Reusable maternity pads

Reusable maternity pads might not be the first thing that occurs to you when thinking about what you will need after giving birth. Cloth pads are a great choice. Disposable pads can be very uncomfortable. Washable pads are a great alternative for postpartum bleeding.

Why choose reusable maternity pads

• Cloth pads are more comfortable than disposable ones.
• They are more breathable, meaning that you have chance to heal better.
• As they can washed and reused which is better for the environment and your wallet.
• Washable pads tend to stay in place better and don’t slip around.
• They are actually less bulky than the disposable type of pads.
• Wearing disposable pads can cause a type of ‘nappy rash,’ cloth pads are less likely to do this.
• You can save them and then use for night times when your period returns or for after the birth of your next baby.

Choosing the right pads

For the first few days after giving birth, you will want a large pad. The bleeding will be at the heaviest at this point and you will want something that gives plenty of coverage. Our large night pads are a great choice for this. They come in a choice of our basic pad, with a white top and our bamboo and minky pad with the dark top. Although you might prefer the darker pad as it doesn’t show marks, there are a few advantages to the white topped pad. It drys quickly which is an advantage and you can see how much blood loss there has been. (Your midwife or doctor might want to check on this to make sure all is well.) The white fabric is microfleece, which, being polyester, doesn’t usually stain.

After the initial first few days, you will probably be able to swap to our smaller regular pad for day to day use. The larger pads are still great for night time use. With the regular pads we have a choice of the basic pads and our bamboo pads. I would generally suggest that you will need around five large pads and 10-15 regular pads. You may want to have more than this so that you don’t need to wash as often though.

I first used cloth pads after the birth of my second baby. They were far nicer than the disposable pads I had the first time around. Have you tried cloth pads? Let me know in the comments how you found them.