I have talked about postnatal recovery supplies before on the blog, but today I am breaking down my exact Padcicle (as called by my recovery nurse) composition. I have a set of supplies I used and took home from the hospital, during nighttime and daytime at home, and for going outside the house when necessary.
But first, story time:
My husband had to go out of the country for work during the majority of my third trimester of my first pregnancy. I kept myself quite busy with work and making weekend plans with friends and family. (Thank goodness for that because a few weeks later, we quarantined, not to see our friends IRL until entirely too long.)
After my husband jumped on his flight out, my best friend Jamie, insisted on starting / finishing the registry in preparation for the baby shower. We headed out to the largest Buy Buy Baby in the DMV, way out in Loudon county on 66. There, we laughed at all of the Frida Mom postpartum supplies because I SURELY would not need perineal healing foam?!
Wrong!
Five minutes into getting settled in the recovery room and about three hours post vaginal delivery, after I polished off a small wheel of brie at 5 am, I frantically Amazoned all of the Frida Mom postpartum supplies.
Color me humbled. Ever since then, whenever I have a friend expecting for the first time, I buy her an arsenal of recovery supplies, rather than a gift for baby.
“GRWM while I make my Padcicle“
in the recovery room
During the three days spent in the recovery room, I strictly used what was provided by the hospital. Before the turnover of nurses at 7 pm, I took inventory of my supplies and requested enough for the night.
Then, I brought home all of the extras.
The Padcicle is made of the following: disposable underwear, an underpaid folded length-wise in thirds, two (non-winged) pads placed side-by-side, an ice pack pad, a row of Tucks, sprayed down with Dermoplast. It is the most high maintenance routine of the three Padcicles, but it numbs the undercarriage pain.
at home, daytime or nighttime
I used the remaining disposable underpants, and remaining hospital supplies at home.
After they ran out, I switched to using the leftover adult diapers I wore while I was pregnant and had a cold or sleeping during my third trimester. (Sneezing or coughing during a second pregnancy… #iykyk) I layered in an ice pack pad, Frida witch hazel pad liners and a few Tucks pads once I ran out of the Frida product, and either the Frida perineal healing foam or Dermaplast spray.
outside the house
I used the Frida disposable underpants, two side-by-size placed (non-winged) pads, an ice pack pad (which I disposed of once it lost its temperature), Frida witch hazel pad liners, and the Frida perineal healing foam. The disposable underwear, pads, and liners travel well. I included extras in my purse.
Two weeks out from delivery and everything is feeling normal down there again.