Going back to work was pretty hard on me initially. As a first-time mom, it’s a hard adjustment going from spending every day all day with your child to not seeing them for a few hours a day or more. I probably cried every day for a while while preparing to go back to the office – something I anticipated would happen. Couple that with the hormones that are still exiting my body as my body slowly goes back to its pre-pregnancy (and eventually pre-breastfeeding) state, emotionally and physically I’ve had to make sure that I was doing things to nurture myself too now that I was adding full-time work back to our busy life. As a result, I remember trying to purchase and brainstorm things that would make my transition easier and would ensure that when we do get off of work, we can spend as much time as we can with our daughter when she’s awake and to maximize our family time. While I am certainly no expert on this and I won’t pretend that these are things that have never been used before, but as someone who typically likes to browse the web to hear what other people recommend for certain things, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things that have helped me during postpartum That are affordable.
Owala Water Bottle:
I purchased a 40oz Owala Tumbler shortly after giving birth because one of the things my OBGYN had emphasized would help my postpartum swelling go down, help me heal from giving birth, and help me maintain my breastmilk supply is to stay hydrated. I like my drinks cold, so I wanted something that would keep my water cold for a long time since I knew as a new mom I’d get distracted throughout the day. I love it because it does help me to drink more water and I ended up grabbing a smaller bottle (the 32oz Free Sip) to bring to work since the 40z would be too big for me to lug back and forth during my commute. They even have new bottles now that have twist lids. I purchased this one from Target, but there’s a number of them available on their website or on Amazon too.
Now, Owala isn’t the only water bottle that exists, so I’d recommend getting what works best for you. However, I recommend this bottle as someone who uses it because it’s one of the best I’ve owned and is BPA and lead-free!
Breastmilk Bags:
I own a Spectra breast pump that I got through insurance (highly recommend checking with your OBGYN to see if your insurance will give you a free or discounted one) and knew that I didn’t want to have to carry my bottles to and from work each day. I found these bags that pump directly into the bags that can be stored in the fridge or freezer, so I purchased them. I figured that I could discreetly store these in my lunch box and place them in the fridge until I go home and have them so our daughter can have them for the following day (or to be frozen for a later date).
Baby Tracker:
I don’t know if this goes for parents with children in daycare, but my mom is going to be watching our daughter while we’re at work, so I purchased a baby tracker so she can track things like her feeds, how long she sleeps, tummy time, etc. I use an app to track those things, but my mom does not so we grabbed one so that while we’re away, those things are still being tracked.
Meal Kits:
We started using Every Plate while I was on maternity leave and ended up loving it! We save money on groceries as a result and we end up enjoying a lot of the meals we’ve had so far. I think there might have been one meal that we absolutely didn’t like and therefore never ordered again. It has made cooking easier because we just have to prepare the food and cook it. There’s no need to go grocery shopping or spend time trying to figure out what we want to eat and when to grab the ingredients for it. We receive a box that has all of it and then make and eat. I wrote a review of our experience with it so far here on our Substack if you’d like to read it. We include a code at the end that you can use if you’d like a free box to try out, that will give us money towards our next box as well, if you click the link we shared on our Substack.
Nursing pads:
I’m sure this is self-explanatory but as someone who breastfeeds, grabbing this was a must. It gives me a little extra added security so that I don’t have to worry about leaks ruining my bras or tops while I’m at work.
Lunch Bag Big Enough for Breastmilk and Lunch:
I didn’t want to have to lug around a bunch of bags to and from work, because I knew it would be likely that I’d end up accidentally forgetting at least one of them if I did this. While two bags is still two bags too many for me, I’m accustomed to carrying my purse and lunch bag to work. So instead of carrying another bag for my breastmilk, I got a lunch bag that would be able to hold both my lunch and potentially my breastmilk in the same bag since I would be placing it in the fridge. I didn’t want to have my breastmilk bags out in the open in the staff fridge, so I figured my lunch bag would hide them pretty discreetly and keep me from having to carry multiple bags. I pack mostly salads for lunch, so this worked really well for me as opposed to getting a separate bag for it that I’d end up leaving behind accidentally.
Bookbag for Pump:
Unless you have one of those pumps that are wearable (which honestly, I would’ve gotten if my insurance didn’t give us a free breastpump), you will need a bag that’s big enough to fit your pump and pump materials. I ended up using my pump bag as my work bag as well, so I packed things I needed for my commute, my keys, etc in that same bag in a different compartment than my pumping necessities. I highly recommend getting a bag that does this so you don’t have to carry a purse (if you carry one), your lunch bag, AND your pump bag.
Snacks:
Whether you’re breastfeeding or not, snacks are also a must. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I need a little snack during night feeds to keep me from falling asleep and to keep my supply up. I wasn’t much of a snacker at work until pregnancy and that has continued into postpartum. Grab snacks, especially ones packed with protein to cull those hunger pangs as you work or pump.
New Clothes:
While I can fit some of my non-maternity clothes purchased pre-pregnancy, they don’t fit the same way in my postpartum body. I had to get a C-section so, if you know, you know. Not to mention, my chest size is larger so my tops fit differently they once did and done tops would no longer be appropriate for me to wear professionally. As a result, I’ve been purchasing some transitional items to try to make me feel comfortable in my postpartum body. I focused more on basics and necessities, as well as a couple of items that I thought will make me feel confident wearing them until I begin weaning from breastfeeding.
That’s my list! What are some items that were/are helpful for you?
