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DIY Padsicles for Postpartum Mamas

Padsicles for the postpartum period - pin this for later!! Seriously. They are a MUST after having a baby.

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)

DIY padsicles -These are a MUST for after having a baby! Seriously. DIY Padsicles for postpartum mamas - these are a MUST HAVE for after delivery!!! Padsicles for the postpartum period - pin this for later!! Seriously. They are a MUST after having a baby. DIY padsicles - these are a must have for after having a baby!!!

DIY Padsicles for the postpartum period!

Tutorial:

  1. 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.
  2. Pour about a teaspoon of witch hazel down the middle.
  3. 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.
  4. 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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DIY padsicles -These are a MUST for after having a baby! Seriously. DIY Padsicles for postpartum mamas - these are a MUST HAVE for after delivery!!! Padsicles for the postpartum period - pin this for later!! Seriously. They are a MUST after having a baby. DIY padsicles - these are a must have for after having a baby!!!

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

FREE Hospital Bag Checklist! 

Pregnancy Survival Must-Haves

How to Organize and Store Baby Clothes

Hospital Bag Checklist! Okay where was this when I had my last baby!? This is so easy and SO much cheaper than buying one. YES!  Pregnancy Survival

 

  • 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 :)

  • 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!! :)

  • 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).

    • 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!

  • 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

    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…

  • CJ

    Weird question from a first time mom… Are these, er, absorbent still? Or will I need another (even bigger) pad underneath it?

  • 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. :)

  • 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! =)

    • I bet it would work fine! I’d maybe just put s little extra on to compensate! So exciting about baby number two, congratulations!!!

  • 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!

  • Vicky

    And I’m guessing these ingredients are safe for putting on your lady parts?

  • 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

  • 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).

      • 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!

      • 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!

  • 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!

  • 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 @ Pretty Providence

    haha! better to be safe than sorry :)

  • Sarah @ Pretty Providence

    haha! better to be safe than sorry :)

  • 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.

    • 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

    • 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

  • 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.

  • 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?

    • I’m not sure! I have never had to substitute for these ingredients, sorry I can’t be more help!
      Sarah Skaggs

  • 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!