Steam for Pelvic Health
Steam is another healing modality that provides warmth. Today we’ll talk about vaginal steaming and sitz baths. Both of these help bring warmth into your pelvis and facilitate healing after birth.
Importance of Warmth in Postpartum:
As we discussed in the last blog post on moxibustion, warmth is an important aspect of postpartum healing across many traditions. Ayurveda, the traditional medicine practice of India, and Traditional Chinese Medicine have interesting ways of describing the importance of warmth in postpartum.
Ayurveda refers to dis-ease in the body occurring due to imbalances in the doshas, or three main constitutions. We want to seek the balance of doshas for health. The doshas are vata (air and space), pitta (fire and water), and kapha (water and earth). Within the framework of Ayurveda, pregnancy and childbirth can lead to a vata imbalance. Pregnancy is a time of fullness in your body and when your baby is born there is a lot of space created, making room for air to move. Vata imbalance can look like anxiety, dryness, hair loss, and coldness. We balance this by bringing opposite qualities to your body. In this case, bringing warmth, nourishment, rest, and a sense of grounding.
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to dis-ease in the body as occurring due to deficiencies and excesses of cold, damp, or heat. The goal is to bring the body back to a state of balance. Pregnancy is considered a time with a lot of heat and after a baby is born, postpartum is considered a cold state. This understanding is the basis of the use of a lot of warmth in postpartum, to balance the cold and bring the body to a place of equilibrium.
Vaginal Steaming:
Vaginal Steaming (also sometimes referred to as Yoni steaming) is exactly what it sounds like—administering steam to the vagina. This can be done by boiling water and infusing it with different herbs according to different healing properties, then sitting over the warm water unclothed from the waist down and allowing the steam to diffuse around the pelvic floor.
According to Keli Garza at Steamy Chick Institute, Vaginal Steaming is a traditional practice in at least 28 countries worldwide (1). In 2019, the Peristeam Hydrotherapy Institute had a small study called the “Fourth Trimester Vaginal Steam Study”. Their initial results found these benefits of postpartum steaming:
“More speedily returning the vulva to its pre-pregnancy state
Expelling lochia (postpartum discharge) more quickly
Reducing the strength and occurrence of postpartum contractions
Lowering blood pressure and pulse
Helping the uterus to shrink back down below the pelvic bone in a shorter amount of time
Accelerating waist and weight reduction
Alleviating suture discomfort such as itchiness, tightness, pulling, or tenderness
Improving bowel regularity
Lowering the instance of postpartum hemorrhoids” (2)
Based on physiology, we can assume that the heat applied to the area increases circulation. Increased circulation brings more blood to the area, bringing in white blood cells to heal. The steam could enter the uterus, helping to expel the remaining tissue in there and expedite the flow of lochia. As we discussed in our oxytocin post, the warmth during a steam can also facilitate the release of oxytocin. Different herbs that may be used can help heal tissue damage, prevent infection, or even just smell nice and facilitate relaxation.
Not only do vaginal steams offer great potential healing benefits, but they can be a nice way to have a few moments to relax, feel the warmth and nourishment, and allow some quiet and stillness into the postpartum window.
Sitz Baths:
Sitz baths, similar to vaginal steams, are herbal-infused warm water. During a sitz bath, the entire pelvic floor is immersed in the herbal water. Sitz baths, like vaginal steams, can also increase circulation, bring healing herbs to damaged tissues, and soothe the area.
Sitz baths may feel more soothing to sore tissues than steaming since the entire area is immersed in the herbal soak. These can feel nice while there are still stitches in place. Sitz baths are commonly prescribed to help with hemorrhoids as well.
Contraindications to steaming (or when not to steam):
When planning to steam, you do want to wait a few days postpartum until bleeding has slowed a bit.
Avoid steaming:
following a postpartum hemorrhage (steaming can increase blood flow and remove clots, so we want to be careful if there has been a big bleed)
if any infection is present including herpes outbreak or other open sores
If there are any stitches present in the perineum or a cesarean section incision that has not yet healed, start with a sitz bath. There generally aren’t many times a sitz bath wouldn’t be okay, as long as you are making sure that the container you are using to soak is clean.
When in doubt, always consult your care provider.
Avoid crotchcicles!
Did they offer you those pads soaked in water and frozen to apply to your perineum after birth? I was given some after my first birth and I have to admit they did feel good— numbing the area a bit. They made it feel easier to walk around and move about — which is overriding the body’s natural protective mechanism of pain encouraging rest to heal the area.
When cold is applied, the blood flow to the area is constricted. This means that the healthy blood flow that brings healing is limited. We want to promote the natural reaction of the body that brings inflammation and healing to the area immediately after injury. Cold may delay healing in this case.
This reframe came from my INNATE Postpartum Care training with Rachelle Garcia Seliga (3).
In conclusion:
Vaginal steaming and sitz baths can help:
Soothe irritated tissues
Soothe pain and itching from stitches
Cleanse the perineum
Increase circulation to the area, aiding in healing
Facilitate removal of clots and birth tissue, accelerating lochia discharge
Decrease the risk of infection
Promote relaxation
Release oxytocin
Reduce pain and swelling from hemorrhoids
Vaginal steams and sitz baths can accelerate postpartum healing of the pelvic floor and uterus. Both provide a time to drop inward, connect with our bodies, and support us physically and emotionally. It is a great time for mothers to sip a nourishing cup of broth or tea, let the warmth and healing spread from their roots, and appreciate all their bodies have done to bring new life forth into the world.
Have you tried vaginal steaming or sitz baths during your postpartum? Are you interested in trying them?
Please share your thoughts below and connect with me if you have any questions!
Xo
Alyssa
References:
Garza, K. (2017, October 5). Vaginal Steaming After Birth Is the Time-Honored Standard for Postpartum Care. Steamy Chick. https://steamychick.institute/article127/
Garza, K. (2019) The Fourth Trimester Vaginal Steam Study. Steamy Chick. https://steamychick.institute/fourthtrimesterstudy/
R. Garcia Seligia (INNATE Postpartum Care October 14, 2020) https://innatetraditions.com