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Published in: JOURNAL, Periods, postpartum

Revolutionizing Postpartum Recovery by Design

At Nyssa, we believe in the life-changing impact of great design. And great design begins with understanding the human experience. 


Where it Started


LET'S TAKE IT BACK TO THE BEGINNING
After giving birth, some of our team experienced tearing and swelling of the perineal region, with bouts of painful hemorrhoids to boot. Some of us had to tend to painful c-section incisions. And we all experienced the discomfort of engorgement while pumping and breastfeeding, followed by the all-too-familar abdominal pangs and pains when our periods kicked back in.

WE WANTED TO CHANGE THAT 
And give women the products we wish we had in our Fourth Trimester as we tended to our pain and discomfort– and also cared for our new baby, returned to work, prepared meals, did laundry, walked our dogs, and generally got on with living!

UNIQUELY CONTOURED FOR WOMEN’S BODIES
So, with the expertise of our advising OB-GYN and a leading cryothreapist, we began designing uniquely contoured ice/heat packs that actually solve women’s issues, in the areas where they occur: a tapered end to enable snug application of ice and heat between the butt cheeks (yes, butt cheeks! It’s a technical term) and vulval region, a contoured shape to deliver direct pain relief over the uterus and ovaries. Then we iterated those prototypes, dozens of times, using feedback from women in our community, until we got it right. 

WE PUT EMPATHY INTO PRACTICE THROUGH DESIGN
For us, a design is not done until it is effective against the problem, functional in life, aesthetically uplifting, and puts women’s agency over their health into their own hands. ‘Designed for women, by women’ has become somewhat of a buzz-phrase over the last few years, but at its heart it holds true to everything we believe: when we put empathy into practice through design (i.e., deeply, truly understanding the the problem we are solving for), we have the power to transform women’s health on an individual, communal and societal scale.  


THAT’S THE BELIEF THAT GETS US OUT OF BED EVERY MORNING
Excited to learn and create lasting change– by design.

Read on to learn more about how our ice and heat pack designs can help you have a smoother, faster, and more comfortable recovery. 


Meet The Packs

Our Between Legs Reusable Ice/Heat Pack is designed for those first few weeks after child birth when you are swollen and sometimes healing from tearing or stitches in the perineal region or at the site of caesarean incision. A standard-issue ice/heat pack is not going to comfortably fit between your thighs and butt cheeks— trust us, we tried it— but a tapered one would!

  

Our Uterine Reusable Ice/Heat Pack is for the discomfort that often comes later in your Fourth Trimester as your uterus contracts and your body gears-up for the return of menstruation.

 

And, finally, our Breast & Chest Reusable Ice/Heat Packs designed to mold to the shape of any size breast for complete relief from the skin irritation and soreness associated with engorgement, breastfeeding, pumping, or lactation suppression.

 

Interested in learning more about the history of product design in the context of women's health?

Click here to listen to our Nyssa: The Unmentionables interview with Designing Motherhood’s brilliant curators Michelle Millar Fisher (Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts) and Amber Winick (an independent design historian and curator). 

If you would like to lean more about how application of ice and heat can help alleviate pain, check out our short video. 


SOON-TO-BE MOMS, PAIR THE PACKS WITH
FOURTHWEAR POSTPARTUM RECOVERY UNDERWEAR ⟶


FourthWear Postpartum Recovery Underwear diagrammed to show potential placement of ice/heat packs

Supersoft, belly hugging underwear with our patented pocket design to securely hold ice or heat therapy between the legs and over the lower abdomen where postpartum recovering bodies need it most.
SHOP NOW ⟶

FOR TEENS ON UP, PAIR THE PACKS WITH
VIEWEAR PERIOD COMFORT UNDERWEAR ⟶

Photo of VieWear Period Comfort Underwear

The first period underwear to conquer cramps! Hip-hugging underwear with a seamless interior pocket to hold soothing heat therapy over the lower abdomen— all day or night. Its full-coverage, organic cotton lining provides extra protection from leaks without the bulky feel of absorption underwear.
SHOP NOW ⟶

 

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