My very first awareness of a sitz bath was in the hospital after having my first baby. Nora was the first baby born in a brand new labor and delivery wing of our hospital in Wisconsin. They thought of everything in this place. It’s hard to remember all of the perks because they become a little less important when you are gazing into your 1 day old baby’s face, but the two things I loved and remember well were the family bed (a full sized hospital bed) and the sitz bath room.
The hospital had a small room that a postpartum mama could reserve. It was reminiscent of a bathroom except it contained a shallow, bidet-type seat. The seat held a small amount of water to sit in with a faucet of constant flowing water set at a warm temperature. The sitz bath was so good for my sore body. It is a huge understatement to say that your body goes through a lot during labor. About 5 times during my 2 day hospital stay, I would request the sitz bath room, bring a magazine and just sit. It was as good as any spa I’ve ever been to.
However, there was one element in this postpartum luxury that I was missing…sitz bath herbs. Nature has so much goodness for us. And because of the wisdom of all the mothers and midwives who have gone before us, we’ve learned how to put them together to heal our warrior lady parts after they just took a beating.
Some common ingredients used in sitz bath herbs:
- Uva Ursi leaf – kills bacteria in the bladder
- Lavender flower – traditionally used for women’s health, gives a calming aroma
- Witch Hazel bark – soothes swollen, sore perineum and treats hemorrhoids
- Marshmallow Root – soothes and heals minor wounds
Herbs are combined to make a tea…the non-drinking kind of tea. It still needs to be brewed like a tea, but then the brew can be used in various ways.
I think the most comfortable postpartum way to use sitz bath teas is to pour the brew into a pad and freeze it. This combination really helps with swelling and inflammation. Otherwise, you can keep it warm and fill a pad to wear right away. Another way is to put the brewed tea in a peri bottle and rinse yourself with it after going to the bathroom. Or you can create your own postpartum spa by putting the tea directly into the bath and soak.
You can make your sitz bath extra memorable with you baby, too. Sitz bath herbs help heal your baby’s umbilical cord and the lavender will calm your baby as he adjusts to the new world outside of you.
Read more from Gwen’s Nest, who gives great instructions for each way to use sitz bath herbs.
