Maternity Pads for Petite Ladies?

[Wanderlust20]

So my friend gave me a (unopened) box of pads she didn't end up using and, out of curiosity, I decided to open one... Dear God! They're bigger than my head 😂

I get that that's the point, they're huge so they can soak up all the leaks, but there's no way they'll fit in my pants! I'm a size 6-8 (still wearing my normal knickers and trousers) and I have to buy teen versions of sanitary pads normally . In the past, I've also been known to cut up sanitary pads ha ha, before I discovered the Teen Lil-Lets pads!

Any other petite ladies had a problem with mat pads or am I over thinking this?! There doesn't seem to be any maternity pads branded as "petite"...

Bigger pants may be a feature of your near future...

I wear a size 4-6 and that didn’t really change much when I was pregnant. I just used the regular maternity pads, they were massive but I bought some big knickers (in design, not size, if you see what I mean) and they were fine.

You might be right @mindgrapes 😂

You’ll need every bit of them. Invest in some full briefs in black that you won’t keep.

Thanks @christinayang10 that makes sense! Big cheap pants for after the birth it is!

Pants 1-2 sizes larger are best post birth, your belly remains swollen for a while so they are comfier. The chunky pads are one size only, just use those for the 1st week or 2 then swap to your normal ones. They are huge but they are nice if you need stitches.

Everyone is different. Not every belly remains swollen after the birth. Mine went down like a deflated balloon near enough instantly. I was like Violet Beauregard getting squeezed of blueberry juice. It was a crepey road map but it was flat and bigger pants did not stay where they were put. Constant hoiking is not a good look.

I think my belly is bigger now than it was 2 hours post birth, looking at old pictures.

OP have you considered washables? They are generally flatter and not as poofy. I switched after a couple of days and found them much more comfortable on sore skin/less bulky.

Midwife used to call the pads 'baguettes'. You'll probably want the security of them for a few days or so but you can get more normal size ones for a bit later!
Worth getting some big comfy pants that come up to your waist - handy in case for some reason you need a ECS.

@lounatics yes, I have wondered about reusable/washable pads! I wanted to try them before I got pregnant (suffered from thrush so tampons have not been my friend for many years!) so maybe I'll look into them again... So many choices.

Good points raised from others, RE: can always go back to using normal pads once things calm down Thank you for answering my daft questions, this is my first baby!

It is hard to know what size to get... You might deflate quickly (!), need a C section etc... So far my pants are still sitting under my bump but I'm only 30 weeks (ie still have a bit to go) so will wait a while longer before buying the big pants! Just like to be prepared.