Here's How To Make Vagina Ice Pops For Your Postpartum Pain

No matter how much two people may differ, I think everyone can agree on one thing: popsicles make everything better. If you're pregnant, this is even more true, and if you've just given birth? Oh trust me, you'll want a popsicle. You might even want one for your vagina. OK, not necessarily the sticky, cherry ones in those long plastic tubes, but if you learn how to make vagina ice pops, you can really give your postpartum recovery a chilly boost.

DIY postpartum pads are all the rage on Pinterest, and for a good reason. According to Mayo Clinic, you'll most likely feel some discomfort after giving birth, especially if you delivered vaginally. An episiotomy or vaginal tear can take weeks to heal, making sitting, standing, using the bathroom, or basically any movement painful. Not to mention that, you know, you pushed a human being out of there — you're bound to be swollen, sore, and uncomfortable. Because of this, there are tons of tutorials to make giant, frozen postpartum pads, often lined with witch hazel and aloe, as a way to get some relief. But one dad took the idea a step further. Instead of frozen pads, he created vagina ice pops.

On the website, Direct Advice for Dads, Martin Wanless wrote a blog post about his partner's postpartum recovery and how he felt like he was always running to grab something she needed, whether it was a cushion specifically for her bottom so she could get some relief or a condom. But trust me, it's not a condom for birth control.

Instead, Wanless noted that you can fill a condom up with water, freeze it, and it becomes the perfect shape and size for a woman to keep between her legs and offer her some ice cold relief. You don't insert it into your vagina (don't insert anything into your postpartum vagina until your doctor gives you the all clear), but it can fit nicely and help offset some of the swelling and stinging pain. According to Wanless, in the hospital, his wife was actually directed to a freezer full of these magical vagina ice pops.

Parents suggested this trick as well, but Katie Page, a certified nurse midwife, told Parents to wrap the frozen condom up in a clean, cotton t-shirt before placing against your perineum. If you're allergic to latex, a bag of peas is recommended for similar results.

So whether you're hoping to try for a baby soon after you recover or you're making an appointment for an IUD as soon as possible, add condoms to your shopping list. Make several by filling them with water, tying the condom in a knot, and storing them in your freezer so that once the baby is born, you're ready to go. Just try not to laugh when everyone wonders what you mean by, "I need to change my condom," while you're resting with the baby. And maybe don't mistake them for actual popsicles (or frozen bags of breast milk) in a sleep-deprived state.