Healing Postpartum Perineal Trauma
Giving birth will likely include some form of perineal pain and swelling. The damage is not always severe. However, there is often some discomfort, even if a C-section is decided for in the end (depending on how late in the labor a C section was decided on). Homeopathy can be a wonderful gift for recovery in this circumstance!
*P.s. for the pros: in my video, I go over how I came to the conclusions I did in this post using the TBR2. Watching it should help you come to your own conclusions, and understand how to repertorize the perineal trauma a woman may have after labor.
Perineal trauma in general:
If you have an unassisted vaginal delivery (no forceps, vacuum, episiotomy), there will still be some pain and swelling. If you have any of those interventions, then there will be some additional trauma from those interventions.
The number one remedy for all of this will be Arnica. Hands down. Many women take Arnica and have pain relief, and I was no exception after the delivery of my child. Interestingly, my son’s umbilical stump also healed ridiculously fast – within a few days (they often take about a week to close or more). The midwife was amazed. Remedies pass through breast milk, so he got lots of Arnica too. I also hypothesize (read: I don’t know this for sure, I am guessing) that Arnica would help with newborn jaundice. The process that creates jaundice is the destruction of red blood cells, a process which is increased by the trauma of being born. The more trauma, the more red blood cells are broken down (that’s what healing a bruise is about – breakdown the red blood cells congregated in the area) and the more needs to be excreted (which taxes a newborn’s new detoxification pathways). Arnica is famous for its ability to dissolve and heal bruises, so I surmise that it’s ability to help the body rid itself of bruises would help with jaundice of the newborn (we also know it does create jaundice in provings – see symptom 171 in Materia Medica Pura and rubric 1354 in TBR2).
Common sensations and phenomena with perineal trauma include soreness to pressure, heaviness, dragging or aching sensation. The perineum will swell pretty quickly after the delivery, and often feels hard (this is not a puffy kind of swelling – this is a tense, hard swelling) that may feel like a lump when you are sitting down. Often women feel better from warm water washing (perineal spray bottles) or sitting on ice packs. T
The Arnica montana flower
The only remedy that has all of those symptoms (see my accompanying video for more on how I came to that conclusion) is Arnica.
Vacuum/forceps:
Arnica should especially be thought of if vacuum extraction or forceps were used, for both mom and babe. They will both be a bit more bruised and swollen, or generally beaten up by the process. Remember that remedies pass through breast milk. So, if you are breastfeeding, just be liberal with Arnica and your babe will get some too. If you are using formula, put a few pellets of 200C in their bottle (make sure it dissolves of course) twice a day.
Episiotomy/tearing:
There are two remedies to talk about for this scenario: Arnica and Staphysagria.
Staphysagria is often thought of for incised wounds – or a clean cut, like that done with a scalpel. If you had an episiotomy then (a nice clean wound made by a scalpel), many people recommend Staphysagria. I would agree IF other symptoms are calling for Staphysagria. For example, Staphysagria patients often are grief stricken or down right angry (or both) that what happened didn’t meet their expectations. So if the person hope for an intervention-free delivery at home in a relaxed setting, and instead felt they had to go to the hospital, interventions were used including an episiotomy, and now they are disappointed and angry and indignant (Indignation sounds like this kind of anger: “how could this happen to me of all people! I prepared so well! This happens to other people, but not me!), then consider Staphysagria.
However!
Arnica also covers wounds made by incisions, as well as deep wounds that distort the musculature, like a deep perineal tear or episiotomy. Arnica has plenty of tearing sensations, meaning it will fit a literal perineal tear. Not to mention that even there is a tear or if an episiotomy was done, the same perineal trauma from a vaginal delivery will be present (the swelling, lump sensation, bruising, etc), just potentially more intensely, which all call for Arnica. Therefore, I am less convinced that everyone who gets an episiotomy should get Staphysagria; I still believe Arnica should be first in mind.
Dosing:
Get a 200C and put a few pellets in a glass of water. Sip the water throughout the day, or any time your pain starts to increase. When you run out of water, just make a fresh glass of it. If you need more oomph, you can also buy a 1M (harder to find, but usually available for special order) and do the same thing.