How To: Postpartum ‘Pad’sicles
It’s like a popsicle – for your mama parts!
If you are preparing to give birth, you must take 15 minutes and make these to help your precious body heal and feel better!
Recovery after birth is, unfortunately, not discussed enough. Our bodies go through some major changes during the process of birthing a child. Organs move around. Skin tears. Muscles tear. It’s not pretty but it’s what we are made to do. Then we get home and have a tiny infant to care for and are healing ourselves at the same time – it’s a lot of work! To ease the discomfort and give you some relief, make these! Every postpartum mama needs a stash of these magical pads in the freezer. They are so easy to make, last a while (I made mine two months in advance) and provide instant relief!
Gather your supplies! You’ll need:
Maxi Pads of your choice* – I HIGHLY recommend buying some of those cute Depends disposable underwear to wear during this short period of time. You can stick the padsicle right into it, into your regular panties, or into the mesh panties you might get from a hospital.
Aloe – make sure it is alcohol free
Witch Hazel – again, alcohol free. I also like the fragrance free kind – never know what your hormones will be like after birth and some scents might bother you
Lavender Oil - if you have experience with essential oils
Aluminum Foil – one sheet for each pad
Here’s what you do:
Place your foil on a flat surface. Foil needs to be big enough to fold up the pad.
Open a pad and place in the middle of the foil. Don't pull off from the wrapper. And leave the paper strip on the adhesive – it won’t mess it up.
Squirt the pad with witch hazel. It will absorb so use a decent amount.
Squeeze the aloe straight down the length of the pad. This will freeze so don’t worry about it oozing everywhere.
optional Add 2-3 drops lavender oil.
Now fold the pad back up. Again, don’t remove the sticky paper.
Wrap foil around pad tightly and place in freezer.
I stored mine in a big ziplock bag so that all my frozen goods wouldn’t smell like lavender.
When you put one on, you’ll immediately feel the coolness of the frozen contents, which will quickly warm against your skin and help keep it from getting itchy and dry. It also helps dry up the bleeding.
*Extra Info: I suggest buying pads without wings. Consider the fact that you will likely have stitches and the adhesive on the wings could pull on your sensitive skin. Ouch!
