Having a good postpartum recovery is one of my favorite things to talk about.
Mostly because I had such a hard time after my first baby was born.
I blame it on the fact that both me and my husband have absurdly large heads.
Which meant my baby also had an absurdly large head….
This means vaginal healing was a pretty big deal for me those first couple weeks after having my babies.
One thing that helped me deal, cope and heal, using witch hazel pads postpartum!
Here we’ll go over why it helps and the best ways to use witch hazel after birth!
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Why Use Witch Hazel After Birth?
Witch hazel has been a recommended aid for women to use after birth for a very long time.
It comes from the bark and leaves of a shrub and often used as a liquid compound, although you can get it as an herb from larger herb shops.
According to Healthline witch hazel can help to
- Calm swelling of the body
- Calm redness and irritation
- Ease sensitive tissues
This means its great to use on your swollen underbits after birth.
It’s safe and beneficial to use even if there is vaginal tearing and stitches.
It’s also great at soothing hemorrhoids, thanks to all that pushing!
How to make witch hazel pads
There are a few methods that are great for making postpartum witch hazel pads.
I recommend a witch hazel that’s alcohol free like this one. It’s alcohol-free.
I made the mistake of buying one at the grocery store that had alcohol in it. Not fun.
1. Make witch hazel mini-pads
The easiest and most simple way is to buy small cotton pads like these and add soak through with witch hazel.
You can then layer them (3 usually works great) inside your maternity pad.
If you’re dealing with a stubborn hemorrhoid, make sure the witch hazel pad gets pressed up against it, and not lost in your cheeks.
Change out these pads each time you go to the bathroom for maximum relief.
2. Make witch hazel maternity pads
Create a homemade “padsicle.”
This is a cold maternity pad soaked with witch hazel, and maybe some aloe vera and lavender essential oil if you have them.
It’s best to prep these before birth, but you can make them after too.
You just open up several of your maternity pads (leaving the plastic backing on) and then put your ingredients, fold back up and pop in your fridge or freezer.
You can find our recommendations over here on which are the best pads for after birth.
I personally found the freezer pads way to cold.
The too cold ones actually made everything spam, which is quite painful with stitches.
Here’s a quck video on making your own padsicles at home.
Where to buy witch hazel pads for after birth
Of course, there is a really easy way to get your witch hazel pads, buy them! Here’s our mini guide on choosing the right witch hazel product for you!
Tucks Pads
The cotton pads come presoaked with witch hazel and stored in a small jar.
This makes it easy to pull out a ready-made pad whenever you go to the bathroom.
Herbal Pads with Witch Hazel
These herbal sitz bath pads were amazing after birth! I went through about 3 boxes of these I loved them so much!
They are small herbal “pouches” that you heat up and let sit on your peri-area for a while.
They contain a variety of herbs that help the body heal wounds, including the leaf variation of witch hazel.
I am a bit of an herb nerd, and thought this was such an awesome product to have ready-made and available.
Plus the warmth was super soothing.
*If you get these, use the water you boil in to put in your peri bottle.
It makes for a great sitz bath later on in the day!
Use a Witch Hazel Soothing Spray
It’s made with ingredients that are supposed to help the body naturally heal faster.
Its main ingredients are witch hazel, fruit extract and a few essential oils mixed together in a spray bottle.
The bottle is designed to be able to spray upside down as well, making it great for direct use.
You can spray it on your peri-area itself, or spray a good amount onto your pad.
Although I’d imagine you’d go through the product much faster if you spray it on your pad, as it’ll absorb quickly.
Thank you for making this simple! Pregnant women and new mamas definitely don’t have time to be figuring out these “little” things that can make a big difference. I didn’t know anything about witch hazel pads before I had my daughter, but I am definitely planning to make some ahead next time!