Postpartum healing is filled with lots of pain and discomfort. Soreness in the perineum area accompanied by heavy bleeding is normal after vaginal birthing.
Cold packs can prove to be very effective in soothing the pain and decrease the irritation. These packs promote quick healing after giving birth. Tears and swelling are experienced by most women and padsicles prove to be a lifesaver.
Padsicles are used for postpartum pain relief. They are frozen pads with cool and healing ingredients. If you have swelling, stitches, bruises, hemorrhoids or have undergone episiotomies, then padsicles can be very helpful. These can be made very easily at home with minimum efforts.
How to Make Padsicles at Home?
You need a minimum number of ingredients to make them at home. You will need maxi pads because the flow will be too heavy for the initial few days, witch hazel, aloe vera gel, and essential oil of your choice. Now follow these easy steps to make your own.
Step 1: Open a pad from its cover. Do not remove the wrapper on the pad and the wings.
Step 2: Spread a thin layer of aloe vera gel onto the entire length of the pad.
Step 3: Now spray some witch hazel over the aloe vera gel. You can use a spray bottle for this. Spread it all over the pad or just around the center.
Step 4: Spray your favorite essential oil over the healing ingredients. Lavender is used commonly and preferred by many women.
Step 5: Fold the pad back to its original state and wrap it in its original plastic bag. Repeat this for all the pads.
Step 6: Store batches of the pads in a zip lock bag and place it in the freezer until you have to use them.
Make sure you use alcohol-free and chlorine-free ingredients and pads for this. You can also use maxi and regular pads since your initial bleeding will be heavy, and it will start decreasing gradually.
You may have a lot of questions in mind regarding the use of padsicles, let us answer a few commonly asked questions for you and hope it solves your queries.
Why Should You Use Padsicles?
Vaginal delivery can cause swelling, bruises, tears, hemorrhoids, and may even need episiotomies. This can be painful for a few days or even a month. Padsicles can help in faster healing and make you feel fresh.
How Are Padsicles Helpful?
These pads with healing ingredients work by cooling the affected area around the vagina and healing it faster. Vaginal delivery puts a lot of pressure on the perineum area. Cold packs are helpful in reducing at least soreness. Padsicles can be used until the symptoms subside.
What Is the Correct Time to Make Padsicles?
Since all the ingredients are natural and do not come with an expiry date, it is a great idea to make them during the last month of your pregnancy. A lot of times babies are born a few weeks before their due date. So you can also make them during the last trimester of your pregnancy.
Are They a Necessity After Delivery?
No, they are not a necessity but most hospitals provide you a few cold packs immediately after giving birth. Padsicles can be your lifesaver from the pain and trauma you will go through while feeding and taking care of your child. Since they are made from natural ingredients and do not have any side effects, it is a good idea to try them once. If it works for you, you can continue using them.
Do They Absorb Efficiently?
Since padsicles are made from the pads itself, their absorbency isn’t affected. But the addition of ingredients can saturate it a bit. Therefore it is necessary to use less quantity of each ingredient so that the pad does its actual job well.
The initial days of bleeding are heavier, and a regular pad may not be enough. Therefore we recommended making padsicles from maxi pads. Even if you feel they aren’t absorbent enough, you can put one of these into an adult diaper and use them.
Are They Messy?
The messiness depends on how heavy your flow is. If you use a maxi pad that can absorb heavy bleeding, it shouldn’t be messy. If you are worried about it, you can go ahead and use the padsicles inside an adult diaper to avoid any mess.
How to Use Padsicles?
Vaginal delivery results in heavy bleeding for the first few days. So a regular pad isn’t enough. You can make padsicles from a maxi pad and wear it like a normal pad. If you feel the bleeding is too heavy, place the padsicles inside an adult diaper and wear it like a normal diaper.
As the bleeding decreases, you can only wear a padsicle. Place it inside the underwear like a regular pad.
How Many Padsicles Are Needed to Get Through Postpartum Bleeding?
Postpartum bleeding is different for every woman. Few women experience it only for a few days, while others may experience it for weeks together. It is impossible to assess the exact number of padsicles that will be needed. If you do not have a lot of swelling or tears, you may need only a minimum number of padsicles.
However, to estimate you may need about 30 pads for the first two weeks. This can vary from 15 to 30, depending on your flow.
For the first two days, you may need anywhere between 2 to 4 pads. The number will decrease gradually for the coming days. So be sure to make a good amount of them so you do not fall short of it at the hour of need.
It is also advised to not use padsicles for an entire day. Use them and once they are ready to be changed, change yourself into a normal pad or use a chux pad to give enough air to the bottom. If you have stitches, they will heal well when they are dry and have less moisture.
How Long Does a Padsicle Last?
The coolness of a padsicles will diminish within an hour. However, the ingredients will continue to heal even after the padsicle does not have any of it left. After an hour, the padsicle will continue to be your regular pad.
Are All the Ingredients Necessary?
You can skip any one of the three liquid ingredients and use a combination of any two. A padsicle can be made without aloe vera gel, witch hazel, or lavender. Be sure to use at least two of them to get benefit from the padsicles.
Will the Padsicles Stick with Each Other?
Once the padsicles are frozen in its outer covering and adhesive wrappers inside, they will not stick together. You can place a few padsicles together in Ziploc bags and store multiple bags in the freezer.
What If I Find Padsicles Too Cold?
As you will use the padsicles directly from the freezer, they will be too cold in the beginning. Walk around a little after wearing the pad and sit for some time without putting pressure directly on the pad. This will let your body heat warm up the padsicles as per your convenience.
