In This Article
Can You Take a Bath After Giving Birth?
When Can you Take a Bath After Delivery?
Benefits of Bathing Post Delivery
Sitz bath soaking
Bathing After Giving Vaginal Birth
Bathing After a C-Section Belly birth
Postpartum Bleeding
Safe Ways of Taking a Post-Pregnancy Bath
Precautions to Take Before Having a Postpartum Bath
Can you take a bath after giving birth?
It greatly depends on the circumstances of your unique birth experience - However following most vaginal births you can bathe immediately after.
A warm soak holds many benefits to the immediate postpartum person and newborn of non-high risk circumstances.
When can you take a birth post delivery?
If you have had a vaginal birth without stitches you can bathe/sitz bath as soon as you desire - If you received stitches for episiotomy cut or a tear you can confirm with your provider when the best amount of time to wait is for your unique circumstances, most advise waiting 12-24 hours to prevent infection and encourage sitz baths + yoni steaming to aid in the healing process which supports the stitches. If you have a ceserean belly birth, waiting 3-6 weeks post birth is advised before soaking in water to avoid infecting your incision.
Benefits of bathing post delivery
Taking a bath after you have undergone delivery is known to bring a wide range of benefits to the mother, from emotional to physical as well.
Helps a mother feels cleansed completely, bringing back freshness and revitalizing her energy to care for her child.
Opting for submerging in warm water postpartum helps in stimulating the circulation of blood within the body.
Delivery puts quite a strain on the Vagina/Pelvic floor/Core and entire body and a bath can relieve any pain and discomfort.
The body tends to get sore and tired due to the trauma of pregnancy/labor. A bath can relax it almost instantly.
In certain scenarios, doctors might insist on taking a bath to clean the stitches properly and remove any external elements that could infect the wound.
Cleaning the body prevents infection.
Women experiencing enlargement of the breasts have found that a warm bath reduces pain in them.
Sitz Bath soaking
A sitz bath works wonders in relieving perineal pain after delivery. During a sitz bath you sit in a pool of water that only submerges your hips and bottom. This relieves pain, reduces inflammation, soothes soreness, reduces itching, and softly cleans the area to prevent any infection. To take a sitz bath, you must fill a clean, disinfected bathtub or any large tub/bucket with two to three inches of warm water. You can also use cool water if you prefer, but avoid extreme temperatures. Sit in the tub for a few minutes, stand up, and pat dry the submerged areas with a towel. You can do this multiple times a day. Avoid adding any soap or salts to the water. Make sure that the tub is properly cleaned and disinfected before and after every use. Make sure to consult a doctor if you notice any redness, oozing or swelling around the stitches. Taking a sitz bath can help speed up recovery, but make sure to follow the instructions clearly.
Bathing after giving vaginal birth
Following a low risk vaginal birth, A Mother and Newborn can enjoy a postpartum bath together, many soak in steeped herbs beneficial to promoting healing post labor.
You can fill a full tub or sitz bath.
These herbs include:
* Shepherd's Purse - Helps stop bleeding
* Comfrey Leaf - Known for wound healing properties
* Plantain Leaf - Known for wound healing properties
* Garlic - Known for infection fighting properties and anti-inflammatory properties
* Uva Ursi - Known for astringent properties. Helps protect urinary tract from infection.
* Lavender Blossom - Known for infection fighting properties and its ability to reduce swelling.
* Sage - Known for infection fighting properties and anti-inflammatory properties
You can order your postpartum bath herbs here
You can order your portable sitz bath here
You can soak in the tub after birth as desired.
You can sitz the first 2 weeks post birth for 10-15mins 3 times a day.
You can Yoni steam for the first 30 days postpartum, once for 15-30mins a day.
Get your yoni steaming seat here
You can use steeped sitz bath herbs to make healing soothing ice pads that reduce swelling (Only use frozen soothing methods the first 2hrs post birth, warmth aids healing faster) to encourage healing. (Instructions on back of package.). Can be used with a sitz bath, in the bathtub, or in a spray bottle or peri bottle to encourage healing and prevent infection. Can also be used to help encourage healing of your baby’s umbilical cord stump.
This herbal healing sitz bath blend will help heal and soothe your sensitive tissues after giving birth and helps prevent infection while you recover.
Afterbirth sitz bath encourages healing of tears and stitches while it soothes swelling and soreness.
Giving birth to a baby is no easy feat. If you are fortunate to give birth with minimal blood loss or minimal/no tears to the vagina, this will make the healing process a bit easier-regardless, soaking in herbal sitz baths can aid the healing process greatly.
Most doctors will even recommend taking a bath since it ensures that the stitches in the vaginal area will be cleansed and the chances of infection are reduced. Be gentle around the vaginal region and ensure that it is completely dry after the bath.
Bathing after Ceserean Belly Birth
You should not soak in water following your belly birth to avoid infection.
Rinsing off in the shower allowed.
If you have a Ceserean belly birth, you can still sitz bath + yoni steam following belly birth to cleanse and support the circulation process which encourages healing and prevents infection in the vagina.
After a C-section, you may be in pain for several weeks. Besides being painful, the incision may be tender. You should not take a bath until your incision has healed and your doctor says it's okay. In most cases, the incision takes about three weeks to heal. To be safe, you may want to wait until after your six-week postpartum checkup before taking a full bath. Until then, you can take showers. If needed make sure to contact your provider before the 6wk check up to schedule an earlier appt for support.
Take care when entering and exiting the shower, especially if you have to step in or out of a bathtub. You may want to hold on to something as you do so to prevent exerting your stomach area. Shower with mild soap and warm water. Don't scrub or rub the incision. Letting the soap and water run over the incision is usually enough to clean it. After showering, dry the incision by patting it gently with a towel.
If you have a bandage dressing over your incision and have been told to keep your incision covered, you should change the dressing once a day or sooner if it gets wet or dirty. After taking off the bandage dressing, wash the area with mild soap and warm water. Once the area is dry, put a new bandage dressing over it.
If your incision was covered with adhesive surgical tape strips, you may also shower with mild soap and water. Don't try to wash off the surgical tape. Simply let the soap and water run over the strips. After showering, dry the area by gently patting with a towel.
Don't put any creams or lotions on your incision. If you notice that you have increased pain and swelling around your incision area, notify your doctor as it may mean that your incision has become infected. Other signs of infection and improper healing include fever, swelling, redness, pus discharge and separation of the skin.
Postpartum Bleeding
After giving birth, whether vaginally or through belly, you'll have blood coming out of your vagina as if you are having a menstrual period. This blood, called “lochia,” is the result of your uterus shrinking back to its pre-pregnancy size. Initially, especially right after birth, you'll be bleeding heavily, and the blood with be bright red, clotting and full of the pregnancy contents. You may also experience cramping as your uterus contracts back down, especially during breastfeeding- more common the more pregnancies you have endured. we encourage you use After Ease Tincture. As the days go by, the bleeding will decrease and lighten in color, from red to pink and then yellow or white. The bleeding may continue for up to about six weeks. You can wear menstrual pads to soak up the blood. Soaking in herbal baths sitz baths and yoni steaming direly aids the lochia supports the tender postpartum healing process.
Safe ways of taking a safe Postpartum bath
When going for your first bath after delivery, it is necessary to be as careful as possible to prevent yourself from any physical injury as well as any infection.
Always make sure that the place of the bath or the tub has been cleaned using natural disinfectants. The water that is used should be free of any any synthetic bath suds or fragrant oils, for they may react with your skin or the wounds. Once your bath is complete, make sure your dry yourself completely and take extra precaution around any wounds, ensuring no moisture stays in them.
Precautions to Take Before Having a Postpartum Bath
When going ahead with your bath, it helps to keep a few precautions in mind to avoid any further problems.
Do not opt for the bath on your own. Make sure your doctor agrees with it as well.
Even while taking showers, make sure the water isn’t too hot or too cold. The extreme temperatures could get you dizzy and in shock, due to the loss of blood post birth.
Make sure you navigate the bathroom carefully and use footwear with a good grip.
Choosing to use a stool or a chair to sit under the shower and take a bath might be helpful esp after a caesarean delivery.
Make sure you keep your skin dry and remove any trace of moisture in the stitches.
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