Are ice pops- frozen condoms a good way to deal with vaginal pain after post-childbirth?
One dad in Australia is opening up about a method he discovered for combatting postpartum vaginal soreness: ice packs made with…condoms.
This is a condom filled with water and frozen, designed to be held between the new mother’s legs to ease swelling and reduce pain.
It’s a thing, apparently. Martin’s wife was greeted with a fridge filled with frozen condoms after giving birth in hospital, and loads of other women on the internet swear by the technique.
But is this actually a good idea?
Shazia Malik, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, reckons ice pops are a great way to deal with pain post-childbirth – as long as you’ve checked with your obstetrician or midwife first to make sure they’d recommend it in your specific case.
But the ice filled condom absolutely should not be inserted inside the vagina – they’re only meant to be held outside the vagina, around the vulva and perineum to reduce the pain and inflammation.
New moms are generally advised to use an ice pack for the first 24 to 48 hours after giving birth to help reduce swelling, but if you don’t have easy access to perineal ice packs, it doesn’t hurt to go the frozen condom route (but not actually inserting it in your vagina).
