Who needs a gym when you’re schlepping nipple cream, diaper essentials, and a half-eaten muffin around the house?
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I was not entirely prepared for the fact that I would become a full-blown emotional and physical pack mule. I literally couldn’t walk from one room to another without random items, some baby-related and the rest not so much.
Those early postpartum days are a blur, but I remember looking down one day to see that I was holding my son in one arm and juggling a banana peel, burp cloth, and a freshly delivered package in the other. I can’t even tell you how many times mom brain kicked in and I stopped to ask myself where I was even going in the first place.
Here’s a look at the weird stuff I carried from room to room as a new mom. Something tells me you will be able to relate to this list.
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1. Burp cloth
The burp cloth doubled as my emotional support blanket. It traveled with me everywhere. And when it unknowingly fell off my shoulder and was accidentally left behind in another room, I paid the price!
Having a handful of burp cloths readily accessible is essential. Unfortunately, they get crusty (and smell sour) pretty quickly, thanks to all those newborn spit-ups.
2. Lip Balm
Lip balm was one of the few items that made me feel just a little bit more put together during the fourth trimester. And I clung to any item that made me feel more human and less like a stinky, sweaty woman.
Did I use it often? No, not really. But I did bring it along with me a lot. Mostly because there were many days I was desperate for self-care.
3. Water Bottle
I can’t stress how important water is during this time. I brought my water bottle with me to every single room. And if I accidentally left it behind, it was devastating.
I once brought it to the bathroom with me, just out of habit.
4. Half-Eaten Snacks
A granola bar with a few bites left. An apple that I thought I’d have time to finish. Scrambled eggs I was craving. There were half-eaten snacks and food scattered around the house. Finishing meals and snacks was tough. It seemed like I just kept relocating the food I intended to eat.
5. My Phone
But never my charger. I used my phone for just about everything. Baby tracking apps, Googling, asking mom advice questions to my girlfriends. It ALSO kept me awake during middle-of-the-night feeds.
My phone seemed to always be within reach, but my charger always seemed to be MIA.
6. An Empty Bottle of Nipple Cream
I used nipple butter all the time. Since it was gold, I tried to use every little bit before tossing the jar. Quite honestly, there were moments when it was empty and really needed to be thrown away, and I just didn’t. I am not sure if it was because of the mom brain or wishful thinking that I could get a little bit more out of the jar.
7. A Shirt I Meant to Put On
The number of times I had to change my bra and shirt during postpartum was insane. Oftentimes, I found myself traveling around the house with a clean shirt in my hands.
I had the best of intentions of actually putting it on. I thought I would put it on after changing the baby, then after breastfeeding, and next thing I knew, it followed me from room to room. And when I did finally put a new shirt on, my son would spit up all over me or my boobs would leak milk everywhere.
8. A Useless Pacifier
Neither of my kids liked the pacifier. I knew my son didn’t like it and that it didn’t soothe him, and yet I still carried it from room to room, thinking maybe, just maybe, it would help. Nope. It never did.
9. A Nursing Pillow
This followed me like a shadow. I swear breastfeeding without a nursing pillow is not the same. It’s not as comfortable (for either of us).
Breastfeeding pillows aren’t the smallest thing in the world to carry around the house, but so worth it.
At one point, I debated buying a second one just so I didn’t have to carry it back and forth from the bedroom to the living room, which felt like all the time.
10. My C-Section Belly Wrap (That I Never Actually Wore Right)
I meant to wear it as much as possible. My doctor, nurses, and c-section mom friends told me that it would help me heal. So I totally carried it around and wore it, I would say 60% of the time, mostly because I put my newborn baby’s needs before mine. Classic mom thing to do.
It was uncomfortable to wear while sitting down because it always seemed to slide out of place. I walked around with it in my hands and had high hopes at the beginning of each day.
Because Postpartum Life is a Whole Thing
I am sure you have so many items ready to grab between baby and postpartum products. I can confidently say that during the postpartum period, you will become attached to random objects. Some are absolutely necessary. Others, you just won’t have the energy to put where they actually belong. Because postpartum life is a wild ride.
If you are feeling like a walking lost and found bin, I can relate. Are you walking around your house holding the same items? What traveled everywhere with you during the fourth trimester?
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