only a portion of the day. Your focus should be on breastfeeding your baby and rest, not hosting friends and family. 3-5 pm would work well, especially if your visitors brought dinner.
• Don’t schedule more than one outing or errand per day. Our minds want to accomplish great things like we did prior to baby, but our bodies need rest. Don’t overdo it or at the end of the day you’ll be crying and regretting your choices.
• The minutes, hours, and days may seem to blur together, but don’t forget to stay hydrated and nourished. Keep a waterbottle next to your bed.
• If you don’t have time for multiple sitz baths, consider using this herbal spray. It’s definitely the next best thing.
• If you have stitches/tearing/bruising use consider using a donut pillow. I always sat on my breastfeeding pillows… which flattened them. Poor Boppy!

How About You?

How about you? What did you like to have handy for postpartum recovery. Leave a comment and let me know what you had in your postpartum survival kit!

Here are some photos I took of these early days with baby (and a toddler!).