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Hey y’all listen up: if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant you need to know about padsicles. A padsicle is a cold, soothing, healing pad for new mamas to use after vaginal birth. I am not going to get into the nitty gritty details of postpartum right now. We’ll just say it hurts. It hurts a lot. Before I delivered my baby in November, I read up about postpartum care and found out about these so I whipped up a bunch of them in about 30 minutes one day. After that baby came I was so glad I did this DIY. They were heaven sent. I kept thinking to myself that I didn’t want to know what postpartum life would be like without the padsicles.
They’re essentially home-made cold packs for your lady area. They are pads covered in aloe vera, witch hazel and lavender oil which all together aid you in healing faster and decreasing pain. The cold helps soothe as well.
So, if you are going to have a baby I highly recommend making these ahead of time so they’ll be ready for you when you get home. If a baby is in your more distant future, pin this for later! If you have a close friend or family member having a baby, make some for them and they’ll love you forever. I made a batch of about 30 at first but that many only lasted me about a week so I ended up making another batch of 30 after that. It’s up to you to choose how many to make!
Supplies:
Biggest pads you can find (I used Always Overnights)
Witch Hazel (I used this kind)
Aloe Vera
Lavender Essential Oil (I used DoTerra)
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Tutorial:
- Partially unwrap a few pads at a time, but don’t detach the wrapper. Spread aloe vera generously up and down the whole pad. Don’t just do the middle part – spread it further down almost to the bottom of the pad. Just trust me on that.
- Pour about a teaspoon of witch hazel down the middle.
- Add a few drops of lavender oil. Fold the pads back up to how they were and stick them in a gallon sized plastic bag, then freeze.
- Pull them out of the freezer one by one as needed and let them thaw for two or three minutes before use.
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You’ll thank me later….. oh and by the way, if you’re making these, congratulations on your bundle of joy! The postpartum pain is only a tiny speck compared to the joy your sweet baby will bring to your life.
Also check out:
9 Things You Must Do Before Baby Comes
How to Organize and Store Baby Clothes
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Kali
Is 31 weeks too early to start making these?
Sarah
Not at all! They should be fine in the freezer for a few months as long as your bag is sealed well! :)
Courtney B.
This may seem like a dumb question, but did the alcohol in the witch hazel burn at all? I read on other posts to use alcohol free witch hazel but haven’t been able to find any without the 14% alcohol (like the one you linked).
Heather Brown
i made these 2 months ago when I gave birth to my son and they were amazing!! Thank you so much for this post. I have a blog and i linked to this page on my postpartum post (which i have scheduled to come out tomorrow), just so you know. :)
Jessica
oh thank you so much! so glad you loved them!
Stephanie
Should i take the paper off the wings before folding it back together?
Stephanie
Apologies, just saw the video! Nevermind and thank you!
Jessica
No problem at all! Good luck!!
Kathy
I made some of these before delivery but ended up having an emergency c-section with no active labor. However, I am now having hemerroid issues. Would these pads be good for that? I notice a lot of the same ingredients in these as other hemerroid remedies.
Jessica
Yes they absolutely would! They may not heal them completely (depending on severity) but they should certainly be safe to use and help ease your discomfort! Good luck friend!
Kayla
Can you use pads without wings?
Jessica
Yes, you totally can!
Jacqueline Oliver
This might be a really dumb question but I’m about to give birth for the first time and so I don’t have any experience with this. I’m confused because from what I’ve heard you bleed heavily after giving birth….are these pads effective at collecting the blood when they are coated in aloe and witch hazel? Thanks for your input.
Sarah + Jessica
Not a dumb question at all! And YES they still totally work for that! Good luck on your sweet new addition!
Amanda
Did you use aloe vera with menthol, or just regular aloe vera?
Sarah + Jessica
It’s just regular aloe vera, like what you would buy to put on a sunburn! Not sure if it has menthol! I’ve linked the same stuff I used in this post :)
Anna Sauls de Reyes
About to have my third and just heard of these from a friend. Thank you for posting the recipe. AND these were kind of a fun nesting project to do to prepare for our new little. Thanks!
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
You are so welcome!! We are so glad you liked them, and GOOD LUCK with number three!!
crayolasun
I’m allergic to both Lavender and Aloe. Can I substitute the aloe for Vitamin E gel instead? And what could I use as a substitute for the Lavender?
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
I’m not sure! I have never had to substitute for these ingredients, sorry I can’t be more help!
Sarah Skaggs
Monroe
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Kristin
Such a great idea! I’m a month away from my due date and just made a big batch of 32 of these. One tip that might work for others: I poured the witch hazel and lavender oil into separate spray bottles to make it easier to distribute over the pad. 10 sprays of witch hazel from a medium sized (about 8-oz) bottle, and a few sprays of oil from a tiny 2-oz bottle. Easy peasy. You just saved my lady bacon!
Sasha Madden
How far in advance did you make these? I’m 33 weeks and have a sneaking suspicion that my little guy might come early (maybe just wishful thinking on my part!). Anyway, I want to be as prepared as possible so just wondering if these will be good in the freezer for that long.
Sasha Madden
How far in advance did you make these? I’m 33 weeks and have a sneaking suspicion that my little guy might come early (maybe just wishful thinking on my part!). Anyway, I want to be as prepared as possible so just wondering if these will be good in the freezer for that long.
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
I think I made them around 35 weeks! They should be fine in the freezer that long as long as your bag is sealed well :)
Sarah Skaggs
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
I think I made them around 35 weeks! They should be fine in the freezer that long as long as your bag is sealed well :)
Sarah Skaggs
Sarah @ Pretty Providence
haha! better to be safe than sorry :)
Sarah @ Pretty Providence
haha! better to be safe than sorry :)
Sarah @ Pretty Providence
That would probably work… but I’ve never done it! The only thing I would be hesitant about is the aloe vera, because it’s kind of thick and you might not get enough out of the spray bottle!
Sarah @ Pretty Providence
That would probably work… but I’ve never done it! The only thing I would be hesitant about is the aloe vera, because it’s kind of thick and you might not get enough out of the spray bottle!
Sarah
HI! i was wondering your thoughts on just tossing all the ingredients in a spray bottle and spritzing the crap out of the pads instead of the application as you have it? Let me know. Thanks!
Karen
It is a great idea. I am kind of weird though because after using ice packs a day in the hospital. Found out the second day when I didn’t get an ice pack that it didn’t hurt as much. I got one later and it made it hurt more again. I only had that experience once though. My other 3 were born c-section.
Sarah
I’ve been told that using ice is only for the first 24-48 hours. After that you use heat.
These pads dont have enough liquid in them to stay cold for super duper long though. the ingredients are what does the healing soothing (from what i gather).
Sarah
I’ve been told that using ice is only for the first 24-48 hours. After that you use heat.
These pads dont have enough liquid in them to stay cold for super duper long though. the ingredients are what does the healing soothing (from what i gather).
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
That is interesting I have never heard to use heat? I am definitely not a dr. But I have had 3 babies, for whatever that’s worth! Haha. I switched these out every hour or two for the first 48 hours, and then used them when needed after that for about the first week. Hope this helps!
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
That is interesting I have never heard to use heat? I am definitely not a dr. But I have had 3 babies, for whatever that’s worth! Haha. I switched these out every hour or two for the first 48 hours, and then used them when needed after that for about the first week. Hope this helps!
Meghan Lott Caldwell
How necessary is the lavender? I know essential oils are crazy expensive!
Sarah @ Pretty Providence
Probably not a big deal to leave it out but I did like the scent! Haha
Vicky
And I’m guessing these ingredients are safe for putting on your lady parts?
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
Yes mam!!
Vicky
I’m having a really hard time finding 100% Aloe Vera locally. The closest I’ve found are “Lily of the Dessert 99% Aloe Gelly”, and “Jason Soothing 98% Aloe Vera Gel”.
http://www.lilyofthedesert.com/product/aloe-gelly/
https://well.ca/products/jason-soothing-98-aloe-vera-gel_11369.html
I would prefer using 100% but Amazon in Canada sucks, they want me to pay $20 for shipping. So i’m leaning more toward the Lily of the Dessert one. What do you think?
Samantha Hiebert
Does it matter if it’s alcohol free witch hazel or not? I live in Canada and have had a hard time finding the alcohol free one…
Sarah @ Pretty Providence
Mine wasn’t alcohol free!
Christy
you probably need alcohol free. unless you want to set your whoha on fire… just sayin’
goingmyownway
You can find plenty of alcohol free witch hazels online, Amazon for one place. Alcohol free will be important if you have any cuts or tears. Alcohol Stings!
goingmyownway
You can find plenty of alcohol free witch hazels online, Amazon for one place. Alcohol free will be important if you have any cuts or tears. Alcohol Stings!
Hannah
Hi there, I’m due with my second in April of next year and am really looking forward to being prepared with things like this that I didn’t have with my first! Thanks so much for sharing about such a sensitive subject! I was wondering if you thought this product I found would work?
http://www.amazon.com/Thayers-Witch-Hazel-Original-Alcohol/dp/B00D3OB06S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1450929289&sr=8-7&keywords=witch+hazel+aloe+vera
It’s a witch hazel and aloe hybrid, so I thought it might do just as well as using the two different products. Thoughts? Thanks again! =)
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
I bet it would work fine! I’d maybe just put s little extra on to compensate! So exciting about baby number two, congratulations!!!
Bonnie Way
Love these ideas! I’m due with my fourth in two weeks so I’m off to get these supplies and make some. I’ve done frozen pads in the past but not with aloe or witch hazel but I love natural remedies so these sound great. One recommendation: DON’T use Always!!! I’d highly recommend using natural pads like NatraCare (I think is the name). Always and most other pads have chemicals in them to stop odour that also prevent healing. My midwife warned me about them with my first baby so I’ve used cloth or natural pads every baby since. Cloth don’t work in the freezer though. :) Look for organic or chemical-free pads if you can find them. :)
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
Thanks for the tips! And congrats on baby number 4!
CJ
Weird question from a first time mom… Are these, er, absorbent still? Or will I need another (even bigger) pad underneath it?
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
They are still absorbent!! Best of luck, it’s all worth it!
Jessica
Has anyone tried this mixing the lavender oil with the witch hazel to help distribute it better?
Jessica
I made these. I mixed the witch hazel with lavender oil in a cup, and applied it with a straw by collecting the liquid in the straw and holding my finger over the other end, then slowly letting the liquid out on pad. Made it super easy to get even coverage.
Anna Sauls de Reyes
Yes. I mixed eo and wh in a measuring cup. I applied aloe in a line in center of pad, poured 1-3 tsp (depending if overnight or regular pad) over aloe along center of pad, then spread aloe with a butter knife like making pb&j before re-closing wrapper. Not that I’m type A or anything…
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
Haha I love it! I’m sure that worked so well!
Jenna
I love these! I bought the pads with wings (not sure that they make overnight without wings) and I didn’t want the aloe to get on the wings and therefore all over me. I made several pads with the witch hazel and aloe, I kept the Aloe (I bought the clear kind) in the fridge and added it just before I used them.
I wish that I had known this trick for the first time around and I am so very excited to try them out! Due date today (8/20/15)… but nothing to say that I will be having this baby any time soon. Thank you!!
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
Yay!!! So so excited for you and your new addition! You will absolutely love them!! Best of luck!
Meagan Haulbrook
Hey, first-time-mom here. How many of these would you recommend making? I made 8, but I’m not sure what to expect (like how often I’ll use them everyday and how many days I’ll need them).
Jessica @ Pretty Providence
Depending on how labor goes, you will want to switch it out every couple hours for the first week or so at least! I got a bag of 32 and used them all! Hope that helps!
Amy
I just barely heard about these and am excited to try them after I have this baby! Wish I’d known about them for my other 3 pregnancies!! :)
Colleen Pastoor
Lol so someone told me about these AFTER I had my babes. I sure could have used them! Keeping this around in case there’s a next time :)