As I get ready for the twins’ arrival, I wanted to make sure I’m prepping a few items for the fourth trimester or the postpartum party that I’m going to be hosting for myself. If I’m able to have a vaginal birth with the twins I want to ensure I have a few tools on hand to soothe “down there”. So I purchased a few items through Amazon and made some DIY Padsicles with dōTERRA Essential Oils.
What you’ll need:
Chlorine-Free Pads
Aloe Vera Gel
Witch Hazel (No Alcohol)
dōTERRA Essential Oils (I used Lavender, Geranium, Frankincense & Helichrysum)
Seventh Generation Chlorine-Free Pads: I wanted to choose a brand that was made without fragrances, deodorants, or chlorine processing. I’ve read that you could be wearing around 4 pads a day so I decided to make enough for at least one-week post-birth. If we’re able to have a vaginal birth I’ll pick up these Regular Pads and make more after a week since I did only buy the Ultra-Thin ones first. If we end up having a C-section I’ll donate these to my doula to see if another mama to be can use them.
Witch Hazel: This product has amazing anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. It’s important to find a brand that’s alcohol-free.
Aloe Vera Gel: This product has a calming effect. I chose this brand because it’s cold-pressed from certified organic aloe vera plants. It contains no harmful ingredients, no added colour, no fragrance or alcohol, and no parabens.
Step 1: Open up each pad, while keeping them in the wrappers so you can easily wrap them back up.
Step 2: I had an empty 10 ml roller bottle so I filled it with Witch Hazel and added 10 drops of each essential oil to the bottle. I then rolled the mixture onto each pad. You could fill a 15 ml bottle and just add drops to the pad!
Step 3: I used 1 tsp of Aloe Vera Gel per pad. And used a tiny rubber scraper to spread the gel over the pad.
Step 4: From there I wrapped each pad back up and placed 7 in each zip lock bag and popped the bags into the freezer.
The plan will be to take one out at a time, let it sit on the counter for a bit to de-thaw before putting it in my underwear to soothe the nether regions.
Postpartum Update: These were lifesavers to help heal after a vaginal birth and an episiotomy!