So you've gone through the difficult part of giving birth and your baby's already safe and secure in your arms. Now that the "hardest part" is over, new mums who are just eager for a nice shower, ask, "Can I take a bath after giving birth?" Learn what the experts have to say here.
When to Take a Bath After Giving Birth
This is one of a woman's first questions after giving birth. And most of the time, she is met with different answers.
The elders believe that a woman must not take a bath for several days after giving birth. They recommend waiting for one or two weeks before doing so. This is because they think taking a bath after giving birth may cause a "bit" or relapse from their recovery.
As funny as it sounds, this is still a belief that most new mums adhere to and one that medical experts strongly and frequently disprove.
Can I Take a Bath After Giving Birth?
To learn the truth about this popular belief, we consulted Dr Maureen Laranang, an OB-Gynaecologist from the Makati Medical Center in the Philippines.
According to the doctor, the belief that women should not take a bath after giving birth is plainly superstition and has no medical basis. In fact, she encourages new mums to always take a bath and maintain proper hygiene.
"There are patients who ask if they're allowed to take a bath. We always tell them that (that idea) is just a superstitious belief from our elders. We advise them to take a bath and keep their bodies clean," Dr Laranang said.
Why Should a New Mum Take a Bath?
“A person can bathe immediately after giving birth vaginally. Think about all of the water births!”
This is the statement of Leigh Anne O’Connor, an international board-certified lactation consultant in New York.
She explained that taking a bath in lukewarm water actually helps in the woman's healing process. It does wonders in helping a new mother relax her mind and body.
Dr Laura Fijolek McKain, an OB-Gynaecologist from Wilmington, North Carolina, agrees. She said that taking a bath in lukewarm water after giving birth is therapeutic as it helps quickly recover the mother's episiotomy and wounds acquired while in labour or delivery. This also helps in healing haemorrhoids from pregnancy and relieves tension and exhaustion from her body.
“The warm water can soothe the episiotomy repair and ease swollen haemorrhoids. It can also help ease the tension and fatigue that accompany having a new baby at home,” said Dr McKain.
Dr Laranang added that taking a bath is important to keep the new mother's body, especially her breasts and nipple area, clean.
“The breast and nipple area should always be clean because the baby will be breastfeeding. This is why we always have to maintain personal hygiene," she said.
Taking a Bath in Confinement Practice
In the past, confinement practices were quite strict, primarily focused on protecting the mother from 'wind,' believed to cause aches and slow healing. Bathing and hair washing were forbidden because they were thought to increase the risk of chills, aches, and pore-related infections, as well as future rheumatism due to 'wind' accumulation.
Nowadays, while cold water bathing is still discouraged, using warm water can ensure cleanliness and comfort without these concerns. So if you are worried about breaking any confinement practices, you'll be thrilled to know that taking a bath (in warm water) is completely acceptable.
To prevent chills, follow these steps:
- Bathe or shower with warm water.
- Keep windows and doors closed during bathing and dressing.
- Immediately blow dry your hair after a bath.
- Avoid turning on the air conditioning after leaving the bathroom.
These practices are rooted in tradition and cultural beliefs, but modern hygiene and comfort considerations advocate warm water bathing.
Postpartum Wounds - When Does It Heal?
How long do vaginal stitches take to heal?
As much as we want to take a nice, long shower after giving birth, we're afraid that doing so might affect our recovering wounds and stitches. What if it gets wet and becomes infected?
To clear these doubts, we also asked Dr Laranang about the recovery time of a woman's stitches and wounds from labour and delivery. Here's what she has to say about it:
“Generally, a woman's period of recovery is within the first week after giving birth. This is when she is expected to recover physically, emotionally, and mentally. It is also in this period that she needs to have adequate rest."
She added that for women who gave birth via normal delivery, the expected period for recovery and healing of postpartum wounds is one week. Meanwhile, for mums who went through cesarean delivery or CS, it takes one week for their surgery stitches to dry and six weeks before they can say that it has fully healed.
Can Caesarean Mums Take a Bath Right Away?
Does taking a bath after giving birth apply to mums who had a c-section as well? Can they take a bath even though their stitches haven't dried yet?
Medical experts have varying opinions about this.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, it's better for the new mum to wait for their stitches to heal, or at least dry up before taking a bath or when postpartum bleeding is already over.
Meanwhile, according to the website New Health Guide, it usually takes 1 to 3 weeks for cesarean wounds to heal. And their doctor should monitor everything they do up to that point.
Dr Laranang believes it's safe for CS mums to take a bath upon getting discharged from the hospital. She explained that before a woman who has just given birth is allowed to go home, the nurses will clean the wound and put waterproof dressing so it will not get wet even if the mother takes a bath.
“Usually before we discharge the patient, we clean their wound. We put povidone iodine or alcohol on the suture and cover it with a waterproof self-adhesive dressing. This is an important step so that the wound will not get wet even if the mum takes a bath when she gets home,” explained the doctor.
"Then we advise them to go back for their follow-up check up after a week and that's when we remove the self-adhesive dressing. If we see that the stitches have dried up and there are no infections, we don't cover it anymore," she added.
What to Put in the Bath After Giving Birth
Showers or tub baths are fine as long as the incision is properly dried afterwards. Wash your body gently with warm water and mild soap, careful not to scrub the area around your pelvis or your c-section scar.
You can gently remove any little bandage strips that might still be on the wound five to seven days after you go home.
Sitting in warm water after giving birth is a part of a bath procedure known as a sitz bath. Sitz baths are helpful for both sexes when it comes to cleaning and healing problems or wounds in the anus and genitalia. If you recently gave birth to a child, your doctor might suggest a postpartum sitz bath.
During a sitz bath, the perineal, anal, and vaginal regions are submerged. The perineum is the skin area between the anus and the vulva. You can have a rip, haemorrhoids, sutures, or be puffy and in agony.
Warm sitz baths assist in relaxing the muscles and hasten wound healing by boosting blood flow to the area. It may possibly have additional advantages.
Can I take an Epsom salt bath after giving birth?
Epsom salt and herbal baths increase circulation, which speeds up healing and reduces swelling. They can help you relax and relieve any discomfort caused by sutures, perineal bruising, and haemorrhoids after giving birth.
Epsom salt and herbs like calendula, lavender, red raspberry leaf, yarrow, and/or comfrey can be added to a concentrated sitz bath or the bathtub for a soothing and bonding dip with your child.
Oatmeal can also be administered to lessen any itching that may be experienced when recovering from sutures.
ALSO READ:
Postpartum Guide: Recovering From Pain in Stitches After Delivery
Belly Binding For Postpartum Recovery: A Complete Guide For New Mums
8 Tips to Help You Cope with Postpartum Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
Proper Wound Care After Giving Birth
Normal delivery
Cesarean delivery
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