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After delivering your baby, you’ll experience soreness, bleeding, and discharges, and you wouldn’t want to stain all of your clothes. In this guide, I’m revealing the top picks for the best postpartum underwear that can provide stomach control and support as your body undergoes changes.
Contents
The Top Postpartum Underwear Available
There are several options for the best postpartum underwear. Not only do the right postnatal panties feel comfortable, they also play a crucial role in providing stomach control and thick linings for musty discharge.
UpSpring Baby High-Waist C-Panty
Living up to its name, the UpSpring Baby High-Waist C-Panty is perfect for C-section recovery. A mother who underwent a C-section herself designed this underwear together with a medical team.
This is why there’s a well-thought silicone panel that falls right onto the C-section incision site to speed up the recovery process. This post-C-section panty combines spandex and nylon to counter excessive vaginal discharge.
The material also ensures the underwear stays on your belly and incision, keeping excess fats tucked in safely. Even with a tight fit, the underwear’s comfortable compression promotes good blood flow and eases swelling.
In effect, the UpSpring Baby C-Panty does a great job of reducing discomfort, which new mothers tend to suffer from after childbirth. More than that, the high-waist design ensures full coverage for your tummy.
This feature also helps slim your post-baby belly, letting you wear your old clothes. There’s no uncomfortable binding waistband across the midsection of this compression underwear for C-section mothers.
Pros
- Comfortable compression slims post-baby belly
- Protects and supports delicate incision area
- Silicone panel reduces itching
Cons
- Tight fit may mean some difficulty in wearing and pulling the underwear down
Always Discreet, Incontinence & Postpartum Underwear
Always Discreet is a brand well-known for its highly effective pads and disposable underwear. Among its most valuable creations is the Incontinence & Postpartum Underwear, which features a built-in pad with odor protection in discreet construction.
Childbirth weakens the pelvic floor muscles, which means you may have a hard time controlling your bladder during the first few weeks after giving birth. Aside from soaking up vaginal leakage, this postpartum underwear can help you with urinary incontinence.
Unlike the previous underwear that uses spandex, the Always Discreet Postpartum Underwear consists of microfiber that gives you a balanced feel between mesh and cotton. Despite the thinness, the heavy leak technology of this post-labor panty allows you to lock away wetness and odor for day or night.
If you want to save time dealing with leaks or stains, you can quickly dispose of this underwear after using it. This disposable post-delivery underwear is the best solution if you want convenience, especially if you need to cut down the amount of laundry.
Pros
- Excellent absorbing capacity that protects clothes and linens from stains
- Discreet construction despite built-in leak coverage
- Odor removal technology to neutralize the smell
Cons
- Not eco-friendly
- Not ideal for covering the abdominal region and C-section bulge
Wirarpa Women’s Cotton Underwear Briefs
Whether you’re recovering from C-section or normal delivery, the Wirarpa Cotton Underwear Briefs can provide you with the much-needed support and comfortable fit without spending too much.
It curves in the right places, giving you a slimmer profile under your regular clothes. This high-waist underwear helps the abdominal region recover without feeling too constricting. The waistband sits above the scar, minimizing irritation in the incision area.
Even if you need to wear mesh hospital pads, you won’t feel any pinching or rolling down. Aside from that, the Wirarpa Cotton Underwear Briefs features a double-layer crotch for extra protection during heavy discharge days. Likewise, this results in a wider than usual crotch size.
Compared to the first two items, this high-waist post-delivery underwear uses cotton for better breathability. The combination of cotton and high-waist design creates soft compression.
Despite its main material, this underwear for a post-C section holds up shape due to the addition of spandex, letting it retain form after several washes.
Pros
- Double-layered crotch for additional support
- Combines spandex and cotton for breathable yet stretchable underwear
- High-waist design prevents sagging or binding
Cons
- Sizes run small
- Leg openings can be too big for some women
Factors to Consider for the Best Postpartum Underwear
To pick the right postnatal underwear for your needs, you must consider the important features and details. Otherwise, you risk ending up with uncomfortable post-birth panties. Now, let’s dive right into the qualities of the best postpartum underwear.
Comparing Postpartum Underwear Features
| Underwear | Style | Disposable? | With Compression? |
|---|---|---|---|
| UpSpring Baby | High Waist | No | Yes |
| Always Discreet Incontinence & Postpartum | Briefs | Yes | No |
| Wirarpa Underwear | Briefs | No | Yes |
Support Type
Postpartum underwear comes in a range of styles, each with advantages and downsides. Take a look at each type to see which one suits you.
Disposable
As the name implies, disposable postpartum underwear is for single use only. This type is very lightweight because it generally consists of mesh material.
Much like the Always Discreet Underwear, this disposable post-pregnancy panty is convenient to use when you have excessive discharge, as you won’t need to worry about washing blood-stained linen or underwear.
While this is an excellent option for the first week after delivery, it can add up to using disposable underwear all the time.
Full Brief
A full brief post-labor underwear is large in size as it offers full coverage, especially above the belly button. This type usually consists of elasticated fiber so that it can grow or shrink, depending on how your body changes.
A full brief postpartum underwear, like the one from Wirarpa, can support the whole abdominal region, minimizing the risk of exposing your scars. This also lets you avoid seams from touching your stitches.
You’ll need to be careful about the undies you select if you’re leaving the house. Pair carefully with the best postpartum leggings, but you’ll have less to worry about if you opt for the best postpartum jeans.
Compression
This type of postpartum underwear uses a compressive fabric to help muscles recover, improve blood flow, and reduce swelling. Similar to a full brief, compression underwear typically comes with full-length coverage, reaching just underneath the breasts.
Aside from health benefits, you can wear postpartum compression underwear like the UpSpring C-Panty as shapewear to smooth out bumps. Despite compression properties, this isn’t as restrictive as girdles.
Fit
The fit of postnatal panties is a subjective factor since some women choose to order a size larger to have more room for pads, while others prefer having a glove-like fit. However, it’s ideal to have stretchable post-labor underwear to accommodate your post-baby belly.
If you want to have a comfortable fit, you must consider your actual size and the style you want. Even with a tight fit, the seams shouldn’t dig into your skin. If you prefer a loose fit, it may form unwanted bunching underneath your clothes.
Fabric
Hormonal changes that happen after giving birth can cause some serious perspiration all over your body. Postpartum underwear offers various kinds of material, and each contains benefits and some downsides. See which material works best for you and your needs.
Mesh
Postpartum underwear with mesh fabrics tends to be disposable, as the material is thin and lacks durability. If you worry about washing stains, you can easily throw away disposables after usage.
On the plus side, the best postpartum mesh underwear offers a great deal of breathability because of its lightweight construction.
Cotton
Opt for cotton postpartum underwear if comfort is your number one priority. While cotton allows air to circulate through the fabric weaves, it can absorb sweat and stain easily.
Since this is the softest material for postpartum undies, cotton is good for caring for stitches and avoiding skin irritation or infection.
Spandex
A spandex post-birth panty is suitable for mothers who want to get a more sucked-in yet not too restraining feeling. It focuses on supporting your post-baby belly to encourage fast healing.
Spandex postpartum underwear is also a worthwhile investment as the material expands naturally to accommodate weight gain or loss.
Microfiber
Microfiber has better moisture-wicking properties than mesh underwear, yet is not as durable as spandex or cotton. It also includes nylon or polyester to retain shape for stomach control and support.
Since microfiber mimics the properties of natural fibers, a microfiber postnatal panty is a good alternative if you don’t feel comfortable with cotton.
Related Questions
How Many Postpartum Underwear Do I Need?
A general rule of thumb is to have at least three pairs of postpartum underwear. In this way, you’ll have clean panties available in case you need to change quickly.
How Long Should I Wear Postpartum Panties?
You may need to wear postpartum panties as long as you continue to bleed and discharge, which is typically around three to six weeks. This is why you need comfortable and easy-to-wash underwear for postpartum.
Should You Size Up For Postpartum Underwear?
You can size up for postpartum underwear if you need to wear pads. Using a larger size can also give your sensitive parts or incision room to breathe. However, following your actual size ensures you can take advantage of a panty’s compressive properties.
Conclusion
Giving birth will inevitably result in body changes, especially in the first four to six weeks. I hope that this guide on panties to wear after giving birth provides you with all the information you need when choosing the best postpartum underwear.
