The Best Natural Remedies for Postpartum Aches and Pains

All moms experience various degrees of postpartum pains throughout their recoveries.

After all, carrying an entire human being for 9 months and bringing that life into the world is no easy task.

Your body goes through so many changes during both during pregnancy and postpartum.

For most women who have had uncomplicated vaginal births, these postpartum pains tend to be short-lived and free of complications.

Regardless of the type of birth you experience, the postpartum period is a highly-sensitive time in which you need to be extra kind to yourself.

Yes, you want to pour all of yourself into your new baby but you need to remember take care of you too so you can heal, look, and feel your best!

Before we get into some of the best natural remedies for postpartum pain, let’s dive into some of the most common postpartum symptoms new mamas often experience.

Top 8 Most Common Postpartum Pains

Afterbirth contractions

Afterbirth contractions are one of the first postpartum symptoms you’ll experience well within the first 24 hours after giving birth.

When I had my first baby, this postpartum symptom totally caught me off guard!

Although super painful (worse than my labor contractions IMO), afterbirth contractions help your uterus shrink back down to its pre-pregnancy size and shape.

Breast engorgement

Your breast milk will typically come in between 2-5 days following the birth of your baby.

Once the milk comes in, you will notice that your breast are fuller, heavier, and firmer to the touch.

Breast engorgement is painful but for the most part it does not last long.

It will take a few weeks for your body’s milk production to adjust to your baby’s eating habits.

Hemorrhoids & constipation

Postpartum constipation can be caused by many different things but one of the most common reasons for this symptom following a natural birth, is dehydration during labor and vaginal/perineal tearing.

Being dehydrated throughout labor will cause hardened stools, and any kind of tearing down below can lead to a subconscious fear of tearing your stitches or experiencing extreme pain.

Headaches

Postpartum headaches are often caused hormonal shifts, dehydration, and lack of sleep.

A sharp drop in your estrogen levels after birth can lead to headaches.

Headaches can also be caused by dehydration due to loss of fluids in the immediate postpartum period, as well as breastfeeding, and lack of fluid intake.

Back & pelvic pain

Many moms are shocked when they realize that the back and pelvic pain they experienced during pregnancy, is still lingering around postpartum.

Pelvic and back pain are both very common during postpartum and happen as a result of a variety of issues including: a prolonged labor (read this for a safer faster, and easier natural birth), pregnancy weight gain, posture changes, and hormonal changes causing loosened ligaments, etc…

Perineal soreness

If you experience a prolonged 2nd stage of labor, and/or if you end up tearing during childbirth, you will experience vaginal and perineal soreness. 

This postpartum symptom is one that all moms experience to a certain degree.

Best Natural Remedies For Common Postpartum Pains

Herbal Tinctures

This top-rated, all-natural, organic, plant-based herbal tincture is well-known for soothing the postpartum pains which happen as a result of those intense afterbirth contractions, triggered by the release of oxytocin through skin-to-skin contact with your baby, and breastfeeding. 

Heating pad

A heating pad is an effective and inexpensive way to get relief from common postpartum pains.

You can use them on your back for pain relief, on your abdomen during breastfeeding if you experience afterbirth contractions, on your neck if your muscles are some from labor, etc…

There are so many ways to use a heating pad for postpartum pain relief!

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

I swear by drinking this red raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy and postpartum.

It’s one of the things that helped me have my first baby in under 5 hours, and that contributed to a not-as-bloody postpartum.

Red raspberry leaves help tone and strengthen the walls of your uterus.  

Frozen Pads

These reusable feminine cold packs can either be frozen or heated up to give you the relief you desire and deserve.

Unlike regular postpartum pads, these gel pads are washable and reusable.

They provide soothing and cooling relief from vaginal postpartum pains.

Whether you have general soreness and swelling or have some stitches that need healing, these gel pads are great!

Planning on breastfeeding and/or pumping? Awesome! Add these reusable cold packs to your stash of helpful breastfeeding products.

Put them in your nursing bra and use them to soothe painfully engorged breasts. 

Sitz Baths

For fast relief from a sore perineum, take a sitz bath!

You can either use this ready-made organic sitz bath mix, or you can make it yourself.

Simply draw a warm bath, pour in your herbs, and ease into your bath.

Whether you’re feeling bruised, or you tore during labor, or you have itchy hemorrhoids,
sitz baths will not only help you get pain relief, but they’ll also help keep the area clean — which promotes healing.

Chiropractic Care

There are so many benefits to seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy and postpartum.

A chiropractor can perform chiropractic adjustments, which are treatments that can help relieve many of the postpartum pains listed in this post.

I swear by these treatments (they’ve helped me so much!) and also recommend them to my friends!

From Postpartum headaches, to pelvic pain, back pain, and sleeplessness, chiropractic adjustments are natural treatments that help improve your body’s function, boost your immune system, and promote healing.

Hydration

Personally, I prefer to stay away from all drugs whether prescription or OTC, especially during postpartum when I am breastfeeding.

Although many are listed as safe for consumption, I prefer to take natural remedies.

Since postpartum headaches typically happen as a result of dehydration, hormonal changes, and lack of sleep, I’d recommend staying hydrated, getting consistent chiropractic adjustments, and getting rest!

Sleep

Between being in total awe of your new little one and not wanting to miss a single moment with him or her, and breastfeeding on demand, it can be super tough getting in decent sleep as a new mom.

But the thing is, sleeping is super important!

Not getting decent sleep can impact your relationship with your baby, your overall health, your hormones, and is detrimental to your postpartum recovery.

It can even lead to postpartum depression.

As an exclusively breastfeeding mom, side-lying became one of my favorite nursing positions, especially when I had to nurse at night.

Also, pumping on the side would allow me to stash some milk so on the days I was really feeling burnt out.

It allowed my husband to feed the babies while I slept.

Yes it’s tough but with a little help and creativity, it is possible to get sleep as new mom!