I can boldly say my pregnancy and delivery experience is worth writing a book about. But I am not going to do that hence a blog Lol!. During my childbirth I went through several experience which I would be sharing in parts. My childbirth experience was so stressful that at some point in the delivery room I had to undergo episiotomy.
Prior to my delivery, I was attending my regular prenatal class at my registered hospital. This was where I was first told by the nurses that there is a possibility of having an episiotomy done. I was lectured on what I would need to do in order to recover properly from it. I had little to no knowledge of this that I didn’t know the right questions to ask.
Despite the lectures I went through I can say I was not 100% ready for the things I encountered during and after delivery. They say experience is the best teacher, and in this case experience taught me a lot. Back to my story. I had undergone an episiotomy during delivery and I needed to do sitz bath in order to heal.
When I had asked just after my delivery how I should do the sitz bath for postpartum recovery, the direction I got put me in further trouble. It had little to no effect on the tear and didn’t help at all with the pain. That and other wrong things I did landed me in the hospital again, that was when I spoke to a qualified doctor that schooled me on the proper way to do the sitz bath.
This technique and instruction is what I will be revealing today. Please note that before you carry out anything that has to do with your health you should speak to a medical professional. Now back to my tale. Before we go further Lets first of all see what sitz bath is.
What Is Sitz Bath
According to Wikipedia “A sitz bath or hip bath is a bath in which a person sits in water up to the hips. It is used to relieve discomfort and pain in the lower part of the body, for example, due to hemorrhoids (piles), anal fissures, perianal fistulas, rectal surgery, an episiotomy, uterine cramps, inflammatory bowel disease, pilonidal cysts and infections of the bladder, prostate or vagina. It works by keeping the affected area clean and increasing the flow of blood to it“.
Now that we know what a sitz bath or hip bath is and what it is used for let us go further and explain what episiotomy is for those who do not understand it yet.
What Is Episiotomy
Episiotomy according to Wikipedia “is a surgical incision of the perineum and the posterior vaginal wall generally done by a midwife or obstetrician. Episiotomy is usually performed during second stage of labor to quickly enlarge the opening for the baby to pass through. The incision, which can be done from the posterior midline of the vulva straight toward the anus or at an angle to the right or left (medio-lateral episiotomy), is performed under local anesthetic (pudendal anesthesia), and is sutured after delivery”.
It is also known as perineotomy according to wikipedia and from my experience it was painful. Now that we know the meaning of sitz bath and episiotomy, lets focus on the main topic which is how to recover from episiotomy after childbirth using sitz bath.
Sitz Bath after Birth: How I recovered From Childbirth
After I was discharged from the hospital and was still in pain from the episiotomy, I had done sitz bath as I was instructed by a nurse. The manner in which I did it made the pain worse and slowed down the healing process. When I finally went back to the hospital to complain because the stitches that was used on me opened up due to the hot water I was using. I was showed the proper way to do it and the materials I needed to do it.
Things I Used For Sitz Bath
- Salt
- Bowl
- Warm Water
- Timer
How To Use The Sitz Bath Kit
After I got these materials I was able to do the sitz bath properly to heal the cut from the episiotomy. This is what I did. I got a sitz bath tub that you can place on your toilet sit. You can buy this on Amazon and for those who cant afford or access this you can also buy a large bowl that your bum can fit in.
If what you have is the sitz bath tub or the sitz bath kit then you can go ahead and read the instruction on the manual on how to use it. But if what you have is the large bowl then you can go ahead and add your warm water. In order to know the appropriate temperature of the water to use, you can use your elbow to test it. If your elbow can take the heat then it is good for use.
Then you take the salt in this case you should be able to your regular salt or buy the Epsom salt for postpartum and add it to the water. For the Epsom salt you should follow the instruction on the pack. Below is a sample of a good epsom salt from Amazon.
You can get the best Epsom salt for postpartum in Amazon. When using the regular salt you should measure it with your spoon or with your palm. The quantity of the salt should be appropriate for a sitz bath.
After you put the salt in the warm water you can now sit on the water and set your timer for at least 15 – 20 minutes. When the time elapse you can come out and dry up your body. You should do this morning and night for at least 2weeks to get effective result.
In my case I did it for two weeks and noticed that the tear was closing. I felt so much relieve after I saw this result and this is what helped me through my healing after childbirth.
Childbirth is an experience that is life changing and it can be very emotionally and mentally draining if you don’t have the right support. Sitz bath for postpartum will help you heal physically and in turn heal mentally and emotionally.