HELP!! Sore post-natal fanjo! Give me your greatest tips!

[SpeedyGonzalez]

For example, are Feme pads worth the £14.99 investment? Why oh why can't everything in life cost 99p (including housing, cars, luxury holidays...)???

Tea tree oil in the bath.

Valley cushion.

Thanks, Cicatrice, but aren't Valley cushions the ring cushions? I was advised that they end up reducing the blood supply to the bits that really need it.

Tea tree though - excellent tip. Shall try that tonight, maybe combined with lavender.

I found that a pad with cold (from the fridge) witchhazel poured on it was the most soothing thing.

Great idea! Is that a normal sanitary towel, you mean, oops?

I'm 5 days post natal, daily bath with lavender and tea tree oils is great.

Congrats! Does that mean you gave birth on Weds, like me? DD or DS?

Yes I used a maternity towel.

TMI maybe, but lean right over in the shower and let the warm water pour directly onto the affected parts. They gave me those snap to freeze ice packs in the hospital, first-aid supplies, I think, with instructions to use them over the giant pads. Maybe you could may your hands on some of those?

Not tmi at all, math - you forget, I've just had a baby! I have no inhibitions!!

Do you mean this sort of thing?

Great, oops - thanks for that tip. Hope you and baby are well.

Magic bath recipe -

mix together: 1 tbsp salt, slosh of milk, 10 drops each tea tree and lavender oils. Mix into running water. I think the milk helps the oils to disperse.

Certainly worked for me.

Yes something like that, although the hosp ones had a gauze covering. I think they were a special postpartum design. You could cover those with a sterile cloth. A few home remedies here too.

After I had my DD the hospital gave me witch hazel soaked gauze that they kept in the fridge, it was soothing.
The MW also advised tea tree/lavender baths. The witch hazel is ok while still wearing pads but after that I used aloe vera gel, holland & barrett, which was also good. Have you not got pain killers from Dr, they gave me Voltarol & Kapake to take together which was better than the lot mentioned above though the baths are soothing! Good luck & sorry for such a long post!!

Thanks all for your fab tips (chocolateme - what on earth are you apologising for?!! You've been great!). I shall try them all!

In the "olden" days - 20 years ago this very week, I took baths with epsom salts in and used arnica tablets and cream. I had lots of stitches and very spectacular bruising.

They told me no baths until about 4 - 6 weeks post partum, wonder why...

I had DD in Germany , I was sat in a salt bath an hour after giving birth. I had a very bad tear but after said salt baths and massage with oil/cream after the first week, I healed perfectly within just a few weeks.

I still use epsom salts to this day , for soaking feet,bathing wounds, bringing out bruises and as an exfoliant etc.