If you’re preparing for recovery after birth, these easy diy padsicles are the best postpartum pads to have because they can help to soothe postpartum pain, irritation and swelling that you will experience after giving birth to your baby.

WHAT ARE PADSICLES?

Padsicles are essentially homemade postpartum cold packs - it is a frozen maternity pad filled with healing goodness.

Cold packs are a must-have for your postpartum self-care because cold therapy helps soothe vaginal pain and irritation after birth.

If you have a vaginal delivery it’s likely that your vulva and perineum will feel pretty swollen from the pushing. If you experience grazing or tearing of any degree it will definitely be very inflamed and sore so this is basically the most cooling and soothing thing your vagina may encounter during the healing process.

DIY FROZEN POSTPARTUM PADS

Padsicles are frozen maternity pads which are soaked with ingredients to soothe and aid the healing of the perineum and surrounding areas to help with recovery. They can be used to soothe discomfort from haemorrhoids as well.

These padsicles are really simple to make and very useful to have on hand. They can be prepped anytime before baby is born and stored in the freezer for after birth use. They should be in every new mama postpartum care kit!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE PADSICLES?

• Maternity pads: Any kind of maxi pads can work for padsicles. We recommend Maternity Pads with extra long coverage, super absorbent and has wings for extra protection.

• MBH Perineal Spray or Distilled Witch Hazel:  We love witch hazel! It is a natural, soothing skin remedy that helps reduce inflammation and swelling and it has great wound healing properties which makes it an ideal remedy for reducing vaginal swelling and swelling of haemorrhoids.

  Witch hazel also has sort of a numbing effect which is great for pain relief.  If you are going to use distilled witch hazel, the most important thing when choosing a brand is to avoid any brands that have alcohol which could further cause irritation. The Perineal Spray is made with distilled witch hazel and is alcohol free.

• Aloe Vera Gel: Aloe vera is another wonderful, natural soothing treatment for skin. Try to find a brand that is pure aloe vera gel, unscented and free from alcohol.

• Essential Oils are optional: You can add 2-3 drops of lavender oil, rosemary oil, or tea tree oil to your witch hazel spray bottle. These essential oils are great options as they have anti inflammatory properties, helps soothe and aid with healing. If you are using our Perineal Spray this already has lavender, chamomile and tea tree extract.

• Spray Bottle (optional for the witch hazel mixture): Any spray bottle will do, and you’ll only use this to spray the witch hazel onto the pads.

• Plastic Freezer Bag: You’ll want to use freezer bags or plastic wrap to store the padsicles in your freezer.

HOW TO MAKE PADSICLES

1. Partially unwrap a few pads at a time with clean hands, but don’t detach the wrapper. Release the tabs from the wings, but save the backing so you can put it back on.

2. Spread about a tablespoon of aloe vera gel up and down the pad spreading it almost to the bottom of the pad. Use the maxi pad's inner liner pattern as a guide to keep the aloe in the center of the pad so that it wont gush out the sides later as it defrosts. You will also be bleeding after birth (as your body gets rid of the bloody fluid made up of blood, placental tissue, sloughed off endometrial lining, and mucous called lochia) so you don't want to saturate them completely.     

3. Spray with the Perineal Spray - enough to dampen the pad but not soak it through. If you are using distilled witch hazel, fill your small spray bottle about halfway up with witch hazel. Add 5-10 drops of each essential oil then top off with water. Use this mixture to spray the pads.      

4. Let dry a little bit, then fold the pads back up to how they were and stick them in the plastic bag, then freeze.  Your padsicles are done!         

After baby, pull them out of the freezer one by one as needed and let them thaw for two or three minutes - you want cold, not frozen, and use it as you would a regular pad. You won’t need a whole lot of these, 6 or 8 should get you through the first few days and they are so simple to make you can just make a couple to see what you think and make more if needed.

BONUS: 

Use the rest of the Perineal Spray for your perineum healing!  You can use it on the perineal area each time you go to the bathroom, keep it in the fridge and spray your other regular pads before putting them on to get even more soothing, healing benefits from witch hazel. You can also use the spray mixed with herbs to make a sitz bath.

Expecting a baby? Check out these other pregnancy and postpartum recovery tips:

Stretch Mark Care During Pregnancy

5 Things To Do Before Baby Arrives

My Hospital Bag Essentials

How to do a Perineal Massage

How to Write a Flexible Birth plan?

A Holistic Approach to Postpartum Recovery

Postnatal Recovery: Postpartum Care Kit Checklist

New Mama Essentials For Recovery After Birth

 Let us know how you get on with them, how many you ended up using? Did you find them helpful?