Wondering what you should do to prepare for those first weeks and months after you give birth? I've done it once before and I've got lots and tips and advice that I am implementing myself this second time around.

Everyone knows the basic supplies you need for the postpartum period: mesh underwear and giant pads. But here are a few things you may not have thought about, but that are essential to an easier and more relaxed after-birth recovery.

Knowing what a new momma needs is tricky, because every momma is different and every newborn baby is different as well. It can also be difficult for that new mom to know what she needs until the need has past and she is thinking in retrospect. That's where I am now, and thinking back, there are a few things I wish people would have known.

The postpartum period was a strange time for me. I think it's a strange time for pretty much every first time mom. I did a lot of reading to try and prepare, and now I'm sharing things that I learned and did that I actually found helpful in those first few weeks after giving birth.