Fourth Trimester & Breastfeeding Essentials
- Lyndsey Paprota
- Jul 18
- 7 min read
The postpartum phase is raw, real, and entirely transformative. Here's what truly helped me through the early days of healing, bonding, and feeding.
Pregnancy doesn't end at birth, it simply shifts. The fourth trimester is all about healing, adjusting, and getting to know your baby outside the womb. Between sore nipples, sleep deprivation, and the swirl of hormones, this season deserves just as much preparation as any trimester.
As a mom who’s been there (soon to be navigating newborn life and a toddler), here are the things that made all the difference for me, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
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Postpartum Diapers: Listen these are the best after giving birth you feel like crap and its so much easier to change!
Sitz Bath: Remember you do not have to be in a bath or need a fancy toilet add on to use it, add it to you peri bottle with warm water(not cold ever) for every time you use the bathroom.\
Colace: Just take it...trust your going to want things moving!
Preperation H: The best for hands off cooling for those rough days.
Ultra Thin Pads: These are great for when you 2 weeks out of PP and you want to move toward real underwear things, the cheapest i found them is on Amazon but i would legit run to CVS way too expensive. Also you can make padcicles ahead of time and stash them in the freezer.
Tucks: You need these, I went though a million i swear the best things ever invented. I would put these down and layer them then spray the dermaplast. The cheapest place i found them was a BJs.
Mesh Panties: I got these because i did not want to ruin my underwear, but they usually give you some at the hospital so if you can take a few extra home.
Perineal Colling Pads: These were very helpful towards that 4 to 6 week mark PP, they go in the freezer so i would just rotate them in and out.
Dermaplast: I used this throughout the 6 weeks on repeat, every bathroom change, you can basically find it anywhere but i found that Walmart and Amazon had it cheapest in a 2 pack.
Frida Mom Postpartum Essentials Kit: I can 100 percent say i used everything in this kit. I opted not to have a separate pretty postpartum birthing gown because at the end of the day you will wear for the birth but its not like your wedding gown you do not have nostalgia for it. If you put it on your registry you can use your discount to buy it.
Aloe (dye free): I used this to make padcicles over and over. I will share a how to in another post. I was able to find this cheapest at Walmart, get the bigger bottle so you don't have to go back.
Witch Hazel (no alcohol): I was only able to find this on Amazon for some reason.I used this to make padcicles over and over. I will share a how to in another post.
Belly Binder: I found that this helped my stomach feel better overall. I tried to wear it at least the first 2 weeks but check with your resources. You do not want to wear it too long because you want your stomach to start redeveloping the muscles.
Postpartum Balance: I found that my hormones were all over the place, which is normal, but I've heard from many other mommas that swear by this herbal blend. At the end of the day you provider only knows what they went to med school for, you know your body and what your comfortable with.
Breastmilk Pads: I used these constantly especially in the first 3 months and i loved that they were washable!
Lanolin: This was great for those first weeks getting used to breastfeeding and cluster feeding. It's good for 2 years so i still have some to use. Although, I'm all for going natural the earth mama one smelled and didn't work for me.
Medela Harmony: This is a must have for many moms its a lot easier to get the first milk out with a manual pump since it takes your body 3 weeks to get used to one electric pump used exclusively. Keep in mind some hospitals have this and will let you have it, so i would check with your provider before purchasing.
Medela 3-1 Pumping Bra: I bought these after leaving the hospital and they were the best money spent. I was able to use it nursing as well since you can tuck it under your breast, which helped with positioning.
Nursing Pillow: Great for the hospital and first weeks home with newborn. You are so tired that you can't really hold them up as easily with sleep and healing.
Peanut Pillow: This pillow is great for when your baby starts getting bigger and more mobile around the 3 month mark and beyond.
Coconut Water: You must hydrate and this was the only way it worked for me. Body Armour did nothing for me and didn't help my supply. Make sure its just straight coconut water those other additions like citric acid take away from hydration.
Juice: I used the juice to mix with the coconut water and it helped keep my supply up.
Haakaa: Many women swear by this, I could only get the traditional to work for me like one time, However, the lady bug option did work for me. I love this brand for all things baby and I'll include many of their items on the first 6 weeks post.
Bottles: Any bottles are great but if breastfeeding you'll want to try and find a nipple that fills out a triangle as best you can. Many people opt for glass and I'm just too nervous it will break and be a terrible thing. My baby loved the Dr. Browns ones and they're threading fits perfectly with all Medela products no adapters needed.
Big Cup: You need a big cup for water and other beverages whether your breast feeding or not. They say you need to consume 100 oz of liquids to keep supply up.
Breast Milk Wipes: These were amazing whether your out of the house, in the car or home and in the newborn struggles.
Colostrum Bottles: These are great because you get the 5 oz bottles and think that's what you should be making but that's not the case in the first 10ish days. Colostrum is much thicker and so you get less of it. Many times your hospital will provide them, so ask!
Cooling Nursing Pads: Your nips will thank you. I tried the silverettes and they did not work for me at all these you just put directly on and put your nursing covers right over them.
Calcium Citrate 500 mg - No one tells you that you need to take this in the first 6 months of breastfeeding minimum or you will potentially loose bone density you cannot get back.
🧠 Mental & Emotional Support
A Supportive Group Chat or Online Community – Late-night texts to other moms made me feel way less alone. I found that the Facebook mamma's were everything!
Postpartum Journal or Notes App – I wrote down feeding sessions, poop logs, and little moments I didn’t want to forget (hello, hormones). Take as many pictures as you can they grow so fast!
Therapy or Counseling Resource – Even if you feel “fine,” having someone to talk to can be so grounding. I started therapy with a provider I trusted prior to giving birth and it helped already having that relationship postpartum. I would say this also helps with your partner, sometimes like me, people just need a better delivery and neutral party can provide that. You also have no idea if you will have birth trauma, I never thought that could be a possibility but it was and i did countless hours of research on providers, hospitals and everything else.
💸 Cost Breakdown (My Experience)
🧾 Total Estimated Cost: $700
✅ One-Time Purchases:
Item | Cost |
$12 | |
$10 | |
$50 | |
$30 | |
$80 | |
$20 | |
$15 | |
$8 | |
$15 | |
$10 | |
$29 | |
$20 | |
Panty Liners | $10 |
$6 | |
$4 | |
$16 | |
$23 | |
$50 | |
$8 | |
$32 each | |
Boppy | $30 |
Peanut Pillow | $15 |
Subtotal (One-Time):👉 $555
🔁 Repeat/Multiple Purchases:
Item | Frequency | Total |
5 × $11 | $55 | |
3 × $7 | $21 | |
3 × $5 | $15 | |
3 × $7 | $21 | |
3 × $4 | $12 | |
3 × $3 | $9 |
Subtotal (Repeat):👉 $133
💵 Grand Total: $688
👶 Final Thoughts
This season is intense, beautiful, and extremely emotional. Give yourself grace. You’re healing while learning a whole new person. Prioritize rest, lean into support, and keep things within arm’s reach. These are the things that truly helped me, and I hope they bring you clarity (and maybe even a little comfort) as you step into your own fourth trimester.
Don’t be afraid to get in touch with a lactation specialist, many are covered by insurance, and your delivery hospital likely has one on staff. Best of all, most offer telehealth visits, so you don’t even have to leave your home in those fragile early days.
And please, don’t feel ashamed or discouraged if you need to supplement with formula or switch to it entirely. You may hear “your baby’s stomach is small” or “they don’t need much,” and while that’s technically true, you also have a mother’s instinct.
With my first, I breastfed exclusively for a full year, but the first night home was awful. My baby was waking up screaming with hunger. My spouse tried to reassure me that it was normal, but something in me said, just feed the baby. So I gave formula and you know what? That moment of following my gut brought me peace and gave my baby what they needed. Fed is best.
You grew this tiny human. You birthed them. You are mama, and you know best.
I’m also preparing myself that round two may look totally different. Now I’ve got a toddler running wild while juggling newborn life, and honestly, that’s a whole different kind of chaos. But if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that flexibility, self-trust, and a well-stocked snack drawer go a long way.
You’ve got this, mama. 💛
