# Question about freezing pads for post partum



## MomInCalifornia (Jul 17, 2003)

I have seen people suggest soaking pads in healing herbs and such, and then freezing them to be used post partum. While this sounds like it would feel great down there, would the frozen pads still work for absorbing the blood flow after birth, or are they simply being used as a healing ice pack?


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## lynchmon (Nov 12, 2004)

In the hospital they gave me a disposable diaper filled with ice. It soaks up the water. I'm sure people will object to the idea, but it felt pretty good. It absorbed blood too.


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## scheelimama (Aug 2, 2003)

They can absorb some, but not much. At the birth center where I gave birth, you have a chux pad under you for the first hour or two, so that does some of the absorbing too.


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## Kerlowyn (Mar 15, 2002)

I take regular menstrual pads and soak them in witch hazel, or my herbal sitz bath tea, then wrap and freeze them.

I use them mostly for the cold/healing aspect, although they do absorb some of the flow. I can't tell you how good they feel...aahhhhh...

Thanks for reminding me I gotta go make some!!!


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

I just use a quart sized ziploc bag with an inch or so of water and freeze to the right shape. That way the pad could still do its job and I still got the cool feeling. I used dried herbsmixed with honey









Only used it with my first birth as I didnt hurt much with my second and not at all with my third.


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## Changed (Mar 14, 2004)

www.inhishands.com sell a post partum pad that has an instand ice pack inside. I believe you twist the pad to activate the cooling effect and it also absorbs.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

I made some for after ds was born (ended up with a c/s though so I didn't even get to use them though







: ) I just used regular disposable pads (supers) my sitz bath mixture and made an infusion and soked them in there and wrapped them back up and froze them.

another thing I did that's alot less messy was fill up condoms with water and froze those too. you can just stick them in your undies on top of your reg pad post birth and I've heard they work great!

at least I was prepared I guess but everything went in the trash


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## anothermama (Nov 11, 2003)

I used the big pads that were just cotton inside (not ones like Always with the absorbing gel) and my midwives set them up with a kind of stripe of the peri wash down the center and froze that.......so the WHOLE pad wasn't SOAKED but it had a frozen center. And they absorbed just peachy. I'd usually double up and I only leaked in the first few hours or so, but I was on chux pads anyhow so it didn't really matter.


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## homebirthing (Nov 10, 2002)

When you are actually using the pads, usually in the first couple of days...you shouldn't be wearing any underwear and you should be in bed!! Air needs to be down there! hehe...

I personally think the best way(And I have seen it and done it a number of ways) is to put a chucks pad right on the bed, then lay onto of it, the take the compress, put it on you perineum, and it will be FRICKIN COLD!! but then ahhhhh...and the comfrey will be great for healing you.

How to do it:

Big pot of water
Comfrey leaves and root (you can get it almost anywhere) mixed and wrapped tight in cheesecloth
Boil the water, turn it off and add cheesecloth packages
Steep
Freeze in a big ziplock bag

You should probably make about 2 dozen or so and you can take them out as needed, already neatly packaged.

Take the water that was used and put it into a gallon container and mix with the water that you put in your Peri bottle after peeing and use that to wash with.


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## tinyshoes (Mar 6, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DoulaSarah*
When you are actually using the pads, usually in the first couple of days...you shouldn't be wearing any underwear and you should be in bed!! Air needs to be down there! hehe...

I personally think the best way(And I have seen it and done it a number of ways) is to put a chucks pad right on the bed, then lay onto of it, the take the compress, put it on you perineum, and it will be FRICKIN COLD!! but then ahhhhh...and the comfrey will be great for healing you.









right on!

No matter what kind of lovely, gentle birth a mama has, in my opinion, giving birth is akin to getting a punch in the face...even a gentle punch would hurt, right? Lots of tender tissues to care for...indeed tissues that need to rest, have cold to aliviate swelling and pain, and fresh air (vs. suffocating under clothing!) make for a speedy, pleasant recovory.

In the hosptial w/ my first birth, one nurse filled an exam glove with crushed ice...the little fingers of the gloves could be positioned for maxium effectiveness. With my homebirth, my midwives brewed a brew and made the frozen pads, which were smallish--a bit smaller than a deck of cards.

This herb stuff is totally worth it...real witches' brew helps the healing.
Good luck!


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## liawbh (Sep 29, 2004)

Where can I find recipes for the herbal brews for these?
TIA


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## LadyWulf (Aug 11, 2004)

I must be totally weird. After i had my daughter i felt fine and then the nurse came in with an ice pack and told me i HAD to use it because the doctor orders it for the first 24 hours. That thing HURT bad!!!! I could only stand it for about 5 minutes and then it was gone and i adamantly refused another one. I felt great without it. Even after i had my 8lb 6oz son i didn't hurt down there....my PP pain is mainly in my abdomen from everything moving back to its original position.


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## homebirthing (Nov 10, 2002)

Well right here on Mothering of course!! Here is a good basic sitz bath...

Sitz Bath

Sitz baths or full body baths can be wonderfully healing and comforting right after birth. Here are two great recipes, one for a sitz bath and one for a regular bath.

A sitz bath is a shallow bath in water just high enough to cover your hipbones. They're easier and safer than a full bath in the early days postpartum. You can enjoy one once or twice a day for three to five days after birth. They are safe as early as one hour after birth. Sitz baths are highly recommended if you have perineal soreness or tearing or had an episiotomy.

Run hot water for the sitz bath and when the temperature is comfortable and it is deep enough, add 3 drops lavender oil and 3 drops cypress oil. Mix well with the warm bath water and sit down in the water at once. Lavender encourages new skin growth, while cypress has astringent properties and constricts the blood vessels.

You may prefer to add a tea of healing herbs to a sitz bath or a full body bath. For a sitz bath, reduce this recipe by half.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Take the pan off the stove and add one handful each of the following dried herbs (use two handfuls if the herbs are fresh):

Lavender flowers
Comfrey leaves
Sage leaves
Calendula flowers
Rosemary

To this mixture add good quality sea salt without iodine. Add ½ to 1 cup of salt depending on the size of your tub.

Strain the liquid and add the tea to your bath water. Soak and enjoy. Your baby can enjoy this bath with you, too.

(I am going to add to the recipe Uva Ursi and witchhazel, which you can also just add right into the other herbs. Then I wouldn't just throw them in the pot, but put them in a cloth bag, which you should be able to get at any co-op or herb store or on-line. That way, you can just take the bag out, and stick it in the fridge to use again)

For the poltice, I would just mix maybe 2ounces of comfrey root with 2ounces of comfrey leaf...you can be the judge...wrap them in cheesecloth and steep.


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## liawbh (Sep 29, 2004)

Thanks Sarah. I wish I'd had all these MDC resources iwhen I had ds!


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## ScotiaSky (Jul 2, 2004)

Geesh I had my son over 8 months ago and these suggestions make me go ahhhh with relief :LOL
I had a unplanned hospital birth, 4 and half hours of pushing, vaccum extraction, episotomy that turned into a 4th degree tear and didn't even get ice to put on my poor battered body until 2 days PP and I think that was just once, when the doctor came to check on me and screamed at a nurse that I needed ice as I had a very bad tear and I do remember vaguely the doctor mentioning something about a Sitz bath but no one ever offered me one.







:
I was ill prepared for a hospital birth as we had planned a midwife Birth House birth. My midwife was with me at the birth, but I think my midwife assumed that the hospital was taking care of these things, and I did not know enough to demand better care.
Gee maybe if I had been looked after properly I would have a less then 6 week recovery period to be able to sit without screaming.

Next baby....


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## Electra375 (Oct 2, 2002)

I purchased two of the ice in the pads from inhishands.com they were great. I used a lot of frozen peas in zippy bags wrapped in my cpf. I cpf cloth diapers as pads b/c I was so sore and the idea of plasticy pads and chux was painful.
I wish someone had suggested the herbs frozen in the pads, I would have tried it. I was soooo swollen, ice felt really good.


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