Does your mw ask you to do routine herbs/homeopathics/supplements?

[MsBlack]

On an information gathering mission here--which got started over in Birth Pros on the topic of evening primrose oil.

So--does your homebirth midwife expect, or suggest, that you take any herbs or homeopathics or particular supplements during pregnancy for 'labor prep' or 'pregnancy/birth/baby health'? This is opposed to any suggestions she might make that are *particular* to your situation. For instance, she might suggest floradix or other iron supplement if you're anemic, and so forth. What I am asking is if there are things she wants/expects you and all of her clients to take *on general principle* of being good for you, or baby, or labor-ease, or whatever.

If so--do please share what you are asked to take, and what the reason is (if you know).

[peainthepod]

Mine is able to offer suggestions to counter various symptoms, but she never really insisted that I take anything during the course of my pregnancy aside from prenatals. I asked her about EPO toward the end and she said it would help soften the cervix, but wasn't necessary. She seems like very much a "wait and see" kind of HCP, which I really appreciated.

[the_lissa]

No. They do give their clients a recipe for an herbal bath for mother and baby postpartum, but only if the clients wants.

[MelW]

My midwives last time didn't recommend anything routinely other than folic acid in early pregnancy. Nothing so far this time either.

We did have a conversation at the end of last pregnancy about EPO, nine month tea, RRL, etc. but nothing was really recommended. (And I didn't take anything routinely, either).

My last midwives did recommend having Arnica on hand for after the birth, but again I felt very little pressure of this being routine or required.

[Peppamint]

They asked me to have chlorophyll on hand... and had me drink some mixed in a glass of juice after the birth.

Otherwise... suggestions were only based on my individual needs and not routine.

[wild fire child]

Mine does not require me to take anything, not has she suggested anything to do as a matter of course. My iron was very low so she suggested Floradix or yellowdock tincture, and I kept getting leg cramps at night so she suggested that I take a cal/mag supplement, but there is nothing that she has asked that I take routinely.

[LilacMama]

Mine suggests RRL tea and EPO daily after 36 weeks. She explains that RRL is a uterine tonic and EPO (she suggests oral use) helps to ripen the cervix. She also strongly recommends perineal massage. Additionally, she recommends having sex four nights in a row at the beginning of week 39 for cervical ripening purposes.

[boscopup]

Mine recommends alfalfa throughout pregnancy (instead of a prenatal vitamin), but wouldn't at all be upset if a client took a prenatal vitamin instead. It's just something she recommends at the first visit.

After the birth, she gave me a green drink, which was probably clorophyll as a PP mentioned. I really don't know for sure what it was. She knows I'm a picky eater, so she was probably trying to not have me turn it down due to that. I'm sure if I'd asked what was in it, she would have told me, of course.

She also included an herb mixture in my birth kit that she recommended cooking up in the crockpot daily and putting into a peri-bottle to use on my perineum.

[barefootpoetry]

My MWs had me on a regimen of Floridix, alfalfa tablets, RRL/nettle tea, and tons of EPO. I had low iron, cervical scar tissue, and I was a VBAC, so all of that was really helpful with strengthening my body. I started the RRL/nettle on my own but they recommended the rest. They also had me drinking liquid chlorophyll after the birth.

[loraxc]

No, mine did not; although they recommended a daily tea (RRL, nettles, I forget now what else) I think it was in the course of talking about teas.

[rockportmidwife]

My midwife has pregnancy tea samples that she offers, but doesn't insist on. In her deluxe birth kit, she includes labor prep and afterease herbal tinctures. But those are totally optional. Other than that she only insists on things on a case by case basis.

[AngelBee]

:

[Mommy2anangel]

The only thing that my mw recommends that I take is barley/ alfalfa.
And on the list of birthing supplies, Blue Cohosh.

[Peony]

No, not a word was ever mentioned about herbs/supplements, etc... She uses them but trusts her clients are well educated enough to take what they want, and they are generally.

[jrabbit]

no "requirements" but encouragements, I suppose. She wants us to take prenatals; recommends food-based vitamins, especially iron; she sells various supplements and protein snacks, which I think she does just as a convenience - not to be pushy.

She strongly encourages raspberry & nettle (since I won't drink tea, I do the capsules)
Last month, she advised me to add alfalfa & omega 3
Last pregnancy, she advised me to add EPO, but we haven't talked about that yet

She's really big on nutrition as a whole, so we talk about it every visit - but other than being picky about eating "right" I don't see her as forcing me to do anything. Most of what she suggests to me is probably what she suggests to everyone, but I honestly don't know. There is nothing wrong with giving the mom the benefit of the doubt that she can educate herself, but I do think that guidance is important. And, it's been nearly 5 years since my last pregnancy, so I really forgot everything! I don't always have the time to research every aspect of my own health - I've got 2 kids and I'm growing another one. I trust her wisdom. If I have a concern, I ask her - such as needing help with sleep, and she recommended skullcap, which I take semi-regularly.

After birth, she provides a herbal bath and comfrey compresses. Since I don't drink tea, she doesn't offer that to me but she does recommend strong raspberry tea during labor to everyone.

--janis

[CanidFL]

Nope. She suggested Prenatals and Fish Oil. I would ask her about things and she would give an opinion but never once told me to take any kind of herbal supplement. She did suggest alpha alpha for swelling at 37 weeks.

[Fujiko]

Yes, lots. Chlorophyll, floradix, protein shakes (not technically herbal or natural but a PITA nonetheless), and later nettle, dandelion root, and something-else tinctures. And they were pretty much required.

eta: oh yeah, and prenatals, calcium/magnesium, fish oil, etc.

[cottonwood]

She did suggest stuff, but that was a decade ago so I don't remember the specifics, sorry. I seem to remember plant-based prenatal vitamins and RRL tea. She's big into herbs so I'm sure other stuff was mentioned, I just don't remember. Anyway, she didn't insist or try to police me. I know some midwives do, and feel justified in doing so. But I'm a grown woman and am not interested in being treated like a wayward child -- in fact I would have been really offended and irritated at that. I saw my relationship with my midwife as more like peer-to-peer support, rather than mentoring or mothering. Besides, I have my own ideas about things and do not expect to agree with any care provider 100%, and I expect that to be respected.

[thefragile7393]

I had a prenatal tea mix (with RRL, nettles, dandelion, and I'm not sure what else) plus chlorophyll that was recommended to me for daily use. She really stressed healthy eating as much as possible, but nothing was really "required," per se.

[Full Heart]

Nope. I knew one mw though that was bent all out of shape cause I didn't take prenatals though. But she was just a back up and I didn't have to listen to her lol. Last time my mw did give me a tea/herb mix for hemorrhage right after delivery but probably wouldn't have if I 1) hadn't had a hemorrhage before, 2) expressed great desire not to have a hemorrhage again. I fine taking shepherds purse or whatever other nasty herb you can give me if I don't have to hemorrhage again.

But nope doesn't require anything.