Are you preparing for your postpartum days? Have you stocked up on maternity pads for after birth yet? Don’t forget to do that, or you might land yourself in a sticky situation, quite literally!
Why do we need Maternity Pads after giving birth?
For the simple reason, maternity pads are kinder to you and your body after you have given birth. Women experience postpartum bleeding and discharge after they have undergone a pregnancy. This bleeding is heavy and full of blood clots. It is nothing but the leftover tissues from your uterus. These blood tissues were lining the inner walls of your uterus in preparation for a comfortable place for the baby to stay in for the nine months of your pregnancy. Since they are no longer needed, they shed out your vagina in the form of blood flow.
The bleeding is a combination of vaginal secretions, blood and blood tissues. The bright, red bleeding can last for a week, after which it loses its color. In medical terms, this bleeding is known as ‘lochia’. Lochia has some key characteristics. They are as follows:
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Lochia has a sweet smell because it is the leftover tissues from your pregnancy
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Lochia is bright red and heavy within a week of your pregnancy
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Lochia does not increase or decrease as per your bodily excretions
These are some general rules for bleeding postpartum; if you notice anything that goes against these rules, you should visit a doctor immediately.
Maternity pads after delivery are a must because they are softer, last longer and generally provide more comfort for the wearers. Friends makes maternity pads for new mums that have this and so much more to offer.
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Ultra-soft and super-absorbent
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Free of plastic coverings or ridges
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Chemical-fragrance free to protect you from irritants
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Filled with SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer) that instantly soaks up the liquid and turns it into gel form
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Free of any chemicals at all to protect your sensitive skin
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Absorbs blood clots to let the top surface remain dry and free of moisture
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Friends Maternity Pads are available in Sticker Strip Design that can directly be stuck onto your underwear or with Elastic Loops, which can simply be worn as a replacement to your underwear.
How many pads are needed after postpartum?
If you want to prepare well in advance and you’re wondering, “how many pads will I need postpartum?” or “how many pads to buy for postpartum?” Here is your answer. The use of maternity pads after birth will depend on the amount of bleeding you are experiencing. Let us do the calculations for you. If you have to change pads after every four hours, you will have to stack up on at least six pads for a day. You will experience about four weeks of bleeding, so you will go through a minimum of a hundred and fifty pads.
Do not be alarmed by these numbers; you might experience bleeding that isn’t as heavy or did not last for exactly four weeks. We just mean that a hundred and fifty is a safe number of maternity pads to be stacked with in advance. If the prospect of buying a hundred and fifty pads all at once is scary for you, just keep buying 2-3 packets of maternity pads in advance.
Is it okay to use maternity pads?
Hello? Why are we still stuck on this question? You have seen plenty of reasons why you should dump your regular pads for handling postpartum bleeding and choose maternity pads instead. If you’re still having doubts, just ask na! Make that visit to your ob-gyn and ask away all of your doubts and concerns.
