Maternity Pads?

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Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on these. Have read in books etc. that proper maternity pads must be used after birth as normal sanitary towels can harbour/ mask infection. However, have also heard anecdotal advice that nighttime sanitary towels (esp Kotex!) are better as they are softer.

Just want to get prepared but not sure what to buy?!

Thanks!

If you get Maternity Pads from ASDA they are cheaper than normal sanitary towels anyway so I always used them.

Also top tip would be instead of disposable knickers (paper thin and useless) buy cheap incontinance (sp!) pants i.e own brand not tena - really comfy as offer extra padding on top of pad (really useful if you have stitches!) offer extra protection if you are a heavy bleeder, and can be used multiple times as long as not solied unlike paper pants that tear when removing maternity pad.

38 weeks preg at the moment and was worrying about this too. I did originally buy "official" maternity pads from Boots but based on what I've read about how bad lochia can be, especially in the first week, they just don't look big enough to cope! So I'm sticking with what I know - Kotex Nightime, which is getting harder and harder to get these days for some reason. I eventually managed to find some in Superdrug. Had horrendous periods before pregnancy and these were the only things that coped.

Am more worried about properly preventing "accidents" than infections tbh. In fact I'm not sure how what you've read can be true really, otherwise how come normal towels are safe for heavy periods but not for after birth? If you change them regularly and keep yourself clean, it should be ok, surely?

Isn't it something to do with having to show midwife the clots if they are big, and normal towels 'lock away' the clots or something?
(retching emoticon)

ah this is useful, might look for incontinance pants then. Last time I used maternity pads but still leaked through and bled everywhere the first night after dd was born (just before midnight) I was mortified but midwife not at all bothered and lovely about it. I wore mat pads for next few days then went over to night pads as these were fine by then, but that first night was grim.