The Postpartum Recovery Kit: what your body needs after birth
After birth, almost all the attention goes to the baby. Meanwhile your body is doing one of the biggest repair jobs it will ever do. You cannot speed that up. You can create the conditions for it.
Contents
What happens in your body
Healing and hormonal adjustment run side by side. Your uterus shrinks back, wounds heal and your hormone levels drop fast. Your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles look for balance again. That takes longer than the six weeks often mentioned.
All of that costs energy. Rest here does not mean sitting still, but asking less of your body for a while.
How rest carries through to your recovery and to breastfeeding is explained in the invisible side of breastfeeding.
Why preparing makes such a difference
Every errand that still has to be done comes out of that same energy.
Preparing starts during pregnancy. Getting to know your pelvic floor is part of that: the better you know those muscles beforehand, the easier you find them again. More about that in The Pelvic Floor Plan.
Your partner can prepare too. What helps then is explained in how fathers can prepare for the postpartum period.
The Postpartum Recovery Kit
A postpartum recovery kit is not a package you buy, but things you put ready in advance. That way you do not have to fetch or look for anything in the first weeks.
This list comes from my own practice as a maternity nurse.
Download your Recovery Kit checklist here
Free, one A4 to tick off.
How to use the checklist. Save it to your phone and open it in your files app. Ticked boxes stay ticked there. In your browser they disappear. Printing and forwarding work too.
The underlined words are products I have had good experiences with. It is about the kind of product, not the brand.
Your body
This part is about what your body needs to heal, mainly in the first two weeks.
Maternity pads or maxi pants
After birth you lose lochia: blood, wound fluid and mucus from the uterus. The first five days it is heavy. You change about every three hours, so count on around eight a day.
You do not need both. Maxi pants leak through least, pads feel better to others. With pads, watch two things: no plastic top layer, and longer and wider than ordinary sanitary pads.
How many: three packs of fifteen maternity pads for the first week. With maxi pants: two packs of pants plus two of pads. Week two to six: two packs of thinner sanitary pads.
Mesh underwear
Mesh underwear keeps the pad soft and firmly in place, without squeezing. They are washable, so you only need a few.
Bed pads
Bed pads protect your bed and sofa from leaks. Your maternity package already holds a pack. Buy one extra and you have enough. Later they work as a changing mat.
Cold packs
Cooling mainly helps in the first 24 to 48 hours, while the swelling builds. It slows the blood flow briefly, so less fluid gathers and the pain eases. Always put a cloth between the cold pack and your skin.
There are two kinds: cooling maternity pads with a cold element inside, and reusable packs with gel beads you freeze.
A cheap alternative is apple syrup in a ziplock bag in the freezer. It does not go hard, so it keeps moulding to your body.
How many: two cold packs, or one box of cooling maternity pads.
Peri bottle
A peri bottle is a squeeze bottle. After using the toilet you rinse the healing area with lukewarm water instead of wiping. Wiping presses on stitches, rinsing does not, and weeing stings less.
How many: one bottle is enough.
Paracetamol
Paracetamol eases the pain in the first days. For the first five days, 1000 mg every six hours on a fixed schedule is often advised. That keeps the level steady. Your midwife will tell you what suits you.
That is eight tablets of 500 mg a day, and also the maximum. Do not take it longer than five days without asking. Check the strength per pack, that differs per brand. Paracetamol also comes soluble or as granules. How many: about forty tablets of 500 mg.
Ibuprofen
If paracetamol does not help enough, you can add ibuprofen. It also reduces inflammation.
Ibuprofen is fine while breastfeeding. Still, always start with paracetamol and only add ibuprofen if you need it.
Ask your midwife, GP or pharmacy which dose suits you. How many: one box to have on hand.
Thermometer
Take your temperature daily in the first days. A raised temperature can be an early sign of infection: uterus, wound or breasts. Use your own thermometer, not your baby's.
How many: one, just for you.
Supplements
Supplements are not necessary and this is not medical advice. A varied diet provides most of it. If in doubt, ask your midwife or GP.
Vitamin C. Needed for collagen, and so for wound healing.
Magnesium citrate. Softens the stool.
Magnesium bisglycinate. Often chosen because it works less laxative than citrate. Choose one of the two.
Psyllium husk. Adds bulk to the stool, so you push less. Drink enough water with it.
Iron. After heavy blood loss. Have your levels checked before long term use.
Omega 3. The DHA passes into your breast milk.
Your rest
Protecting your rest works better when your body feels comfortable and you eat and drink enough.
Comfort and clothing
Pyjamas that button up, 2 to 3. No pressure on belly or stitches, and feeding is easier.
A soft dressing gown, 1. For days when getting dressed is too much.
Warm socks, 2 pairs. Hormonal shifts can leave you shivery.
An eye mask or blackout curtains. Dark makes a daytime nap far more effective.
Earplugs, 1 set. Fewer stimuli, quicker to relax.
Lip balm, 1. You lose a lot of fluid.
Food and drink
You mainly need protein for cell repair, iron after the blood loss, vitamin C for collagen and fibre for a soft stool.
It does not have to be perfect. What to avoid while breastfeeding is explained in can you eat anything while breastfeeding?
Eating is usually not the problem, having the energy to arrange it is. So put this ready in advance:
Frozen meals, 5 to 7. Enough for the first week.
Easy snacks, about a week's worth. You need fuel at night too.
Prune juice or dried prunes, 1 bottle or pack. Fibre keeps the stool soft.
A bottle with a straw, 1. Drinking without having to sit up.
Your surroundings
A prepared home reduces stimuli and interruptions. It comes down to what is ready in the house, and what you arrange with others.
In the house
An extra set of bed linen, 1 to 2. Night sweats and leaking breasts are common.
A soft night light, 1. Enough to see by for feeding, without waking up fully.
A recovery trolley or free drawer, 1. Water, snacks, pads, wipes and chargers within reach.
Laundry detergent for blood stains, 1 pack. Lochia washes out best cold.
Disinfectant cleaner, 1. For the toilet.
Disinfectant cleaner, 1. Handy for the toilet, which gets a lot of use in the first weeks.
What you arrange beforehand
Part of the kit is not bought but arranged. Tick these off too:
Housework ahead. Laundry done, fridge stocked, a clean house around your due date.
Visitors. Agree with your partner who comes, when and for how long.
Your own triggers. Think about what makes you restless.
Accepting help. Who brings food, shops or walks the dog?
Why rest and a prepared home matter so much is explained in the invisible side of breastfeeding.
The fourth trimester is for you too
Recovery is not about getting better faster, but about creating the conditions for it. Your body knows how to heal. It needs time and rest.
It is usually the small things that make the difference: a calm home, things within reach, enough food and moments to really relax.
Which food helps in these weeks is covered in eating while breastfeeding.
Frequently asked questions
How many maternity pads do I need?
Count on three packs of fifteen for the first week. You change about every three hours, so around eight a day in the first days. From day three or four you change less often. After that the bleeding eases and you need thinner pads.
How long does lochia last?
Usually four to six weeks. In the first five days the bleeding is heavy and bright red. After that it gets less and lighter in colour.
Maxi pants or maternity pads, which is better?
Neither. Maxi pants give the smallest chance of leaking through, maternity pads sit more comfortably for many women. You do not need both, it is personal preference.
When do I call the midwife?
Call with a temperature of 38 degrees or higher, or if the bleeding picks up again. Call too if your maternity pad is full within half an hour, or with a wound that turns warm and throbs. A single large clot is usually normal. In doubt? Calling is always fine.
Do you really need a postpartum recovery kit?
No, you do not have to. But preparing saves you a lot of getting up and searching in the first weeks. That is exactly the energy your body needs for recovery.
Love,
Bobby
Sources
Written by Bobby, maternity nurse at Bobby Kraamzorg. Last updated: September 2026.
Bobby believes in being transparent. Some links in this article are affiliate links. This information is free and stays free, for everyone. Bobby only recommends products she would recommend without a fee, and works with no sponsors. If you order through such a link, a small commission goes to Bobby. It is a way to support her, if you want to.
