Postpartum Pads -- Comparisons and Reviews
I am hoping this is coherent. I am writing with my 11 day old daughter laying next to me, and may have to take several nursing breaks...
I tried several types of pads postpartum bleeding, including the evil disposable type since I had a very unexpected c-section.
My postpartum cloth pad stash includes Mimi's Dreams goddess pads, esBaby super/postpartum pads, and Lunapads long pads with liners. The Lunapads were not the new post partum style, they are the older long pads and liners. The esbaby style is not the snap in liners style, and this turned out to be a great thing.
Comfort: The evil disposable pads from the hospital were the most uncomfortable things ever! I had worn cloth pads for about a year before I got pregnant. This means I had not worn any disposable pads for more than 21 months before I had my baby and was exposed to these. Lunapads, my old favorites (the only kind I had pre-baby), were also a bit uncomfortable because I could not move around easily and when I would scoot up and down in bed to nurse, the liners would bunch up and the pad would shift badly. The esbaby pad was great, but the Mimi's Dreams pad lining was the most comfortable thing ever!
Bleed Through Factor (Time):: I have to reiterate the fact that I had a c-section. I may not have had as much bleeding as if I had managed to have the vaginal delivery I had planned. During the first 12 or 14 hours after birth I could barely move on my own, and I was catherized. I wore the hospital pads during that time. I know I had the most bleeding then, but was unable to tell how much or how often they changed the pads because there were at least 4 hours where I was delirious from the IV painkillers. After that period of time I know I changed pads every 3-4 hours or so until I reached the 24 hour mark. This was pretty standard no matter what type of pad. I will have to admit I never bled through the Lunapad or disposable pads and I did have to be very cautious with the Mimi's Dreams and esbaby. The disposable had the icky plastic layer and the Lunapads have a later of something (PUL I think?). I think that when I have a second baby I will specifically order pads that have a layer of PUL between the absorbant layer and the print for immediately after birth. I bled through one Mimi's Dreams pad and one esbaby each one time. This was only when I wore the pad for more than 4 hours in the first couple of days. After 3 days I was able to move out to wearing pads for 6-8 hours without bleed through. They were not nasty and bloody and I was no longer having random "gushes" of blood, so I didn't rush to change them more often and did not have any bleed through.
Numbers:I had 5 Mimi's Dreams, 2 esbaby, and 12 Lunapads (with at least 4 extra liner sets). I used the Mimi's Dreams and esbaby almost exclusively. I was shocked that I wasn't in love with the Lunapads like I thought I would be. I did have to do laundry every other day, but that isn't too hard since I had to do diaper laundry about every other day also. If you aren't doing cloth diapers after birth, you will be washing your sheets at least every other day for the first couple of weeks and can toss the pads in with the sheets.
My Preference Findings: I didn't want to mess with liners. This was a shock since liners are my preference when I am dealing with pads for a normal period.
Disposables are still the nastiest things on the planet and I was so glad to be able to get out of bed after surgery so that I could use my own pads!
Mimi's Dreams are my favorite for how they feel. They were exceptionally comfortable to wear.
The esbaby pads were longer and I did like that for my first night home when I didn't know how much coverage the 12 inch pads would provide. The 12 inch pads turned out to be more than adequate, but I needed that extra two inches to make me feel more secure on my first night home when I worried about bleeding through on my own sheets that I would have to clean up myself.
The Lunapads Lunablankets are nice for home use when you are scared about bleeding through. This isn't a cloth pad, but it is a great back-up for any pad. I am all for any of the cloth pad makers taking this idea and expanding on it. I bought my one and only Lunablanket for other purposes (may be TMI, but it's great for that wet spot no one wants to be stuck in after sex), but it was convenient for when I was paranoid the first day or two at home.
I tried several types of pads postpartum bleeding, including the evil disposable type since I had a very unexpected c-section.
My postpartum cloth pad stash includes Mimi's Dreams goddess pads, esBaby super/postpartum pads, and Lunapads long pads with liners. The Lunapads were not the new post partum style, they are the older long pads and liners. The esbaby style is not the snap in liners style, and this turned out to be a great thing.
Comfort: The evil disposable pads from the hospital were the most uncomfortable things ever! I had worn cloth pads for about a year before I got pregnant. This means I had not worn any disposable pads for more than 21 months before I had my baby and was exposed to these. Lunapads, my old favorites (the only kind I had pre-baby), were also a bit uncomfortable because I could not move around easily and when I would scoot up and down in bed to nurse, the liners would bunch up and the pad would shift badly. The esbaby pad was great, but the Mimi's Dreams pad lining was the most comfortable thing ever!
Bleed Through Factor (Time):: I have to reiterate the fact that I had a c-section. I may not have had as much bleeding as if I had managed to have the vaginal delivery I had planned. During the first 12 or 14 hours after birth I could barely move on my own, and I was catherized. I wore the hospital pads during that time. I know I had the most bleeding then, but was unable to tell how much or how often they changed the pads because there were at least 4 hours where I was delirious from the IV painkillers. After that period of time I know I changed pads every 3-4 hours or so until I reached the 24 hour mark. This was pretty standard no matter what type of pad. I will have to admit I never bled through the Lunapad or disposable pads and I did have to be very cautious with the Mimi's Dreams and esbaby. The disposable had the icky plastic layer and the Lunapads have a later of something (PUL I think?). I think that when I have a second baby I will specifically order pads that have a layer of PUL between the absorbant layer and the print for immediately after birth. I bled through one Mimi's Dreams pad and one esbaby each one time. This was only when I wore the pad for more than 4 hours in the first couple of days. After 3 days I was able to move out to wearing pads for 6-8 hours without bleed through. They were not nasty and bloody and I was no longer having random "gushes" of blood, so I didn't rush to change them more often and did not have any bleed through.
Numbers:I had 5 Mimi's Dreams, 2 esbaby, and 12 Lunapads (with at least 4 extra liner sets). I used the Mimi's Dreams and esbaby almost exclusively. I was shocked that I wasn't in love with the Lunapads like I thought I would be. I did have to do laundry every other day, but that isn't too hard since I had to do diaper laundry about every other day also. If you aren't doing cloth diapers after birth, you will be washing your sheets at least every other day for the first couple of weeks and can toss the pads in with the sheets.
My Preference Findings: I didn't want to mess with liners. This was a shock since liners are my preference when I am dealing with pads for a normal period.
Disposables are still the nastiest things on the planet and I was so glad to be able to get out of bed after surgery so that I could use my own pads!
Mimi's Dreams are my favorite for how they feel. They were exceptionally comfortable to wear.
The esbaby pads were longer and I did like that for my first night home when I didn't know how much coverage the 12 inch pads would provide. The 12 inch pads turned out to be more than adequate, but I needed that extra two inches to make me feel more secure on my first night home when I worried about bleeding through on my own sheets that I would have to clean up myself.
The Lunapads Lunablankets are nice for home use when you are scared about bleeding through. This isn't a cloth pad, but it is a great back-up for any pad. I am all for any of the cloth pad makers taking this idea and expanding on it. I bought my one and only Lunablanket for other purposes (may be TMI, but it's great for that wet spot no one wants to be stuck in after sex), but it was convenient for when I was paranoid the first day or two at home.