8 Postpartum Essentials for the New Parent in Your Life—From Helpful Tips to DIYs

A new

baby is easy to talk about, endlessly and animatedly. They're cute, squishy, and new to the world, and helping them to arrive here is an exciting, joyful time. For birthing parents, though, the time directly following childbirth can be a complicated one. This period is known as postpartum, and it's a bit more difficult to discuss.

Fortunately, planning ahead and stocking up on (or gifting) a selection of sustainable postpartum essentials can help to provide some much-needed ease—or, if not ease, at least some peace of mind.

Postpartum is a term for the weeks (or months) directly

following childbirth. Though the word is often followed by "depression," the two things are not necessarily synonymous.

"Postpartum is really different for everybody," says Brightly founder Laura Wittig. "It’s a period of just—craziness." Said craziness comes courtesy of the enormous change in lifestyle (They're just letting us bring the baby home?), as well as hormonal shifts, physical and emotional adjustments, and more.

Postpartum depression—aka the

"baby blues"—is a mental health condition that manifests as a feeling of emptiness or lack of connection. While some experience postpartum through a lens of depression, others find their anxiety levels reaching new highs.

While a new baby brings many variables that are out of your control, there are some simple steps that you and your loved ones can take to help ease the burden a bit.

Prioritize rest, ask for help, take things slow, spend time with family and friends, and invest in these eco items to help you heal physically, emotionally, and more.

Here, eight items to add to your list of postpartum essentials.

"I would say what was the most helpful for me was

meal prep, or ways to make quick and easy nutritious meals," says Wittig. "Gifting someone a meal prep kit or ingredients, or even prepping meals for them, is really important."

Before baby arrives, cook up a selection of meals that are healthy and easy to freeze and reheat. Or, if someone you love has recently given birth, send a selection of nourishing eats their way from a sustainable

meal delivery service.

To soothe pelvic areas while protecting panties, pads infused with essential oils can provide cooling and relief—Wittig favors

these pads from Honeypot.

For an easy DIY, add a few drops of mint and lavender essential oils to an organic cotton rag or reusable sanitary napkin to achieve a similar sensation sans any waste.

Wittig notes that the most common items on baby registries are common for a reason. Bamboo towels, for example, are a must for the quick and easy clean-up of all sorts of messes.

Bamboo fabric has a much smaller water footprint than cotton. Plus, since cotton represents about

10% of pesticides and 25% of insecticides used globally, going the bamboo route is a healthier choice for your little one and the planet.

To ease physical sensations and take a beat, invest in (or craft) a selection of calming

organic herbal teas. Opt for mint, chamomile, to ease anxiety, kava root to relax muscles, or ginger to aid in digestion.

Again, pain is a reality of pregnancy. Reusable ice packs and heating pads can help in treating back, shoulder, and stomach aches, and any other sort of surface-level physical discomfort.

"Epsom salt baths help with recovery, but I don’t know a lot of people who have a lot of time to be sitting in the bath," says Wittig.

If you can find the time to enjoy a soak, however, do so—and be sure to add soothing bath salts to your tub for maximum physical and mental relaxation.

Whether purchased from a local apothecary or thoughtfully crafted at home, herbal tinctures are a natural and sustainable way to treat mental and physical issues.

Talk to your doctor or naturopath to see what herbs, teas, and tinctures make sense for you.

This is a no-brainer: ramp up your collection of high-waisted, cozy

granny panties. Because staying comfortable is the key. Opt for organic cotton, which aside from being sustainable also has

natural moisture-wicking abilities.