As mothers preparing to give birth, it is crucial to know how to prepare yourself for the changes in your body once your baby is born.
After giving birth or having a C-section, our bodies can change in several ways, causing things like leakage or our bellies to need extra support. We also need postpartum underwear that can handle these problems.
Getting to know what feels your new body might not be easy right away. But once you leave the hospital with their version of postpartum underwear, you’ll need to find something new.
- Always Discreet Incontinence and Postpartum Underwear
- Kindred Bravely High Waist Postpartum and C-section Recovery Underwear
- Depend Silhouette Incontinence and Postpartum Underwear
- Mama Cotton Women's Pregnancy Postpartum Underwear
- Auto Time Disposable Mesh Postpartum Underwear
- Solimo Incontinence and Postpartum Underwear
Always Discreet Incontinence and Postpartum Underwear
Mama’s Choice: Best Overall
The Always Discreet Incontinence and Postpartum underwear have over 6,000 positive reviews and have helped women in many different circumstances.
What I Love
- Recognizable and reliable brand
- Scent lock to help you feel fresh all day
- Rapid Dry core from front to back
- Are (as the name suggests) discreet to wear
- Disposable so no need to wash
Always is a brand that has always dealt with feminine hygiene, it’s easy to trust that their products would work. This underwear is great for dealing with leakage, be it blood, urine, or any other fluid.
The design helps you feel less like you’re wearing a diaper and you can feel relaxed knowing that these are strong enough to not stain your clothes.
Check PriceKindred Bravely High Waist Postpartum and C-section Recovery Underwear
Mama’s Choice: Best for Style
On the other side of the spectrum, you’ll find postpartum underwear that can be reused. The Kindred Bravery underwear seems to be a popular pick for many women because of its flattering style as well as its emphasis on C-section recovery.
What I Love
- Stylish design
- Comfortable fabric and details that do not dig into your skin
- Comes in a full range of sizes from S-XXL
- Made with C-section recovery in mind
The fact that this underwear is especially useful for moms recovering from C-sections is something admirable. It doesn’t hurt that these are probably the most stylish pair of postpartum undergarments that you may come across.
I also think the emphasis on its size range and level of comfort for moms who don’t want to look like they’re wearing a diaper is great.
Kindred Bravely as a brand offers a wide variety of maternity products designed by moms, so these style choices make sense.
Check PriceDepend Silhouette Incontinence and Postpartum Underwear
Mama’s Choice: Best for Compression
It might sound strange to think of Depend as a brand for postpartum underwear, but the Depend Silhouette underwear is a great option, and for good reason.
What I Love
- The comfortable shapewear fabric
- It looks like regular underwear
- The brand is well-known
- Different levels of absorbency
- Size variety helps with the comfortable fit
These are incredibly soft and gentle on the skin, so it won’t dig into your tummy. If you have trouble with leakage, these offer a variety of absorbency levels depending on your needs. These are also available in three sizes from small to large/extra-large.
If you don’t want to wear the same plain color every day, the Depend underwear is available in black, berry, lavender, pink, and teal.
Check PriceHow to Choose Postpartum Underwear
It will be tough getting to know your postpartum body and what your needs may be. After delivery, you will bleed for quite a while. This bleeding is known as lochia and it may last up to six weeks. Typically, though, it doesn’t stay heavy the whole time.
Still, you’ll want to have at least 10 days of strong protection that the hospital mesh pads and other postpartum pads might not give you once you feel comfortable wearing your regular underwear.
Another factor is for women who are recovering from C-sections. Wearing lower-rise underwear will not be possible for a while when you’re still in the healing process because of the incision line.
Most women also struggle with their postpartum body being quite different than it was before. So even if you have not delivered via C-section, you may need larger, more comfortable underwear while your body recovers.
Important Things to Consider
You may have to experiment to see which underwear works best for you. But hopefully, if you consider these factors then you won’t have to waste your money on uncomfortable underwear. Here are some things to consider.
There are many types of postpartum underwear including:
- Disposable
- Compression underwear
- Period underwear, which some women still need to use pads with them.
There are also different styles to consider which may depend on how you delivered and what you will feel most comfortable in. These styles include:
- Bikini
- Boy shorts
- High-waisted briefs
- Bike shorts
- Regular briefs
- Low rise
You will also need to consider the size. For example, you may need larger underwear than usual so that it fits comfortably and has room for pads. Some recommend buying a size larger than you normally would.
Fabric or material is another factor. You may experience different hormonal changes that affect your entire body. No matter what those changes may be for you, it’s important to choose a comfortable fabric.
Generally, the more breathable the fabric, the better. Cotton, microfiber, or compression material are more common choices. There are also disposable options, some of which are made from mesh.
Cotton underwear is normally the most comfortable postpartum underwear fabric choice. It will not irritate your skin and is the most breathable. Microfiber is also a breathable fabric and is stronger than materials like mesh. They might not be as strong as something like spandex or cotton, but microfiber is great for absorbency.
Mesh underwear is the most common type of material for disposable underwear. Because of this, it might not be quite as strong as other fabrics, but the upside is that you don’t need to wash these!
Spandex underwear is another possibility, especially aimed towards women who have delivered via C-section. This material offers the best compression to support your stomach and help heal your scar.
Some postpartum undergarments have extra features such as a pocket for ice packs or a silicone panel to help ease any pain from C-section scars.
When Can You Wear Regular Underwear Postpartum?
The easy answer to this question would be whenever your postpartum bleeding stops. You should wear postpartum underwear for at least 7-10 days when the bleeding is heaviest.
Other Postpartum Underwear You Might Consider
Now that you’re better acquainted with what you might personally prefer, let’s have a look at some other options.
Mama Cotton Women’s Pregnancy Postpartum Underwear
This pair of postpartum underwear is a cotton and spandex blend that is comfortable and has a 100% cotton crotch area. These can be comfortably worn all day.
What I Love
- Multiple uses, meaning you can wear these at any time during your pregnancy or after
- Full rear coverage to keep you comfortable
- Looks like regular underwear and fits comfortably under your clothes
- Available in a wide range of sizes
What’s Meh
- Marketed more towards pregnant women rather than postpartum but can still be used for both
- The crossover V design and low waist may not be ideal for women recovering from a C-section
- The sizing may be difficult
Mama Cotton underwear can be an excellent choice if you’d like to remain consistent during and after your pregnancy. However, your body will be quite different after delivery and you may need to make adjustments in your postpartum wardrobe. Some women have had difficulty deciding on what size to order.
Thankfully though, that number seems small. This underwear is still incredibly comfortable, breathable, and has plenty of five-star reviews from women who are pregnant or using these postpartum.
Check PriceAuto Time Disposable Mesh Postpartum Underwear
This disposable mesh underwear is a good, comfortable pair for postpartum recovery. A bonus is that if you don’t want to dispose of these, you can wash them and reuse them.
What I Love
- These have a soft texture that will not put pressure on C-section scars, or irritate other incisions.
- Multipurpose underwear that you can wear at any stage of pregnancy as maternity or postpartum underwear
- You do not have to dispose of these if you don’t want to! You can choose to gently wash and air dry them to save money.
- Sizes range from M-XXL
What’s Meh
- You will likely have to use a larger size
- Lack of color variety
- They come in packs of 3, which may not be for everyone if you don’t want to reuse or continuously repurchase
This may be the closest equivalent to what the hospital offers after delivery, but with improvement. The fabric choice of this mesh underwear may not be for everyone, especially if you are looking for something that will have the feeling of cotton. However, the flexibility of the fabric offers you comfort in its own way.
These also promise no irritation or pressure as they do not have an elastic waistband. This is good for mothers with C-section scars, as they will not be irritated. The size range begins with medium, but as they advise to go a size up it might be alright unless you are particularly petite.
Check PriceSolimo Incontinence and Postpartum Underwear
This brand of postpartum underwear, similar to Always, stresses that it can double for incontinence and postpartum bleeding and leaking. Since this is what they promote, you can rest assured that there is plenty of leak protection
What I Love
- Dri-Fit technology that keeps you comfortable throughout the day
- Odor control system
- Strong protection against leakage, especially with maximum absorbency
What’s Meh
- They look very much like a diaper
- It May be the least comfortable choice depending on your fabric preference
- The fit may be difficult to decipher
While these are certainly the most similar in looks to a diaper, if these fit right on your postpartum body, they will fight any odor and leakage. These can be especially helpful on your heavy bleeding days if you don’t mind the look!
Check PriceFinal Thoughts
There is already so much work to do once your baby arrives and thinking about one extra thing for yourself might seem stressful with a newborn. Plan and give some maternity or postpartum underwear a try. Hopefully, this has helped some new moms out there!
