Can I take a bath yet??

[saslewis11]

I'm 2 weeks post-baby and I called the dumb-dumb nurse at my OB office today to see if it's okay to take a bath (I'd read that it's better to take showers after baby arrives to prevent infections due to mom's cervix not being closed yet)

Anyway, dumb-dumb nurse said, "Weeeell, I guess it's okay, if you take a short one. You know, when you take a bath, all you're doing is sitting in your own dirt. Are you still doing your sitz baths?"

Um. No. I have no more pain from the 2nd degree tear I had, and am sick of showers, and want to take a bath, darnit! Doesn't a sitz bath seem even dirtier b/c it's less water, less dilution of said dirt, etc? Am I crazy? LOL

What do y'all think?

[alegna]

Huh? There's no reason not to take baths after birth.

-Angela

[MamaWolfe]

I took a bath the day I had my son. I couldn't resist cause I had such bad cramps. My mw said that it was better to wait a few days but when you're at home, you're around the germs your body are used to so it should be fine.(I told her after I took it, she would have said no had she had a choice.) I did not have any tearing though, if I had stitches or something then that might change things. After my older son, I had stitches and they told me I could take a bath after 3 days, I can't imagine that two weeks wouldn't be long enough. As for the sitting in your own dirt goes, who takes a bath to get clean? Geez, that poor woman to not knw the value of a good hot bath!

[alegna]

If you're taking sitz baths anyway then the area is getting water.

My midwife encouraged FREQUENT baths after dd. I had some funky tears too (no stitches though)

-Angela

[wednesday]

I took a bath a couple hours after having my son. I delivered at a freestanding birth center, not at home. They never said anything about no baths. I also had stitches.

[AmyLaz]

I had stitches with both of mine, and I was given no restrictions on bathing. I always bathed within 24 hours of giving birth.

[lovingmommyhood]

The hospital really encouraged me to use the jacuzzi every day. I mean, full jacuzzi with jets on... I did it the day after I delivered and the next day as well. I've never heard that it was bad to do so.

[trinimommy]

Bathing After Birth

See also: Bathing with PROM

As doulas and moms, we are wondering what advice is given to mothers about getting into a tub after birth. The common advice we are hearing is that a mom should not get into a tub for 6 weeks after the birth. Is this just a cultural thing?

25 years ago we used to tell women this. But then midwives having babies were getting into tubs to soak away achy joints, perineums, etc. So I changed and started telling women they can take baths any time they want to.

It was common advice in the US until the late 60s and then abandoned (in most regions) when research showed there was no risk of infection from bathing --and that water doesn't even enter the vagina -- and that healing was more rapid, and comfort was increased with bathing.

In my region doctors and hospitals haven't forbidden bathing since at least the early '70s... although a few midwives still do.

I've always encouraged my clients to bathe and soak after birth. I think it is very good and healing. (and I have NEVER had a postpartum infection). Statistically, infection is LOWER when women take baths than when they are restricted to only showers.

Some think that prolonged bathing might make absorbable sutured dissolve too quickly, but I don't think it can really affect them much if at all. Perhaps one should consider this if mom has a large repair (but then, why would a siztbath be OK if a tub bath is not?).

I find it very ironic that some would forbid bathes but encourage SITZ baths! If you think about it, a sitzbath concentrates all fluids making a prime breeding ground for bacteria -- if bacteria could breed in water - while a full bath disperses fluids and makes bacterial growth difficult. If there "was" any chance of water causing infection, it would happen much more often from sitzbaths than from tub baths. yet it doesn't' happen.

But... research is VERY clear. There is no medical reason to forbid bathing after birth. .. and there are many benefits.

If your hospital needs to see something in black and white saying it is "OK" for women to bathe, refer them to the Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. It is a handy concise reference for these common questions.

Or, just use the common sense approach. Would anyone forbid their kid to bathe if he has a scraped knee? What's the first advice we give to anyone with a wound -- "wash it". And if someone has an inflamed cut, what do we say "Soak it". Water is GOOD for healing.

When I lived in Hawaii, our aunties had one answer everytime we were sick or sore. "Go swim", they would say. And darned if they weren't always right! Whether it was a migraine headache, or sore ankle, or an infected cut.... the ocean made it better.

taken from http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/postpart.html

[wonderwahine]

you poor thing, going 2 weeks without a bath! I had one the day i came home from the hospital and one or two a day until my tear healed. I just put some epsom salts in the water.

ETA: i had stitches

[*Aimee*]

I waited 2 weeks to take a bath after I had DS, I had stitches bu the dr said I could take baths right away.

Thanks for that post trinimommy, it was very helpful.

[Shanana]

I took an herbal bath every day for 5 days, with herbs my mw brought me (starting the day of birth).

ETA: I have tears but no stitches.

[Breeder]

Yeah, my mother told me I wouldn't be able to take a bath right after the baby was born... I'm pretty sure I looked at like she'd grown a second head. I asked why not and she said her Dr wouldn't let her after she had me and my sister- 27 and 22 years ago respectively.

[Eaglevoice]

Originally Posted by Shanana

I took an herbal bath every day for 5 days, with herbs my mw brought me (starting the day of birth).

ETA: I have tears but no stitches.

Me too.

[saslewis11]

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

I'm going right now! This woman told me I should wait 3-6 weeks....Dark ages, for sure

Thanks for the post trinimommy...I think I should print it out and take it to that nurse! LOL

I'm soooo excited! I'm a bathaholic...

[LaffNowCryLater]

I've never done a sitz bath in my life (3 kids) nor, uhm, really know what one is :

[blizzard_babe]

The idea of a sitz bath is kind of foreign to me. Why on earth would I run myself a tiny little bit of a bath when I could just take a nice regular old bath? Seems like filling it up just a little bit would take all the enjoyment out of it!

[PuppyFluffer]

When I had my first at a freestanding birth center, I labored in the tub for 4 hours, got out and had the baby on the bed. After all the celebrating and baby loving and after the assistant had cleaned the tub, I got back in it for a nice soak, got out and laid on the bed and got a lovely massage before going home. It was standard offering for this birth center. It was SOOOO nice!!!

I missed out on the massage with my home birth. I think I'll put dh to work on that with this homebirth!!!