Towels & Condoms, lol

[mrscompgeek]

Weird combination I know,

Where did you get your towels for your birth? My list says to have 6 towels/more if doing a water birth. (which we are). I checked walmart today where I bought my towels for our bathroom and at $6.50 a towel I think not! : I found some at Big lots for $3.50 each but they arent very thick. Did you buy nice towels for yours or cheap ones? Did they get ruined? Im afraid to buy nice towels because if they get ruined then I would be mad at myself but then if they are still in nice shape after the birth what would I do with a ton of cheap towels?

And 2nd- my list says to use 3 condoms and fill with water and freeze for a ice pack. I dont really want them froze solid but was worried about using alcohol in them (so they stay slushy). Does alcohol break down the condom? Any experience?

[Famatigia]

Hmm.. I would not use a condom, I don't think. It seems too strange. I would use a ziploc baggie. Half alcohol, half water.. that way it doesn't freeze solid, like you said.

As for the towels.. these are on my list to purchase, too. I've got it in my head exactly what I want.. I have no problems using my household towels for myself.. or to clean up the mess.. but I plan to buy two plush, delicious towels to wrap my sweet, fresh newborn in. I will wash them with her clothes to ready them.. and she will feel such goodness, wrapped in soft, fluffy.. fluff.

I have no concerns, I will just throw them all in the wash immediately, and most everything will come out.

[luv]

If you're doing a waterbirth many of the towels will be used to keep your exposed torso warm. At least in my case they draped them over my shoulders until they got so wet they were cold then they put a fresh one on. They didn't get dirty at all.. just wet. We put a few on the tile floor so the water didn't make it slippery.

I frankly cant think of one bit of linen that didn't come perfectly clean. Although there was one blanket that got washed three times and sun-ed between to get there.

Although it is perfectly possible that my hubby or the midwife threw out a towel or two w/o me knowing it.

Oh and we didn't actually BUY any. Just used the random assorted ones we collected over the years. Old beach towels etc. Frankly if I were you I'd just get the cheap ones. That way you aren't in the middle of labor worried about them and with a kid you can ALWAYS find uses for them around the house. Cleaning up projectile spit with an infant. Wiping up puddles during toilet training. Heck when the kid is a teenager you can even make the kid wash your car with them

-C

[~Kristina~]

I got thick towels from the Salvation Army, or replaced our old ones with new, and used the old.

I just bought peri pads from In His Hands or Midwifesupplies.com.

[eli's mama]

I just used my regular towels. Nothing got stained.

[mrscompgeek]

Originally Posted by Famatigia

Hmm.. I would not use a condom, I don't think. It seems too strange. I would use a ziploc baggie. Half alcohol, half water.. that way it doesn't freeze solid, like you said.

As for the towels.. these are on my list to purchase, too. I've got it in my head exactly what I want.. I have no problems using my household towels for myself.. or to clean up the mess.. but I plan to buy two plush, delicious towels to wrap my sweet, fresh newborn in. I will wash them with her clothes to ready them.. and she will feel such goodness, wrapped in soft, fluffy.. fluff.

I have no concerns, I will just throw them all in the wash immediately, and most everything will come out.

Originally Posted by ~Kristina~

I got thick towels from the Salvation Army, or replaced our old ones with new, and used the old.

I just bought peri pads from In His Hands or Midwifesupplies.com.

The frozen condoms are on my list. I dont think its optional.


Thanks everyone for the help. The problem is I dont have 6 towels. I only have 4 for our bathroom use. So either way I have to buy some towels.

[GoldmanBaby09]

I was able to find some on clearance at Walmart for $2.50. I didn't end up delivering in the tub, so we didn't use that many. I would just go with the cheapies. My mw wraps all her babies in towels, but he wasn't in them very long before they did the nb exam and his daddy dressed him.

As for the condoms, even if it is on your list, if you don't feel comfortable with it or don't think you would want it, you should be able to tell your midwife that. I used a few frozen pads right after, but then was fine with regular pads, even with my 2nd degree tear. I wouldn't want a condom in my panties, either.

[kawa kamuri]

i bought towels from target for just over $5 each. i'm not really worried about staining.

you can check the sticky at the top of the forum for a few different combos of things to put inside to make a condom slushie. personally, i'm not doing it.

[Gracerenee]

We used frozen condoms with my first two birhts and they are wonderful!! Perfect size and shape. With #3 they used a big pad or newborn diaper and cut a slit in it and put ice chips inside... also wonderful!!

I don't know what alcohol would do to the condoms though...

[LiLStar]

When ds was born (land birth) a big puddle of fluids and blood and mec landed on our WHITE towel. We have more than 1 white towel and its impossible to tell which one was the one that caught all the mess. Midwives did the laundry and everything came out.

[Juvysen]

My mom had a bunch of old ones lying around that she used for rags and such... She brought a pile of old towels down for us. We didn't even go through half of them.

[lafemmedesfemmes]

we bought a half-dozen plush new towels in dark colors (black, gray, and maroon, if i remember correctly), and they ended up not getting stained, anyway. and they were in the thick of the action-- getting birthed on and everything else.

christina

[averlee]

we did not have a waterbirth but still used every towel in the house, like 16. Right now beach towels are on clearance, if you want brand new cheap. if you want brand new, nice, for long term use just get a dark color. dark brown is in style and wouldn't show any stains. Or just raid a thrift store, get a dozen $1 towels. or any combo of those options. put towels on your baby registry.
And for the condoms, I don't think it matters. Freeze some solid, some with alcohol, whatever. The alcohol does "break down" the condom, as in, it would no longer protect from std or pregnancy, but not make it fall apart or leak. I wanted warm, not cold, on my sutures & hemorroids so I never used any of the ice packs i prepared.

[rlmueller]

I love condoms

I had those in the hospital with my last. Frozen water in the condom, a paper towel over it and laid lengthwise on the undies. Perfect!

[Gray's Mommy]

We are in the process of buying towels for the household, so I have been picking up some great ones at JCPenney's. They have the ones I like on sale for $5 each. Since I'm buying for the house, I'll just put some aside for the birth & use them afterwards. They are a medium towel-not really thick, but quick drying if I have to throw them in the dryer. I'm going for the charcoal gray color since it matches the bathrooms. Dark towels look fabulous for pictures also.
I am so going to try the condom thing! Sounds perfect for swelling.

[Casha'sMommy]

I'm planning to add some new towels to the house and will use the old ones for the birth.
I figure it will be really nice to have a few really soft, new towels after a post-birth shower.
As a pp mentioned, I am also planning to buy a couple super plush towels for the lo which will go into kid towel rotation after birth.

[notjustmamie]

Well, ya learn something new every day. I've never heard of condom ice packs. I've heard of frozen witch hazel pads and ice-filled newborn diapers, but not condoms. My first thought on the condoms was using them to cover the doppler probe under the water!

[Belle]

nak
we just used the towels we already own, they're dark red and green. i had a water birth and i don't think i got any blood on them. mw's wanted us to get dark colored washcloths too. we got a package of cheap ones at dollar tree. didn't need frozen condoms so i don't know about them.

[elle7715]

I bought an 8 pack of white towels at Sam's Club for $20. I grabbed the white ones but they also had blue and I'm considering taking the white ones back and getting those. I wasn't thinking of possible stains when I grabbed them. They're hotel quality towels, so I won't be too sad if they're completely destroyed but they're soft enough to dry a newborn off. I had seen towels at Walmart for $1.50 but they were too scratchy IMO. I did buy a 12 pack of washcloths there for $4 though.

ETA: I have heard of the frozen condoms but my midwife didn't mention them. She just wants you to take a few pads (or Depends), run some water down the middle, and stick them in your freezer in a bowl so they freeze into a curved shape. I personally never wanted anything remotely cold down there so I don't know if I'll even use those.

[deymm]

Originally Posted by luv

Oh and we didn't actually BUY any. Just used the random assorted ones we collected over the years. Old beach towels etc.

Not buying any either, just using what we have on hand already.