If you've been googling about how to prep for postpartum, you have probably come across instructions to make padsicles. They are menstrual pads that have been soaked in healing ingredients like aloe vera, witch hazel, and Vitamin E and then frozen. They are applied postpartum with the intention of helping heal and soothe soft tissue injury from the birth.
But do they work? Are they worth adding to your potentially overwhelming to-do list?
Though ice is widely used to heal soft tissue trauma in Western medicine, there is mixed data on its efficacy. Several systematic reviews have concluded that there is insufficient evidence one way or the other. One review concluded that repeated 10-minute applications are the most effective, and it is generally accepted that it is to be used within the first 48-72 hours.
Traditional knowledge, on the other hand, has an opposite, and almost universal perspective. From sweat lodges used by some Native Americans, warming spices like ginger and turmeric implemented in India, or the heated stones placed on mothers' bellies in Cambodia, warmth is a critical aspect of postpartum healing around the world.
What is my recommendation?
The less energy your body uses to keep itself warm, the more resources it has to heal and recover.
Padsicles can definitely be helpful for temporary pain relief, but consider a warm, comforting sitz bath to apply that herbal goodness instead of or in conjunction with ice.
Dennis, Cindy-Lee, Kenneth Fung, Sophie Grigoriadis, Gail Erlick Robinson, Sarah Romans, and Lori Ross. "Traditional postpartum practices and rituals: a qualitative systematic review." Women’s Health 3, no. 4 (2007): 487-502.
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