yep the the pads are just good cushioning... i used them till i got the staples out. they really help. dont forget that after giving birth you can get a bit bloated and i went up an undie size for a couple of weeks till the bloating want down. so i personally wouldnt have liked firm undies...

from my experience there was no gas in the belly... but with the opiat drugs i had a lot of issues getting things moving in that area, and asked for help. Maybe take some prune juice or dried fruit to get things moving. if it gets bad they can give you an enema but i think that is a last resort.