Pregnancy & Postpartum Essentials

Leaving a safe and healthy postpartum phase behind, I'd like to share the essentials to me and our family during this time. We're a family who embraces the most natural lifestyles while also incorporating a bit of modern convenience into our lives. We'd like to remind you that our choices may not be ideal for everyone. We'd be delighted if what we share benefits or inspires someone else.

• Between-the-Legs Pillow:As the belly grows during pregnancy, the body’s center of gravity shifts, which can lead to tension in the hips, back, and pelvic area. Placing a pillow between the legs while sleeping helps maintain the spine’s neutral position. After birth, the same pillow can be used while breastfeeding in bed—either between the legs or placed behind the back for support.

  Of course, any pillow can serve this purpose, but those made specifically for it tend to be more ergonomic and effective.

  
  

• Back Warming Belt:It’s great for relieving lower back pain, which can arise for similar reasons. A hot water bottle or a cherry pit pillow can also serve the same purpose.

  
  

• Nipple Shield & Cream:A true lifesaver for mothers! I chose silver ones, knowing silver’s healing properties. My midwife gave me tin ones, saying, “Silver is good, but give this a try.” And indeed, she was right.

  To heal damage from breastfeeding, lanolin cream—made from sheep’s wool fat—is recommended. Along with the cream, the milk that leaks from the breast stays within the shield, helping the nipple heal quickly between feedings. It also helps shape the nipple, making it easier for the baby to latch.

  In the first days after giving birth, I kept the shields in the fridge for a while—they gave me a fresh-water-after-hot-sand kind of relief after nursing!

  
  

• Sling:An amazing product that swaddles the baby and keeps them close to you. Especially in the early weeks, Coco spent most of her daytime naps in the sling. Knowing our baby was safely asleep allowed us to peacefully tend to other things. We use the brand Manduca and are happy with it.

  
  

• Reusable Diapers:Disposable diapers create over 3.5 million tons of waste annually and take at least 500 years to decompose. Even when made with “natural” materials, they still contain chemicals that touch the baby’s skin. Washable diapers are both baby- and eco-friendly. On the other hand, disposables are more practical and hygienic. We’ve chosen a hybrid approach—using disposables at night to ensure uninterrupted sleep and when we’re out, and washable ones during the day at home.

  There are many systems available. We use Popolini from Austria, and our favorite is the Snap2Fit overpants. After moving here, I also bought BabyNEO, but since its inner surface is pure cotton, it needed changing after every pee, so it wasn’t practical. The “cover” model made of micro-polyester didn’t seem very comfortable for our baby either.

  
  

• Cherry Pit Socks: An old remedy, especially common in Germanic cultures. After heating cherry pits in the oven, they retain warmth for a long time. Belts or socks filled with cherry pits can be very soothing for babies with gas.

  
  

• Salt Lamp: When nursing or checking on the baby at night, using a soft, warm-colored light makes it easier to fall back asleep. We first tried a fake candle, but the “flickering flame” feature meant to imitate real fire was quite irritating :) so we switched to a salt lamp. These lamps are also believed to purify the air and reduce stress.

  
  

• Nursing Pillow: One of the most helpful items for me. When she falls asleep while nursing, my hands stay free, and my baby continues sleeping comfortably and close to my chest. Bruno or my mom also use it when holding Naira, even though they don’t nurse her.

  Our favorite is the Moonboon pillow, filled with buckwheat hulls and covered in 100% cotton. When I was in Turkey, I couldn’t find anything other than fiber-filled ones, so I bought one from Musliniko, which we still use here as well.

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• Electric Nail File: I initially used nail scissors, but one time I cut too deep, and my baby cried real tears for the first time—it broke my heart as a new mom. I immediately ordered one of these electric files, which are completely painless. We bought ours from amazon.de because it had excellent reviews, but you can find similar ones in other countries too.

  
  

• Pilates Ball: Sitting on the Pilates ball a few times a day greatly relieved my back pain. And when I bounce gently with Naira Coco in the sling, it feels like a womb experience for her :)

  
  

• Postpartum Corset and Underwear: After childbirth, the uterus takes time to shrink back to its original size and position. It also takes about eight weeks for the inner wound to fully heal and bleeding to stop. Wearing a corset under the supervision of a midwife can support the body during this period. In the past, new mothers used to wrap a long piece of fabric around their waist with a special binding technique. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have someone around you who knows how to do this.

  
  

• Oils and Teas: Our favorite products are from Bahnhof Apotheke, a German pharmacy. Their recipes were created by a midwife I’ll recommend in the “books” section. After years of searching, they partnered with this pharmacy, convinced that it cultivates and sources the highest-quality herbs.

  This week, I’ll be giving away two of our favorite oil blends in a raffle on my Instagram—stay tuned!

Alternatively, you can have an herbalist prepare the blends by looking at the ingredient lists of the products. For example, our favorites are the pregnancy tea and the baby digestive oil. Following the directions in the book, Bruno had an herbalist we trust prepare a stretch mark prevention blend with his own choice of herbs.

Sleeping Bag (also called Sleep Sack): We and our baby both adore this piece of clothing that’s somewhere between a swaddle and a sleeping bag! It gives the cozy feeling of being swaddled while still allowing some freedom of movement and leaving the arms free—our favorite features. Plus, when we used a blanket, Coco sometimes pulled it over her face, so this design eliminates that risk.

Placenta: This is not something to buy—it’s a miracle organ our own body creates. Imagine your body producing an extra kidney out of nowhere and dissolving it when it’s no longer needed—pure magic! That’s exactly what the placenta is: rich, dense, and fertile enough to nourish another human being. It saddens us that it’s often treated as medical waste after birth. Together with our midwife and traditionalist friends, we honored it in every possible way.

We offered parts of it to each of the elements, dried the umbilical cord and turned it into a wand, separated the membrane to make tiny drums—and most importantly, we dried and ground it into powder to fill capsules. The benefits are countless and can easily be found with a bit of research. For example, if the baby catches a cold, it’s often enough for the breastfeeding mother to take one capsule. I wholeheartedly hope you won’t see this sacred organ as waste either, and that you’ll inform the hospital staff beforehand to make sure you can keep your placenta.

Books:

• Consultation with a Midwife: Sensitive, Natural Guidance Through Pregnancy, Childbirth, Childbed and Breast-feeding — Ingeborg Stadelmann (10/10)

• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth — Ina May Gaskin (7/10)

• Placenta: The Forgotten Chakra — Robin Lim (7/10)

Films:

• What to Expect When You’re Expecting

• Orgasmic Birth

• Coco

I haven’t listed the more obvious items like breast pumps, bathtubs, or muslin cloths. There’s no pacifier on the list either because we haven’t used one yet—but natural rubber ones are recommended.

What about you—what worked well for you? Share in the comments; maybe we’ll gather your favorites in a future post ❤️