How to Prepare a Soothing Postpartum Bath with Essential Oils?
Your body has spent the last 40 weeks creating, growing, nurturing, and preparing to birth your baby into this world. Following the birth, your body continues to go through incredible transformation over the next few months to restore your body. It is important to nurture your mind and body following the birth of your baby.
A post partum herbal bath will assist with relaxing your mind, easing discomfort, decreasing the risk of infections, and promoting tissue repair. It can serve as a designated time for mom to relax on her own or be used as a bonding experience for mother and baby.
It is recommended to check with your midwife or doctor before soaking especially if you have excessive bleeding. Following my midwifes approval, myself and my daughter were soaking together in our first herbal bath the morning after she was born. It was recommended to me to soak at least once or twice a day to promote tissue repair. I found our daily soaks together to be intimate, relaxing and soothing to sore tissue.
Many herbal baths contain herbs that are boiled, steeped for several hours, and added to the bathwater. It is like soaking in a giant cup of tea! While I did enjoy the traditional herbal bath with dried herbs, I preferred my version using essential oils. It required less prep work, easy to use, and provided incredible relief relief.
How to prepare a postpartum herbal bath using essential oils?
2 cups dead sea salts
1/2 cup baking soda
2 drops frankincense essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
1 drop geranium essential oil
1 vitamin C tablet (optional: used to neutralize chlorine in water)
Fresh flower petals (optional: for days when you want to feel like a real goddess)
Add the above ingredients to your bath water. If bathing with your baby, keep the water temperature below 98 deg F and keep the baby’s head above water allowing her body to float. If nursing has been an obstacle, this is a great time to nurse your baby. The bath will naturally relax both of you and help your milk flow more easily. For safety and comfort, have another person available to help you and your baby in and out of the tub.
"Nursing in the bath promotes relaxation for both mom & baby."
Your skin and your baby's skin will be so soft and smooth after this bath. I found the above combination of essential oils and sea salts to eliminate the need to use harsh baby soap, shampoos, and lotions. All that is needed to keep her fresh is a gentle cleaning with a bamboo washrag while soaking in the bath.
This restorative bath doesn't have to be reserved for postpartum care. This relaxing bath can be incorporated into your weekly self care routine. You can experiment with your own favorite essential oil combinations. Try adding a few drops of Serenity for a more restful night's sleep or Aromatouch for soothing tired muscles.
* Please use only high quality essential oils on your baby.
Wondering about other ways to use essential oils?
You can download this free eBook that includes 100 Uses for Essential Oils.