Friday, August 10, 2012

Natural Postpartum Recovery: Soothing Compresses



Aside from my precious pink bundle, my favorite thing I brought home with me from the hospital after delivering Kayleigh was a little container of "Tucks"--little gauzy medicated rounds that you place on top of your pad during those first miserable lovely postpartum weeks.   Those things are lifesavers.  But hospitals don't grow Tucks on trees, and the amount that they send home with you won't last forever.  If you look at the ingredients on a container of Tucks, you won't be able to pronounce half of them.  What I love about these homemade soothing compresses is that they can be made with ingredients that can be found in most homes.

To make these soothing compresses, you will need:
♥ 1 Cup of Witch Hazel
♥ 4 Tablespoons of Aloe Vera
♥ 3 drops of Tea Tree Oil
♥ 6 drops of  Lavender Oil
♥ One box of 10 6x6 inch Medical Gauze Pads
♥ Ziplock bag
♥ Airtight container


The easiest way to do this is to mix all of the liquids in a ziplock bag.  Take the medical gauze pads and cut them in half so that you have 3x6 inch strips.  Carefully set them inside of the ziplock bag and allow them to soak.  Once they are well saturated, you can remove the gauze pads from the liquid mixture and place them in your airtight container.

Whether you give them as a gift as part of the Natural Postpartum Recovery Gift Set, or use them yourself, you'll rest comfortably knowing that these compresses were made with all natural ingredients.  

What do these natural ingredients do for you?

When Witch Hazel, Lavender, Tea Tree Oil, and Aloe Vera are combined, they bring cooling, refreshing relief to sore muscles, itchy skin, and torn perineum.  These ingredients work together to reduce inflammation, kill bacteria, and help skin to regain elasticity and return to its former state.  

You will love the natural healing benefits of these soothing compresses.  I'm making twice as many of these next time I have a baby.  They really are that wonderful.



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5 comments:

  1. I made it to 6 cm. And then had a c-section... maybe next time.

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    1. I wish I had more experience with c-section healing! I'm more inclined to leave that to the doctors :) I had a 3rd degree tear with Kayleigh, and compresses really helped with the healing and discomfort. As nasty and uncomfortable as a tear is, though, I'm sure it doesn't compare to the incision from a cesarean! I'm sure doctors have more heavy duty things to help with healing from that. :)

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  2. Tucks are awesome. Tucks are wonderful. Tucks are the ONLY reason why, after 14 days of anxiety-related GI issues, I'm capable of *sitting* in front of a computer today.

    Homemade Tucks are even BETTER!

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  3. What a wonderful gift these would be! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  4. Hello, thank you for posting this. Was wondering if you used Witch Hazel dilute in alcohol. I bought witch hazel from CVS drug store but it is dilute in 70% alcohol and I'm owrried it will burn my perenium tear. Thank you.

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