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What Do You Actually Need for the First Week Postpartum?
The short answer: absorbent pads, a peri bottle, a wrapped cold pack, loose clothing, water and simple food within reach, and someone to handle practical tasks. Add only what matches your birth and your discharge instructions, and get it ready before the birth: the first week is not the time to wait for a parcel.
What goes in the bathroom?
Postpartum bleeding, or lochia, happens after both vaginal and caesarean births and can last up to 6 weeks. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) advises using pads, not tampons or a menstrual cup, and changing your pad every time you go to the bathroom, at least every 4 hours. Rinse your perineum with warm water from a squeeze bottle, and do not rinse inside your vagina. Wipe from front to back and wash your hands.
The Ninja Mama peri bottle holds 360 ml and has an extendable spout; the brand says its design reduces the need to bend after a vaginal or caesarean birth.
What helps after a vaginal birth or a C-section?
After a vaginal birth, PHAC suggests a cold pack or ice, wrapped in a towel, on the perineum for 15 to 20 minutes every hour during the first 24 hours.
After a C-section, PHAC advises showering and patting the incision dry, waiting to take a bath until the incision is fully healed, lifting nothing heavier than your baby for the first 6 weeks, and supporting the incision with a pillow when you cough or sneeze. Choose underwear and pants whose waistband does not rub the incision. After either birth, take pain medication only as directed by your health care provider.
What should be within reach where you rest?
Think soft, washable and easy to change: loose pyjamas, a robe or cardigan, stretchy underwear, warm socks and stable footwear. Where you rest and care for your baby, keep water, simple snacks, tissues, a phone charger and your written care instructions.
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Why is hands-on help the most useful “item”?
PHAC encourages you to rest when your baby is sleeping and to accept help when someone offers it. Ask a support person to refill water, prepare food, wash dishes, run laundry, manage visitors and pick up prescriptions. After a C-section, PHAC says to ask for help with what you cannot do because of the surgery, such as lifting, bending and housework.
When should you order postpartum supplies?
During pregnancy, a few weeks before your due date. Most products on our site ship directly from our partner brands: our delivery page gives 1 to 3 business days of processing, then usually 3 to 10 business days of delivery. Our postpartum care collection brings together several brands, such as Ninja Mama, Frida Mom and Merla Baby, so one order may arrive in separate parcels. Stock also changes: check each item's availability while there is still time to choose another.
When is a checklist not enough?
According to INSPQ, see a doctor or your midwife right away, or go to the emergency room, if you soak one regular pad an hour for two hours in a row, pass large blood clots (more than one egg-sized clot), have a fever of 38.0 °C or more, severe abdominal pain or pain not relieved by pain medication, new pain with swelling in one leg, severe headaches, upper abdominal pain or a sudden change in vision. PHAC gives the fever threshold as 38.0 °C by ear or 37.6 °C by mouth or under the armpit, and lists blood clots larger than a plum or an egg, discharge that smells bad and an incision that is painful, oozing, red or warm among the reasons to contact your health care provider.
Call 911 for shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing up blood, a seizure, fainting, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or signs of shock: agitation, weakness, paleness, cold and damp skin, sweating, confusion or palpitations. This is not a complete list. In Quebec, Info-Santé 811 can guide you when you are unsure, but it does not replace emergency care or justify delaying a 911 call.
Frequently asked questions
How many postpartum pads do I need?
There is no fixed number. Plan enough to change at every bathroom visit and at least every 4 hours. Flow changes over the weeks, so avoid stocking only one absorbency.
Can a cold pack touch the perineum directly?
No. Wrap it in a clean towel and limit each use to 15 to 20 minutes, every hour at most, during the first 24 hours.
Do I need postpartum supplies after a C-section?
Yes. Vaginal bleeding also happens after a caesarean, so pads and bathroom supplies remain useful.
What belongs in a bedside postpartum basket?
Water, simple snacks, tissues, a charger, your care instructions and the comfort items you use. Keep medications in their original containers.
This article provides general information and does not replace advice from a health professional. Your own discharge instructions come first.