DIY Padsicles for Postpartum Recovery
Make Your Own Frozen Padsicles for Postpartum Recovery Care
After giving birth, your body has a lot of healing to do. If you delivered vaginally, or delivered by cesarean but did some pushing and laboring, you may have swelling and tearing of your perineum. (The perineum is the area between the anus and the vulva.) DIY padsicles will be a key to alleviating pain and healing as a postpartum mom.
Postpartum bleeding is normal and most women experience vaginal pain after delivery. Think about it- you removed a human from your body- it’s going to take some time to let that heal! You may experience painful urination after delivery and general pain in that area. This is why padsicles can be such an important part of your postpartum recovery kit, and they are easy to DIY (and cheap!)
I’m going to share with you my padsicles recipe and tell you why you’ll love them and when to use them!
This post contains affiliate links which means, at no additional cost to you, I may get a commission for the products recommended.
What You Need to Make DIY Postpartum Recovery Pads:
Homemade padsicles are an easy way to aid your healing after birth. You only need 4 things, although some women like to add a 5th ingredient. (Find all of these in my quick Amazon Postpartum List)
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Maxi pads
You can choose what size (or sizes) you want to use. In the video, I am using a large hospital pad. However, this will work with any store-bought maxi pad. I recommend getting one that is long enough to fill your underwear and thick enough to hold the witch hazel and aloe vera.
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Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is anti-inflammatory making it a safe soothing topical remedy. This is often used to treat sunburn, razor burn, bug bites, hemorrhoids and more. It is traditionally known to have a soothing effect on the skin.
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Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is known to reduce swelling and itchiness. It has a cooling and soothing effect, making it a great part of padsicles for vaginal relief. It is also healing for wounds, which is good news for a new mom with a painful vagina.
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Freezer-safe bag and/or pad wrapper
When using a standard store-bought pad, you want to leave the wrapper on while making the postpartum cooling pad and wrap it back up for freezing. If you use one that does not have a wrapper, or choose to remove the wrapper, you can simple roll the pad and place in a freezer-safe bag. Once you’ve finished your batch of padsicles, it’s easiest to put into a large freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer until they are needed.
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Essential oils
Some women like to add essential oil such as lavender to their padsicles. This may be an added benefit, however, the witch hazel and aloe vera will be enough for the healing mom.
My “recipe” is to squirt them from the containers or using a spray bottle until the pad is adequately wet and will freeze well. I do not measure. However, if you love to measure, here’s a suggestion:
Step by Step DIY Padsicles Recipe
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Unwrap the pad, but leave the wrapper attached so that it can recover the pad after you complete the padsicle.
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Start with witch hazel. Saturate the pad- 3 to 4 tablespoons worth.
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Add the aloe vera. Use 2-3 tablespoons worth.
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Add a couple of drops of lavender oil if you’d like.
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Use a spoon or stir stick to spread evenly over the pad.
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Fold the pad and cover with wrapper.
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Put in freezer safe bag and into the freezer until they are needed.
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Pull them out and enjoy the relief after baby.
When To Use A Frozen Padsicle After Delivery
Vaginal pain will likely continue for 5-14 days. As time progresses, if you are getting rest and being easy on your body, the pain should decrease each day. DIY padsicles are great for the first few days after you get home. Personally, I have made 1 pack of maxi pad padsicles for my postpartum care recovery and they were more than enough for my healing. I wore them throughout the day for 4-5 days after coming home from the hospital. While in the hospital, take advantage of the ice packs they have available as well as tucks pads and any other accessible recovery items.
Alternatives: Where to Buy Padsicles Instead
If you don’t want to make DIY padsicles at home, and you want to have an equivalent, you’re in luck! There are a few products on the market that help with postpartum recovery.
Frida Mom Perineal Pad Cooling Liners
Reusable Perineal Ice & Heat Packs
Earth Mama Herbal Perineal Spray
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