With a vaginal delivery, everything is going to hurt. The ice packs help (we have a whole post on those) but ice is only half the equation. You also need topical relief, and there are a few options. None of them solve the problem entirely but they're definitely better than nothing.
Who This Is For
Anyone recovering from a vaginal delivery who wants their perineum to sush. If you had stitches, all of this applies even more. If you didn't, you'll still want most of it. I had a second degree tear with each kid. Honestly that seemed scary beforehand but it wasn't that bad.
Dermoplast
People love Dermoplast. Every time I've used it I've hated it. Worth getting to try (the hospital will give you some most likely). And fine to have on hand for general first aid anyways, but for me it always stung too much to be worthwhile. But maybe I'm just a wuss.
Witch Hazel Pads
The hospital will give you witch hazel pads (round ones, Tucks is the name brand). Put a few in at a time sort of like putting deli meat on a sandwich. They work.
The problem: they're not flushable. But also they stick to you. So you go to sit down to pee and they fall in the toilet and you're stuck deciding if you fish them out or break the sewer system. (The hospital has industrial-grade flushing. It's probably fine. At home, not so much.)
The move is to either be careful about removing them before you sit down OR get a flushable kind. Preparation H makes flushable wipes that are technically for hemorrhoids but do the exact same thing. One sheet per flush though. Your plumbing will thank you.
Witch Hazel Foam
The foam is better than the pads for most situations. Put some on your pad, done. Just be prepared for it to smoosh out the sides a little...
Fair warning: it stings a little at first if you have stitches (there's alcohol in it). Just at first. After the sting comes relief. Worth it.
I used the foam for the first few days with both kids and then switched to just the pads/wipes as things calmed down. The foam is the heavy hitter early on.
The One Thing Nobody Tells You
You're going to layer all of this. Pad, witch hazel, ice pack, diaper. It sounds like a craft project and it kind of is. But the layering is what makes it bearable. No single product is the hero. The system is the hero. And in about two weeks you'll start peeling layers off one at a time until you're back to just a regular pad, and that day will feel like a national holiday. And then someday you'll stop bleeding and it's marvelous. And then in 3-12 months you'll get your first period again after baby and it's awful.
For the full postpartum recovery breakdown: Postpartum Recovery: This Sucks (But You'll Be Fine).
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