Postpartum Recepies

I have sent a few emails to a few people lately about some postpartum "bottom" soothers. So I have decided to put this on my blog so that everyone who reads it can have the list of "bottom" soothers.

For starters let me be clear on the vocabulary. When I say "bottom" I am not referring to your rear end, tush... whatever you call it. I am referring to your bottom that is going to push the baby out. That BOTTOM!

For starters here is your shopping list:
Epsom Salt
Witch Hazel
Large maxi pads
Lavender Oil
Arnica
Tall sock
Rice (long grain slow cook)
One bottle of Champagne and one birthday cake!

Now what is all this stuff for?

Sits Baths
After you push your baby out of your bottom side and deliver the placenta, you will have heavy to light bleeding for several weeks. The first few days its called lochia and is much heaver than what you will experience the remainder of the time you have discharge. One of the most wonderful things you can do throughout this time is take sits baths. I'm not sure why they are called this, but it is. Anyways the point of this little bath is that you can have one as often as you like because its just a few inches of water, cool or warm, that you put in the tub and sit in to rinse your bottom side out and feel clean.

In the few inches of water add:
1/4 cup epsome salt
few drops of lavender oil
splash of witch hazel

none of this has to be exact measurements, but don't over do the non-water ingredients.

Ice Pads
Along with the sits baths another nice treat for your bottom is an ice pad. You can make these yourself several week before your due date and have them ready.

Fill a large bowl with water. Add 1/4 cup witch hazel and few drops of lavender oil, wisk together.

Dip the large maxi pads into the water and place into a freezer zip bag and put in freezer. (Its always nice to clean out your freezer 15 months after you give birth a find left over frozen pads and 60 ounces of breast milk, and even funnier if your husband cleans it out... "what happend to the days of having ice cream and frozen peas in the freezer?")

If you have hemroids make some with extra witch hazel. This is a great way to sooth and shrink those bad guys. (Most all over the counter hemroid wipes number one ingredient is witch hazel)

Arnica
This is a homiopathic remidy, if you are taking any other forms of medicine and are concerned with its interaction with arnica you can always ask your DR before taking this.

Arnica comes from a plant and can be found in many different forms. Its primary purpose is to aid in healing from trauma to the body. Let me just say, your vagina is going to go through trauma after you push your wonderful baby out, so just go get a bottle of it now.

Do not get the cream or gel. You cannot apply it to your bottom. You have to get the tablet form. I prefer the French brand Boiron. This is a little white tablet that goes under your tongue. There are directions on the bottle. It costs under $10 in most natural food stores.

Rice Sock
I would actually recommend making your rice sock before you have your baby. These are great during labor to heat up and put on your back, and pelvis or anywhere it really hurts as a natural ache reliever.

To make a rice sock simply buy five pounds of long grain slow cooking white rice (the quick cooking rice will burn). This can be very inexpensive. You do not need some organic costly brand as it will not be consumed. Take a long sock and pour the rice in, tie a knot in the end and you're done.

To heat; place in the microwave for about one minute. Shake well to distribute the heat and place on sore body part. I loved this on my neck as I was nursing. I was very relaxing.

Celebration Time!
As for the bubbly and birthday cake. I recommend this to most of my doula clients. When I was trying to write my birth plan before Marin was born I was having a hard time getting started (in the end I never really wrote one actually) and a good friend who was also my doula suggested that I just go home and make a birthday cake and put it in the freezer and take it with us to our birth. I made a brownie ice cream cake and while I was making the cake it got me really excited about going through birth and actually realizing it was a celebration. Birth is not something that is a medical procedure, its your child's first birthday. A day to celebrate his or her arrival.

I attended a birth back in Missouri where the siblings of the newborn came in for the cutting of the umbilical cord. They sang happy birthday, and then we brought in the cake the mother had made prior to the birth and toasted with glasses of Champagne. What a beautiful way to welcome your baby. If you are not allowed to bring the cake with you to a hospital, you can always have one waiting at home, you'll be hungry anyways.

Welcome Home Little One! We Are So Glad You Are Here!