Water can be a calming force of nature. Water is the source of origin for continued life. Without water we cannot survive. Aside from the first parents, all human beings begins life’s journey through water.
My daughter was no different, she spent the first nine months of her in utero life in warm life sustaining and protecting water. She knows the security of water as much as she knows security in my arms. With this understanding of the importance of water to my daughter’s life and my own pain-relieving comfort from water, I chose to birth my daughter in a pool of warm water. She transitioned from womb to world without difficulty but her connection with water remained.
After my daughter’s birth, my midwife recommend that a take several minutes daily to enjoy, recuperate, and heal with a relaxing sitz bath. I spent a couple days trying to figure out what a sitz bath involved; I thought the water required some sort of additional substance that made up the sitz part of the bath. With a small amount of research I discovered the a sitz bath is merely a bath in which one sits. Simple. I drew myself a very warm bath and added a few drops of lavender essence to enhance the calming affect. Then the thought came to me that I should bring my two day old daughter into the bath with me to just be in the water. My only hesitation was the safety involved with getting both her and myself into the tub without the risk of slipping. I had my husband had her to me once I was sitting (he subsequently took her from me before I got out thus eliminating the risk that I might fall with her in my arms). I was also concerned that the water, which was quite comfortable to me, might be too warm for her. Once my husband handed her to me, I eased her in to the water. She was calm. I cradled her for a bit and then, supporting her head, neck, and shoulders, I let the rest of her body float in the water. She LOVED it! She was immediately calm and within a few minutes she fell asleep. For the next few weeks I continued to have her join me in my sitz baths. The water is still a comfort to her and she is immediately content in its warm embrace. She is my water baby!