December 05, 2018

Could a frozen condom be the answer to pain down there after delivery?

Every new mum expects labour and delivery to hurt. But some don’t realise the pain can last long after the baby has arrived.

Aches and pains down there can linger for days or even weeks.

Ice packs are a common remedy for mums recovering from childbirth with swollen and bruised nether regions, especially following tears.

And one dad has revealed a slight variation of the cooling idea which he used when his partner was in pain - frozen condoms!

"Shortly after giving birth in hospital, my wife was taken to a fridge full of frozen condoms"

Martin Wanless wrote a list of handy items couples might need after welcoming babies, on the parenting site Direct Advice for Dads (DAD) .

Ask the midwife...about expressing 00:21:35 Ask the midwife...about expressing

One of them is condoms. But not for what they're normally used for.

He suggests making vaginal popsicles - fill condoms with water and freeze them to relieve post-birth soreness and swelling.

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"Filled with water and frozen, they're the perfect shape to rest in between new mum's legs and ease a bit of pain and swelling," he says.

“Don't believe me? This is actually a thing. Shortly after giving birth in hospital, my wife was taken to a fridge full of frozen condoms.”

Frozen condoms could be used to ease post-delivery pain. Source: iStock.

Why not try frozen nappies?

And apparently, Martin isn’t the only one to have stumbled across this clever idea.

A mum offered the “valuable info” on Baby Center back in 2011.

“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.”

Another mum on the site, in a different thread, suggested frozen nappies.

“At the hospital, one of the aids got me a baby newborn diaper that they poured water in and froze, she gave it to me to use as an ice pack.

"When it wasn’t cold anymore it didn’t spill all over because diapers are supposed to absorb liquids which i thought it was a cool idea.”

And as a friendly reminder, remember to never put ice directly on skin, especially down there, so make sure you use a clean barrier before resting it to give your girlie parts some relief.

Dads are encouraged to stock up on frozen condoms to ease their partner's pain after birth down there. Source: iStock.

Other ways to ease Perineal pain

If you gave birth vaginally (and even those who had a long labour before having a C-section), you will feel some degree of perineal pain.

Even if you didn't tear or have an episiotomy, your muscles have been stretched and traumatised. There will also be varying degrees of soreness, and it might be hard to sit for a couple of days or even weeks, depending on whether you've had stitches.

To help with the pain