The German Secret To Prepare For An Easy Labour and Delivery
Are you doing your pre-natal yoga, drinking your raspberry tea, doing your stretches, etc.? Are you wondering if there is more that you can do to prepare for a fast and easy delivery of your baby? Good news: There is! A hayflower steam bath. Sorry, the baths are way less glamorous than in the picture above. But more on that later.
I am originally from Germany but had both my daughters in Japan. In preparing for labour I enjoyed drawing the best practices from both countries. Of course, thanks to the internet we have access to a the information from any country basically. Yet, it seems that the hayflowers are still a secret from Germany. Not even my German pregnant friends all knew about them. Even less so, the international ones. Whenever I do find a note of them, they are always referenced to Germany. So what is the deal with these hayflowers and how can they help you to have an easy labour and delivery?
What Are Hayflowers?
Hayflowers (Flores graminis), also called grass flowers, are a detritus mixture of flower parts, seeds, smaller pieces of leaves and stems from various meadow plants. They mainly consist of the grasses couch grass, brusque, meadow lolch, meadow fescue, meadow timothy, meadow foxtail, stalk grass and ball grass. The harvested hay is only freed from coarse stalk parts, sand, dust and earth by sieving it several times. Hayflowers are also referred to as all parts of the plant that the pitchfork did not catch on the threshing floor.
The ingredients of the hayflower mixtures vary depending on the plants contained, the time of the hay harvest and the habitat (for example, poor grass, wet meadow or fat meadow).
How Do Hayflowers Help To Prepare For Labour And Delivery?
Hayflowers are said to promote blood circulation, inhibit inflammation, help against menstrual and menopausal symptoms and loosen the pelvic floor in pregnant women. Besides promoting blood circulation hayflowers are also said to have a muscle relaxing effect.
Steam baths with hayflowers are recommended to
- relieve tension
- better blood supply to the tissue
- to loosen the pelvic floor
- to relax the muscles during labor and possibly avoid a perineal cut
How To Prepare A Hayflower Steam Bath?
A hayflower steam bath is an easy and inexpensive way to prepare for an easy labour and delivery. All you need is a bowl, hayflowers, hot water and a toilet. See the step by step instructions of how to prepare a hayflower steam bath for your ‘down under’ below.
Step 1
Get a bowl.
Any bowl that will fit into your toilet will do.
Step 2
Get your hayflowers.
Step 3
Put a handful of hayflowers in the bowl.
Step 4
Boil 1 liter of water.
Step 5
Place the bowl with hayflowers in the toilet.
Step 6
Add the boiling water.
Step 7
Wait a few minutes for the water to cool down. Then sit on the toilet as you normally do. Be careful not to burn yourself if the water is still too hot. Test it with your hand before you sit down.
Enjoy the warm steam on your ‘down under’ and relax until the water has cooled down. This should usually last 15-20 minutes.
When Can You Start Taking Hayflower Steam Baths?
The general recommendation is to start taking a steam bath once or twice a week from pregnancy week 37 or 38. The closer you get to your due date the more often you can take it. If you enjoy the steam your an start doing it daily. It is recommended to take a bath especially when your labour starts.
I started taking the steam bath at week 36 with my first daughter. I did it twice a in week 36 and 37. From week 38 I started doing it three times a week. I enjoyed the warm steam. It had a relaxing effect. The baby was often moving quite a bit during the bath. Another positive side effect of the bath is that you take a ca. 20-30 minute rest. I often used the time to either read or watch a show.
You may find articles of women claiming the steam bath started their labour. While it’s possible, it wasn’t the case for me and I personally don’t think they can have that strong an effect.
Attention: Allergies Or Varicose Veins?
Hayflower baths can have a different effect for every woman. You should check if you are allergic to any of the ingredients of the hayflowers before taking it. Also, taking a hayflower steam bath is not recommended if you have varicose veins in the down-under area.
Ideally, check with your mid-wife or doctor if it’s ok for you to use hayflower steam baths to prepare for labour and delivery.
Further Ways to Prepare For Labour And Delivery
Are you looking for more ways to best prepare your body and mind for labour and delivery? Read more about Hypnobabies, a practice similar to hypnobirthing, here: Hypnobabies Home Study Course: What You Need To Know (Complete Review)
