Maternity essentials: Getting prepared

In recent weeks and months we've been ever so busy getting ready for the arrival of our exciting little bundle. As well as rejigging and organising our flat I've been trying to get myself physically and mentally ready for the actual labour. Eek! Last time around I discovered a few gems which helped me survive the early days of motherhood and recover from the birth. So I'm buying up the things I know I'll need and I thought I'd share some of the products that helped me get through it all.





Underworks post delivery girdle belt. I used one of these after V was born to help aid my physical recovery. I wore it for a few weeks until I felt my abdominal muscles were starting to work a bit better again, and by which point the belt had ceased to be tight around my waist. Understandably not everyone would choose to bind their belly after childbirth, but for me I felt it really aided my recovery and I felt comfortable with it on because it supported me and helped my posture when I was feeling a bit weak and wobbly around my middle. My tummy made a pretty good recovery and I don't know how much of that can be credited to the support belt and how much was just sheer good luck, but I will be using one again in the hope of a repeat experience.

Lansinoh HPA lanolin. Most mums and expectant mums probably know of this already, but the stuff is an absolute godsend for helping you to breastfeed. Breastfeeding did not go at all well for me, but without this stuff I know that I wouldn't have been able to do it at all because the pain was just excruciating. One day I will write a blog post on my experience of breastfeeding, but it is a very long (and painful) story so I won't go on about it now. Anyway this lanolin cream doesn't heal mental trauma but it is the best thing I found for healing damaged nipples!

Lansinoh ultra thin nursing pads. I preferred these type of thin yet absorbent breast pads with sticky strips on the back to adhere to the inside of your bra. They generally stay in place and keep you feeling dry for ages.

Nelsons Arnica pillules. My mum brought me arnica when I was recovering from childbirth last time around, as apparently it helps with the healing process. I was in a lot of pain for ages after the delivery and I had an episiotomy which took a long time to heal. But as I couldn't take much more than paracetamol due to breastfeeding etc, I figured that I would try anything that might help me recover quicker and I took the arnica religiously. Since then I've often used arnica in a topical form when V gets a bump or bruise, and it seems to be a bit of a miracle product for reducing bruising in particular. So I do believe it works and I'm prepared to use the pills again. This is a homeopathic remedy and you may wish to do some research or ask your doctor before trying it out.

The Spatone iron sachets are something I've actually never used before but I know my iron levels will be needing help after I give birth. My last blood test showed I was slightly anaemic so I'm currently taking the iron tablets prescribed by my doctor. I'm hoping that when my iron levels are higher I can switch to taking the Spatone to maintain my levels. The reason I'd prefer this is that many friends have told me the Spatone is much gentler on your system and pleasant to take compared to the usual iron tablets (which can play havoc with your digestive system!)

I've purchased all of the above from Amazon. I think the Lansinoh products and the Spatone were cheaper at Amazon than in the main big pharmacies. There are lots of support garments you can buy similar to the Underworks one, but I liked the reasonable price of this one as well as the fact that it seemed to work for me last time. I'd love to hear from other mums and expectant mums what your maternity essentials are, so please let me know if you have any top tips!