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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Advice on maternity towels - sorry if TMI !

35 replies

beaufies · 04/09/2008 15:09

Having not even used a sanitary towel since I was about 14 I am getting rather stressed about this. As it's a subject that doesn't ever get discussed I had to ask these questions somewhere so please forgive me

Are maternity ones any better than night time ones ? Is it good to have wings ? How often will I need to change them ? (concerned how I will manage this as having a c-section) How soon does it start ? Can anyone recommend a good brand as I'm sure they all vary ? Is there anything else I need to be aware of ?

Apologies again, but any advice or information gratefully received

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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Egg · 04/09/2008 16:21

Beaufies - just make sure you get some with wings. What works quite well is get a huge winged one and then use a maternity one on top. I was changing them every hour or so at first, then every couple of hours. Basically every time you go for a wee!

I bled for 6 weeks plus both times and went through a gazillion packets of towels. Did move onto rather smaller ones eventually but not for a couple of weeks TBH.

MrsHappy · 04/09/2008 16:28

The bleeding shocked me a bit too. Not that it happened, but how long it went on for. Miriam Stoppard's book claimed that it should get less red and then disappear over 10 days! In the event I think I bled (red) for a good month. After 2 weeks I considered calling the hospital to ask if I might have retained placenta. Then my sister told me it was normal. Bloody Miriam Stoppard!

Original poster

beaufies · 04/09/2008 17:10

OMG now I know why nobody ever talks about it ! Still hopefully I can get to grips with the idea before it happens rather than have to cope with it unprepared.

I certainly hadn't imagined a midwife/nurse would be washing and cleaning my bits, I'm cringing at the thought. I had it all planned out. I would be doing all personal hygeine stuff myself ably assist by DH in case of difficulty. I'm getting the impression that this is going to be out of the question both in terms of my ability and the hospitals procedures

Imagine if I'd gone into hospital and all this stuff had happened and I hadn't known anything about it. I think I would have freaked !

OP posts:

greenlawn · 04/09/2008 17:23

Oh and I meant to mention - I think someone else mentioned the catheter - unfortunately this will tie you down to the bed for some hours after your cs, so you're pretty much helpless. But if you can get up and about asap it will really help. Buy a cheapo plastic jug to take with you to the bathroom, fill it with water and give yourself a good "shower" with it over the loo before changing pads each time. I did this both after cs and after vb and it helped me feel cleaner.

Sorry about the tmi, but I wish someone had told me all this before I did it the first time!

cathym · 04/09/2008 17:25

Beaufies: I can guarantee you won't care about any of it once you are there. I had a c-section (and all the lack of dignity that goes with it), and then someone showing me how to breastfeed (and lending a helping hand too!). If someone had told me what it would have been like before hand I would have been mortified and probably imagined that I wouldn't be able to cope, but remember that the nurses/midwifes do this every day and don't care, and all you will care about is the baby

malfoy · 04/09/2008 18:28

Agree with cathym.

Beaufies, pls don't freak out. It's not that bad -honest. Things that would appear unacceptable/ bizarre/ undignified in real life somehow are ok (ish) post birth.

ajm200 · 04/09/2008 18:39

I used maternity pads in hospital and switched to nighttime pads at home even though I had a supply of the maternity ones.

I was lucky enough not to tear so just found the maternity ones very bulky.

I did find that i needed a fresh pad before BFing my LO as it made the bleeding heavier in the earlier days (sorry if TMI)

Egg · 04/09/2008 19:36

Ah yes, breastfeeding often leads to flood of blood .

Also if you are trying / hoping to breastfeed and have any difficulties do not be alarmed by random midwives squeezing your nipples to get the colostrum out . Of course you can ask them not to but I had no idea my nipples were even "working" with DS1 until the midwife demonstrated...

MrsHappy · 04/09/2008 19:53

I don't know that they will actually wash and clean your bits. Mine basically jammed a sanitory towel between my legs and that was it, other than occasionally looking to see how much blood there was.But that bit doesn't last long anyway - my DD was born just after noon, I had a shower by 8 that night and the catheter was out by 9 or 10 the next morning so then I was able to put on pants and take care of myself.Honestly you won't care about that stuff when you have a baby to concentrate on!

pollyblue · 04/09/2008 20:07

I had a section and was horrified when i realised that i would be bed-bound for a few hours and would need help changing pads etc. It was FINE, the staff do it all the time and will make you as comfortable as they can.
FWIW, I used Boots maternity pads for the first day afterwards but found them useless, on the advice of a couple of friends I've bought some from Mothercare for this time. After that I switched to Always Night time pads, I felt a bit more reassured by having pads with wings.

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