I received most of this information from the homebirth preparation thread:
~ Newborn Diapers: slit open the end of diaper & stuff it full of crushed ice, stock a few in the freezer. They are very absorbent with no leaking problems, each one lasted quite awhile.
~ When freezing pads, lay them over an upside down bowl and it will give it a curved shape.
~ Comfrey Compresses for Perineum:
* comfrey is for quick healing (causes rapid cell proliferation) but can be so quick that it can dissolve stitches before they are ready- if have extensive stitches, use comfrey later rather than sooner
* Soak 4X4's in the tea: fold 4X4's in half after saturating and layer them between cellophane, put in small freezer bags, freeze
* Place frozen compresses on a Mama cloth/pad, absorbs the tea melt
~ Witch Hazel for Perineum:
* witch hazel is astringent, helps resolve bruises, varicosities, and inflammation
* frozen witch hazel maxi pads
* witch hazel in the peri bottle
* witch hazel on large cotton rounds (in place of Tucks)
~ Sitz Bath: To make the herbs last as long as possible use one cup of mix with a large stock pot full of water. Steep the herbs on the stove for at least 30 minutes, place a colander in the tub and pour the mix through the colander then we put the herbs in the colander caught back in the big pot to steep again next time. When we steep them next time we had 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fresh herbs to the already used herbs. Doing it this way helped our herbs last at least 2 weeks taking 2 baths per day.
~ A lady mixed Calendula tincture (a gentle, yet effective herb that is great for healing) with water and spritzed on pads and froze them, it's heaven. Once the pad is thawed you should take it off though. I also added it to the water in my peri bottle.
~ Honey in the bathroom (slather on any tears for healing)
~ Going pee postpartum tip: use a TP roll by holding it around the urethra, keeps pee stream from any labia tears
~ There are some postpartum pads sold at Cascade Healthcare Products website (where I ordered my homebirth kit). They have good prices on
maternity/postpartum pads (even had Natracare postpartum pads)
Hope some of this info helps
