In this page we’re going to talk about the second most common use of of a sitz bath: the postpartum sitz bath. The benefits of using a sitz bath after pregnancy are many, and unlike the treatment of chronic hemorrhoids, using a postpartum sitz bath is actually quite beneficial.

During pregnancy and childbirth there are a lot of things happening to a woman’s body that can benefit from the use of a postpartum sitz bath including the healing of hemorrhoids that often accompany a pregnancy , the easing of sore muscles from childbirth, and the healing of the vagina and perineum from childbirth and episiotomies.

Postpartum Sitz Bath – Perineal Tears

After child birth, the perineum is usually torn or has been cut during an episiotomy. In addition the labia and vaginal walls are often swollen or irritated.

And while taking a postpartum sitz bath with just warm water might ease the swelling and discomfort, most women use some type of herbal blend to aid in the healing process.

There are a variety of these available for purchase at sites like Amazon.com and I’ve added a special link box for Amazon after this post so you can check them out yourself.

These organic herb baths contain things like yarrow and witch hazel and are extremely popular for postpartum recovery and there are even a few companies that specialize in herbal products for sitz baths.

Many herbal experts will give you all sorts of recipes for bath herbs that you can make yourself, but to be perfectly honest, you will probably spend a lot more money buying all of the herbal components separately than you will just buying a prepared mixture.

Postpartum Sitz Bath – Hemorrhoids

When it comes to treating hemorrhoids that come from being pregnant I wholeheartedly encourage the use of a sitz bath, in spite of the fact that hemorrhoids outside of pregnancy are generally not helped by one.

The reason for this is simple: the pressure on the anal blood vessels that causes hemorrhoids is truly caused by a temporary condition in the case of pregnancy, therefore the underlying cause will disappear once the baby is born. Use of a postpartum sitz bath to ease the pain and discomfort would then seem to be the right course of action.