Poss stupid Q alert - Maternity bed pads 'v' puppy pads

[NorthernGirlie]

Disclaimer for stupid Q - it's daft o'clock and I'm wide awake as baby is having a party in my tummy!

I was looking at post-birth bed pads the other day and they're quite expensive, whilst puppy pads are a lot cheaper - would these be as effective / absorbant???

Why do you need either?

A few friends have mentioned how much they bled post birth and how handy pads were - just thought I'd ask...

I've never heard of post-birth bed pads, there were I think special maternity STs when I had my children but I just used the ordinary night time sort. Otherwise you'd be getting blood all over your sheets, which surely would be a bit nasty?

Puppy pads can soak up a fair bit of puppy wee, but they aren't very wide, so unless you are sure that you will sleep in the one position you might need a few.

You just need decent maternity pads, and change them often.

I bought some pampers change mats!! I didn't find the bleeding as bad as I thought especially as I changed the pads all the time to protect my stitches from infection but like you had been warned....!

I did put one under my sheet at the end of pregnancy in case waters went and used a few to lie on when 'airing' my stitches as advised on MN!

It is a bit shameful as they have coloured bears on the back but they are plain on the top and completely flat so not uncomfortable to lie on!!

Decent maternity pads deal with Lochia. However night sweats were a problem and I used an old towel for that but disposable changing mats or those mats for kids just going without nappies would do.

I don't know how well puppy pads would work (although I suspect they'd cope well) but I certainly found the change mats so useful for the sofa, particularly when nursing a newborn as I'd often have a greater loss then. I also sat on them when in mine or my parents' car as I just felt more secure that way. I never needed them in the bed but when sitting they were brilliant.

This thread reminded me that when my waters broke early with dd (and then leaked for three days) I used ds's cloth nappies!

www.boots.com/en/Homecraft-Disposable-Chair-Protector-60x40cm-35-pack_952270/

would these disposable incontinence mats do the job?

I was going to buy these because I'm paranoid about my waters breaking at night and I have a memory foam mattress so things'd soak into it
these