DIY Padsicles

Yeah you heard me ladies. Padsicles, as in pads, as in afterbirth bleeding. No shame here girls! Its a natural thing that will happen after the birth of your new bundle of joy.

Now in case your other Mummy friends mentioned how wonderful everything was and how hard the actual labour was. But did they tell you about the 4-6 weeks of after birth bleeding? No? Well that doesn't surprise me.

So just briefly, once you have a vaginal birth (whether you tear or end up with stitches) you will have some bleeding, it is different for everyone but the Midwife currently taking care of my antenatal needs states that it will be around 4-6 weeks on average of bleeding. It is similar to menstruating with a couple of key differences. Firstly, because everything around the vaginal area will be quite tender and sore, sometimes even swollen. Knowing this, the "blood" that you expel will feel very acidic and may feel as if you are burning down below. Secondly, due to the swelling and tenderness of the area, topical treatments from the chemist one would usually use for thrush or swelling in that area can just make things worse.

Alright now we have a base to work with, why don't I tell you what the hell padsicles really are?

Basically, padsicles are a frozen or cold pack for your vaginal area and is generally used for women suffering from post birth pain. Now, the padsicles that I have seen for sale (and I haven't seen many) have been very expensive and laced with chemicals that I believe to be counter-productive. After all I created this blog to show you how to do things yourself and provide you with some chemical free alternatives to the normal products you buy at the supermarket and other such places, either through DIY or for sale (for the Mummy's with enough on their plates).

Lets get started.

Padsicles are not just a pad you buy from the shop and then decide to put in the freezer. That will only work for short periods, and won't help you heal.

What you need:

* Your preferred maternity pads (vaginal pads obviously, I generally use double winged night pads if buying from the supermarket, otherwise my bamboo washable pads work amazingly, chemical free is best guys)

* Witch-hazel (this is to help closing pores and to help heal the stretched skin in the area)

* Pure Aloe Vera gel (organic and ensure it doesn't contain too much sodium)

* Lavender essential oil (this is great for cellular regeneration and great for assisting inflammation)

* Frankincense essential oil (this is to help prevent scarring)

* Rosemary Essential oil (fights infection)

* A sterile spray bottle

*Aluminium foil or large sandwich bags

What to do:

1) Half fill up your spray bottle with witch hazel

2) Add 5-10 drops of each essential oil (I like to use 10 but I have seen others use just 5 to start with.

3) Top up the rest of the bottle with witch hazel

4) Using clean hands and a clean work surface, open up your pad flat without undoing any of adhesive protection (if your using disposable pads: remember chemical free).

5) Spread a thin but generous layer of aloe vera gel to the pad using either a teaspoon back or your finger.

6) Using your prepared spray bottle, spray enough of the witch hazel solution to dampen but not completely soak the bad (we still need it to absorb the postpartum bleed)

7) Let this dry a little bit and then wrap into the aluminium foil (or place in clean sandwich bag) and store in the freezer.

Notes:

* I used 4-5 padsicles per day to help the healing process.

* The left over spray can also be used for your perineum area, I sprayed it every time I went to the bathroom to help it heal.

* You can also use the spray on your regular pads without freezing as an extra boost to speed up that healing. We are all about the healing here.

And that's it. Easy as pie.

Forever Yours

Anni