If you’re going to be giving birth you may have heard of a sitz bath. Especially if you’ve got a loving friend or sister who’s been through the birth journey lately! You may be wondering does a sitz bath really work? What does it do anyways? And how exactly do you do it?
Well, honey, look no further. Below is everything you need to know about using a postpartum sitz bath (written by me— a certified herbalist!).
What is a sitz bath?
A sitz bath is a combination of herbs (and sometimes salts) that you use in warm water to soak your hoo haa in. You can do a sitz bath in a bath tub, in an “over the toilet” style sitz tub that you purchase, or even in an old fashioned extra large pot. You can also use your sitz bath herbs to make your bath water (or yoni tea) and use it in other ways, like in a peri bottle or with padsicles (more on that below).
What do you use a sitz bath for?
A sitz bath is used to bring healing and comfort after childbirth (or during other times of stress or imbalance down under). A sitz bath helps with pain and inflammation and literally helps with the healing process. You can use it to encourage healing with birth tears, hemorrhoids, rashes, and with the generally inflamed and sore state after childbirth. You can even use a sitz bath if you’ve had a C-section, to promote relaxation and honoring of your birth canal.
When should you use a sitz bath?
Most practitioners recommend waiting 24-48 hours after birth before having your first sitz bath. After that, it’s encouraged to use it as a daily practice for several days, up to several weeks, or even a month during early postpartum.
How do you use a sitz bath?
To do a sitz bath in the tub, you want to use a small amount of water (so it’s a very shallow bath) so as to not dilute your herbal mixture too much. Fill up the tub with very hot water and add your sitz blend (perhaps you’re adding a few spoonfuls to a handful at a time). Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. When the water is warm but not hot, submerge your yourself so your entire undercarrage is under water. Soak for around 20 minutes. You may like to use a strainer to catch some of the herbs before draining so as to not clog your drain. You can also add your herbs to a muslin bag and soak the whole bag instead for super easy clean up.
To use an over the toilet style sitz tub, I recommend adding some very hot water to a quart size mason jar and add your herb mixture. Let it infuse for at least 10 minutes. Strain this mixture directly into your sitz bowl that’s resting over your toilet. Add more warm water to fill the bowl enough so that your whole under carriage will be submerged when you sit in/on it. Make sure it’s warm but not too hot!
To use an old fashioned giant pot for a sitz bath, it’s the same process as the sitz tub described above. While I have heard of women doing this, I don’t recommend this method because its important for you to be able to sit down comfortably during your sitz (the whole point is to relax!). You will likely be quite sore at this time, so using one of the two methods mentioned above is more favorable. But sometimes you gotta use what you’ve got!
To use a peri bottle, make your sitz tea in a quart size mason jar following the instructions above. Strain directly into your peri bottle and use it whenever you normally would (generally after using the bathroom in place of wiping for the first week so as to not exacerbate any discomfort down there).
To make padsicles, make your yoni tea. Soak your pads or clean washcloths in the tea and place in the freezer. Once frozen, store in an airtight container in the freezer (like a Ziplock gallon bag). Please note I recommend using heat over cold to encourage healing after child birth (so favor a heat pack over a padsicle). Having said that, using a padsicle or other cooling technique in the first day or two after birth can feel very soothing and frankly, you deserve to enjoy that comfort after birthing your baby!
What ingredients should you use in a sitz bath?
As an herbalist, the formula I created and used myself contained comfrey, witch hazel, calendula, uva ursi, yarrow, lavender, plantain, chamomile, rosemary, and epsom salts. But any combination similar to this can work great.
What equipment do you need for a sitz bath?
To do a sitz bath, you simply need your herbs, warm water, and some sort of tub/bucket/etc. to sit in.
Where can you buy a sitz bath?
Here are two of my favorite organic sitz bath blends!
Skin to Skin Herbal Bath (made with love by a local doula! Use code “wildflower” for free shipping!)
Wishgarden AfterBirth SitzBath
Here’s an Amazon link to the same style sitz tub that I used during both of my postpartums.
Pro tips?
If possible, prepare yourself ahead of time. Buy your sitz supplies and have it ready to go before birth. Ideally your partner or another loved one will be setting it up for you each time you use it (mamas need to rest up as much as possible!) and preparing your baths during early postpartum, so inform them about what to do ahead of time. I chose to keep an electric water kettle in my bathroom during my early postpartum so that making sitz baths was very easy for me.
Not sure if you’ll need a sitz bath? While not every mother uses one, I think it can be so incredibly helpful and healing for most everyone. In my opinion it’s much better to have your materials on hand in case you need them, rather than scrambling to get things after birth when life is a whirlwind. If you need them, you will want to use them almost immediately (as an herbalist, I’ve had many a frantic doula text me for sitz bath herbs to get for their clients asap!). Worse case scenario, you don’t use them and you can pass them off to a friend later. Your doula or midwife can help with this too if you don’t know anyone to pass items on to. You can also just use your sitz mixture in a regular bath down the line. The herbs most commonly used are great for skin health and smell amazing! There are no contraindications known, just don’t get your incision wet if you are healing from a C-section.
Early postpartum is a very tender time, both physically and emotionally. I recommend utilizing a sitz bath as a special ceremony like time where you can fully focus on your own recovery and wellbeing (even if only for a few minutes!). The demands of early motherhood are great, but the whole operation falls apart if mama is not being well taken care of. Take the time to do a daily sitz bath in peace and quiet (or maybe with some gentle music). On my own journeys, I would take them by myself at night and it was my only 20 minutes that I got to be alone each day. I had a cup of tea nearby and I would read my favorite postpartum book by flashlight while sitting on the sitz. Here’s a link to that book too if you’re interested!
Let this be a relaxing, peaceful time where you are given full permission to honor your body, listen to your own wisdom, support your healing, and embrace all that is during this incredibly transformative time.
Sending you lots of love, mama!
Got a sitz bath question that I didn’t answer above? Ask it below!
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