# pads and underwear for after birth?



## asianmama (May 4, 2005)

Hi Mamas,

I'm 8 months pregnant (first baby) and am trying to decide on the type of pads to get for after the birth, particularly whether I should get cloth pads or not. If I decide not to get cloth pads, I'd also like to know which brand disposables have worked well for other women (I have been told to stay away from Always for after-birth bleeding). On one hand, I think it will be more work to have cloth pads in terms of laundry, but on the other hand I have heard that cloth pads can be frozen or cooled in the fridge and that's soothing for the sensitive areas after a birth. I'd like to hear some thoughts on this!

Also, is regular underwear (e.g. bikini briefs) comfortable enough after a birth? Are there types of underwear that are more comfortable than others after a birth? I have heard of some sort of underwear that has mesh in it that is made particularly for after a woman gives birth, but I don't want to spend exorbitant amounts of money on underwear that I'll only wear for a month or so.

So to sum up, if I could get some input in response to the following questions, I would really appreciate it!

a) Are cloth pads convenient and comfortable to use, and are they more comfortable than disposables?

b) If you would recommend cloth pads, how many should I get? And which brands have you found to be good?

c) If you would recommend disposables, which brand should I get?

d) Are there some types of underwear that are more comfortable than others to wear after a birth?

Thanks, mamas!


----------



## TCMoulton (Oct 30, 2003)

When I gave birth to my two girls, both times the hospital sent me home with extra disopsable pads and when they ran out, I bought the overnight absorbancy ones - not sure of the brand. With a new baby and a sore bod, I wanted convenience and that is what the disposables were!

As far as the underwear, I went to Target and bought 2 packages of the hanes her way granny panties and they were the best - a small amount of support for the tummy and they washed up wonderfully! For the small investment, I didn't care if they got ruined, but in the end they are still around for those bad period days! I also loved these undies in the days following birth in the hospital - I dumped the mesh thing that they give you as soon as I could get up and get moving the next morning (both girls were born at night) they offered the support that I wanted and just made me feel more back to myself!


----------



## captain crunchy (Mar 29, 2005)

Well, I haven't had my baby yet, but I will tell you this pad story!

So, I have been a tampon girl for about 10 years...haven't even worn pads at night or anything...so I am out of the pad game...the last time I wore pads they were like these really thick things that were really uncomfy and big...

So I bought some disposables for after birth (because I am lazy and we have no washer/dryer)... and I was going to put some witch hazel on some and put them in the freezer which has been suggested many times on here for after birth soreness (you put a chux pad under your butt without undies)...

So anyway, I was so suprised! I am pouring this witch hazel on the pads and they are constantly getting dry....they soaked up SO MUCH fluid... I was like woah, because they were so thin... me any my hubby were laughing because I looked like a commercial---only without the weird blue liquid they use...

Anyway, the pads I got were just a store brand overnight with wings (CVS I think?) and those puppies absorb A LOT...

...for what it's worth...

oh on the panties.... my mom gave me some granny panties she bought that were too small for her (she opened the package and couldn't return them but never wore them).... well my mom is bigger than me and she gave me these in early pregnancy and I remember telling her "these are way too big! they will never fit!" ...well, at 9 months pregnant, they fit FINE now.... :LOL

Good luck and take care!


----------



## Rockies5 (May 17, 2005)

Hi. Congrats on beig in the home stretch







I'll be having my 5th baby in January so I can share a few tidbit with you.

1) afterbirth cramps are sharper then labor cramps. Please be ready with a hot water bottle or heating pad and your oping skills. I usually just keep dh nearby for a few days and have him deeply massage my feet or hands while nursing (which is when you get the cramps)

2) are you already using cloth? if so, and you dh doen't mind doing the wash...get the biggest ones you can find. Afterbirth flow can be messy, so unless you have used cloth for awhile and are used to the differences (leaks, less absorbabcy and the iron smell) I advise disposibles. You will feel WONDERFUL after birth, but when you come down from the high (1-4days) if you have been doing laundry or any housework YOU WILL FEEL AS IF YOU"VE BEEN HIT BY 12 LARGE TRUCKS. just a warning from one overambitious mom to another :LOL

3) if you used disposable pads before your pregnancy, get the largest ones in the same brand. I have used Always without any problems besides they are expensive and can be sticky on a tender area. I prefer stayfree because they are just as leakproof, and their overnights are soft and comfy.

4) panties. anything that supports your tummy will work well. I'd get a big size. I like grannie panties as well 100% cotton and then you won't even need pants







If you have stretch pants or something that will support your tummy, then your usual panties will do. I usually use maternity briefs for awhile. (cause I can't deal with unpacking the regular cute panties while I'm 9.5mos pregnant)

Goodluck to you!


----------



## amydidit (Jan 21, 2005)

I've never used cloth pads... I just can't wrap my mind around the idea.

With DD#1 my midwife told me a good use for the disposable diapers I'd been given... she told me to use them as pads for the first few days... they covered a LOT more area and absorbed a LOT... after about a week I switched to the pads designed for nighttime use. I'm normally a tampon girl, so using pads was icky to me... I wanted to make sure I had the largest coverage possible.


----------



## WinterBaby (Oct 24, 2002)

oh gosh, I am *all* about the cloth pads. Now I'm a tampon girl myself, and never really gave this pad thing much thought for after birth (other than to think, omg, can I handle it? My menstrual flow is so heavy and clotty, that I've never dealt with pads well in the past - I was assured lochia is different, lol.) I went ahead and got disposable pads - kotex, and they seemed comfotable and absorbant enough. I've tried those Always for overnight back-up, but they have a plasticy top and it sticks, so I stayed away for after birth. Well, I tried using those disposables for the first two days, in between sitting open on cloth chux on the bed and in the chair. And omg, someow I'd get hairs stuck in the adhesive, they were hot, made me itch, gave me a rash and just drove me absolutely batty. My ever-so-kind sister brought over a big stack of postpartum cloth pads, which I was desperate enough to try out (since if you'd asked me prior to this I'd have said "ewww, you mean I haveta wash and reuse those?!







: ) and it was a godsend. They were soft, they breathed, no more rashy feeling. I doubled them nights. I had about 16 of the post partum ones, then some lighter ones, which was more than enough. The stitching went all the way through the pad on the ones I had which made for a trimmer more comfy pad, but more leaky, so there was am extra thin waterproof strip I could wear with it if I wasn't going to be able to keep a close eye for leaking, or not if I was. I was being well cared for in the first weeks and *I* never had to worry about washing them, LOL (and honestly I just washed them right along with poopy baby laundry.) This is totally what sold me on using cloth dipes on dd. I mean if it made such a huge difference to *me* I could only imagine what it was to her sensitive bottom, lol. Gah, I'm getting longwinded over cloth now. Someone shush me before I start raving over my favorite fabric tops for them )









(Oh, and you can wet and freeze cloth or disposable, no worries there. And bikini briefs worked fine for me - in preg, and pp)


----------



## christiab (Jan 13, 2004)

OK, let me start off by saying no one prepared me for how heavy post-partum bleeding really was. I remember freaking out while I looked at this clot the size of a gerbil. Then, the nurse goes "Oh, that's still normal sized. LMK if it's larger than a SOFTBALL". WTF????

Before I went home, I had DH go to the store and get me some Depends (underwear style). That way, I wasn't messing up my clothes, furniture and sheets. I just changed Depends 4-5 times/day. Lord knows it wasn't sexy, but little about childbirth was, IMO!!!

After I used up the package of Depends, I switched to Overnight Always. I didn't notice any sticking.


----------



## WinterBaby (Oct 24, 2002)

Oh gosh, I can't shut up about cloth, can I? I forgot brand info that you had asked about. Which doesn't help you much, but maybe talking about what things I like about them will. Right now, I use a fold-up style flannel topped (I like flannel for barely-there bleeding, soft light absorbant) light rectangular pad for spotting. It's trim, not bulky, washes/dries easy for the fold up-ness. Mine are from
www.rhythmandbluespads.com. My postpartum stash was all from pretty pads, however. Not sure they still make pads. (www.prettypads.com) I had the long pp ones, they have a sort of mushroom shape. I put the large end at whichever side I need the coverage (in the back laying down, in front when up and around) - the shape is bulky but I think helps the pad stay put too. I have some of their lighter smaller ones as well. They had ones with the stitching through all layers which can lead to leaks but more trim, or not through the waterproof layer - less leak, more bulk. I especially liked the hemp fleece (sherpa) topped ones for heavy bleeding. But they also offered poly fleece (good for dry, bad for airflow). I also like the softness of microfleece. The other problem with that style is the thickness - maybe harder to keep cleaner and stainfree with so many layers some people think, but I just think they take much longer to dry - too long if you're line drying and not using a drier. There's an advantage in the fold-up style there. Anyway, I guess my point is - with the fabric and patterns variations, you'd have to think about what the most important features might be to you.


----------



## Messac888 (Jan 24, 2005)

When I had dd at home, I stayed in bed for the first couple days (fending off mastitis) so I didn't use pads at all. I laid down on the same towels my daughter was delivered into (after they were washed, of course) and just let the blood flow. When I was up and walking around I had a pair of those mesh panties (ugly but comfy) and I just stuck an infant-sized cloth diaper into the crotch part. A couple weeks later, when we finally left the house for the first time as a family (since dh and ds left waaaaay before dd and I did) I went back and forth between luna pads (cloth) and store-brand overnight disposeables. HTH!


----------



## asianmama (May 4, 2005)

Hi All,

Carrie, I have been a disposables girl so far. It had just occurred to me the other day that I am planning to cloth diaper the baby, but I still use disposable pads! So I thought of switching to cloth for myself. From the responses I've gotten, I think immediately postpartum is probably not the best time to make the switch!

The idea of using Depends had never occurred to me. I think I will look into that! Since I don't know how rough it'll be after the baby's out, I think I will try to make things as convenient and comfortable for myself.

I will also look into overnight disposables and granny panties!

Thanks to everybody for the response. I appreciate the brand suggestions for both cloth and disposables (disposables for right after birth, cloth for later on!).

Take care!


----------



## EmmaJean (Sep 26, 2002)

I used Always ultrathin overnites for both kids and my normal underwear--non sexy Hanes hi-cut briefs, I think! hahah! Never thought I'd be sharing all that info, but anyway...

I usually used tampons mostly and pads make me itchy, but I wasn't into trying cloth for PP. But man, I was SO sick of those pads by the end of the first week. I hated them, but didn't have much choice since I didn't have the money to invest in cloth by then. I would fold up a cheap washcloth that we use for baby wipes, and that was good for some relief. I used creams and such to help w/ my (essentially) diaper rash. AFter that I decided to not use disp. pads ever again, or at least a lot less! So now I'm in love w/ my Diva cup and bought some cloth pads from a friend. They're pretty cool, but they have a lot of fleece, so that makes them bulky and and I hate bulk.

My two cents. Hey, you asked for it!


----------



## NightOwl (Sep 12, 2004)

My midwife recommends Kotex overnights for postpartum. I've never used them, so I don't know much about them. But I *have* to use those at first because my midwife knows how absorbant they are and she can tell if you're bleeding an ok amount by how many you go through.


----------



## ZeldasMom (Sep 25, 2004)

Have not used these, but to me the rolls royce of post partum pads appear to be snoogie snaps post partum cloth pads that snap into fleece shorts:
www.snoogiesnaps.com/loungewear.htm
I don't want to make a big investment in something I use for a week though.

I use sweet cheeks new moon pads for my regular period and love them:
www.newmoonpads.com/US.html
I am concerned these may not be enough for post partum flow though, at least not for the first week. I have heard of people using prefold cloth diapers. I might try this. I am not sure if preemie or infant would be better. And I'm also not sure if people just hold them in place with snug fitting underwear or if they pin them with something like dritz diaper pins. I figure with diapers, they will at least gets lots of use afer you are done using them as post partum pads.


----------



## Poddi (Feb 18, 2003)

I bought some mesh panties from medical supply store and also some really big and soft pads. Actually it wouldn't have been too necessary because my flow was even lighter than regular period and stopped after a week. I still have tons of leftover pads.


----------



## LindyLou (May 4, 2004)

I used Always Overnights with Wings after both of my daughters.


----------



## Rockies5 (May 17, 2005)

that is funny. I use cloth for babies but paper for me. I think tampons are WRONG :LOL just in idea







I have considered switching to cloth, but my flow is so light I don't think it would make a load in the wash, and dh is against mixing laundry. He's a bit OCD. I wash socks and unders with the diapers and if he find them mixed in the basket he's actually disgusted and can't wear them :LOL

Maybe next time. I have a nice machine so I may make some....still getting over the ICK factor.

And clots after birth...I only had one after my hosp. birth (dr used pitocin w/o permission for placenta) I had a clot the SIZE OF THE BABYs HEAD. only 1 though, but I swear...they coulda warned me! (the baby's head was 15in) I thought it was my uterus in the potty. (well, I was 19)

with my natural births I haven't had any clotting. Still I'll be using disp. diapers and pads for awhile this time, if only for less frequent changes.


----------



## ZeldasMom (Sep 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rockies5*
I have considered switching to cloth, but my flow is so light I don't think it would make a load in the wash, and dh is against mixing laundry...
Maybe next time. I have a nice machine so I may make some....still getting over the ICK factor.

You know if your flow is really light it might be easiest just to wash pads in the sink. Or if your DP isn't into that you could use a bucket. Some people have little ceramic pots with lids they keep just for soaking pads (I don't do this because I can see my DS getting into it to play). If there is a way you could set things up so you can soak your pads when removed cleaning them is especially easy.

And regarding the ick factor, cloth pads are so much more comfortable this gets you over that really fast! If you make your own pads the sweet cheeks pads have a layer of thick microfleece on the back rather than poly-urethane laminate (PUL) for the waterproof/resistant layer. Fleece is breathable, so it's more comfortable than PUL IMO, plus the texture of it helps hold the pad in place.


----------



## sbgquilt (Jan 7, 2005)

I'm 3.5 weeks postpartum. I used disposable pads for the first couple of days but mostly what ended up working best was to stay in bed naked lying on a towel. I was lying on chucks in the beginning, but not nearly as comfortable. I stayed in bed for over a week essentially naked -- felt great and good for nursing.


----------



## mlis (Apr 19, 2002)

I'm 5 days post partum right now, let me tell you what worked for us. With dd, born at home last Saturday, I used the big cloth pads that came in my birth kit (essentially the same ones you get in the hospital) and the mesh panties for the first 2 days. I stayed in bed the whole time and only gushed when I had to get up and go potty. After I ran out of the big pads, I switched to my cloth pad stash. I had a TON of really heavy big, post partum pads, but really didn't need them. I'm still bleeding (duh







) but its really not super heavy or gushy or clotty any more. I really like my sweet cheeks pads the best, www.sweetcheeksdiapers.com They feel just like regular underwear, don't bunch or sweat and I don't get that 'stinky, sticky, pad feeling'

With ds, who was born in the hospital, I had an episiotomy, which was WAYYYYY worse than any bruising/streching I had this time. I wore disposable pads, the big over night ones with wings when we got out of the hospital, and they HURT. They really irritated my stitches. When I had to sit up at night to nurse, I couldn't just scoot around on the bed, I had to lift my butt and place it carefully down or the stitch would catch on the paper pad. I soooo wish I had nice soft, no plastic cloth for the 2 weeks it took to heal my cut.

The first few days you will need HUGE, absorbent pads, after that, just use what ever is comfortable, you won't need anything industrial sized after a few days. Also, you can use cloth wipes on top of your disposable pads if you need the softness but still want the absorbency of the sposie.

Good luck and congratulations!


----------



## WinterBaby (Oct 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rockies5*
that is funny. I use cloth for babies but paper for me. I think tampons are WRONG :LOL just in idea







I have considered switching to cloth, but my flow is so light I don't think it would make a load in the wash, and dh is against mixing laundry. He's a bit OCD. I wash socks and unders with the diapers and if he find them mixed in the basket he's actually disgusted and can't wear them :LOL

Maybe next time. I have a nice machine so I may make some....still getting over the ICK factor.


LOL, if you can handle cloth diapers, pads aren't any ick factor in comparison. I use a dry pail for dipes, essentially do for pads too. Quick rinse in the sink, then fold up and they stay damp til they hit the washer. I do two loads with pads (and everything else - I mean really - if your husband objects to your pads in the wash, he may as well object to your panties, and if he objects to your panties, he may as well imply you're unclean and offensive, and omg, I'm glad I've never had to go down that road with a SO, heh) one in the middle of my period and one at the end. When I was doing cloth dipes, I'd wash them with the dipes, but only because I put the dipes on a cold soak and prewash followed by a hot wash, which is what I like for pads too. (mmm, baby cooties...)


----------

