Home Remedies for Vaginal Birth Recovery: A lot of people talk a lot about how the body is affected by pregnancy, but you do not hear much about the effects of vaginal delivery on your body. Have you recently given birth to a precious little gem? Are you wondering how to make your lady parts heal soon? You will be pleased to learn that there are many home remedies that can help you soothe and heal those stitches down there. Just remember to talk to your doctor before trying any of them out. We repeat, consult your doctor before trying home remedies for vaginal birth recovery.
10 Home Remedies for Vaginal Birth Recovery
Here is a look at 10 of the best natural remedies you can try at home to help you recover from vaginal birth and make your lady parts feel better as soon as possible.
1. Cold Treatments
If you have stitches, you can reduce swelling and ease pain with the help of cool temperatures. Whether it is a bathtub filled with cool water, a cold gel pack or a bag of frozen peas, you will find relief from the pain and discomfort almost instantly and keep the swelling down.
- Sit in a bathtub half-filled with cool water. If you follow this remedy, make sure that you gently pat the stitches dry when you are done.
- You can also wrap a cold gel pack or a small bag of frozen corn or peas in a soft towel or cloth and apply it down there until you find relief.
- Repeat until your stitches heal completely.
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2. Sitz Bath
Whether you have stitches or not, a sitz bath is one of the best home remedies for vaginal birth recovery. It can help keep the stitches clean and soothe a swollen and tender vulva. To speed up the healing process, you should definitely try an Epsom salt sitz bath.
- Add about 1 cup of Epsom salt to a shallow bath.
- You can add lavender or calendula if you like.
- Relax in the bath for 15 to 20 minutes a few times a day.
- Repeat as long as necessary.
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3. Soothing Spritz
Vaginal birth comes with abrasions, tears and swelling that can make peeing an extremely unpleasant experience. The solution to this problem is making a peri bottle or spray bottle your new best problem!
- Fill your bottle with lukewarm water.
- Spritz yourself with it while you pee to dilute urine’s stinging potential. The warm water will also soothe the delicate tissues down there.
- Do not spray the water directly into the vagina as it will result in more discomfort.
- You can add a few drops of tea tree oil to your peri bottle of warm water so that its antiseptic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties can help you heal faster. However, do not add this oil if you are breastfeeding.
- Repeat as and when you need to.
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4. Witch Hazel
This one deserves a special mention in our list of home remedies for vaginal birth recovery. It contains tannins, which are chemicals that can fight bacteria and reduce swelling, which in turn helps prevent infection and decrease pain. Its hemostatic properties can also help in stopping minor bleeding. It is generally great to treat many skin conditions, especially those that are associated with infections.
- Dab your sensitive areas with a cooling pad medicated with witch hazel.
- You can also use it with other soothing treatments like the cold pack mentioned earlier.
- Continue to use the remedy until your lady parts have healed.
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5. Hair Dryer
After you are done peeing, sitz soaking or spritzing, you should reach for your hair dryer. Why? Well, this is to dry your damp nether regions. Although it will not necessarily help in relieving pain, it is effective in preventing it. This is an excellent remedy as it allows you to avoid using toilet paper or a towel, which can cause pain and discomfort if you have swelling and inflammation from delivery or stitches.
- Sit or stand with your legs apart and aim your hair dryer roughly 6 to 8 inches away from your private area.
- Set it on cool and the lowest setting and move it around, similar to the way you do when drying your hair.
- Let it run for no more than 3 minutes.
- Repeat after peeing, using the sitz bath treatment, or spritzing with warm water.
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6. Black Tea
Did you know that black tea is one of the best natural remedies for perineal pain caused by lacerations and hemorrhoids? This is due to its anti-inflammatory properties. For relief from pain and discomfort after vaginal delivery, try using a tea bag.
- Dunk 1 tea bag in 1/4 cup of boiling water.
- Let it steep until it is cooled.
- Wring out the tea bag and place it against the sensitive skin of your private area.
- Wear a pad to hold it in place and prevent the fabric from getting stained.
- Repeat as necessary.
Related: How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks?; Natural Home Remedies
7. Pelvic Exercises
After a vaginal delivery, you can benefit greatly from short sessions of gentle exercise. For example, pelvic floor exercises can help in increasing blood flow, reducing swelling and improving healing.
- Lie down or find any position you find comfortable.
- Tighten your pelvic floor muscles. You can do this by imagining that you are trying to stop yourself from peeing.
- Try to lift those muscles up into your pelvis.
- Clench, relax and repeat.
- Do this daily for about 15 minutes.
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8. Fluids
In combination with the home remedies for vaginal birth recovery, is important to drink plenty of water and fluids, especially if you are breastfeeding. This helps you stay hydrated as well as urinate regularly and avoid constipation. After giving birth, experts recommend peeing every 2 to 3 hours, even if it causes you discomfort.
- Start your day with 2 glasses of warm water.
- Drink water, fresh fruit juice, and other fluids throughout the day.
- Needless to say, continuing to do this even after you have healed will provide you with many great health benefits.
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9. Extra Maxi Pads
Post-birth bleeding can be extremely heavy so you will need extra protection. You should stock up on maxi pads as you will need extras until the bleeding stops. Plus, things in your nether regions can be very tender, so the extra padding will help.
- Place 2 maxi pads side by side or overlap them from front to back. You will get the extra coverage and protection you need.
- Get a little extra treatment by making “pad-sicles”. All you have to do is wet some pads with witch hazel and aloe vera and freeze them.
- Wear the pad-sicles to ease pain and swelling.
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10. Rest
This is one of the simplest home remedies for vaginal birth recovery, but not the easiest to follow. After all, you have a newborn to take care of. However, it is extremely important that you take the time to get some rest and sleep so that you can heal.
- Get your partner, a family member or a close friend to spend a couple of hours in your home.
- Get some sleep or time to relax and rest when your baby sleeps.
- Having the extra support of a loved one means that you can get the rest you need and not worry about your baby or your home.
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Your body goes through a lot when you give birth to a baby. It can take some time to heal completely. However, with the help of these superb home remedies, you can ease pain and discomfort, reduce swelling and hasten the healing process. You will feel as good as new in no time at all! If there are any other home remedies for vaginal birth recovery that you know, do share them with us! 🙂