“My experience with vaginal steaming was first and foremost the most anxiety reducing and calming thing to perfectly quell my pregnancy and labor fears.
Liberty suggested I start with just ten minutes every night with a mild steam at 37 weeks to start to prepare and soften my cervix.
Not only did she tell me about steaming, but she also gave me lots of suggestions about eating habits and mental exercises to help with my goal of a trauma free labor.
I had a lot of stress and anxiety from the birth of my first child. The labor was long and in the end I had to have a vacuum assist to get her head out of my cervix.
I was praying that steaming would help soften my cervix so I would not have to go through the same things with my second baby.
At 38 weeks, My cervix was checked and I was already 2 cm dilated. I continued with 10 minute gentle steams every night and by 39 weeks I was 3 cm. At 40 weeks and 4 days my water broke. After 10 hours of contractions and only 1 hour of intense pushing, I was able to naturally deliver my 9lb 13 oz son with NO tearing and no vacuum assist!
Postpartum steaming made a world of difference in my recovery. Just steaming a handful of times after the birth helped me to stop bleeding after about a week.
At my one week postpartum checkup, my doctor told me I would need physical therapy to put my bladder back into place. At my 6 week appointment, after postpartum steaming, even just a few times a week (it’s hard to find time with a newborn and a 4 year old) she found my bladder to be back in place and no need for physical therapy.
Pre labor and postpartum steaming made my birth experience so different and easy. Not only was it healing for me, but it also showed me that giving birth doesn’t have to be something that is associated with pain and fear.
It’s impossible to plan or expect anything to go a certain way when it comes to giving birth, but steaming definitely played a role in helping me bring my birthing goals to reality. “
Angeliene D, a real-life superwoman
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