Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post is from Karli Von Herbulis who lives just outside of Baltimore, MD with her husband Matt and their daughter, Hallelujah, born January 2014! She is the blogger behind Feed Me, Mama, as well as the co-author of Set Apart: Becoming a Woman of Virtue in a Modern World. She is passionate about natural health, home remedies, and responsible consumerism- she believes that each action we take is one that builds the Lord’s Kingdom. Karli is excited to be a mama and to raise her daughter up in the way of the Lord. Karli would love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!
One of my favorite projects to prepare for the birth of my daughter was making ‘Padsicles.’ These frozen pads of postpartum healing goodness are so easy to make, and they are full of great ingredients to speed the healing of the perineum and surrounding areas!
How to Make Padsicles
You’ll need the following supplies:
- Feminine pads (any kind- we recommend either chemical free pads or cloth pads)
- Witch Hazel (astringent, helps to close pores and heal skin)
- Aloe Vera gel — the pure kind
- Lavender Essential Oil (calms swelling or inflammation of the skin, supports cellular regeneration)
- Frankincense Essential Oil (supports tissue regeneration, prevents scarring)
- Rosemary Essential Oil (fights infection and inflammation, strengthens muscles)
- Geranium Essential Oil (helps heal broken capillaries, conditions skin)
- Small Spray Bottle
- Aluminum Foil
Step 1: Fill your small spray bottle about halfway up with witch hazel.
Step 2: Add 5-10 drops of each essential oil.
Step 3: Top off with witch hazel.
Step 4: Open up feminine pads and spread with a thin layer of aloe with clean hands.
Step 5: Spray with spray bottle mixture- enough to dampen the pad but not soak it through- you want to preserve some of the absorbency of the pads for postpartum needs.
Step 6: Let dry a little bit, then wrap with aluminum foil and store in freezer. Your padsicles are done! After baby, use 3-4 pads per day straight from the freezer to soothe and heal!
BONUS: The spray bottle mixture is a perfect perineum healing spray! When I had my daughter, I took this bottle with me to the birth center and would spray my perineal area each time I would go to the bathroom. I would also spray my other regular pads before I would put them on to get even more healing benefits from the oils & witch hazel!
What are your best postpartum healing tricks? Have you ever made padsicles?
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Perfect! My baby is due in 4 weeks. I’ll be making these. Thank you 🙂
I had my babies many years ago, when you could still get comfrey tea bags – that’s what my midwife had me use, I made a “padsicle” out of the comfrey tea bags on a pad – after doing the first postpartum without these, and the second and third one where I used them, they made a HUGE difference in quick healing and comfort.
how much aloe vera do you add? It’s not clear from the instructions (reads like you add witzh hazel twice).
Thank you for posting!
Did you use the witch hazel shown in the photo? Just wondering if the witch hazel should be alcohol-free? I do like the idea of using the aloe vera one. Just curious, as I am prepping for post-baby!
How far in advance can i make these padsicles, my daughter is due in 6.5 weeks. Thank you.
Better than Tucks in a pad, perineal ice packs, and other suggestions I received. I loved these! A post-partum must!
Major thankies for the article post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
Hi,
Could you tell me more about the small spray bottle? How many oz or anything..
Thank you
Haven’t had a chance to research- are these EO’s ok when nursing too?
I made quite a few of these pre birth. I ended up in hospital where they provided pads and a stockpile of frozen rectangles in little plastic bags that you can insert into the thick pad (rip a little slit in the center). This made way more sense to me than the padsicles I had made. It allowed for a dry pad to soak up the flow (and keep your tear dry if you have one) and a icy coolness to be there but not directly on the skin. Plus, it is only recommended to apply cold to the area for 24 hrs after birth, which I’m not sure why none of these sites mention (after that you have 2 warm sitz baths a day to encourage healing). The effort to make these just wasn’t worth it to me. Just a head’s up!
Can I use witch hazel with alcohol?
Made these today. Didnt have frankincense but used clary sage instead. I used a clean makeup brush for application which made it easy, put the aloe vera, witch hazel and oils together and wiped them on. Although might have made me use more than necessary or if I were to use spray bottle. I did two packs and instead of aluminum foil I packed them in their own wrappers again and in the original overall wrapper. House smells great after I spilled some!
Can I use rosewater and witch hazel blend?
Many thanks