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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Maternity pads?!?!

30 replies

artisanroast · 10/08/2015 09:28

Hi,

Quick question...

This may be very silly but what's the difference between maternity pads and normal period heavy duty pads?

Do I really need to buy these?

If I do should I get the pants with the high absorbency or just use pads?

Thanks

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Merlin333 · 10/08/2015 09:41

I was wandering the same thing i asked a friend she said that heavy duty pads were fine for her so tha'ts what i have gone for !!

BoeBarlow · 10/08/2015 09:43

Maternity pads are a lot softer than sanitary pads. If you have stitches you'll be glad of it! I don't think there's any difference between then in terms of absorbency.

MyNameIsSuz · 10/08/2015 09:46

I think normal pads are a bad idea because they are designed to suck the moisture away, which isn't good if you have stitches as it can dry them out.

lilac3033 · 10/08/2015 09:47

I've read as well that normal pads can also mask the signs on infection. Not sure about how but it's what I've heard! I liked the maternity pads, as I could put a bit of witch hazel on them and it was sooooo nice and cooling on sore bits. It may seem OTT but I also just used adult nappies for the first day or two. It's just an extra piece of mind when you are bleeding so much, last thing I wanted to worry about was accidents.

LibrariesGaveUsPower · 10/08/2015 09:47

Get maternity ones. Soft. Thick for padding against stitches and not scented. Also cheap.

stuckinahole · 10/08/2015 09:48

If you have stitches these are a gift from heaven! Especially if you put them in the freezer :)))

Ps ... Midwife tip, put breast milk on them and it heals anything!!!!!!!

museumum · 10/08/2015 09:49

Maternity pads are soft and cushiony. I liked them for a few days - maybe 4 or 5 days - then moved to normal period pads.

OhHolyFuck · 10/08/2015 09:49

Also the normal ones tend to have a plastic backing which don't let it 'breathe' and increase your chances of infection

GoooRooo · 10/08/2015 09:49

There's no way a santitary towel would have coped in the first few days after I gave birth. You need massive, soft maternity pads and lots of them. Usually about 10 for a £1. They are totally worth it. They also don't have the weaved surface on them so any stitches aren't likely to get caught like they might on a sanitary towel... ouchie.

BoeBarlow · 10/08/2015 09:52

After the first week or so when you don't need anything as bulky, Boots do a slimline maternity pad. Still softer than sanitary pads but doesn't feel like you're walking with a wad of loo roll between your legs

Also I second the putting them in the freezer & using witch hazel. Sheer bliss! I hadn't heard the breast milk trick. Must bank that for future reference!

Topsy34 · 10/08/2015 10:07

I used boots slim maternity towels when i had ds, i hate thick towels and when i was chatting to my mw about getting ready for our home birth, and i said i just had a few bits to get including pads, she said dont get sanitary pads as they are usually scented, and they draw moisture away, so they can mask early signs of infection, can irritate you and make stitches worse.

I was happy with the boots ones, and will get them again this time round

ARV1981 · 10/08/2015 10:13

I've got the boots ones. And these:www.amazon.co.uk/Cheeky-Mama-Bamboo-Washable-Sanitary/dp/B00II6477U/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1439197916&sr=8-2-fkmr2&keywords=Reusable+maternity+sanitary+pads

Thought these might be more comfortable.

twinsandapenguin · 10/08/2015 10:20

The difference is the lack of plastic backing. I doubled up on them (one on top of another) to give enough cushioning to sit on after an episiotomy. I also had the boots ones

Runningupthathill82 · 10/08/2015 10:22

No way would ordinary pads have done for me. I needed two thick maternity pads st the same time for a fortnight after having DS (hideous birth, forceps, episiotomy etc).

I'm also cringing just thinking about a slim, absorbent pad next to stitches. Just noooo! You want a soft maternity pad, not ordinary sanitary towels with a plasticy top layer, in the first few days at least.

Runningupthathill82 · 10/08/2015 10:24

Boots ones were fine, as were Asda ones, and mothercare ones. I got through a lot.
(And had to send DH out for more, as I only took two packets to the hospital)

newtoallthis84 · 10/08/2015 10:27

Does anyone have recommendations for how many you need? I have just started getting stuff for my hospital bag, and got a pack of 48 from mothercare. Does that sounds enough for the first few days? I can always send someone out for more once we're home from hospital etc.

Ifiwasabadger · 10/08/2015 10:28

Based on mumsnet I bought piles and piles of maternity pads.

I had an ELCS and bled for about a week. That was it. Nothing a super pad couldn't handle.

I used the massive maternity pads to clean the bath!

MyNameIsSuz · 10/08/2015 10:37

48 should be fine to start, you can always get more as you say.

Double pants is also very helpful - two pairs made me feel much more secure and stopped the massive pads feeling quite so massive.

Runningupthathill82 · 10/08/2015 10:38

You can just never tell. I bought two packs of 12 and they were all used in the first 24 hours! Just had no idea what the blood flow might be like.
I'd envisaged a heavy period, but it was far heavier than anything I'd imagined. That said, I usually had light periods, and I lost an awful lot of blood during the birth too, so maybe it's related.

Newtoallthis - 48 sounds fine to start with, you can always get more if needs be. If you're lucky, you won't need them all, but you can always use them for cleaning the bath, as badger said!

Superexcited · 10/08/2015 11:06

After giving birth to my first child I lost an incredible amount of blood (well it seemed incredible to me) and I could have easily got through 48 maternity pads in a couple of days. I bled for about 4 weeks in total and the first three weeks were quite heavy.
After giving birth to my second child I didn't bleed as much and it was more like a heavy period and only lasted 1 week.
Both times I was grateful for the extra cushioning that the maternity pads provided during the first few days.
With this pregnancy I have bought a pack of 24 maternity pads with wings to take to the hospital and will get a couple of other smaller packs for use at home and some normal sanitary towels for use after those first few days.
Everybody loses different amounts of blood so it is difficult to estimate how many pads to buy but you can always send somebody out to buy more if you need more.

museumum · 10/08/2015 12:30

Unless you live very rurally then everything is available in the shops after the birth. Some "hospital bag packing lists" seem to imply you'll be entirely out of contact with civilisation for weeks. If your dh drives then he can just buzz around getting stuff and bringing it to the hospital for you.

Rikalaily · 10/08/2015 12:53

Normal pads usually have that plasticy coating and will stick, them being thin also makes them bend and move into crevices etc, you will be very tender down there even without stiches, believe me, you will appreciate the soft cover and cushioning of maternity pads. Also normal pads are no good for monitoring how heavy your blood loss is as most contain those gel powders that absorb fluids like disposable nappies use. I've bought 50 maternity pads and a pack of the Kotex thick pads to start with, I will buy more if my bleeding is heavy, I also have normal pads for after a week or two afterwards if the bleeding isn't too heavy and I don't have stitches.

Iloveonionchutney · 10/08/2015 12:58

I found maternity pads much more comfortable after an episiotomy and and getting an infection. Be careful a with normal sanitary ones as a lot are scented and can cause more problems (always being the worst). A bottle of witch hazel in the fridge is helpful too.

mayaknew · 10/08/2015 13:02

Have you considered tena pants ? I wore them after both my labours and plan on doing the same with this one. .

They are the least attractive things you can possibly imagine but they are by far the best idea I had . Also the elastic waist on them is very comfortable on your saggy post childbirth tummy

Elledouble · 10/08/2015 13:11

These were the ones I liked best, from Mothercare - Ultra pads might be ok towards the end of the bleeding but for the love of God, do not get scented ones! They gave me thrush which was just joyful with itchy stitches healing and everything else.

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