You have ended your nine months difficult pregnancy journey with giving birth to your baby. Do you know what is ahead? You’re now in the post-pregnancy phase that can be difficult than giving birth. Why? This phase synonymous with sleepless nights, a lot of baby poops, sore nipples, all the time your baby and breast pump hanging on your boobs, a lot of laundries and the worst part is itchy, bleeding perineal area (Lochia) that needs a healing power that’s a postpartum sitz bath for fast postpartum recovery.
What Is a Postpartum Sitz Bath?
You’re a second or third-time mom then you’re well familiar with the postpartum bath and can sing a song while taking the bath. But if you’re a first-time mom I tell you what is a postpartum sitz bath? A Postpartum Sitz Bath can be taken in a large tub that specially made for a woman to use post-pregnancy. It is full of water (you can use warm water) with Epsom salt and targets your lower body.
I don’t want to make you scared, but it’s necessary to know what happens during postpartum. Well, You’re going to face Postpartum leaks like engorged breast milk, heavy bleeding (hemorrhoids), Itchy perineal area (vaginal birth) a lot of sweat, Baby’s poo, and pee, etc.
A postpartum sitz bath can be taken after a couple of days after normal delivery or episiotomy and you’re back from the hospital with your little bundle of joys. You can take a bath in the hospital if you feel comfortable there. I had decided to take home as its less messy and more relaxing.
A postpartum bath is like to soothe your tired body. You can call it a self-care or postpartum care plan. This ease your postpartum depressions.
Benefits of Postpartum Sitz Bath
A sitz bath is recommended after the birth process for a new mom who suffers from body pain and physical strain. Below are the benefits of a postpartum bath for fast postpartum recovery.
1. Helps you to feel clean and hygiene
Really it’s the worst time ever-post pregnancy depression! You have to self-care by providing all the necessary postpartum items to heal the postpartum-like vaginal bleeding, breastfeeding leak, and sweat, etc.
It’s always a good idea to take care of your new postpartum body not turn into breeding grounds for germs and infections that can possibly happen with the postpartum leaks!
Herbal postpartum sitz bath has all essentials oils and salts that help to soothe and clean the skin. Soak your lower body in warm herbal hot water(not boiled)You become fresh with the fragrance of these postpartum sitz bath herbs.
2. Herbal Bath speed up the healing process
Whatever you like cold water or warm water for a postpartum sitz bath, depends upon moms. This herbal bath helps to increase the flow of blood lower part of the body. And the result is the healing process fast.
3. Provide Relief from the Pain
Always it is beneficial when takes a warm bath not only postpartum mom. One must feel relaxed and feel comfortable. Hot water can soothe all muscle pain. You have to check before taking a sitz bath that is not too hot or too cold.
4. A postpartum bath helps to dissolve the stitches
It always gives the best result if you soak underbody in warm water with herbs after consulting the doctor. Warm water helps to dissolve the vaginal stitches faster. This process should take time from 20 to 30 days or maybe a month before you start to do so.
5. Treat hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoid is a medical condition occurs after the birth process. These can cause itching and bleeding. While taking a sitz bath to add Epsom salt for better treatment of the hemorrhoids. Here is the topic that tells you how Epsom salt helps?
6. Helps to Reduce Itching
After the birth process, your underbody skin becomes raw and the result is continued itching because the skin has started the healing process. Soaking underbody in the sitz bath with essential oils and herbs can help to reduce the itching. However, moisturize your skin after taking the sitz bath.
7. Postpartum Sitz Bath prevent Constipation
Already you’re familiar with the term constipation before and after the birth process. Herbal sitz bath helps to relieve if you’re from suffering constipation. The warm herbal water with oil and salts soothe the enlarged veins around the rectal area and prevent constipation.
8. Postpartum Sitz Bath relieves the cramps
You know what’re the cramps as you suffered in post-pregnancy. Like constipation, sitz bath heals cramps by soothing the veins and muscles.
9. It works like a Therapy
Herbal bath with Epsom salts, oil, and minerals give a therapy that reduces all the pains, itching, and swelling.
Brief summary of how postpartum sitz bath benefited:-
- Relaxes the perineum muscles if you had an episiotomy
- Soothe the itching that comes along with stitches
- Helps to clean underbody and lower the risk of infections
- Improve the blood level of the perineal area and reduce inflammation that causes the healing process.
- It reduces the pain of hemorrhoids
- Soothes the soreness that causes stretching during the birth process
How To Take A Postpartum Sitz Bath in the tub, step-by-step guide
- The first thing cleans the sitz bath basin or tub with liquid cleaner or bleach. Scrub the tub with water and remove all the traces from it. Make sure it is cleaned well.
- Fill the tub with warm or lukewarm water (depend upon your preference) but make sure not to use too hot water it may hurt you.
- Add all essential herbs, minerals, salts, oils, and Epsom salt as recommended by doctor or midwife. All these are soothing elements and gives a therapeutic effect on the postpartum body. Don’t use the ingredients that cause you any type of allergy.
- Now sit as your lower body soaks in the tub. Relax your postpartum body for 15 to 20 minutes in the tub but remember to leave your legs out of the tub. I’ll show you the picture of how to sit in the tub? Really it not only soothes you but makes you feel fresh with the perfume of different herbs.
How to take sitz bath using Postpartum Kit
- This kit can be placed on an open toilet seat only you have to follow the same procedure before using this as I mentioned for the Sitz bathtub.
- Fix the kit onto your opened toilet seat perfectly.
- add lukewarm or warm water in the kit
- Add all necessary oils, minerals, and salts. Use Epsom salts or lavender and chamomile oil if you like. These herbs give you therapy to heal fast from postpartum problems.
- Soak your hips in the tub and let enjoy your postpartum bath for half an hour or 20 minutes as you are comfortable with.
Risks of herbal Sitz bath
There are zero or lower chances of taking Sitz bath herbs as this is a non-invasive therapy. However, if you do not take the care of your wounds and tears, you increase the chance of infections. You have makes sure the Sitz bathtub is cleaned well to avoid infection.
A good Postpartum Sitz bath can provide you to heal better your body from postpartum pain. It helps to take good care of you and your baby.