Maternity pads/towels

[LateBear]

Are these a specific item or do you just use sanitary pads? Looked today in the supermarket and couldn't see maternity specific ones.

I got some at the hospital, but couldn't find any in Boots when I looked. The ones I've got are mega thick, almost like a nappy.

I would get specific maternity ones. They are in supermarkets. I got mine from Mothercare as I like wings! Maternity ones are super thick TBH you'll need the support! They also don't have that itchy plastic liner on top like normal ones.

I found them in the baby part of the supermarket. They are £1 ish a packet. My hospital says not to use normal ones something to be with "interfering with tests" I wouldn't use normal ones as they much more plastic like and the maternity ones are much softer - which you will be grateful

Yes they need to be thick! Lots of bleeding.........don't be tempted by chemical filled normal towels as they are not good next to the post natal vagina which is essentially a wound at that time....sorry to be so blunt.

I've got a couple packets of maternity ones and a couple of packets of the thick night-time towels. Check beside the baby section and not beside the towel/tampon bit.

Ah ok will look in baby section or Mothercare, now I know they exist as an item in their own right!

I used some maternity pads (Boots also do an own brand version, think they were a bit cheaper) but mostly Always Night. Fine.

Apparently you should use maternity towels specifically designed for the job, because They might need to look at the discharge/lochia (gross, TMI) and normal ones wick it away too much, so they can't tell if there's a problem.....also as prev poster said, normal ones would irritate the sore froufrou and not provide enough padding.

They aren't as uncomfortable as you'd think, but unlike period blood which is fairly even flow, lochia comes in gushes (esp if you are bf) so the pads work differently. Many women find they need two at a time, changed every two hours or certainly every feed, for the first week or so before it calms down.

It's utterly gross in my experience.

I usually don't give a monkey's about anyone else's pubic topiary but I would highly recommend trimming down below so there's not any longish hair to gloop up, because that's so vile to ungloop. Midwives don't care how pretty your fanjo is for delivery but you may care for recovery (no stubble rash, but no residual gloop-catching forest either.

Ahem, yes. Get them in the baby section of the supermarket. Usually next to breast pads.

When I was pregnant, my ante-natal teacher recommended Tena pants for the first few days. We were all a little sceptical but bought them and I can honestly say that they were the best things ever. Comfortable after a CS (if that's needed) as they sit above the scar line and are very absorbent. If I have another baby, I will def be using them again and have recommended them to friends. I moved on to maternity towels after that - def better than normal sanitary towels for the first couple of weeks post-birth.

I used superdrug new mother pads, they were lovely and in my hospital bag this time I have the Asda little angels ones, defo get the maternity ones, very soft and can't imagine normal pads doing the same job