disposable pads for postpartum

lytedark · May 2010

if you didn't do mama cloth for pp bleeding, did you have a brand/kind/type of disposable pads that you hated the least? i'm so not looking forward to pad usage in general and certainly not having plasticy ick next to my bits for weeks but mamacloth wasn't in the budget - esp since afterwards i plan to try switching from my old tampon usage to the diva cup.

so - that said, any rec's for what worked? with the understanding that everyone's bleeding is different pp..

jwpbride · May 2010

I'm not gonna lie- I LOVED the big ole huge ones that they gave me in the hospital (you know, with the mesh panties to wear over them? So sexy!). I actually asked for more to take home, but they said no. BOO!

I think I used Always when I got home.

Blackvelvet · May 2010

I used always overnights they are way thinner then the ones the hospital had. I was lucky and didn't need much for long I was in just a thin panty liner by two weeks

Dobie_Mama · May 2010

I will tell you that Always did terrible things to my lady bits. *shudders*

Kotex was OK. At least bearable.

lytedark · May 2010

jwpbride:
I'm not gonna lie- I LOVED the big ole huge ones that they gave me in the hospital (you know, with the mesh panties to wear over them?). I actually asked for more to take home, but they said no. BOO!

I think I used Always when I got home.

really??? see i have heard people say this sometimes but like...i know i've been giving pads at the GYN office before after a pap or after a procedure if they expect i'll be spotting or something and of course they're all huge and i haaaaaaaaate that 'pillow between your legs' feeling. is that different in a pp situation?

and should i just go with buying whatever the longest, heaviest flow pads i see on the shelves?

purplepuggles · May 2010

steal the hospital ones with ice for SURE. if you keep putting away the extras, when they restock your room they will give you more. i just kept asking for more and they kept supplying them. huge like a diaper but the ice was ESSENTIAL for the first couple days.

always gave me a rash...i am not sure what i used otherwise though. i am doing mamacloth this time after i no longer need the icepack ones.

CaitlinJ22 · May 2010

I too loved the big ones from the hosp and moved the mesh panties. I took an extra package or two. When they ran out after a wk or 2, I used always ultra thin and then panty liners around 2 or 3 wks pp.

jwpbride · May 2010

lytedark:
jwpbride:

I'm not gonna lie- I LOVED the big ole huge ones that they gave me in the hospital (you know, with the mesh panties to wear over them?). I actually asked for more to take home, but they said no. BOO!

I think I used Always when I got home.

really??? see i have heard people say this sometimes but like...i know i've been giving pads at the GYN office before after a pap or after a procedure if they expect i'll be spotting or something and of course they're all huge and i haaaaaaaaate that 'pillow between your legs' feeling. is that different in a pp situation?

In my experience, it is waaay different. I remember being relieved that I had that "pillow between the legs feeling"- it was like a cushion! haha

lytedark · May 2010

purplepuggles:
steal the hospital ones with ice for SURE. if you keep putting away the extras, when they restock your room they will give you more. i just kept asking for more and they kept supplying them. huge like a diaper but the ice was ESSENTIAL for the first couple days.
always gave me a rash...i am not sure what i used otherwise though. i am doing mamacloth this time after i no longer need the icepack ones.

hold on a sec - the ones at the hospital have ICE in them??? i just assumed they were the same ginormously thick could wrap around your body twice they're so long type of pads you see at the GYN? no???

purplepuggles · May 2010

lytedark:
purplepuggles:
steal the hospital ones with ice for SURE. if you keep putting away the extras, when they restock your room they will give you more. i just kept asking for more and they kept supplying them. huge like a diaper but the ice was ESSENTIAL for the first couple days.
always gave me a rash...i am not sure what i used otherwise though. i am doing mamacloth this time after i no longer need the icepack ones.
hold on a sec - the ones at the hospital have ICE in them??? i just assumed they were the same ginormously thick could wrap around your body twice they're so long type of pads you see at the GYN? no???

mine were like that PLUS had an icepack in them. it was so so soothing after delivery and the episiotomy. i hate pads too, but the cushiony-ness plus the ice felt awesome that first couple days!

lilibet · May 2010

I used the overnight Always Infinity ones (newer, more expensive, but SO much more comfortable); I haven't had the rash/irritation issues others mentioned. I did snag what was left of the package of the big ones at the hospital, but I had a c/s and was there for 4 days, so I didn't need them much when I got home (I think I used those ones for overnight the first few nights home).

Genevieved · May 2010

jwpbride:
I'm not gonna lie- I LOVED the big ole huge ones that they gave me in the hospital (you know, with the mesh panties to wear over them? So sexy!). I actually asked for more to take home, but they said no. BOO!

I think I used Always when I got home.

I ending using these for a little while. I just kept asking for more in the hospital but what I like the most was the mesh panties and I used mine own when i ran out but cannot remember what kind they were sorry.

Get as many mesh panties as you can!

kmgourley · May 2010

purplepuggles:
lytedark:
purplepuggles:

steal the hospital ones with ice for SURE. if you keep putting away the extras, when they restock your room they will give you more. i just kept asking for more and they kept supplying them. huge like a diaper but the ice was ESSENTIAL for the first couple days.

always gave me a rash...i am not sure what i used otherwise though. i am doing mamacloth this time after i no longer need the icepack ones.

hold on a sec - the ones at the hospital have ICE in them??? i just assumed they were the same ginormously thick could wrap around your body twice they're so long type of pads you see at the GYN? no???

mine were like that PLUS had an icepack in them. it was so so soothing after delivery and the episiotomy. i hate pads too, but the cushiony-ness plus the ice felt awesome that first couple days!

You may not get these. When S was born they did not have these at all and I never used ice (didn't have hardly any swelling either). With B, they had them but they were NOT absorbant-- just a special pad-looking ice pack. I used it once or twice, but again, didn't have much swelling.

I used Carefree after S was born and Kotex after B. I bought what was on sale that was not Always. I got the thinnest overnight version I could find (I bleed a LOT and for a LONG time after birth).

kelbrian · May 2010

Always was horrible. It rubbed me raw I bled for two straight months, so I went through a lot of pads. Wasn't a huge fan of Kotex either.

I would recommend Seventh Generation, although I haven't used them for PP. I use them in conjunction with my mama cloth when I have my period now. They are chlorine free and perfume free.

ETA: I used the hospital ones for about a week and a half after because the bleeding was so heavy. They were great. I was able to take a couple of packages home along with a few pairs of mesh undies and a pack of those pads with the ice packs. Those are FABULOUS and if you can, get a bunch for home.

Genevieved · May 2010

It was nice to know you had something that you wouldn't bleed threw also they give you creams, and other things to put on your pad so the bigger the pad the more surface for these things that will help you feel better.

Meg41208 · May 2010

Add me to the "Always gave me a rash" support group.

AlishaRichelle · May 2010

Once I got home I used 7th Generation. But that was 2 days post-partum and my bleeding was significantly less by then. The ultra-thin overnight pads worked great.

I HATED the huge pads they give you at the hospital. Mine didn't have an ice-pack built in. I was given rubber gloves filled with ice and wrapped in gauze. And the pads? Seriously - they're like 12"x18" or something. HUGE and so bulky. I've said it before... next time, I'm buying a pack of Depends for the first day or two. I felt like I was wearing a diaper anyway, just without the security of it staying in place.

ladyyoung · May 2010

i hate Always with their plasticky Dri-Weave. i like kotex - much more cottony and soft. the bigger, the better for pp, imo! and don't forget the wings...

choirgirl · May 2010

(1) The mesh panties gave me rash -- I only wore them less than 24 hours (until we figured out what was going on and DH could go buy me enormous cotton Hanes panties from Target) and had a perfect red mesh pattern on my butt and hips that it took cortisone 2 weeks to get rid of, so don't add me to the love of the mesh panties.

(2) Loved the hospital pads. Took all the extras. I was gushing for maybe 10 days, 2 weeks, especially while BFing (BFing actually encourages contractions) and the comfort of knowing I was practically wearing a diaper was actually reassuring and made me more comfortable. It's not like anything was dignified about my "lady parts" for weeks anyway.

(3) Always after I didn't quite need the hospital ones anymore (thin, overnights, I think), awesome. And no irritation for me.

HappyHearts · May 2010

I hate Always - the smell, the feel, etc. I think Kotex was OK.

I didn't know about 7th Generation when I was PP but I use it now for AF and like it far better than any other brand I have ever used. They have a super long and an overnight size too.

*speedracer* · May 2010

i tried to remember what i got the last time around and i think they were gigantic Always with wings. I got 2 pkgs of similar ones for this time and we'll see how they do. my PP bleeding was way worse than a period so i'm glad i didn't have to deal with that and cloth together. i know my limits.

MelB6 · May 2010

I highly recommend always infinity - super absorbant but thin. I hated the ones at the hospital - felt like I was wearing a diaper! So glad I took some of my own to wear the day after delivery when we had a ton of visitors, ect. Made me feel much more human! GL!

MrsD_111106 · May 2010

choirgirl:
(1) The mesh panties gave me rash -- I only wore them less than 24 hours (until we figured out what was going on and DH could go buy me enormous cotton Hanes panties from Target) and had a perfect red mesh pattern on my butt and hips that it took cortisone 2 weeks to get rid of, so don't add me to the love of the mesh panties

I had the exact same problem with the mesh panties. I hated them. I have my ginormous Hanes to wear with this one. As for the pads, I had no problem with the Always pads, but I'd like to use something without that plasticky layer on the top.

ElloPoppet · May 2010

I used the hospital ones and always. I would have continued to use the hospital ones but they were squishing up and leaking for me. Ditto that the pillowiness was actually nice for a while. While I didn't get a rash from always, my ladybits felt like they were being wicked dry. I kept looking for more EF pads but couldn't find any and didn't think to go to whole foods. Next time I will be getting mama cloth and some more "natural" pads.

Fun2Dream · May 2010

Like Dobey, the mama who writes Baby Rabies (Mrs.Donkey on here) also had serious issues with Always. I think mine were Kotex. I found I didn't need the "pillow" for more than 2 days or so, so I just got the extra long, extra absorbent, but also thin ones.

SarahMay77 · May 2010

I loved the giant ones from the hospital, too. They did let me take extras. I honestly can't remember what pads we have at home. I need to restock.

hamilton.ja · May 2010

I bought special post partum pads since they don't give you anything to take home in the UK but I haven't seen them here. They were similar to what I got in the hospital, though. I had some crazy bleeding and I LOVED the cushiness of them on my stitches (I had lots of tearing) and for a while I was wearing 2-3 at a time sandwiched in there!

littleanomaly · May 2010

lytedark:
purplepuggles:
steal the hospital ones with ice for SURE. if you keep putting away the extras, when they restock your room they will give you more. i just kept asking for more and they kept supplying them. huge like a diaper but the ice was ESSENTIAL for the first couple days.
always gave me a rash...i am not sure what i used otherwise though. i am doing mamacloth this time after i no longer need the icepack ones.
hold on a sec - the ones at the hospital have ICE in them??? i just assumed they were the same ginormously thick could wrap around your body twice they're so long type of pads you see at the GYN? no???

My friend just had her baby a few weeks ago and they gave her ice packs and a spray bottle of lidocaine to take home.

jennterrell · May 2010

another Always rash sufferer. I used the hospital ones for another day or so after, then switched to 7th generation, and some other EF ones made with organic cotton (femcare????)

we didn't get fancy ice-pack pads, but what they did was slit open Pampers, stuff them with ice, and put it in on top of your pad a few times a day the first day or two. It felt great at the time. Was also sent home with a spray bottle of lidocaine and witch hazel type pads which also felt nice and cool on the tender bits.

livalil319 · May 2010

First, I am amazed at the number of responses to this post.

Second, always was fine for me. Got the overnights, extra long, super dupers or something like that. The mesh panties gave me the rash so I had a couple packs of huge hanes grannies. I had a lot of swelling so I used as many of the ice pack pads as possible and when those ran out, i wrapped an actual ice pack in Viva paper towels and stuck that in my pants while I nursed. ha. it was awesome. (sense the tone...)

Also you can get some witch hazel to add to sitz baths to help with the swelling. Or tucks pads. They (the nurses) can give you a cream called epicream that is cooling and anti swelling but you might have to ask for it.

Good luck! you are so close!

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