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When it comes to childbirth, many expectant soon-to-be parents spend ample time thinking about things like packing their hospital bag for mom or writing a birth plan. What they don’t tend to focus on, is postpartum care, which includes tasks like making or buying postpartum padsicles.
In all honesty, that’s probably because they don’t understand the power of using padsicles after birth.
Or maybe they have no idea what postpartum padsicles even are!
Postpartum recovery is not a topic to be taken lightly. If you want to treat your amazing postpartum body well, our community has put together everything you need to know about how incredible a padsicle after birth can feel.
What Are Postpartum Padsicles Good For?
If, by chance, you haven’t heard many birth stories or aren’t aware of how “challenging” having a baby can be, please allow me to clear up any confusion.
Giving birth to a baby HURTS…a LOT!
Whether you experience the benefits of natural birth or you’re a superhero c-section mom, there’s a real chance your body won’t be feeling great after your baby has made its big debut.
And postpartum recovery doesn’t go quickly. It can take months to feel like your old self again. That’s why finding the right products to alleviate your pain after childbirth is crucial.
This is where postpartum padsicles after birth come in!
Not only do padsicles, DIY or store-bought, help control pain after vaginal deliveries, but they also make a great addition to any new mom survival kit. Along with things like sitz bath products and nipple cream, padsicles will bring a little kindness to your tender lady bits after birth.
How Do Padsicles Work?
A postpartum padsicle (think pad and popsicle put together) is a chilled sanitary napkin you can use after childbirth. Rather than just being a frozen pad, they usually include healing ingredients, such as aloe vera, witch hazel, and lavender oil.
What do these ingredients bring to your postpartum vaginal recovery, you might be wondering? Here’s what they do:
- Aloe Vera: The healing properties in aloe vera help alleviate pain and increase recovery speed from tears and episiotomies that can happen during delivery.
- Witch Hazel: Not only does witch hazel have anti-inflammatory properties that will help “calm things down” after childbirth, but it’s also known for treating hemorrhoids that can be a problem during your first postpartum poop.
- Lavender Essential Oil: Lavender oil is excellent for pain management after delivery. It also has wound-healing properties that make it a great addition to padsicles after birth.
If you’re trying a padsicle DIY project, though, be careful not to oversaturate the pad with these ingredients, as that will make it hard for the pad to absorb postpartum blood.
In addition to the benefits of these oils and ingredients, the cooling sensation offered by postpartum padsicles will feel great after delivery. While most postpartum padsicles will remain cold for around 1-hour, you can continue wearing them for their absorption properties long after.
As a general rule, though, you should change your padsicle every four hours.
Do You Have To Use Padsicles After Birth?
Absolutely not! If the idea of using postpartum padsicles after birth doesn’t appeal to you, there’s no rule stating you have to use them.
There are plenty of other postpartum recovery pain management options you can try, such as:
- Taking ibuprofen
- Using a postpartum sitz bath
- Apply an ice pack
- Placing a hot water bottle or heating pad on your abdomen
- Get plenty of rest (at least as much as you can with a brand new baby!)
Is There Any Reason You Shouldn’t Use Postpartum Padsicles?
One of the great things about using padsicles after birth is there’s no real downside. The only thing you should be aware of is their inability to absorb blood as well as a traditional pad.
If you’re experiencing heavy bleeding after giving birth, be aware of how much your padsicles can hold. If you’re continually bleeding through, you might need to forego using them.
Padsicles vs. Tucks: What’s the Difference?
When it comes to a woman’s postpartum period, many people suggest adding Tucks Pads as a necessary part of their postpartum checklist.
What you might be wondering, however, is who wins in the battle between padsicles vs. Tucks?
Here’s the thing – both items have their own set of benefits. What I will say, however, is that I found padsicles to be a more convenient postpartum pain relief option.
While Tucks Medicated Pads are great for gentle wiping after birth (especially during those first postpartum poops!), attempting to line a regular pad with them can be messy and annoying (trust me, I tried!) They’re thin and unwilling to stay put wherever you put them.
By coating your padsicles with witch hazel, you’ll get the same benefits you would from a Tucks without the annoyance.
Padsicles DIY Recipes You Need to Know About
If you’re looking for the ultimate padsicle recipe – we’ve got you covered! Our team has talked with experts to figure out what you need to create the best postpartum padsicles at home.
When it comes to a padsicles DIY project, the following will help you simplify the process:
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Carefully open a few of your pads. Be sure not to open them all the way or remove the wrapper, as you’ll want to close them after adding the other ingredients.
- Spread a decent amount of Aloe Vera Gel down the entire length of the pad (from top to bottom!) You should be generous with the gel but still careful not to oversaturate the pad.
- Drizzle a teaspoon of witch hazel down the middle of the pad.
- Apply a few drops of lavender oil down the center of the pad.
- Fold the pads back together and place the finished padsicles into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag.
- Freeze.
Usage Instructions:
When you’re ready to start using your postpartum padsicles, take them out of the fridge one at a time. Be sure to let the pad stay out of the freezer for a few minutes before letting it touch your vagina.
Where Is the Best Place to Buy Padsicles?
So, you’re not interested in tackling a padsicle DIY project right before your baby makes their big debut – we don’t blame you. After all, there are plenty of other items on your “getting ready for baby” checklist.
Luckily, though, there are plenty of store-bought postpartum padsicles available that do just as good as homemade alternatives.
Here are some of our team’s favorites:
1. Frida Mom Instant Ice Maxi Pads
Personally, I’m a big fan of all the different Frida Baby and Mom products. I’m even one of those people who will wax poetic about how much they love the boogie-sucking Nose Frida! Knowing this, it shouldn’t surprise you that Frida Mom’s version of the postpartum padsicle is one of my favorites!
First-aid ice packs are built directly into the pads themselves. They remain cool for the recommended 20-minute ice therapy period (this is a guideline for this particular product, not postpartum padsicles, in general.). Once the cooling time is over, though, they still serve as a highly absorbent pad!
Looking for Frida’s most thorough recovery kit? Check out their hospital packing kit for ice pads + more!
2. Medline Perineal Cold Packs
Available in convenient packs of 20, Medline’s Perineal Cold Packs have incredible reviews on Amazon.
These products are also great for use in c-section recovery as they’re long enough to go across incisions.
3. Bodily Care for Birth Box
If you’re looking to grab everything you need for recovery after birth, not just the padsicles, then we highly recommend the Bodily Care for Birth Box. In this box, Bodily has curated the different things you’ll need for recovery, including postpartum padsicles, but also so much more.
Think peri bottle, stool softener, maxi pads, inflatable cushion to make sitting more comfortable, grippy socks, and even a guidebook to support you through the recovery days.
How Many Postpartum Padsicles Do I Need?
While every mama will experience varying amounts of bleeding after delivery, you can expect to change your pad every couple of hours after birth. Having enough postpartum padsicles for the first few days is crucial.
We would suggest making 20 – 30 padsicles to start. Of course, it’s always a good idea to have extra ingredients in case you need to make some more to carry you through the postpartum recovery phase.
Treat Your Body Right After Delivery
Whether you decide to use postpartum padsicles or not, just remember the most important thing about taking care of your postpartum body–being kind to yourself.
Mentally and physically, you have just performed an incredible feat. All of that work does come with side effects, though. Go slow and be gentle during those first days after delivery. There’s no reason to do too much soon.
And if you want a little bit of extra postpartum bliss – slapping on a padsicle after birth is sure to help.
The Best Products to Use With Postpartum Padsicles
1. Frida Mom disposable mesh underwear (we love for hospital)
2. Bodily washable mesh underwear (we love for home)
3. Earth Mama Organics Perineal Spray
4. Earth Mama Organics Perineal Balm
5. Frida Mom Medicated Cooling Pad Liners
7. Tuck’s Pads
8. Earth Mama Organics Herbal Sitz Bath
Have you ever made postpartum padsicles? What were some of the benefits for you?
More Postpartum Articles
- Postpartum must haves
- Postpartum sitz bath recipe
- Postpartum incontinence
- Postpartum poop
- Best postpartum leggings
- Postpartum pajamas
- Postpartum recovery
Kristen Bergeron is a freelance writer from Florida. In addition to writing, she is a wife, mother of two beautiful girls, Hadley and Scarlett, and a part-time photographer. After overcoming infertility and having two successful IVF cycles, she’s made it a personal goal to help educate men and women on the realities of fertility struggles. She is passionate about supporting fellow women who are trying to navigate the complicated world of conception, pregnancy, and learning to be the best mothers we can be.
