For all the mamas-to-be out there anxiously awaiting due dates, listen up. Barring a c-section, your lady bits will soon be expelling a tiny human. That's a given. What you might not be expecting, though, is the extent of the swelling and pain "down there" that could linger for days – maybe even weeks – after your baby makes his grand entrance.

Well, I've got a simple trick for your battered postpartum vagina:

Condoms.

No, not for having sex. Believe me, that's the last thing that'll be on your mind in those initial days of motherhood. I'm talking frozen condoms that will act like a perfectly-shaped ice pack for your bruised nether region. Just fill with water, pop those babies in the freezer, and you're set. (To be clear, frozen condoms are great for resting in between your legs. Please don't shove them inside – ouch!)

Moms in the BabyCenter Community have been using this trick for years. One mom in a thread from 2012 wrote:

"I need to share this valuable info with you ladies because this trick made a huge difference after delivery. Get about six regular condoms. Fill them up with water and tie the end like a balloon. When laying on a table they should look flat – don't fill them up too much. Put them in a container so they remain flat and put them in the freezer.

After you deliver your coochie is super-sore. Especially if you tear. Buy some panty liners and cut an opening in one end. Slide the frozen condom inside and wear the frozen panty liner until it melts. Repeat as necessary. Your vagina will thank you for it!"

Frozen condoms aren't your thing? No problem. Other easy remedies for your sore vagina involve creating homemade "padsicles" by freezing overnight pads or even newborn diapers. In a different thread, one BabyCenter Community member wrote:

"Our childbirth classes teacher told us to get overnight pads, pour witch hazel into each one, and put them in ziplock bags in the freezer, apparently they are great to wear after giving birth."

Another mom wrote:

"My hospital nurses taught me to get a diaper wet (it absorbs all the water so it doesn't leak) and freeze it as a mega disposable ice pack/maxi pad."

Ah, I remember my glorious frozen pads from the hospital. While I lacked the foresight to make padsicles for home, store-bought witch hazel wipes were a god-send. (They work wonders for hemorrhoids, too.) Granted, the smell of witch hazel still sends me back to that messy, tender, postpartum time. But the wipes were both gently cleansing and soothing on my swollen lady parts – which have survived birthing three kids so far, and are (mostly) back to normal.

You've got this, expecting mamas!

What do you think of using frozen condoms for postpartum pain relief? What helped you?

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