“This post is in partnership with Frida Mom because I love em & know you’ll love em too!”

Catch Up Here

If you’ve been keeping up with my pregnancy journey series, then by now you know that one thing I’m doing differently with this pregnancy is prioritizing comfort as part of my wellness & recovery. As much as people may talk about the 4th trimester, it’s usually tethered to the more unpleasant side of things — from perineal tearing to post partum depression. I can’t speak for anyone else, however, I would seldom hear about the softer side of the 4th trimester… much less the must dos & must haves to make the transition easier and less stressful than it needs to be.

I wanted to be intentional about my post delivery recovery, especially knowing that I would either be attempting a VBAC — vaginal birth after c-section — or having a repeat c-section delivery. That intentionality started with what I packed in my hospital bag and would keep in my bedside recovery cart once discharged & back home. To simplify my selections — because decision fatigue is especially crippling when pregnant — I turned to Frida Mom*, specifically, looking to see how many items I could cross off my checklist from a brand that I already know and love. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that their assortment had only continued to grow since having my first.

In case you didn’t know, many hospitals tend to provide a lot of post partum supplies — recovery/nursing gown, anti-slip socks, pads, disposable mesh underwear, perineal spray bottle… just to name a few, depending on where you deliver. I decided I would supplement everything I got from the hospital with FridaMom products to ensure a smooth transition from hospital to home to kick off my 4th trimester.

Tip: Pack light because most — if not all — of your labor & delivery needs will be provided by the hospital as part of your stay there. Take advantage of the free supplies, including some of which you can take home to start your recovery. Don’t be shy about asking your care team before discharging what you can or cannot take.

What is the 4th Trimester?

The 4th trimester, simply put, is the 12 weeks (or 3 months) that follow delivery, essentially making the entire “pregnancy” a year long end-to-end journey. During this time — which for a lot of moms is their maternity leave period — there’s a lot of physical healing & changing happening, in addition to adjusting to life with a newborn. With my first, I didn’t give much thought to this period of time... mainly because I’d never heard of it before. I simply stumbled into it, winging it, and hoping for the best. I knew with this 4th trimester I would wanna be kinder to my body — at least kinder than I was with my first — to ensure a successful recovery... a softer recovery if possible. After thoughtful conversations with my husband & OB team, I decided on a scheduled c-section — for a myriad of reasons that don’t need discussing — which made preparing for recovery slightly "easier" for me, since this would be a repeat c-section & I’d more or less know exactly what to expect. As I began to pack my hospital bag, I decided that instead of packing these items to bring to the hospital, they would actually better serve me at home once discharged.

Postpartum Planning with Frida Mom

Frida is a trusted brand for parents and the #1 postpartum brand for a reason. Their postpartum essentials are effective & convenient… and might I add… they’re just really pretty. Translation: a 10/10 in my book. As a repeat c-section mom, it was especially comforting to see that Frida Mom has products specifically tailored for c-section deliveries, and not just products for vaginal births.

As I mentioned, I decided that I’d be using my post partum essentials after being discharged from the hospital & I’m glad I did because I ended up going into an early — and quick — labor… meaning I didn’t have most of my “supplies” on me anyway. Once the high intensity of labor & delivery slowed, from my hospital bed, I was able to assess exactly what I’d need for my recovery & the Frida Mom assortment had me covered!

The Frida Mom C-Section Recovery Kit includes essentials for hospital to home recovery — grip socks, toiletry bag, upside down peri bottle, skip-the-shower wipes, disposable c-section underwear, ab support binder, and silicone scar patches. It’s all neatly packed in a nice lil caddy that I decided to also use as a way to corral everything near my bathroom.

To expand my c-section kit, I added the C-Section Recovery Band & Incision Protector, Disposable Boyshort Cut Postpartum Underwear, Postpartum Maternity Catch All Pads, and a Delivery & Nursing Gown. Even though I came home with and/or used similar stuff in the hospital — peri bottle, disposable underwear, ab binder, etc — none matched the quality of the Frida Mom products, which meant at home I could really bask in comfort while recovering, instead of feeling like I’m still laid up in a hospital bed.

Essentials for recovering from my c-section surgery would only be one part of the equation. To complete my personal 4th trimester recovery kit, I knew I needed items for my breastfeeding journey, which includes nursing & pumping. I remember my intense discomfort & all around struggles as a first time mom nursing, and didn’t want a repeat of that experience. My [painful] recollections paired with my days in the hospital confirmed that the Frida Mom Breast Care Self Kit & the Cooling Hydrogel Nipple Pads were must haves for my needs.

Breast care that puts mom first. Clogged ducts? Mastitis three times? Uterine contractions (WTF?!) Slow drip? Dry nips? No matter how long or short your nursing, pumping or weaning journey is, there are a lot of "why didn't anyone tell me" moments. Not anymore. We're here for you every step of the leaky, painful, beautifully emotional, physically transformative way. Because raising a human requires feeling like a human. Trust me, your boobs will thank you.

When it came to selecting these items, I was most impressed by the thoughtfulness of the assortment… every stage of labor, delivery, and recovery was carefully considered with products to match. The kits just make it easier to get items that complement one another without having to do too much shopping around. I was able to shop items I didn’t even previously consider, as well as items I knew would be absolute must haves no matter what. For example, I’d decided pretty early that I’d use diapers instead of pads because those things never stay in place; however Frida’s disposable underwear kept even the hospital pads exactly where I needed them to be… so secure that it felt like a diaper… like one piece. The Frida disposable underwear paired with Frida’s catch all pads was an additional layer of security because the Frida pads are longer (more coverage) and thinner (less bulk) without compromising absorbency. The delivery & nursing gown, although I didn’t wear it in the hospital, would make for a great nursing & pumping friendly addition to my at home comfort wardrobe. And speaking of nursing, the hydrogel nipple pads made for a swift recovery after just one day of cracked nips, while the lactation massager has been the perfect sidekick while nursing and/or pumping to help with let down. These are nursing essentials I didn’t have with my first & very glad to have now.

Frida Mom Must Haves

I’m a 2 time c-section mom so I have zero insight on the vaginal birth process… not outside anecdotal tales from friends & family; however, I will say that there are def Frida Mom items that are absolute must have no matter your delivery time —

Postpartum Recovery Kits

I cannot recommend this enough — start with a recovery kits & continue building from there. The Frida Mom Kits are carefully curated, in my opinion, to fit different deliveries. The Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit, C-Section Recovery Kit, and the Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Kit all contain some of the same items — ie. disposable underwear, peri bottle, and grip socks — plus a lot of similar items depending on delivery type.

Delivery & Nursing Gown

For some people this is a must in the hospital. I spent most of my time in the hospital in my nursing bra & mesh underwear, and when I wasn’t, I was really impressed with the hospital issued gowns. That said, I would say the gown is easily a must once discharged as well. The material is comfortable and the design is perfect for nursing, pumping, and skin-to-skin bonding.

Postpartum Maternity Catch All Pads

Be it a Vaginal or c-section delivery, vaginal bleeding is inevitable, which means pads will be necessary no matter what. These pads are longer, thinner, and just as absorbent as the hospital issued pads. Stocking up ensures you’re covered for however long the bleeding lasts.

Disposable Boyshort Cut Postpartum Underwear

While the kits all include disposable underwear — brief or boy short — it’s a fairly limited amount. Adding extra allows for comfortable underwear for a longer period of time, especially while still wearing recovery pads.

Abdominal Support Binder

Every post partum recovery is going to need some kind of core compression & support, which is exactly what the ab binder provides + the added benefits of target compression & back support.

Breast Care

Frida Mom also offers a number of breast care products for nursing and/or pumping moms… and trust me — your breasts will thank you if breastfeeding is part of your 4th trimester & beyond. Whether it’s the Breast Care Self Kit, Breastfeeding Survival Kit, or a la carte options, investing in products designed to support the breastfeeding journey is a must.

Shopping Frida Mom

Aside from being available to shop Frida at my faves like Target & Amazon, and other major retailers & pharmacies, I can restock as needed using our FSA/HSA benefits! ICYMI… I talked all about ways I’m using our FSA/HSA benefits for the baby & I… and that includes Frida Mom & Frida Baby products.

While a lot of these items won’t need much (or any) restocking over time — the body goes through a lot of changes in the 4th trimester! — other items, such as the breast care products, will be in use for quite a long time. Using our benefits will help with the restock, if needed for items that may need restocking (ex. Cooling Hydrogel Nipple Pads, All-Day Dry Disposable Nursing Pads, and Postpartum Maternity Catch-All Pads).

They say hindsight is 20/20 and while I absolutely wish I had these items with my first, in hindsight, I had to go through that experience to understand the importance of comfort in the 4th trimester. Without that experience, I wouldn’t appreciate the Frida Mom products nearly as much nor would I know exactly what I need for an easier transition from delivery to recovery.

“This post is in partnership with Frida Mom, and contains affiliate links to products I love & think you’ll love too! When you click & shop these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. ”

— Albie Knows