How to Make Padsicles for Postpartum Healing
A simple, soothing way to care for your body after birth
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After a vaginal birth, your perineum goes through a tremendous amount of stretching, pressure, and sometimes tearing. Even without stitches, it's incredibly normal to feel tender, swollen, or sore for the first several days. And even if you push for a long time but ultimately have a cesarean birth, padsicles can still bring relief to swollen perineal tissue. Padsicles — frozen postpartum pads soaked with aloe, witch hazel, and optional essential oils — are one of the most comforting tools you can prepare ahead of time to support gentle healing.
Making a batch around 36 weeks ensures you're ready whenever your little one decides it's time.
Why Padsicles Help
Padsicles combine several soothing, healing ingredients:
Aloe Vera
Aloe is rich in anti-inflammatory, cooling, and analgesic properties. It helps decrease swelling, calms irritated tissue, and provides a gentle soothing effect the moment it touches your skin.
Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel
Witch hazel supports healing by reducing swelling, easing inflammation, and comforting tender or irritated tissue. Because it's alcohol-free, it won't sting or dry out delicate skin.
(Optional) Essential Oils
While not required, certain essential oils can add an additional layer of comfort and healing — especially lavender, which is calming, skin-friendly, and uplifting during those early postpartum days.
What You'll Need
8–10 heavy-flow sanitary pads (overnight style is ideal for postpartum bleeding) (like this)
Alcohol-free witch hazel (like this)
100% pure aloe vera gel (like this)
Optional essential oils (instructions below)
1 large freezer-safe zip-top bag
How to Add Essential Oils Safely
If you enjoy essential oils, this is a gentle way to incorporate them into postpartum care.
Lavender Witch Hazel Spray (My Favorite Method)
Add 10–15 drops of lavender essential oil to the entire bottle of witch hazel (usually 8–12 oz). Shake well to mix, then use this blend in place of plain witch hazel when preparing your pads.
This creates a gentle, evenly diluted mixture that's safe for the perineal area — and it smells wonderful.
Other Safe Essential Oils You Can Use
If you'd like to customize your fragrance or healing benefits, consider one of these gentle, postpartum-friendly options:
Lavender – Calming, anti-inflammatory, very skin-soothing
Frankincense – Supports tissue repair; grounding
Roman Chamomile – Reduces inflammation; gentle for sensitive skin
Helichrysum – Excellent for tissue healing; reduces tenderness
Geranium – Cooling, supports circulation, floral aroma
Tea Tree (use sparingly!) – Mildly antimicrobial, but only use 1–2 drops per bottle due to its strength
Avoid: peppermint, clove, cinnamon, oregano, or any "hot" oils — these can irritate sensitive postpartum tissue.
Step-by-Step Padsicle Instructions
1. Open the Pads
Unwrap 8–10 pads and gently peel the wrapper back so the pad opens fully, but keep the wrapper attached for later.
2. Lay Them Out
Arrange the open pads on a clean, flat surface like a countertop or table.
3. Add Witch Hazel
Pour or spray 1–2 tablespoons of your alcohol-free (or essential-oil-infused) witch hazel onto each pad. You want them well-saturated but not dripping.
4. Spread the Aloe
Add 1–2 teaspoons of aloe vera gel to each pad. Use clean fingers or the back of a spoon to spread a thin, even layer from end to end.
5. Close & Stack
Fold the wrapper back over the pad. Stack them in piles of 4–5 and place the stacks into your freezer bag.
6. Freeze
Lay the bag flat in your freezer so everything freezes evenly. They'll be ready to use as soon as you're home after birth.
Why Ice Helps Only in the Immediate Postpartum Period
Cold therapy is incredibly helpful in the first 24–48 hours after birth because it reduces swelling by constricting blood vessels, numbs soreness and provides temporary pain relief, and calms inflammation during the peak swelling window.
However, beyond the first couple of days, cold therapy becomes less beneficial. After that point, your body shifts from the inflammation phase of healing to the repair phase — and warmth promotes circulation, which supports tissue healing and increased blood flow.
So padsicles are perfect early on, and warm sitz baths or peri bottles with warm water become more effective after the initial swelling subsides.
How Often to Change Pads Postpartum
During the first 24–48 hours, you'll typically change your pad every time you go to the bathroom. This keeps things fresh, clean, comfortable, and supportive for healing.
And because postpartum bleeding (lochia) is heaviest in those early days, frequent changing is both normal and helpful.
A Place Prepared for You
In Revelation 12:6, it says: "The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of."
This verse has always struck me as such a beautiful picture of postpartum. A woman who just gave birth, being led to a place God had already prepared — where she would be cared for during one of the most vulnerable seasons of her life.
Mama, right now as you're reading this with your belly still round and your due date approaching, God is already preparing a place for you too.
Making padsicles? Stocking your freezer? Setting up your postpartum recovery space? This isn't just practical prep work — it's partnering with God's heart to care for you in the tender days after birth. He sees the physical exhaustion coming. He knows you'll need rest, nourishment, and yes, even frozen pads that bring relief to your sore body.
Preparing well isn't anxious striving. It's faithful stewardship. It's saying, "God, I trust You're going to sustain me through this, and I'm going to do my part to care for the body You gave me."
So go ahead and make those padsicles. Stock that postpartum basket. Ask for help. Rest when you can.
God has already prepared a place for your healing — and He's inviting you to step into it with confidence.
Want a complete pregnancy prep checklist? I share trimester-by-trimester action items — including when to make your padsicles — in this episode of Faith Over Fear: The Christian Pregnancy & Birth Podcast. It's a practical guide to help you prepare body, mind, and spirit for birth and postpartum.
Want to receive more encouragement? Check out more episodes on Faith Over Fear: The Christian Pregnancy & Birth Podcast!
