I saw on Facebook the other day an old friend of mine asking other women for tips on labor and delivery. It got me thinking about what I could not have lived without during my delivery and recovery. Michael and I signed up to take a birth and parenting class. The class was semi-helpful, but totally worth the $100...when they taught me this little nugget.
It's called the Undie Sundae, folks.
This gem is to sooth your aching lady bits after delivery...and trust me, they will be aching.
Your nurses can provide you with all of the necessary "toppings." You will need...
Sexy Mesh Underwear
(Unless you have a serious aversion to mesh underwear, I wouldn't wear your own because they WILL get ruined. I had a pair of Costco underwear that I hated more than anything in the world, and I designated them just for this purpose. I wanted them to die a horrible death.)
Giant Pad
(The ultra-thick variety that they gave you in fourth grade. When you learned about about periods and arm-pit hair and stuff)
Perineal Ice-Pack
Witch Hazel Pads (Tucks)
(That's right, they're not just for hemorrhoids anymore. Trust me, it feels good.)
Epifoam
(This is a prescription steroidal foam that you can recieve in the hospital. It helped me with soreness and inflammation. Plus it causes a very...nice...warming sensation.)
Keep these things in your hospital bathroom, near the toilet.
When you use the restroom (which will be scary the first couple of times. Don't worry that's normal. Just wait until the first time you have to poop.) Use the perineal squirt bottle, do not wipe. I have a special place in my heart for that bottle. It saw me through some rough days.
Step One. (I am combining Step 1 and Step 2, because my computer is taking forever and Henry will be up soon.) Place the giant mattress pad in the mesh undies...on top of that stick the activated perineal ice pack. In the photo I substituted another pad in place of the ice pack.
Step 3. Place three Tucks Pads along the pad.
Step 4. Spray little dollops of Epifoam on top of the Tucks Pads.
Viola...that is the Undie Sundae. I would not have survived healing from a vaginal delivery without it.
I can say 12 weeks later, that my bits are back to normal and the reward for my pain was definitely worth it.
P.S. After describing to one of my non-mom friends the wonder of the Undie Sundae, she suffered a particularly nasty bikini wax.
Bam... Undie Sundae to the rescue.
June 2018 Update
Hey you lovely pregnant person! If you want to see my current shenanigans you NEED to check out my Youtube channel! You get to witness my general misbehavior live and in person. If that doesn't scare you I don't know what will. My channel focuses on daily planning and different memory keeping ideas. There are a lot of memories coming your way in the form of that little fetus you are currently toting around, so come check it out! And in keeping with my personality there is a healthy dose of sarcasm and maybe some swearing involved. So maybe wear headphones?
Please hang out and subscribe while you're there (there is also a handy subscribe button in the sidebar of this post. Push it. I dare you.) I'll be forever grateful. Thank you, you hot mama, you.
This is awesome. You're a genius. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness this makes me laugh and cry with 4 weeks until my due date! Thanks for the info
ReplyDeleteOMG. This is the exact method I used last year after having my baby but I've never heard of it called the Undie Sundae! Bahahaha! Love it!
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome =) Even though the whole thing mortifies me the more and more I truly learn about what happens after the my son will be here I am at ease to know that there is someone who has found a good solution. Due date 10/11/12
ReplyDeleteWell I don't want you to be horrified...or mortified either! You have much to look forward to :) Hope everything goes well!!
ReplyDeleteAll those things are true life savers! Also, another good friend of mine was the "donut" pillow! It makes sitting MUCH more comfortable!!!!
ReplyDeleteAs a maternity nurse with almost 40 years' experience, I'd like to suggest an alternative application of Epifoam. This ALWAYS works better when I suggest it to my patients. After using the toilet and rinsing with a peri-bottle, dry off as normally, Grab another wad of clean toilet tissue and squirt the Epifoam a few times into the tissue. Then dab to apply it liberally to the vaginal area before you stand up. Then toss the tissue. The foam gets to where it needs to go and works infinitely better that having it smear all around a pad. It's only supposed to be applied 3-4 x per day and if you do it this way, that's all you'll need.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, this makes me re-think getting pregnant with a second..I do NOT want vagina hives! LOL, but I am sending on the 'recipe' to some friends who are delivering in just a few short days/weeks...thank you!
ReplyDeleteYOu crack me up. In sisterhood - from this mom of three (soon to be four).
ReplyDeletenow they make the pads with the ice built in. I got lucky and had a nurse that packed dozens for me (I delivered twins with no anesthesia because they didn't have enough time to put it in)
ReplyDeletethose pads were a life saver
Yes, I came here from pinterest, too. So funny! My boys are 9 and 7 now, but it didn't take long for the wonderful memories to come flooding back. I agree about everything you wrote, but especially the peri-bottle. It was a dear friend. :)
ReplyDeleteI did exact thing with tuck pads and dermaplast.
ReplyDeleteMan, where was this 11 years ago?! I found this on pinterest too & sent it on to my soon-to-be-mommy friends too. Thanks for the giggle!
ReplyDeleteI never heard of the foam, but this was very similar to my undie routine. I took a lot of those wonderful mesh undies home with me. I bought some thin nice pads, but those giant ones from the hospitals were the BEST. Next time I will ask for the foam to top off the sunday :)
ReplyDeleteand that squirt bottle was my BFF and I used way longer than I think was necessary.... Lots of giggles Thanks :)
For my last two deliveries, my midwife recommended a few drops of lavender essential oil in the squirt bottle, which was what I used for pain relief and to sanitize and promote healing, instead of the Epifoam. It worked fine for me. I'd add a little warm water from the tap to my bottle before each use, so it wasn't too cold. I did use ice as well, but I wanted my childbirth and recovery to be as natural as possible.
ReplyDeleteI used the exact same thing after i had my first. i didn't hear it from anyone but just figured if i mixed all the things the hospital gave me it would make it even better. I did go out and buy some GRANNY PANIES bc even though it ruins them, my thongs and lacy lingerie was not what i wanted to wear after coming home from hospital.me and my husband still joke about those till this day. but ive never heard it called the undie sundae. another thing i used was the spray thats for burns and serious scrapes( it doesn't burn-maybe dermaplast.)i sprayed that on there too after i ran out of epifoam.
ReplyDeleteWow, I am never having children.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was just about to say the same thing. I'm not married, but if I ever do... we're adopting... just saying. :) lol
DeleteAlso you can skip ice pack and keep tucks pads in fridge until you need them : )
ReplyDeleteI had six kids and never had much trouble with soreness in my lady bits. So it's not an inevitable part of childbirth. I never had to push much, and maybe that's why.
ReplyDeleteIce packs, tucks, water bottle, and thick pads are indeed lifesavers. I had 4 naturally and these things made the after life so much more bearable. And the happier those kinds of things are the more you enjoy your bundle of joy that caused it all.
ReplyDeleteVery honest and truthful and informative. I made use of a similar dessert although my hospital did not provide me with the whipped topping. I have got to say the sexy mesh undies are quite possibly the most comfortable for what's happening in the nether regions - seriously helps make you feel all secure and safe like the mattress pad won't slide out. I pocketed a few pairs of these for the remainder of my recovery.
ReplyDeleteThis all seems like a bit much to me. All I needed was the numbing spray provided by the hospital. Rinse off, pat dry, numbing spray. Did that with both of my vaginal births and I had stitches, too.
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA! This is awesome and the exact set up my nurses provided me after delivery! IT was a life saver, especially since I had an epeez and a fourth degree tear!
ReplyDeleteaww where was pinterest 8 years and 4 kids ago.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was the only woman who loved her peri-bottle. Wish I had it before the delivery. Sure would have helped in the restroom.
ReplyDeleteWitches brew does better im talking about healing the vagina and the newborns umbilical cord with in three days . I gave birth too my 9lb 11 oz baby boy and my stuff was burning the midwife sat me in a warm sitz bath and instantly the pain was gone then gave me a baggie of extras and put cotton swabs in the liquid and told me to put on the baby's umbilical cord and it fell off in three days . It's all herbs making it natrual .
ReplyDeleteFor those who are totally freaked out now, the experience is somewhat different for every individual. Too bad the undie sundae wasn't around the three times I gave birth. But once you get over that first scary bowel movement, you relax just a bit. Squeeze a little phisoderm ( or whatever they tell you to use as a wash), run the tap until the water is as hot as possible, fill the peri bottle halfway, then fill to the top with cold water. rinse with the entire contents. Fill again with just the hot and cold water to rinse off the cleansing solution. Carefully pat dry with tissue. then apply the undie sundae. The old school sitz bath of very warm water twice a day will also help to desensitize the area faster, reducing the pain. It feels really good, too! I felt much better in less than two days without the sundae.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice and great blog! My own undie sundae 20 years ago was short the steroid cream, what a great addition!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh god that squirt bottle was my best friend after I had my daughter 2 years ago. Mine definitely sucked though because I had some shitty(no pun intended) tearing. I cried the first time I had to go to the bathroom or sit down. I was given a cooling spray to use but honestly it lasted all of 2 minutes. I definitely got a laugh out of this and will be sharing with my preggo friends.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had read this before I had my daughter 5 years ago! You are real and don't sugar coat shit. Luv it!! Wish there were more like you <3
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I read this about two years ago....since finding out I'm expecting my first just two weeks ago, I'm more terrified of the aftermath than the actual labor! :( lol
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!! Seriously, don't be nervous...it will be fabulous. It's not always terrible...I know girls that have had 9 1/2 pound babies and healed up easy breezy. I'm not going to lie, you won't be doing cartwheels, but you'll get through it and it will be just fine :)
DeleteI had a friend tell me that Depends were a life saver and passed on what she didn't end up using to me.... OMG they are wonderful as I would put them on and not have to worry about a pad moving around and making a mess... which turns out was unnecessary b/c I had "scant" postpartum bleeding as the nurses called it. but it was nice to use them anyways and I did put tucks pads inside them. Maybe you could make this using Depends as well.
ReplyDeleteCrazy, my baby number two gave me crazy eczema as well. Turned out the pregnancy made me gluten sensitive and as soon a I cut it out the eczema cleared up. Apparently allergies are common to arise during pregnancy...and disappear, who knew?
ReplyDeleteThank you for those awesome information!! Im due in march with my very first one and am def gonna get this :) Where do you get those ice packs from and how many do you get? Did you use these the entire 12 weeks or just the first week???
ReplyDeletethis just made me laugh so hard I had to go change my panties because I peed in them. I wish I had this when I had my daughter 18 months ago. They did not even give me tucks pads or cooling cream or nothing. I had the sexy mesh panties and a thick pad and that's it. It was a little rough in the recovery department. I am seriously thinking of doing this the next time my girl parts get all chafed and raw (hey don't act like it does not happen to you). I bet it would make it feel better.
ReplyDeleteThey don't offer any of these items here (I live in Ontario, Canada) except for the peri bottle. If you ask and on the off chance they have some, you can get the Tucks pads. I am pregnant for baby #4 and this sounds like it would be really handy now and then!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get this idea at all 9 years ago and now due in less than 3 months. Gonna remember this for sure.
ReplyDeleteThis brought back memories! The mesh undies and peri bottle are the best!! We are now trying for baby number 3 so I will keep this in mind when it is time to deliver our future miracle.
ReplyDeleteforget the baby shoes...I bronzed my squirt bottle.
ReplyDeleteAll of you women who support natural birth and all that never fail to baffle and amaze me. I mean, go you, seriously, but when it's my turn to push a 14-cm baby out of a 10-cm hole? Get me the juice.
ReplyDeleteLOL LOVE this. the ice packs and the squirt bottle were my faves. Oh the memories!
ReplyDeleteMy hat is off to all you lovely women who pushed 'em out! All I can say is, there is something to be said for C-sections! LOL!
ReplyDeleteSo do the 3 tuck pads go on the ice pack or the huge pad? If on the pad, then where does the ice pack go?
ReplyDeleteBrings back so many glorious memories! Round 2 starts in a few months :)
ReplyDeleteI learner after the first couple of times trying to urinate and ut burning the Hades out of my lady parts to start using the peribottle filled w/ warm water to squirt at my business WHILE I peed....HALLELUJAH IN A BOTTLE!!
ReplyDeleteNever though of putting the witch hazel pads on top of the giant pad. That's going to be helpful in 3 weeks for baby #2. The perinatal bottle is amazing. Have no idea what I'd do without it!
ReplyDeleteI had the same unfortunate reaction to pads after baby #2--ouch. My midwife had me switch from Always to Kotex, which helped me. Less chemicals or something.
ReplyDeleteHow long do you have to leave them on?
ReplyDeleteHow long do you have to wear them after delivery?
ReplyDeleteI love this article. You are hilarious!!! Everything you said is so true about afterwards... The bottle was my bestie after delivery too. I will try this after baby #2. Thank you for brightening up my day.
ReplyDeleteAwesome Awesome Awesome!!! I SOOO wish I would have found this article 10 months ago :) Another handy trick my recovery nurse showed me is, you get a bag of crushed ice from Sonic and then newborn pampers diapers. You cut open the top end of the diaper and fill the inside with the crushed ice. It acts as a pad and has the soothing, cooling properties too. It helped me so much!
ReplyDeletei wish nurses were a little nicer to me and explained what were the stuff hanging in the hospital bathroom for... :(
ReplyDeleteThank God I never needed such things... I have 3 kids and vagina pain wouldn't stop me in having another one... the pain is gone really quickly when you use just pure water for washing and let it breathe...
ReplyDeleteI gave birth for the first time twenty four years ago I wish I would have known about this . I just suffered through it , but really I didn't think much about it a sweet little boy had all my attention. I will pass this on to my daughter in law.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go in for exams grab a couple of those big blue sheets they line the table with. They are called chux and will save your car and furniture if your water breaks at home. They are also amazing for letting things air out after delivery and giving baby diaper free time.
ReplyDeleteSitz bath. No chemicals required. A little salt in warm water , sit in it whenever you do pericare. Does the same thing for your lady parts as saliva does for bitten tongues. You can add lavender or comfrey or other healing herbs as desired
ReplyDeleteSitz bath. No chemicals required. A little salt in warm water , sit in it whenever you do pericare. Does the same thing for your lady parts as saliva does for bitten tongues. You can add lavender or comfrey or other healing herbs as desired
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ReplyDeleteHilarious and so helpful, thank you! The perineal squirt bottle... Where can you purchase one or does the hospital usually provide one? Is it a medicated liquid or just water? So no wiping at all... Just squirt this up in the lady bits and put the mesh undies back on it sounds like. Sorry if these are stupid questions :)
ReplyDeleteHilarious and so helpful, thank you! The perineal squirt bottle... Where can you purchase one or does the hospital usually provide one? Is it a medicated liquid or just water? So no wiping at all... Just squirt this up in the lady bits and put the mesh undies back on it sounds like. Sorry if these are stupid questions :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry, I haven't checked my comments in ages, so I just saw that you asked a question! I hope I'm not to late! The hospital will provide you with the swift bottle and should provide you with everything you need, healing wise, for the days you are there. Just fill it with warm plain water and rinse the area. I would take toilet paper and just lightly dab off the excess water drippage, but no heavy wiping, OH GOD NO. A little dab will do ya, especially if you have stitches down there as I was lucky enough to receive :) Have fun, congrats and good luck!!
DeleteGood blog Best hospital bed pad
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