Padsicles, Dermoplast, and other Helpful Things I Wish I Had Known about Postpartum Life

As I talked about in my previous post about my birth story with baby #1( Birth Story of Baby #1) when all was said and done I had around 100 stitches from lacerations, and tearing, while giving birth. For anyone reading this that’s pregnant: DO NOT BE AFRAID. This does not happen to everyone, and I promise everything does heal and go back to normal. I had no concept of what 100 stitches in my lady parts meant. I just knew I was pretty tore up from the floor up.

Of all the things I knew going into labor and delivery I did not know a lot about what to expect once it was all said and done. I was a nurse and I was still clueless. Here are some things I learned that proved valuable to me and I hope will help someone else.

When you’re in the hospital they give you these glorious maxi pad looking ice packs. Even if you don’t have stitches they are a blessed gift for the swollen lady parts. I will never forget when the nurse put one in my mesh hospital underwear the first time and the instant relief it provided. This angel of a nurse was also the one who told me about Padsicles, and gave me the recipe to make them.(by my second birth I had a freezer bag full of them waiting in the freezer when I came home from the hospital, they’re that good.) Allow me to pass on the goodness that this sweet nurse shared with me:

Padsicle Recipe-

What you need:

The biggest pads you can find

witch hazel, this is a good one Here

Aloe Vera gel, I did not use the green one in the picture I used this one here

A lot of people also use lavender essential oil. I skipped this one because I’m really sensitive to fragrances(natural and unnatural)

1. Unwrap your first pad, but don’t take off the wrapper. Spread the aloe vera gel up and down the whole pad.

2. Pour around a teaspoon of witch hazel down the middle of the pad.

3. If you desire lavender oil, add a few drops to the pad and then fold the pad back up.

4. Stick pads in a gallon size freezer bag and freeze.

5. When ready to use pull one out as needed and let it thaw about two minutes before you place it in your underwear. Leave pads on for 15 minutes at a time.

Not only is the cooling effect a welcome relief to your lady parts, but all of the ingredients will help with the post birth inflammation.

The next thing they give you in the hospital is a peri bottle which is essentially a squirt bottle for your lady parts. Every time you use the bathroom you fill it with warm water and instead of using toilet paper to clean up urine you spray yourself with the peri bottle. I had never given thought to the fact that I could not, or would not, want anything to do with wiping myself with toilet paper after birth so this was a wonderful thing to learn about. Due to all of my stitches I had to use my peri bottle for weeks.

Dermoplast. Thank you whoever created this heaven in a bottle. It’s like the instant shot of cooling and pain relief you didn’t know your lady parts needed. The hospital provided me with a bottle of it, but I also had to send my husband out for more. It can be found at most drugstores, or here.

Giving birth can be a real pain in the ass. Literally. I’m talking about hemorrhoids. I pushed for hours with my first so needless to say my bottom was blessed with these little devils. Witch hazel pads provide instant relief to the area. In fact, when you’re done needing padsicles, but still need a little relief, you can line a regular pad with several witch hazel pads and it can be heavenly. They can also be found in most drugstores, or here. My hospital provided me with a container of them that I was able to take home.

There is also nothing scarier to think about after birth than having to go #2 for the first time. When they tell you to take stool softeners, take them. Everyday. Especially if you have stitches. You’ll be glad you did.

All of these things were things I wish I had known more about. Maybe we don’t talk about them more because we don’t want other women to be scared of the birthing process, but we have to keep in mind that no one person has the same birthing experience. Although it may be kind of scary, knowledge is power!

Thanks for reading!