Padsicles

If you’ve had a baby, maybe you’ve made padsicles! My friends and I get pregnant all together, it seems. Last pregnancy, we planned a padsicle making date before delivery and had a little assembly line going! We made so many and all took home a bag full each.

What’s a padsicle?

It’s basically a pad that turns into a medicated ice pack for “down there” to provide relief after delivery.

I make ahead about 20 of them, store them in my freezer and use those pads up FIRST, immediately after delivery. That’s when it’s the most painful and I’m the most swollen. Pain and swelling decrease over time (relatively quickly for me) so I don’t need these more than a few days.

Products I use:

• Always Infinity Extra Heavy Absorbency Overnight Sanitary Pads with Wings - Unscented

  • I find that these are super absorbent, wile also managing to feel discreet. I use these pads, alone, when my homemade padsicles have run out.

• Witch Hazel Pads

  • I use this brand from target, because it’s basic and pretty straight up. No fragrance or anything like that. They already come in a pad form, so you don’t have to pour it on anything, you just lay them out. (liquid which hazel would also work for these! You can just pour directly on the pad.. we’ll get to that.

  • The benefits of witch hazel pads “down there” after birth: Witch hazel is both astringent and anti-inflammatory, so it can help soothe and heal wounds, tears and swelling.

• Lavender

  • Essential oil lavender is commonly used for perineal healing and soothing after birth as it also has anti-inflammatory properties.

  • *there is a major difference in manufactured lavender FRAGRANCE vs pure concentrated lavender.* So lavender scented products, such as epsom salt, witch hazel etc. don’t count here. Get the raw product and then add your own PURE lavender.

  • The lavender I use and trust can be found HERE! I love the Young Living brand.

Directions:

• Unwrap the pad, while saving the little paper that attaches to the sticky wings

• Drizzle a little stream of water over the pad, without making it completely saturated (you want to leave a little room for absorption, so it can work in your favor as a pad while also providing relief.)

• Layer 3 witch hazel pads in a row on top of the Always pad

• Drop 7-10 drops of lavender up and down the witch hazel pads

• Rewrap the pad to make it look just like how it came.

• Repeat until you have the number of pads you want!

• Store in the freezer and take them out as needed after birth.