Hi, I'm Shubhi, one of the co-founders of Burst. This guide is for new parents in the weeks and months after birth, and the recovery toolkit they're already paying for.

Postpartum is one of the most expensive stretches of your life. Some of what you buy is obviously medical (sitz baths, breast pump parts, scar care). A lot of it lives in a gray zone where it's clearly being used to recover from birth but the box doesn't say "medical product" anywhere. Pelvic floor trainers. Postpartum belly bands. Postnatal multivitamins. Lactation supplements. Almost all of that is FSA/HSA eligible with a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN), and most people don't realize it. I'd rather you not be one of them.

Below is a quick walkthrough of what qualifies postpartum, what already qualifies on its own, and how to actually get reimbursed.

What FSA/HSA actually covers postpartum

The IRS standard is "products used to treat, mitigate, or alleviate a specific medical condition." Recovery from childbirth is a recognized medical situation, and several specific postpartum categories (breast pumps and supplies, certain lactation expenses) are explicitly listed as FSA/HSA eligible under federal rules.

For everything outside the explicitly-listed categories (pelvic floor trainers, postnatal vitamins, belly bands, lactation supplements, scar treatment, mental-health tools), reimbursement turns on documentation. A Letter of Medical Necessity is a short note from a licensed clinician saying the product is being used to recover from childbirth or treat a related postpartum condition. That's what makes the difference between "rejected" and "reimbursed."

Two facts worth knowing. The fee for the Burst LMN request is itself FSA/HSA eligible, so you can pay for it with your FSA/HSA card. And if our clinician decides your situation doesn't qualify, you get a full refund.

Categories already eligible without an LMN

A few postpartum categories are eligible by default. You don't need an LMN for:

• Breast pumps and accessories. Manual, electric, and hospital-grade pumps (Spectra, Medela, Elvie, Willow), plus replacement parts, flanges, valves, bottles, milk storage bags, and cleaning supplies. The Affordable Care Act explicitly listed pumps as eligible.

• Nipple cream and balms. Lansinoh, Earth Mama, Motherlove, Honest. Eligible as OTC medical product.

• Sitz baths and perineal cold packs. Frida Mom, Earth Mama, hospital-style sitz bath kits.

• Nursing pads and breast pads. Lansinoh, Bamboobies, Medela.

• Postpartum perineal sprays. Frida Mom Peri Bottle, Earth Mama Herbal Perineal Spray.

• Birth control. All forms, OTC and prescription.

• Pelvic floor physical therapy. Eligible as a medical service. Most pelvic floor PT clinics will bill insurance and you can use FSA/HSA for any out-of-pocket portion.

• Therapy and counseling. Postpartum depression and anxiety treatment with a licensed therapist is eligible without an LMN.

• Prescription medications. All eligible.

You can buy these at Amazon, Target, Costco, the brand site, or your local pharmacy. The eligibility is the same.

Categories of postpartum products often eligible with an LMN

These are the categories I see most often in real Burst LMN requests for postpartum care. Brands are illustrative, not endorsements, not affiliate.

Postpartum belly bands and recovery wraps

Postpartum belly binders and recovery wraps (Belly Bandit, Bao Bei, Bellefit, Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Garment) are heavily used in the first 6 to 12 weeks after birth, especially after a C-section. With an LMN that names postpartum recovery (or specifically C-section recovery, diastasis recti, or pelvic instability), the category is reimbursable.

You can buy these at Amazon, Target, Buy Buy Baby, or directly from the brand. The LMN works the same.

Pelvic floor trainers

Pelvic floor trainers (Elvie Trainer, Perifit, Kegelbell, Intimina, Joylux) are FSA/HSA eligible with an LMN naming postpartum pelvic floor weakness, urinary incontinence, prolapse, or related conditions. The category is one of the most commonly under-reimbursed for postpartum users because the devices price between $150 and $400, and almost no one knows they qualify. They do.

Postnatal multivitamins and recovery supplements

Postnatal multivitamins (Ritual Postnatal, Needed, FullWell, Theralogix Theranatal, Garden of Life), iron supplements (often needed after birth), DHA/omega-3 for nursing, and magnesium are all common. None of them are FSA/HSA eligible by default. With an LMN that names postpartum recovery or nursing as the context, they all become reimbursable. One LMN covers the supplement (any brand) for 12 months.

Lactation supplements

Lactation supplements (Legendairy Milk, Mommy Knows Best, Pink Stork, Earth Mama, mother's milk teas) are eligible with an LMN that names lactation support as the medical use. Galactagogues like fenugreek, blessed thistle, and goat's rue are all in this category. With the LMN, all of them are reimbursable.

Postpartum massage and bodywork

Postpartum massage therapy is FSA/HSA eligible with an LMN. The category includes lymphatic drainage massage (often used for C-section recovery), therapeutic massage for back and shoulder pain from feeding posture, and abdominal massage for diastasis recti recovery.

Scar care (C-section, perineal)

Silicone scar sheets and gels (Mederma, ScarAway, Embrace, Biocorneum) for C-section recovery are FSA/HSA eligible with an LMN. Without the LMN, administrators often reject scar treatment as cosmetic. The LMN clarifies the post-surgical context.

Postpartum back, hip, and posture support

Ergonomic feeding chairs, lumbar supports, postpartum back braces, and posture trainers (Upright Go) qualify with an LMN where postpartum musculoskeletal pain is part of the picture. Carrying, feeding, and broken sleep all stack up.

Mental-health tools beyond therapy

Therapy itself is eligible without an LMN. Adjacent mental-health tools (SAD lamps for winter postpartum, weighted blankets for postpartum anxiety, meditation app subscriptions like Calm or Headspace, sleep wearables) qualify with an LMN naming postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, or birth-related sleep disruption. The depression and anxiety guide goes deeper on this category: see FSA/HSA Reimbursement for Depression & Anxiety.

Sleep recovery tools

Sleep tracking wearables (Oura, Whoop, Apple Watch, Fitbit), white-noise machines (for the parent, not just the baby), cooling sleep tools (Chilipad, BedJet), and weighted sleep masks qualify with an LMN that connects sleep to postpartum recovery. New-parent sleep is its own category of medical recovery.

How Burst gets you reimbursed (3 steps)

Step 1: Request an LMN at app.getburst.com/request-lmn

Under 5 minutes. List the products. Describe your context (postpartum recovery, weeks since birth, any specific conditions like C-section recovery or pelvic floor dysfunction). Submit.

Step 2: A Burst clinician reviews and signs

Most LMN requests come back in under 24 hours. A licensed clinician on our network reviews. If your situation qualifies, you get the signed LMN. If it doesn't, you get a full refund.

Step 3: File the LMN with your administrator

Log into your administrator (HealthEquity, Optum Financial, WEX, Inspira, Lively). Upload the LMN plus your receipt. Submit. Reimbursement usually lands in a week or two.

The Burst team wrote a step-by-step walkthrough for the most common administrators: How to file your LMN for reimbursement.

We don't care which brand or store you buy from. The LMN covers the product, not the storefront.

One LMN, 12 months, any store

A single LMN from Burst covers that product for 12 months. Approved once, you can keep buying the same postnatal vitamins, the same scar sheets, the same lactation supplements, all year, and keep using your FSA/HSA for them.

People I talk to in the postpartum window are shopping everywhere because they don't have time to be choosy: Amazon for the consumables, Target on the way home, the brand site for the device, Costco for the bulk supplements. The LMN doesn't care where you bought. It cares about the product and the context.

FAQ

Is a breast pump FSA eligible? Do I need an LMN?
Breast pumps are FSA/HSA eligible without an LMN. Manual, electric, and hospital-grade pumps (Spectra, Medela, Elvie, Willow) and their accessories are all reimbursable by default.

Are postnatal vitamins FSA eligible?
Postnatal multivitamins are FSA/HSA eligible with a Letter of Medical Necessity that names postpartum recovery or nursing as the context. Without an LMN, supplements (including postnatals) are not eligible by default.

Are pelvic floor trainers (Elvie, Perifit) FSA eligible?
Yes, with an LMN naming postpartum pelvic floor weakness, urinary incontinence, or prolapse. The category is one of the highest-leverage postpartum LMN purchases because the devices are expensive and almost no one realizes they qualify.

Are postpartum belly bands FSA eligible?
Yes, with an LMN. Postpartum belly binders (Belly Bandit, Bao Bei, Bellefit) are reimbursable when the LMN connects them to postpartum recovery, C-section recovery, or diastasis recti.

Are lactation supplements FSA eligible?
With an LMN, yes. Lactation supplements (Legendairy Milk, Mommy Knows Best, Pink Stork, Earth Mama) are reimbursable when the LMN names lactation support as the use.

Are silicone scar sheets FSA eligible?
Yes, with an LMN that connects them to C-section recovery or other post-surgical scar treatment. Without the LMN, administrators often reject scar treatment as cosmetic.

Is therapy for postpartum depression FSA eligible?
Yes, without an LMN. Therapy with a licensed provider is FSA/HSA eligible by default. Adjacent mental-health tools (apps, lamps, weighted blankets) need an LMN.

Is postpartum massage FSA eligible?
Therapeutic and lymphatic drainage massage are FSA/HSA eligible with an LMN. The LMN should name the postpartum musculoskeletal or recovery context the massage is treating.

Is the LMN fee itself FSA/HSA eligible?
Yes.

Stop paying out-of-pocket for postpartum recovery

If you're recovering from birth and shopping across multiple brands or stores for things that help, I'd rather you stop paying out-of-pocket for purchases your FSA/HSA would cover. Get an LMN from Burst in under 5 minutes. If our clinician doesn't approve it, you get a full refund.

Request my LMN →

If you're not sure whether something specific qualifies, hit reply on any Burst email or write to support@getburst.com. I read every email myself. I'd rather sanity-check for you up front than have you guess.

Thanks,
Shubhi
Co-founder at Burst