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Returns Best Postpartum Underwear 2024
Having a baby is one of the hardest but ultimately most rewarding things a woman can do. Having had 4 children, I understand how vital it is to be kind to yourself and your body in the immediate aftermath of giving birth.
I'll admit right up front that I have a total hatred of disposable maternity pads. Let's just say there was an incident involving my bin, seagulls and used maternity pads and leave it at that...
Postpartum undies weren't a thing really when I had my kids, aside from disposable underwear which at that stage was only the hospital mesh undies.
Again, if you're considering this, I'd ask you respectfully to reconsider.
You've just given birth. Your nether regions will be battered in a way they have never been before.
Be kind to yourself. Choose cloth pads or pants for your postpartum bleeding and recovery rather than paper or plastic against your delicate, sore skin!
What is Postpartum Bleeding?
Postpartum bleeding is the vaginal bleeding and discharge after you give birth. It's made up of blood, mucus, uterine tissue and other sundry materials. It should be heavy for the first week or so and then taper off.
If it doesn't taper off or you continue to pass large clots through the postpartum period, contact your midwife, GP or Ob Gyns. With my first child, all of my placenta wasn't delivered after birth and a small piece was left inside. This meant I continued to bleed heavily until I started to haemorrage in Sainsburys at 3 weeks postpartum and needed a D&C surgery to clean me out!
What is Postpartum Underwear?
Postpartum underwear is specially designed for women who have just given birth to deal with postpartum bleeding and support postpartum recovery.
From high-waisted styles that provide gentle compression to aid in abdominal recovery to softer, more breathable materials that are kind to sensitive skin, the right postpartum underwear can make a HUGE difference to how you feel in the aftermath of birth.
In this guide, we'll look at various types of postpartum underwear and highlight why choosing the right pair is essential for your post-birth recovery and comfort.
From high-waisted designs to seamless and mesh variants, let’s explore the different types of maternity underwear available and why choosing the right one matters for your comfort and health.
All the resuable undies we have selected here include absorbency so you can wear them alone without postpartum pads. You can of course use regular underwear for postpartum with maternity pads instead. Or choose the disposable options instead. The choice is yours!
Best Postpartum Underwear 2024
- Best Seamless Postpartum Undies: WUKA Stretch, £21.99
- Best Postpartum Overnight Pants: Cheeky Cosy Shorts £13.49
- Best Disposable Postpartum Underwear: Fridamom boyshort, £14 for 8 pairs
- Best C Section Postpartum Support Underwear: Cheeky Postpartum Support £8.50
- Best Plus Size Postpartum Underwear: Cheeky Fearless High Waisted
- Best High St Postpartum Underwear: M&S Full Brief Heavy Flow
- Best Designer: Modibodi Maternity Briefs, £24.50
We've selected each of these choices based on their material, comfort level, absorbency and user reviews.
Best Seamless Postpartum Pants: WUKA Stretch Super Period Pants
Wuka Stretch Super Period Pants are suitable for very heavy flow, absorb up to 60ml of blood and are designed to be stretchy across dress sizes.
Material: Polyamide, Elastane
Absorbency: Mid rise absorbency so may not be suitable for sleeping in.
Design: High-waisted
Size: Size 3 XL to 6XL
Price: £21.99 - Multibuy discounts available
Customer Reviews: "Absolutely love how comfortable these are for someone who has endometriosis and a stoma bag these are perfect for when I’m on my period combined with an endo flare! They are also perfect for my stoma bag they keep it nice and secure! Obsessed! Thank you WUKA!"
Best Disposable Postpartum Pants: Fridamom Boyshorts
Fridamom boyshorts are SUPER popular for a good reason. Way more comfy than the disposable mesh underwear the hospital give you, these are made from microfibre and designed to be worn and thrown away after use.
Material: Microfibre Spandex
Absorbency: No, designed to be worn with pads
Design: Shorts
Size: Size Regular (waist 28"-42" stretched). Size Petite (waist 23"-34" Stretched)
Price: £14.99 for pack of eight
Customer Reviews: "These are absolutely fab. I genuinely thought maybe these may be a bit of a waste of time but after giving birth on Monday this is all I've worn for the week and they're very comfortable. I combine with pads and yes they start to wear after pulling a couple of pads on and off but they stay strong and comfortable for the day. Nice and gentle across any sore parts."
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Best Postpartum Sleep Shorts: Cheeky Cosy
Cheeky Cosy shorts are just amazing for sleeping in post baby. They have absorbency to front and rear waistband and are made from breathable bamboo. Super comfortable, super absorbent for wearing immediately post birth.
Material: Bamboo Viscose / Elastane
Absorbency: Super absorbent, with the absorbent area running from front to rear waistband. Great for sleeping!
Design: Shorts
Size: Size 2 / 4 to 28 / 30
Price: From £13.49 per pair. Multibuy offers available.
Customer Reviews: "Comfiest period pants I have ever come across oh my god. They’re such soft material it’s lovely. Centre part might be a little bulky for some but I got used to it really fast and it feels much less risky than a pad in normal pants, whether for sleep or just a heavy day. And they’re absorbent as hell. Honestly everything about them was just so good." Product Review
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Best Plus Size Postpartum Underwear: Cheeky Fearless
Cheeky Fearless are highwaisted to provide some support for your tummy, but they are also made from breathable bamboo. They have 5 layers of absorbency so can take anything you can throw at them postpartum and can then be worn for heavy periods ever after!
Material: Bamboo Viscose / Spandex
Absorbency: Yes, these have absorbency from front to rear waistband so are perfect for immediately after birth.
Design: High-waisted
Size: Size 4 / 6 to 28 / 30
Price: £13.99 Multibuy Offers Available
Customer Reviews: "I am so happy even while on my period! I have had to use disposable incontinence pads or nappies for years due to heavy periods and flooding... I can now wear a pair of the fearless bamboo pants and actually find I am fearless! No more leaking or worrying that I will leak when I'm away from home and unable to change! Thank you ladies for turning me away from disposable and towards reusable! They feel like pants, no bulky pads making me self conscious that everyone can see! I can't believe it took me so long! Tried some off amazon and they were useless... Cheeky all the way for me!!" Product Review
Best C Section Recovery Underwear: Cheeky Support
Cheeky postpartum support pants are extra high rise plus have built in absorbency. This makes them ideal pregnancy underwear for towards the end of your pregnancy or for additional support postpartum, particularly if you have a C-section. Tip: Size up!
Material: Nylon / Cotton / Elastane
Absorbency: Regular absorbency which reaches to where a 'normal' waistband would reach.
Design: High-waisted, will fit over your belly button
Size: Size 4 / 6 to 22 / 24
Price: £8.50 per pair
Customer Reviews: "I ended up with an emergency section and I cannot give the postpartum underwear enough credit for how great they have been.
I purchased the size up from my usual size, I'm between a UK 8 and 10, depending on hip size and I bought a 10-12 being aware that my body would be larger after birth. I found that the 10-12 was small for its sizing which is perfect for me, the advice on the website is that they can come up a little small on the leg which I would say is true....I began wearing them as soon as I was able to get out of the bed and the difference they made was unbelievable.
I went from feeling fragile and like every movement was a risk to feeling comfortable to move around (obviously still within my limited ability at the time).
The support from the band helped with confidence that I could get up and down without injury, it allowed me to get dressed and undressed without worrying about disturbing the scar as it caused a smooth barrier between clothes and the skin, so I was able to wear my own clothes right away too. I would also note that after approximately 16 days of use, I believe they provided the correct support to allow my body to become stronger than it may have without the extra support.
I wouldn't recommend wearing them over night as, even though this would be far more comfortable, the scar does need room to breathe and overnight is the perfect time to allow this." Trustpilot Review
Best High St Postpartum Underwear: M&S Heavy Flow Full Brief Period Underwear
M&S come up trumps with these well priced heavy flow period pants which can be used for postpartum. Made from cotton modal, they're comfortable but not the most supportive. It's also worth noting that absorbency is only in the gusset area so not recommended for sleeping in.
Material: Cotton / Modal
Absorbency: Gusset area
Design: Full Brief
Size: Size 8 to 28
Price: £16 for 3 pairs
Customer Reviews: "Excellent period pants in good price. High absorbency with no leaks. Easy to wash and air dry. Have bought multiple pairs over the year. I am wearing them all the time do not need to buy any other products whilst on my period."
Best Designer Postpartum Underwear: Modibodi Maternity Briefs
Modibodi are the Australian online period pants specialists and their postpartum briefs are designed to help your recovery post birth. Made from breathable fabric too, these are a good investment buy for the end of your pregnancy and postpartum.
Material: Bamboo Viscose
Absorbency: From front to rear waistband, so suitable as postpartum underwear also
Design: V shaped under bump / belly, hipster style.
Size: Size 10 to 18
Price: £25.50 for 1 pair of maternity briefs
Customer Reviews: "My daughter loves these undies post baby caesarean they do their job, super comfy and don’t irritate the scar'
How many pairs of postpartum underwear do I need?
If you're going reusable and boosting with reusable maternity pads, then you'll probably need 3 pairs. If you're using on their own, allow 6 pairs as women find that they take time to dry.
Top tip: Dry inside out for faster drying!
Conclusion
Choosing the right postpartum underwear is about taking care of your body and having one less thing to worry about once your baby is born!
We hope you've found this helpful, but if you've got any further questions at all about postpartum protection or maternity pads, please do contact us. The team all use the products themselves and love to chat pee, poo and periods all day long! We've also got some further reading that you may be interested in:
About the Author: Helen Rankin founded Cheeky Wipes, the original reusable wipes kit back in 2008 after disposable wipes caused her eczema to flare up. 4 kids later, she went on to develop their range of 'Simple Reusables' to include period pants, reusable period kits and reusable incontinence pants. Both she and the rest of the leadership team are now navigating menopause, with all the joys it brings!
