After giving birth to your new child, you are going to want the best postpartum underwear around. What exactly is postpartum underwear and why will you need them? Well, we put together a little guide for you on what to expect and the best postpartum underwear available.
What to Expect After Labor
Many women are quick to talk about their labor story, or their pregnancy story, but what about their postpartum story? Your changing body and your recovery journey are just as important as what comes before, but many people avoid talking about it. How are you supposed to prepare for your postpartum recovery if no one talks about it? Well, don’t worry we have you covered.
Lochia
After your labor you will still have a lot of changes your body has to go through. Your uterus has to shrink down, your vagina has to recover, and sometimes you have to take care of stitches in your abdomen. One of the many changes that you will have to deal with is lochia. According to What to Expect, “Vaginal postpartum bleeding, or lochia, is the heavy flow of blood and mucus that starts after delivery”. This postpartum bleeding is absorbed with a pad instead of a tampon, because of the trauma caused by labor.
As described by Cleveland Clinic, “Lochia for the first 3 days after delivery is dark red in color. A few small blood clots, no larger than a plum, are normal. For the fourth through tenth day after delivery, the lochia will be more watery and pinkish to brownish in color. From about the seventh to tenth day through the fourteenth day after delivery, the lochia is creamy or yellowish in color.”
Now that you know what to expect after your labor, it may make more sense why many women choose not to discuss their postpartum journey. But you will still need to know what to do about this postpartum bleeding, that is where the best postpartum underwear comes in.
What are postpartum underwear?
Hospital Underwear
After your labor, the hospital, or midwife, will give you a few pairs of disposable mesh postpartum underwear. These underwear are not like typical underwear. Postpartum underwear are designed to keep everything all compressed and together. This includes the postpartum blood, stitches you may have, and your nether region. These mesh undies are typically used in the first three days, when bleeding is the heaviest.
Mesh hospital underwear are perfectly designed. They are comfortable, breathable, and they are disposable. So any sort of leakage that may escape from your maxi pad is fine, because you can just toss them away. Because of this, hospitals tend to only give the new mom a couple of pairs of underwear, so once those run out it can be hard to find something similar.
Postpartum Underwear at Home
In addition to the 2 weeks of lochia, you may continue to bleed for up to 6 weeks after giving birth. That is about a month and a half of bleeding after giving birth . Once you use those three pairs of disposable underwear, what are you supposed to do ? You could go back to using your old underwear. But many times those undies are not designed to compress your abdomen area. And for the first few weeks after labor, compression is a great aid in your recovery. In addition, you may decide not to use your old underwear because you don’t want to have to get rid of them from blood stains.
The best postpartum underwear are specifically designed with all of this in mind. Your regular underwear are not designed to contain the postpartum maxi pads that are used after labor. Postpartum underwear are cut to accommodate them and have wider leg openings to make sure you are more comfortable. They are light, but compress the abdomen area, and they are relatively inexpensive in case you do have any leakage.
Benefits of postpartum underwear?
Postpartum underwear are designed to ensure you are comfortable and contained,. They also can help slim your belly faster and ease your pain. The best postpartum underwear will be able to give just the right amount of compression to ease your pain. And they won’t sacrifice keeping you contained to achieve it.
Similar to the way shapewear works, postpartum underwear are shaping. They can help a new mom feel more confident in her postpartum body. In addition, the best postpartum underwear will be suitable for all moms. No matter the type of labor they have had. Women who go through a c-section delivery can sometimes have a difficult time finding the correct type of postpartum underwear. Because of complications at the incision site, it is essential that there is compression, but not too much compression. Finding the right balance can be difficult, but the best postpartum underwear will be medically designed for the postpartum mom.
Bellefit Best Postpartum Underwear
One of the best postpartum underwear around is Bellefit’s Intimates collection. These underwear come in multiple sizes, styles, and types. The fabric is comfortable and breathable, allowing airflow to every area. Designed for everyday wear, these underwear are perfect for your postpartum recovery process.
Not only does Bellefit have the best postpartum underwear, they have the best postpartum garments in general. There are shaping leggings, shorts, postpartum girdles, prenatal undies, and even abdominal binders. Bellefit is the go-to store for all of your postpartum recovery needs.
We hope this has been a helpful guide for you.