What to Put in Your Postpartum Bathroom
One of the first areas I implore expecting families to set up before a vaginal or cesarian birth is the postpartum bathroom. It’s a simple setup, but having everything together ahead of time makes all the difference in those early fourth-trimester days after giving birth. Here’s a bit more info on what to actually put in your postpartum bathroom.
Postpartum Bathroom Organizer
A bathroom-friendly container organized with all of your essentials makes bathroom trips less stressful. The last thing you want to do when achy and sore is hunt for the things you need while trying to prepare yourself with new pads, undies, and more. I typically suggest one of two options — a wipable basket to keep on the toilet tank or on a shelf that is reachable from the toilet, or a complete postpartum bathroom cart. Both options are below for your to compare and decide what works best for your fourth-trimester healing.
Washable Basket
A postpartum basket or storage container of sorts is a must. This could be a cute plastic basket or a clear storage container that you can easily wipe should a little bit of lochia or blood get on it. Some hospitals give you a basin full of baby’s things when you leave and that is perfect for this (if you had a hospital birth).
Rolling Utility Cart
Similar to a postpartum basket or storage container, a utility cart can help keep all of the postpartum bathroom essentials organized and within reach. A rolling cart is a fantastic option if you don’t have shelves near the toilet, or if you simply have too much to keep in a single basket. It can also feel a bit cumbersome to twist your body to reach a postpartum basket from behind you after giving birth, so being able to use the utility cart as walking support on the way to the bathroom and then easily pull it towards you as you sit down is a nice perk. It’s also nice to be able to have healing aids, padsicles, regular pads, and underwear in different sections of the cart. Mini storage trays allow you to further organize within the tiers, too! Bonus: This cart can be used for so many other things once you don’t need it as a postpartum bathroom cart anymore.
Postpartum Clean Up
There’s no denying that “down there” needs some assistance cleaning up after giving birth. If you had a hospital birth they might give you a peri bottle that looks akin to a condiment container but I have two other options for you instead — one short-term while healing and the other that will make your bathroom the sanctuary you never knew you needed.
Angled Peri Bottle
An angled peri bottle makes all the difference when trying to clean off blood/lochia and other fun stuff after having a baby. Why does an angled Peri bottle matter? The more direct aim allows for better cleanings between pad changes and the material used in these consumer peri bottles made specifically for postpartum use are easier to hold and squeeze.
Bidet Toilet Seat
There are all sorts of bidets but the one I am linking to in the button below is a warm water bidet with a warm seat and glowing toilet light that has a peri wash mode, child mode, and the ability to change the angle, temperature, and intensity of the bidet. The bidet won’t spray water unless the seat has a certain amount of weight on it (this is helpful if you have a toddler who likes to push buttons). Adding this bidet to your postpartum bathroom would add some comfort to otherwise uncomfortable bathroom visits. It’s a kindness to your postpartum body AND future self when having a bowel movement or period. People in your home will fight over using the bathroom with this bidet. One of my kids finally started using the potty solely because she wanted to use the toilet with this bidet. I just can’t say enough about it. See it in action on my TikTok here.
Postpartum Underwear
Parents everywhere know all about the iconic mesh underwear postpartum moms are given in the hospital _ and the joy of having to find adult incontinence underwear for use at home once the few undies the hospital provided for the healing journey at home run out. But there are far more underwear options for postpartum parents, now! Choose from a slightly more comfortable disposable mesh underwear made from postpartum or regular underwear created specifically for the postpartum period — or both! It can be helpful to have different types of postpartum underwear options on hand for the different phases of your postpartum healing journey… a graduation from mesh undies to the more comfortable postpartum undies if you will.
Mesh Undies
If you have your baby at the hospital you’ll get a pack of disposable mesh undies to take home with you after your cesarian or vaginal birth. But if you’d like to be stocked up for comfort, stores now sell a bunch of different types of disposable mesh postpartum underwear to absorb leaks and lochia/blood.
Reusable Underwear
In case you don’t want to feel like you’re at the hospital when healing after birth, or simply aren’t a fan of disposable items, underwear created for postpartum leaks & bleeding may be more up your alley. Nyssa offers a line of soft postpartum undies with a slit to insert a reusable warm/cool pack on the abdomen or between the legs. These undies allow for you to leak and bleed as normal (paired with additional pads if needed).
Pads for Postpartum
Like all of our postpartum bathroom categories, you have a few options when it comes to postpartum pads. You’ll want to buy organic if you can since your nether regions are far more sensitive than usual, but you can either purchase organic pads and use them for lochia absorption as well as to make at-home padscicles, or you can choose to buy different pads for the different uses. Below are a few pad options for postpartum as well as options for ready-made instant ice padsicles, pads, or even underwear made to hold the lochia with the use of a reusable cold pack (as mentioned in the section before this one).
Organic Disposable Pads
Large organic pads are beneficial for creating DIY padsicles or simply collecting blood without causing further irritation after delivery. You’ll need these no matter the type of delivery that you have. Choose from Rael or Honeypot Organic Cotton Cover Pads, or Nyssa’s fourth-trimester organic pad set!
Reusable Panties for Leaks
Mommy Matters’ adjustable 2-in 1 HEAL Postpartum Panty offers c-section-friendly support and can hold up to 5 tsp of liquid — all while providing a cooling relief with the provided reusable gel insert.
Padsicles
Store-bought padscicles or “instant ice pads” are a great alternative to DIY padsicles. The cooling may not last as long, but you can keep them nearby without adding a mini-fridge to your bathroom or making trips to the freezer for a cool pad. These are activated similarly to the cooling pads in a hospital (simple shake or bend/snap). They collect blood — but not super well —while in use for their cooling aide.
Cooling Postpartum Packs
Similar to postpartum underwear and pads, you have both disposable and reusable options available to fill your postpartum bathroom, and you may find that you want either one or the other, or a mixture of both as you progress on your fourth-trimester healing journey.
Nyssa Reusable Hot/Cold Pack
Reusable cooling packs are wonderful for the postpartum period because they aren’t use it then lose it — they can be reused again and again. Nyssa’s reusable hot/cold packs can be warmed or cooled and washed easily when they get leaked on, too. Nyssa offers a Uterine hot/cold pack option and Between the Legs hot/cold pack option for different needs. I’ve found some other reusable cooling pack options in local stores but theirs is either a gel or little beads in a plastic sleeve that didn’t meet my quality standards.
Bonus: Use these again for warm or cool packs on your breasts, for period pain, or during a hot or cold day!
Instant Ice Pads
Instant ice pads were already mentioned in the “Pads for Postpartum” section as “padsicles” but they also fit the cooling ice packs section so it’s worth repeating. These are a disposable option and can run kind of pricey if you end up needing several boxes to soothe your post-birth perineum. The cooling sensation lasts maybe 10 minutes, so the same or less than a reusable cooling pad. Ice pads can be used for the vaginal area or around your cesarian scar.
Perineal Postpartum Healing
Whether or not you tear during birth, your vagina, perineum and rectum all need extra tender loving care in the postpartum period so I’m sharing a few items you may want to have on hand to help with that healing during the sensitive fourth-trimester healing.
NeoHeat Red Light Therapy
NeoHeat by Mommy Matters is an innovative, Ob-Gyn-designed device that uses 8 high-powered, UV-free red and infrared lights (LEDs) to accelerate internal and external healing after a vaginal birth. The lights “penetrate deeply into the tissue to repair wounds and restore health, stimulate blood circulation, reduce inflammation, and provide rapid pain relief” adds Mommy Matters. It comes with NeoBrief, which holds the device in place during treatment and has a padded gusset to absorb postpartum bleeding (it’s machine washable for easy cleaning!). NeoHeat connects to an app that gives you a step-by-step tutorial, times each session and allows you to track your symptoms and healing progress.
Perineal Spray
If you have a vaginal delivery, your provider might give you Dermoplast (Amazon affiliate) to help with the discomfort. In case they don’t, or you prefer a more natural alternative, Earth Mama Organic’s Perineal Spray is a good at-home option as well.
Squatty Potty
What good are all of the other healing salves and sprays if your pelvic floor isn’t properly supported when using the toilet? If you don’t already have a squatty potty or similar in your bathroom, add one to your toilet now to prevent more perineal tearing in postpartum and prolapse from excessive pushing.
Hemorrhoid Salve
Sadly, postpartum hemorrhoids are fairly inevitable for a lot of moms. Heal them during pregnancy and postpartum with a natural salve that is said to be gentle and fast-acting.
Postpartum Sitz Bath
There are sitz bath teas that you can brew and put in a basin over the toilet or pour into a warm bath to help soothe and heal your perineum after birth, but this Pink Stork Sitz Bath doesn’t require brewing a tea — simply add it to your bath and try to unwind.
I truly hope this was helpful as you prep for your postpartum journey into the fourth trimester. let me know if I missed anything or you have a new suggestion to add to the list!
