A friend of mine is at a fancy hospital in London where she is recovering from a C-Section following a breech birth. She said it was particularly strange and uncomfortable watching them fish around her belly to pully out the baby that was sitting bottom down in her birth canal. Apart from a fair bit of numb pain around the incision area, she is also suffering from constipation and a bloated belly. (The image is of fresh mint).

According to the Baby Center, gas tends to build up because the intestines are sluggish after surgery. Getting up and moving around will help your digestive system get going again. If you’re in great discomfort, the nurses may give you some over-the-counter medication that contains simethicone, a substance that allows gas bubbles to come together more easily, making the gas easier to expel. Simethicone is safe to take while breastfeeding.

Anyway at the fancy hospital they are also bringing her hot mint water six times a day to help with digestion. Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains. During the middle ages, powdered mint leaves were used to whiten teeth. Mint tea is a strong diuretic and it also aids digestion.

For those of your who aren’t at a fancy hospital but would like the same treatment, get your partner or whoever is handy to bring a thermos each day with fresh mint (take a big bunch and brew is in a tea pot with boiling water for 10 minutes before putting in the thermos). Alternativley, buy mint tea bags.

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April 20th, 2007 | Permalink