Sitz Bath

Description

All new mothers should know the benefits of a sitz (hip) bath.
1. It prevents inflammation around the perineotomy region and reduces pain around the wound.
2. Helps the birth canal heal and heals slight tissue damage and inflammation.
3. Cleans the perineal region dirtied by excretion and bleeding and improves blood circulation.
4. Helps prevent and treat constipation and hemorrhoids.

How To Take a Sitz Bath

- After boiling some water and cooling it to 100-104?F (38-40?C), submerge the wounded area for 15-20 minutes.
- The water does not have to be completely germ-free and sterile.
- Sometimes salt and other medicines are added, but this has no significance and actually increases the chances for germs. Unless a doctor has prescribed a disinfectant, it is preferable not to use these.
- It is important to dry off after a sitz bath.
- It is ideal to bathe 15-20 minutes, 3-5 times a day, for 1-2 weeks after leaving the hospital. Longer baths are not necessarily better for wounds and can be harmful to the tissue.


Cold Fomentation

- If edema is severe around the perineal region, an ice pack can reduce the swelling and pain by calming the neuroterminal region and contracting the blood vessels.
- A perineotomy leaves a scar and preventing inflammation is a major objective, however, reducing blood circulation for a long time is not desirable.