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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

which is better, maternity pads or heavy duty san towels?

28 replies

meglet · 04/05/2008 19:49

After my first c-section I used the traditional maternity pads and thought they were a bit useless. Didn't stay in place, blood on sheets etc.

this time round I was wondering whether I should just use the heavy duty / night time sanitary towels with wings, they are more comfy and might actually stay in place.

Anyone tried them?

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REIDmylips · 04/05/2008 19:51

I did, they were much better tbh, although i didnt tak ethe right maternity pads (i took the thin ones) I had no idea it would be so heavy!

BalletMum · 04/05/2008 19:52

Maternity pads IMO as I needed the padding!!! D

PussinJimmyChoos · 04/05/2008 19:54

I found the heavy duty sanitary pads far better but I had a c section and no stitching. I've been told by people that have had stitches, that the maternity pads are a lot softer on the fadge!

frasersmummy · 04/05/2008 19:54

The midwife in the labor ward gave me a huge lecture.. told me that my winged pads were not the thing to wear after childbith

like you .. I found they moved about, leaked, were really uncomfortable and generaly made a huge mess

Second day I switched back to my wings... they were sooo much better

tassisssss · 04/05/2008 19:54

horrible even to think about, but if you buy paper pants a size up you can get 2 of the maternity pads in side by side...i did this for the first 36 hours or so (or until i'd used up my paper pants) and then switched to always ultra with wings.

Original poster

meglet · 04/05/2008 19:55

actually, it will be a c-section again this time so I won't have to worry about soft pads. I think i will try the sanitary towels and change back to mat pads if they don't work.

OP posts:

jingleyjen · 04/05/2008 19:56

I used always ultra night time ones after both births.

bundle · 04/05/2008 20:05

purple allways, irrc

nell12 · 04/05/2008 20:08

The reason why hospitals want you to wear mat pads is so they can monitor your blood loss... proper (and better ) STs soak up far more and "hide" it IYSWIM.

In other words, STs are better, maternity pads are generally rubbish, but for a reason

Original poster

meglet · 04/05/2008 20:11

oh, nell thats quite useful to know. Maybe mat pads in hospital, they are the ones washing the sheets after all. Then san towels at home.

OP posts:

LaComtesse · 04/05/2008 20:17

I was told to use two mat pads together (one on top of the other) and I've actually stuck to that at night even when I reverted to normal pads. Seemed to work for me .

thehairybabysmum · 04/05/2008 20:21

2 c/s for me and used the always ultra nighttime san pads too, they worked fine.

Second time the midwife was helping me to change pad in bed and said i can see you've done this before with good sized pads!

Eaglebird · 04/05/2008 21:53

If you have stitches due to an episiotomy then I can recommend maternity pads. They're so thick it's like sitting on cushions.
I tried ultra sanitary towels shortly after the birth and found it really painful to sit down as they were so thin. Also my stitches felt like they were forever catching on the absorbent covering.
My tip for straight after the birth is to put an ultra pad in your pants, then put a maternity pad on top of it. You'll look like you've laid an egg in your pants, but you'll be comfy and won't leak everywhere.

QuintessentialShadows · 04/05/2008 22:00

There is a reason why you shouldnt wear sanitary pads, the plastic backing is not good for your healing. If you have had an episiotomy, or you have stitches, you need to heal, and you need air. It gets too damp with sanitary pads, and you may get an infection.

PictureThis · 04/05/2008 22:00

kotex night time pads in black packet were the most comfy IMO. Nice and thick, no leakage.

BigBadMouse · 04/05/2008 22:08

Quintessentialshadows has hit the nail on the head - I have been told (several times now and by different MWs) not to use anything platic backed for the first few days until th bleeding has settled a bit - this is regardless of whether you have had stitches or not - your 'bits' need to breathe

DKMA · 04/05/2008 22:10

TENNA LADY - the mega duty ones. Nice and soft, stay in place etc. They are the best defo imo.

fledtoscotland · 04/05/2008 22:23

dont use sanitary towels as they have a plastic backing which can encourage infections (i know to my cost). the best i found was tescos (boots were dire and leaked) as they were nicely padded and fabulously absorbant. have already started stocking up this time round.

havalina · 04/05/2008 22:31

I used the heavy duty always type, but then again my bleeding wasn't excessive, was quite containable after the first few hours.

pinkyminky · 04/05/2008 22:33

You should use the maternity pads really, so you can keep an eye on your loss. If you use the throw away knickers, put two through the loop in them, they usually work pretty well.
I think using the maternity pads in hospital are the best idea.

scottishmummy · 04/05/2008 22:42

maternity pads, they are specifically designed for this.

DKMA · 04/05/2008 22:44

Yeh - I used the maternity pads for a bit - but needed something for about a month and just couldn't stand them for that long - the tenna lady ones seemed much more discrete and safe iykwim?

pinkyminky · 04/05/2008 23:01

Am I the only one who finds those modern dry layer sanitary towels really itchy? Probably.

bonkerz · 04/05/2008 23:04

I used the really cheap sanitary pads for the first 2 days after my CS, I wasnt moving about much anyway and was VEry heavy. Went through them really quick so was pleased i only spent about 30p a pack. When i was up and about i used good nighttime sanitary towels!

pofaced · 04/05/2008 23:15

Always ultra with wings.. midwives referred to maternity pads as door stops which didn't help... seriously, night time strength with old knickers that could be thrown out were fine after 3 normnal deliveries (one with 2nd degree tear: yuck..) Mat pads too thick and reminiscent of sanitary towels to be worn with loops from vending machine at school

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