How to Make a Postpartum Herbal Bath

How to Make a Postpartum Herbal Bath

A postpartum herbal bath is a relaxing way to heal, soothe and restore oneself after the challenges of childbirth. Here’s how to make a postpartum herbal bath, a sitz bath, frozen postpartum herbal pads, and a postpartum herbal peri bottle.

Leave a comment and let me know if you have any other questions or comments!

Assembling Postpartum Herbal Bath Herbs

The first thing to do when making a postpartum herbal bath is to gather the herbs in a bowl. There are so many options and right ways of doing this, so get creative! I chose a happy mix of four herbs, sea salt and an essential oil.

Once the herbs are in the bowl, mix well.

TIP:  I like to drop my essential oils in the salt, that way they get mixed in better.

Packaging Postpartum Herbs

The easiest way to make a postpartum herbal bath is to portion out the mixed herbs into 4 x 6 cotton muslin bags. 1/2 cup of herbs is a perfect amount for this size bag. The herbs store well in these bags, but you can also steep the herbs in them as well. They’re like giant tea bags!

I buy my bags on Amazon. (link)

How NOT To Make a Postpartum Bath

Confession: I’ve personally never used postpartum herbal baths. Want to know why? I could never figure out HOW to make them or HOW to use them. Now that I’ve had my three children, I now have the mental capacity to finally figure it out. But first, let me show you how NOT to make one.

See these beautiful herbs? The yellow flowers are calendula and chamomile? And you can even see lavender. Gorgeous! So beautiful!

That metal contraption is a lose leaf tea strainer. The idea is that you put your lose leaf herbs in it and steep it in your mug for a hot cup of tea.

I thought maybe I could do that but in a hot bath. You know, the bath would be my mug and we could just do an easy, quick postpartum herbal bath. Well… I quickly realized the amount of herbs I could get in the ball is enough for… you guessed it. One cup of tea. Not a whole bath.

And so I dumped handfuls of herbs in the tub. It was actually really nice. However, while soaking in my postpartum herbal bath I realized how impractical this would be for a woman that just gave birth to a baby.

Who is going to clean up this mess? And what if she didn’t and accidentally backed up her tub and caused a plumbing problem? Yeah, dumping herbs in the tub as a quick and easy way of creating a postpartum herbal bath is NOT the way to go.

(It was fun though. Try it some time if you have a few extra minutes for cleanup.)

How To Create a Postpartum Herbal Tea or Infusion

Here is an easier method of creating a postpartum herbal bath that saves time and creates less mess.

Step 1:  Place the herbal sachet in a 2 quart mason jar. (You can buy them on Amazon, grocery stores and places like Hobby Lobby.)

Step 2:  Fill with very hot water (but not boiling).

Step 3: Let herbs steep for at least 20 minutes, longer if you have the time. Anywhere from 4-8 hours would create a nutrient rich infusion. However, do whatever you have time for. A quickly made postpartum herbal bath is better than no bath at all!

The photo above was taken a few minutes after pouring hot water on the herbs. The photo below was closer to 20 minutes. The longer it steeps, the darker and more nutrient rich your postpartum herbal bath will be.

To make a postpartum herbal bath simply dump the infusion in your bath, sit back, relax and enjoy!

TIP:  Create an herbal infusion in the last few weeks of pregnancy and store it in freezer bags or mason jars. Store a few in quart sized mason jars or gallon freezer bags for baths and a few more in smaller containers for your peri bottle.

How To Create Postpartum Herbal Pads AKA Padsicles

Want to take your postpartum herbal bath with you wherever you go? Then you need to make postpartum herbal pads, also known as padsicles!

Padsicles are great because they can be made while pregnant! Padsicles are a perfect activity when waiting for labor is driving you insane. Padsicle creation will keep your hands and mind busy, but will serve you well once you have your baby.

Step 1:  Gather your supplies – pads and your postpartum herbal bath infusion. I like the Always Extra Heavy Overnight Maxi Pads aka “the purple pads” for this. They’re big and work well.

Step 2: Open the pad, but keep the purple outer wrapper attached to the pad. Open it up and remove the top layer of paper (The white paper with the moon on it. Why are there moons on there?)

Step 3: Pour about 1/2 cup of the postpartum herbal bath infusion on the pad.

Step 4:  Close up the pad and tape it shut.

Step 5: Freeze

NOTE:  If you would like to make padsicles with aloe and witch hazel instead of the herbal bath, head on over here to this post for detailed instructions!

How to Use a Padsicle

If you JUST gave birth and have a heavy flow, use postpartum underwear or an adult diaper and place the frozen pad in the adult diaper. If things have lightened up a bit, you can use just the pad. Make sure you’re using the right postpartum pad during the first six weeks!

TIP:  If you just got the padsicle out of the freezer, it’s going to be cold. Put it on, but don’t sit in a regular chair for awhile. The strong pressure from a chair will make things VERY cold. Wait about 15 minutes to sit in a chair. Ask me how I know.

How to Create a Postpartum Herbal Peri Bottle

The next thing to make with a postpartum herbal bath is an herbal peri bottle. An herbal bath peri bottle is super simple to make. Simple fill a peri bottle with an herbal tea or infusion and use as needed. It’s that simple!

How to Use a Peri Bottle Postpartum

Many postpartum moms use a peri bottle while using the toilet. They find comfort spraying water (or whatever’s in the peri bottle) on their vulva while they pee, so as to dilute the urine (which can sometimes cause a burning sensation).

Another way to use a peri bottle is to spray the vulva, after peeing, in lieu of toilet paper. After a vaginal delivery, toilet paper may seem like a medieval torture device, so keep this in mind as an option!

I have never been able to find a peri bottle at drug stores or big box stores. Only local mom centered businesses carry them in my area. If you can’t find one locally, Amazon has them.

Postpartum Herbal Bath Recipe

Description

A postpartum herbal bath is a relaxing way to heal, soothe and restore oneself after the challenges of childbirth. Follow this recipe to make a herbal bath, padsicles or a postpartum herbal peri bottle.

Shelf Life

Store in a cold refrigerator after steeping until used. Use or freeze within 3-5 days.

Ingredients

2 parts calendula flower
1 part comfrey leaf
1 part lavender flower
1 part chamomile flower
1 part sea salt
lavender essential oil

Postpartum Herbal Bath Recipe

The following postpartum herbal bath recipe made 10 1/2 heaping cup sachets. Each sachet could make 2 quarts of an herbal infusion.

2 cups parts calendula flower
1 cup part comfrey leaf
1 cup part lavender flower
1 cup  part chamomile flower
1 cup sea salt
10 drops lavender essential oil