Many new mothers experience postpartum bleeding for up to six weeks after giving birth. It can be a messy, irritating, and uncomfortable time.
Postpartum padsicles are frozen maxi pads with soothing ingredients that have healing properties to help postpartum moms manage the pain after a vaginal delivery. You can make your own (I’ll share my favorite recipes) or buy them pre-made.
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What Is A Postpartum Padscile?
Think of padsicles like regular maxi pads with witch hazel and aloe vera gel that are frozen into cold packs for recovery after vaginal birth… Like an ice pad for your vagina.
By icing the area, you can reduce swelling and inflammation and help soothe any pain or discomfort you may be experiencing.
BONUS: If you are experiencing postpartum bleeding, you can wear your padsicle around the house without worrying about leakage. This is especially great for moms who are breastfeeding (who might not be able to run to the restroom at the first sign of a leak) or if you have older children running around at home that may distract you.
Dealing With Postpartum Pain
The healing process after vaginal delivery is different for every mother. Some experience a lot of pain, tenderness, and bleeding, while others feel back to normal a few days after welcoming their new baby.
Prepare for the worst by having a few postpartum essentials and comfortable clothes when you get home from the hospital.
Pro Tip: Your hospital may provide you with many of the postpartum goodies I mentioned above, so make sure to stock up while at the hospital and take home as much as possible in your hospital bag.
Padsicles Recipe
There are many ways to make homemade padsicles, but all involve freezing sanitary pads (or adult diapers) with soothing ingredients.
Medical Tip: Before making a batch of padsicles, talk to your OB or healthcare provider first. See if there are any active ingredients they recommend avoiding and what their favorites are to promote healing.
There are a few different ways to make postpartum padsicles, so I’ve included a variety of tutorials for you to choose from. They all utilize simple ingredients you likely have in your kitchen or pantry.
Padsicles From Healthline
This recipe calls for an absorbent pad (think overnight pads or pads specifically for postpartum bleeding), aloe gel with anti-inflammatory properties to reduce swelling and inflammation, and alcohol-free witch hazel (great to reduce itching).
You can also add a few drops of lavender oil… But I recommend skipping this step if it is your first time doing this popsicle recipe.
Your skin can be very sensitive to fragrance–even more so than normal after delivery. You can always add a few drops of essential oil to the frozen pad before using it, but you can’t take the essential oils out if you make a dozen padsicles and realize you have a sensitivity later.
Mama Natural Padsicle Recipe
I like this recipe because it calls for pads with wing tabs to help keep the ice pack in place.
I also like that they go over details like using a spray bottle to apply the natural ingredients to the pad without over-saturating it.
This recipe calls for healing herbs as one of the key ingredients. Again, I would be a little cautious of making all of my postpartum padsicles with herbs or oils that might be irritating… But you can always add these to the center of the pad after they have been frozen before you use them.
Recipe From Pregnant Chicken
This recipe is very specific about the amounts of each ingredient to put on each healing pad. If you are a rule-following and like to measure everything exactly, this has all the measurements for you. This post also has a quick video to walk you through the process.
The Postpartum Party
The photos in this post are a great addition to the tutorial.
They also give you a cost breakdown of how much each homemade padsicle will cost.
Spoiler alert: each DIY padsicle costs about $1, whereas storebought padsicles are $2 or more. If you’re willing to spend a little time on this project as your due date is approaching, you can save some money!
Where To Buy Padsicles In Store
By the time I got close enough to delivery to start thinking about my postpartum care and pain relief, I was way too drained to want to take on another project.
Mom Tip: If you read this and have the energy for a DIY padsicle project, go for it! Now! Before the aches and pains of the late third trimester set in ?
Frida Mom makes postpartum ice packs. I recommend the Frida Mom postpartum kit, but you can also buy the padsicles separately from the kit.
The whole postpartum kit:
Just the FridaMom Padsicles:
These from Lansinoh come with disposable liners to make staying sanitary effortless.
Whether you choose to buy your postpartum padsicles or make your DIY version, I highly suggest these in your postpartum recovery kit at home. The soothing relief will be welcomed, especially if you will be
