Steaming Postpartum 101
This free eCourse will share with you everything you need to know to successfully use steaming to speed up your postpartum recovery. Plus 3 tips to make sure you actually are able to prioritize your self care and healing even with a new baby in arms!
Put your name and email below to get access to the course.
Why We Steam Postpartum
We steam postpartum because of the relaxing, nourishing, healing and warming effects. Steaming has been documented as a traditional women's health practice in over 40 countries. While practices and herbs used vary across the world, all of these cultures use it for postpartum.
Steaming Postpartum has been reported to:
- Resolve postpartum bleeding faster
- Reduce after pains and contractions
- Encourage our wombs return to their normal shape and position.
- Help with itching or healing of tears
- Reverse hemorrhoids without invasive surgery
- Help lift and tone the uterus and bladder prolapse
- Support the nourishment of vaginal tissues with natural herbal plants
- Keep our periods away until our bodies are really ready to cycle again
It's a gentle, easy and nourishing practice. Steaming is low cost preventative care that can be done at home with little or no supervision and little chance of negative outcomes. It's easy to learn, and then practice on your own.
Words From Steaming Women
How do you Vaginal Steam?
The simplest way to steam is to heat water until it is boiling or close to boiling.
If you're working with a practitioner they will consult with you on which herbs are most appropriate for your body and unique postpartum situation.
We steep the herbs for five to 10 minutes. When they're done steeping, we check for steam temperature and then sit over the steaming herbs or the boiling water until the steam has dissipated usually 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes as appropriate for your personal situation.
It can be done as simply as pouring boiling water into a metal or ceramic or glass bowl that you placed temporarily in the toilet and then sitting on the toilet seat. Or it can be done as luxuriously as purchasing your own Steam Box and cushion or renting one from your local practitioner.
Where were you trained?
I have completed the Peristeam Facilitator Certification, PFc from SteamyChick.com.
Peristeam hydrotherapy also known as vaginal steaming, is an ancient form of natural healing that has been used around the world by women for centuries. This gentle and relaxing therapy is done by sitting over a pot of steaming herbs using a stool or steam sauna. The healing steam softens and relaxes the cervix allowing the herbal properties to travel into the uterus.
Steaming aids in healing and bringing relief to common physical discomforts, as well as the varied emotional landscape that women manage throughout their lives. This is full body healing that feels great, has many benefits and is very affordable to maintain.
Peristeaming is used to help treat a number of gynecological and emotional issues including but not limited to:
- regulating menstrual cycles including relief from cramps, heavy flow, brown blood
- endometriosis
- relieving PMS
- ovarian cysts
- fibroids
- hemorrhoids
- postpartum healing
- soothing infections such UTIs, yeast infections and BV
- infertility
- night sweats/hot flashes
- bloating
- painful sex
- anxiety and nervousness
- sleep challenges
- stress
- low libido
What Culture does Vaginal Steaming come from?
From Mexico, to Chile, Sudan to Bali, women have been squatting or sitting over steaming herbs for thousands of years to help them masterfully manage their fertility, periods, births and postpartum. Called Bajos in Central America, Chai-yok in China, Ratus or Gang Ganga in Indonesia, Yoni Prakshalanam in India as partof Ayurveda and vaginal steaming has been used all over Europe historically in Poland, Lithuania, Italy, France, Greece and many other countries. You can steam too!
In a traditional village this might have looked like digging a hole in the ground, filling it with coals and then placing a ceramic bowl full of steaming water into the hole in the ground and having the woman squat or sit on top of it.
In the modern terms that often looks like a handcrafted box/stool with a pot of herbs gently heating and steaming your most private parts. Imagine wearing a silk robe with a soft warm blanket wrapped around your shoulders so that your whole body is steamed and sweated.
The Finnish would often birth in the sauna and then steam and massage the mother afterwards.
The Moroccans have a traditional Hammam practice where several days after the birth both the baby and the mother are wrapped in warm clothes and brought to the communal bath house. There the mother is bathed ritualistically washing away her old self. The mother is completely pampered while she is steamed, massaged and with oils and then dressed by her friends and family. A helpful aunty, sister or grandma would be in the room holding her baby while she receives love and adoration from her community. A ceremonial feast finishes the event, then she and baby are then wrapped so thickly so that no cold could get in and brought home.
Traditional cultures understood how important it was to keep mothers and babies warm. The postpartum is nutritionally a time of depletion because of that is the postpartum feeding them warm and nourishing foods and steaming.
What will I need to Steam?
Steaming postpartum can be as simple as boiling water yourself once a day and finding time to sit on the toilet either holding your baby or having somebody hold them for you.
It can be as luxurious as having somebody come to your home and prepare your steam herbs for you, then having 30 minutes to yourself to enjoy the steam while your practitioner baby wears your baby, maybe even warms up delicious soup for you and your family while you take the time to steam, relax and heal your body.
We want to make vaginal steaming available to all women who desire to experience this incredible healing potential and so have created a short postpartum vaginal steaming eCourse that will walk you through all the information that you need to do this on your own. If you would like personalized support, please choose one of the packages below and we will be in contact to create your personalized herbal plan and rental package.
You'll need:
- Yoni steaming pot that is ceramic, glass or metal.
- pot or bowl to heat water in
- your herbs
- some relaxing music.
- You may also wish to have a designated house coat or blanket to use as a cloak to keep yourself warmer if you are recommended to use the advanced steam.
How much time does Steaming take?
I personally think steaming should be dedicated relaxation time for mom and that you deserve to take as long as you want. In reality, we have other kids, kitchens to clean and other work to do.
A normal relaxation based session including prep and cleanup can take 20-45 minutes.
If you're really quick about it or have help from a co-parent or postpartum doula to setup/cleanup, it can be as quick as just sitting over your steam pot for the 10 minutes it takes to do a mild session.
How much does it cost?
Because steaming is such a powerful tool, and we believe it can help most women postpartum we've made it super easy for you to get started.
If you're steaming at home with filtered water there's literally no cost to steam and all the instructions are available as free content as a teaser for you from our larger Joygasmic Postpartum eCourse.
If you're steaming with herbs it's important to do a consultation to confirm that the herbs you are using are appropriate for your unique body. A 30 day supply is $60 (less than many people spend daily on coffee and way less than a pelvic physiotherapy appointment)
You can provide your own herbs, or purchase a package that includes herbs.
Compared to the cost of hemorrhoid surgery, the discomfort of after pains, vaginal tear challenges or the long term rehabilitation process that is involved in healing prolapse, a 30 day steaming setup including herbs and consultation is $179. This is a very small cost to pay for returning your vagina (and your sex life) to health as soon as possible.
DIY Steam
You want to steam, but need to keep costs down, and have support to do it at home.
$
49
Customized Steam
You want the additional support of customized herbs and extra support
$
179
$49 deposit
In Person Luxury Postpartum Steaming
For the woman who know she needs more hands on support, or who has experienced a challenging first birth and wants better for her second
$
450
