Mamahood Toolbox: Essential Resources for Pregnancy and Postpartum

You might’ve heard new or expecting parents referring to that non-existent manual that should have everything you need to know about having a baby, and everything in between. The ‘Mamahood Toolbox’ is our way of showing you how you can start to build your manual for your maternity care. From the early weeks of pregnancy to your first year as a family.

The Mamahood Toolbox is a collective of essential resources for expectant and new mothers to refer to throughout their journey through parenthood to ease the transition. There are so many support networks to tap into and maternity care resources to use that it can be difficult to sift through the noise.

When you reach the bottom of this page, you’ll be ready to build your own Mamahood Toolbox to make those “I don’t know” moments turn into “I know where I can get the answer” moments.

Antenatal Classes: Preparing for Labor and Beyond

Especially for new parents who do not know what to expect with their first baby, attending an antenatal class can help to answer your questions in between midwife appointments. It’s also a great way to meet other parents expecting a baby around the same time as you.

What will I learn from an antenatal class?

Your antenatal class trainer may come from a medical background or be a trained consultant specialising in maternity care. They are qualified to degree level to help you navigate the last trimester, labour, and life with your newborn.

• Understanding the stages of labour

• Preparing for childbirth

• Pain relief options during labour

• Relaxation techniques

• Breastfeeding support

• How to stay healthy during pregnancy

• Safe exercises during pregnancy and postpartum

• How to care for your newborn (e.g. changing a nappy, bottle feeding, etc.)

• What to expect with midwife appointments and postnatal check-ups

And so much more!

Preparing for Labour in Antenatal Class

In your antenatal classes, your trainer will go through the stages of labour and what may trigger it to start. They will explain what symptoms a woman’s body will display as they progress.

As a group, you will discuss and share ideas that help to foster confidence in handling labour and each of your roles as new parents to care for your newborn in the first few hours. These conversations may prompt examples of birth stories and what postpartum essentials you need to pack in your hospital bag.

What to expect when you are expecting: Week-by-week guide to pregnancy by NHS

Maternity Massage: A Relaxing Must-Have

A maternity massage is a relaxing treatment specifically for pregnant women and a no-brainer for your maternity care. They are delivered by specially trained masseuses that can safely perform pregnancy massages.

A pregnancy massage can alleviate stress to help you relax at a time that is full of change. It can also reduce pain or tension in your back, shoulders, and legs as your body has learned to compensate for your growing bump and weight gain. When your muscles are relaxed, this will help you to get better quality sleep which is vital during pregnancy, to let your body rest.

Difference Between Massage and Pregnancy Massage

The differences you will notice between a normal massage and a pregnancy massage are the positions you will be resting in during your massage and the pain points you may want your masseuse to focus on. Typically, you would lay flat on your back or your front for a massage, however, it is unsafe and impractical to do so during pregnancy. Your masseuse may suggest:

• Laying on your side

• Sitting on a chair facing the back of the chair

• Laying half upright with your legs rested over a cylindrical pillow

What to Wear to a Pregnancy Massage

For the pregnancy massage, it’s best to remove all your clothing but you can wear maternity underwear if you feel more comfortable. When your treatment has finished, your skin will have residue of the relaxing oils that are hydrating your skin. With this in mind, wearing loose clothing such as maternity leggings and longer flowy tops will allow your skin to breathe without your clothes sticking to you.

Pregnancy Self-Care Tips

If a prenatal massage isn’t really your thing, there are lots of other relaxation techniques you can add to your “Mamahood Toolbox”.

• Slow gentle walks locally

• Pregnancy yoga

• Swimming (note: it is unsafe for pregnant women to use hot tubs due to the temperature of the water)

• Sit on an exercise ball with some music

• Lay on your side using a pregnancy pillow

• Wear a maternity support belt to relieve backache and tension

Antenatal Consultants: Personalised Pregnancy Care

Antenatal consultants specialise in maternity care and are trained to a high level to best answer your questions. Seeking advice from an antenatal specialist may help you to organise your thoughts and decide on the best course of action in preparation for labour.

During your antenatal class, you’ll discuss a whole host of topics relating to pregnancy, labour, and life with your newborn. They’ll also go through all the options that are available to you so you can make an informed decision before you go into labour. For example, types of pain relief and what the side effects might be or choosing how you want to give birth. This tailored advice will support you through health concerns and also help to normalise birthing decisions which could be seen as unconventional to some.

Maternity Care Specialists Online

At the click of a button, you can access a panel of maternal health experts to answer your queries. At Lola&Lykke we support new and expectant mothers, and their families, to address any questions they have from conception through to your baby’s first years.

The Lola&Lykke Health Experts and Maternal Advisory are free to access, and your questions are directed to the most relevant specialist. You can speak to lactation consultants, obstetricians, midwives, pelvic floor therapists, registered nurses, physiotherapists, psychotherapists, sex therapists, and registered dieticians - to name a few!

Postpartum Recovery: Planning Ahead

When you are expecting a baby it can be easy to get caught up planning for the birth and to completely forget to plan what happens afterwards! Not all birth plans can be followed and decisions have to be made quickly to protect the mother’s and baby’s health.

The fourth trimester is a time of healing and caring for a newborn baby. The term healing refers to the mother following childbirth but in some cases, it can also be relevant for their partners.

It’s not often spoken about but childbirth can be a traumatic experience to witness if extra intervention is required, and that makes it difficult for your partner to witness from the sidelines. To be fully prepared for life after labour is to know how you can address the potential traumas that stemmed from your experience and heal from these to look after your well-being.

Postpartum Essentials for the Fourth Trimester

When packing your hospital bag, you need to pack for any eventuality so you have everything you want to hand. Multiple runs to the supermarket post-labour is an unnecessary stress you will want to avoid! For example, you may be planning to have a vaginal birth but during labour, you need to have an emergency c-section resulting in a very different experience from what you had packed for!

Postpartum Essentials for Your Baby

• Baby clothes (vests, sleepsuits, mittens, pram suit, and hats)

• Muslins

• Baby bottles (unless you’re exclusively breastfeeding)

• Cotton wool

• Water wipes

• Blanket

Postpartum Essentials for Mum

• Nursing pads

• Breastfeeding bra

• Manual or electric breast pump

• Maternity underwear

• After-birth pads (thicker than normal period pads)

• Nursing pillow

• Nipple cream

• Arnica cream (for any bruising around the c-section incision)

• Expert Midwife postpartum recovery kit

• Postpartum recovery belt

A postpartum recovery belt can be a game-changer for your maternity care after birth. It’s a support band that you wear around your tummy which supports your core and physical movements as your body heals from labour. Particularly if you have had a c-section, it can protect your incision and reduce the swelling.

It’s also worth noting here, that your baby’s size and weight can vary slightly from scans and midwife appointments. Your midwife will measure your bump using her hands and/or a tape measure from the top of your womb to your pubic bone during midwife appointments. In the final weeks leading up to the birth, your baby can gain almost half a pound and grow half an inch each week. Pack a variety of baby clothes sizes from newborn to 0-3 months just in case!

Breastfeeding Support: Comfort Meets Convenience

Nursing mums who want to establish their milk supply can do so by introducing a Smart Electric Breast Pump. A breast pump is an essential accessory to your toolbox and can support you through your breastfeeding journey.

An electric breast pump, used alongside breastfeeding, can be used in several ways to overcome challenges and prepare ahead. You can use a breast pump to:

• Increase your milk supply

• Relieve engorgement (oversupply)

• Express breast milk for breast milk storage

• Collect breast milk from one breast while nursing on the other

• Maintain milk supply when you are away from your baby

Best Electric Breast Pump Features

When you’re searching for the best electric breast pump that will work for you, you can get advice during your midwife appointments. They can recommend models to try and features to look out for. They will also be able to signpost you to a lactation consultant or breastfeeding clinics if you have any questions before or after your baby has arrived.

Whether you have older children already or you know you want to continue breastfeeding upon returning to work, there are breast pump features that can make nursing a whole lot easier!

• Hands-free breast pump (can also be paired with nursing bras).

• Wireless breast pump - portable so you aren’t hooked up to the wall!

• Strong suction breast pump - to drain milk from the breast efficiently.

• Customisable breast pump - the set comes with different size flanges so you get the best fit and comfort while pumping.

• Track nursing sessions - breast pumps can come with a built-in LED display to track and set preferred pump settings, or sync with an app on your phone.

• Quiet breast pump - the motor is quiet so you can pump discreetly.

• Easy to clean - fewer parts means less to clean and quicker to assemble.

• Breast milk storage - pump directly into a baby bottle or breast milk storage bag.

Open vs. Closed Breast Pump

Most electric breast pumps will feature a closed system which means there is a barrier between the milk you express and the pump. This helps to prevent contamination from spreading to your expressed breast milk.

An electric breast pump with an open system means there is no barrier between the milk and parts of the breast pump. If milk is found inside the tubing, it will need to be cleaned, sanitised, and dried before being used.

Breastfeeding Tips for New Mums

Breastfeeding can bring challenges and triumphs in all sorts of ways but knowing a few handy tips can make all the difference. So much so, that we created a whole page of them!

Read more for additional breastfeeding tips: Electric Breast Pump FAQs.

Building Your Mamahood Toolbox

Now that we’ve come to the end of our Mamahood Toolbox inspiration, it’s time to build your own. Choosing to invest in your maternity care is one you won’t look back on with regret. Such as investing in your health by wearing a Postpartum Recovery Belt to aid your recovery from pregnancy and childbirth. Or investing in a breastfeeding starter kit to make breastfeeding and pumping a dream instead of a chore.

When you have all the right tools on hand, parenthood feels a little less scary and makes you feel prepared for what is yet to come. Don’t feel like you need to know all the answers before your baby arrives, it’s ok not to know! Knowing where you can find the answers or where to access support for yourself or your family is key to embracing parenthood with confidence.