What Dr. Meg tells her own patients to buy. Nothing else.
Have these in the house before the baby comes.
An angled squeeze bottle. Rinse with warm water each time you use the bathroom.
A cooling spray for sore tissue in the first weeks.
Herbal sachets for a warm soak.
Fits on your toilet. Much easier than filling a bathtub.
You will bleed for weeks. Buy more than seems right.
Feet up, knees above hips. It relaxes your pelvic floor so you can go without straining.
Gentle compression for your core. Comfort after a C-section.
Compression shorts for the early weeks, if you feel heaviness or pressure.
For the exercises, once your provider clears you.
A small device that connects to a phone app. The app shows whether you are squeezing the right muscles.
Like the Perifit. The app guides the exercises and tracks strength over time.
A basic set of loop bands. No gym needed.
Any comfortable mat. Nothing fancy.
Water based and gentle on sensitive tissue.
What helps before the baby comes.
Takes pressure off your pelvic floor and lower back, most of all in the third trimester.
Supports side sleeping and eases hip pain at night.
Unscented and made for this. Start around week 32.
For seated pelvic floor exercises, hip circles, and labor positions.
For labor, most of all with an epidural. Keeps the pelvis open.
For supported squats and stretching.
Have all of it in the house before the catheter comes out.
Thin pads made for men. The Protective Shield for light leaking, the Maximum Guard for heavier days.
Pull-up underwear for the heavy first weeks.
Any brand. Get one that fits snug and does not crinkle.
For sitting after surgery. Takes pressure off the surgical area.
A stool softener. Take the one your own doctor or surgical team tells you to take.
Dr. Meg Cochran is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in pelvic floor rehabilitation, a trained doula, and a mom of four, at Where You Are Physical Therapy in Oxford, Mississippi.
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Products are named as examples. Follow your own provider's instructions.
Dr. Meg's guides walk you through recovery step by step. Educational, not physical therapy.
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