Could Herbs Be The Missing Ingredient From Your Postpartum Healing?

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Also known as the ‘fourth trimester’, the postpartum challenges faced during the first three months after birth are often unexpected, and almost always unwelcome.  Fatigue and tiredness are perhaps the most obvious postpartum struggles, but headaches, backaches, and painful periods are just a few of the secondary symptoms experienced by many women.

Obviously, seeking medical assistance is essential if any of these symptoms impact your day-to-day life, with doctors able to offer practical advice as well as potentially transformative treatments like period pain tablets and more. Mentality, too, should be watched closely and professional help should be sought if you start struggling. 

But, if your postpartum symptoms are manageable yet unpleasant, or if you simply wish to supplement existing treatment plans, then natural remedies can provide a fantastic middle ground. Herbs, in particular, have proven their benefits across centuries and, as we’ll be discussing here, they could be the missing ingredient that helps to your postpartum healing. 

What You Need

A wide range of herbs have proven themselves to be beneficial during post-pregnancy healing, and options that you’ll especially want to stock up on as soon as possible to ensure you thrive as a new mom include :

• Alfalfa: As well as being fantastic for morning sickness during pregnancy, alfalfa can be lifesaving immediately after birth due to its blood clotting abilities. Boosts in milk production can also be great for mother and baby both when milk is coming in, and throughout breastfeeding journeys.

• Chamomile: Chamomile significantly aids digestion, which can take an undeniable hit postpartum. Relaxation benefits can also help to enable a deeper, peaceful sleep, even in the middle of the day where necessary.

• Peppermint leaves: Peppermint leaves are great for relieving postpartum discomfort, as well as again aiding digestion, and providing significant stress-relieving benefits. 

• And many more!

How to Use Herbs

Some simple herbal uses that you’re especially going to want to take advantage of for speeding healing and eliminating postpartum discomfort include:

• Sitz baths are a common postpartum method that involves sitting in shallow water up to the hips, and typically use herbal remedies to aid healing.

• Peri-bottles offer an opportunity to keep stitches clean or simply ease vaginal discomfort through spritzing instead of bathing, and work best when infused with healing herbs.

Herbal teas can also be great for relaxation, encouraging sleep, and generally offering a range of mental benefits to tired or anxious new mothers.

The Benefits

We’ve largely touched on the benefits of herbal recovery throughout this article, but specific benefits that you can expect to enjoy from herbal treatments either alongside medical intervention or in their own right, include:

• Accelerated healing of the perineum

• A general sense of calm

• Reduced blood pressure

• Increased milk production

• Reduced pain around caesarean wounds

• And more

In short, herbs can help to ease all of the aches and worries of this postpartum period, ensuring the self-care that you need to dedicate yourself fully to providing your new baby with the love, and care that they need to thrive.