If your lochia is light enough to wear a regular pad (or if you choose to wear a pad along with a waterproof underwear), many moms suggest Always Infinity FlexFoam pads. The Overnight sizes are extra absorbent, as well as extra wide and extra long, so you’re protected from leaks that want to seep through the sides. The wings secure your base through all the twisting and turning that new motherhood requires, including multiple nighttime awakenings.

They are widely available in drugstores and convenience stores, so you can send a partner to buy them when needed. They are also fragrance free, which all those who are sensitive to fragrances will appreciate.

“Always Infinity pads have been great during the day, especially in the first few days after birth,” says Leah Rocketto, Assistant Store Director for BabyCenter. “They absorbed the discharge well without adding extra weight to my underwear. I normally don’t opt ​​for wings when using pads, but I found them helpful in this case to keep the pad from moving and the discharge from getting on my clothes.” Leah also used the Always Infinity pads to make postpartum healing pads (padsicles) about a month before her due date and found that they worked well, despite sitting for a while before using them.