Anyone use homeopathy or flower essences for labor and postpartum???

[Mommy2threeboys]

I am interested in hearing any stories of mamas using homeopathy for labor and postpartum. I am just getting into reading about it and I have 3 weeks to go with my 4th child. I have heard that there are some remedies that help alleviate anxiety and tension when you first go into labor and a remedy that helps with bruising and such afterward (for baby too).

I've also been reading a lot about the Bach flower essences and have purchased some to use for myself and the baby. Anyone have any experiences in using these? Thank you!

[SusieJoy]

I love, love, love rescue remedy!!! I used it through both births along with DH and we were amazingly calm. I use it with the kids to. It is available in a sauve form as well as tincture for any bumps and bruises.

[pamamidwife]

I have a handout on flower essences & essential oils for birth...here it is:

Flower Essences for Birth

Angelica - to protect a child, to instill a connection with guardian angels and other spiritual sources of protection.

Cherry Plum - extremely stressful pregnancy or labor, when one feels "I can't take anymore".

Five Flower Formula - trauma or accident during pregnancy or birth; for stressful or extremely challenging birth.

Mariposa Lily - lack of parental bonding, especially with the mother; nurturing and bonding; instills warmth and positive childhood forces; abuse, abandonment, birth trauma.

Mugwort - overdue pregnancy, to release moon or flowing forces; to assist in drawing a child out of a mother's body during labor.

Olive - fatigue from missed sleep; exhaustion from long labor

Shooting Star - for children who feel alien, that they do not belong; often associated with trauma at birth; difficulty incarnating. Helping the soul come rightly into earth; for possible miscarriage, premature birth, or traumatic labor.

Walnut - transition in each stage of pregnancy, especially in releasing the child at birth; to accept new role as mother.



Essential Oils for Birth


Chamomile - The "Matriarch" of oils, very gentle, soothing and calming to the mind and body. Helps calm the irritated, fretful or nervous person.

Clary Sage - Helps respiratory, muscular and uterine systems. Mild analgesic. Facilitates birth; uterine tonic. Euphoric. Helps breathing by calming the lower part of the spinal cord.

Frankincense - encourages more focused concentration, deepens the breath and is soothing and comforting.

Jasmine - helps to build up contractions, increase awareness of the body and relieve pain.

Lavender - Circulation stimulating. Slight analgesic effect. Calming. Antibiotic, antiseptic, disinfectant, slight antiviral properties, anti-inflammatory. Promotes healing of open wounds - can be used instead of antiseptics. Good for headaches, fainting, and bringing around after shock Do not mix with Neroli.

Neroli - Works on the nervous system and facilitates easy breathing, especially during panting. It's calming effect increases the oxygen supply to the blood and brain and helps the woman to avoid hyperventilation. In low doses (1-2 drops per day on a diffuser), it has a sedative and calming effect; in higher doses, it is a stimulant. Antiseptic; disinfectant. Confidence, antidepressant. Do not mix with Lavender.

Nutmeg - Analgesic. Calms the central nervous system; alleviates anxiety. Increases circulation - good for blood supply.

Rose - Uterine relaxant. Helps ligaments to soften, enabling the pelvic bones to expand; and to regain elasticity after the birth. Natural antiseptic. Slight analgesic effect. Good cardiac tonic.

[PapayaVagina]

Arnica is good for bruising. I carry Arnica oil with me for baby's head .

[bunny's mama]

yes! i used homeopathy for both of my births. i borrowed a kit specifically for childbirth (i believe it was called "homeopathic basics for childbirth") from my homeopath and my doula administered the remedies. here's a copy of the "cheat sheet" i made for her (NOTE: all remedies were in the 200c potency due to the acute nature of birthing).

HOMEOPATHIC BIRTH KIT
QUICK REFERENCE

SOME GENERAL NOTES:
1. Look at the whole picture (physical and emotional) and choose the ONE best remedy that seems to fit the symptoms the most closely (not every symptom listed needs to be present to choose the remedy). Ask questions if necessary to ascertain symptoms that can’t be observed
2. Give only ONE remedy at a time. Watch and see if any changes occur. If none seem to occur after 15 minutes, try the next closest remedy.
3. Give one large pellet or 5-10 tiny pellets.

ACONITE:
·Distressed, anxious, fearful, restless
·Tossing in agony
·Skin red, hot dry
·may scream out
·have glassy, staring eyes, dilated pupils
·symptoms have sudden onset
·labor too quick
·pains extreme, violent, terrifying
·mother feels panicky, distressed, despairing
·mother’s heartbeat rapid or uncomfortably strong
·newborns in shock, color normal but not crying/moving
·worse: at night (especially around midnight), touch, noise
·better: fresh air

ARNICA:
·#1 trauma remedy
·encourages healing, controls bleeding, reduces swelling & likelihood of pus formation
·reduces exhaustion, gives a 2nd wind, particularly during long, slow, painful labors where tiredness makes surges weak/ineffectual
·use for shock, when someone claims to be alright, but clearly isn’t.
·reduces excessive bleeding where birth was traumatic/unusually long or short
·worse: being touched or examined, any jarring movements, lying or sitting on injured parts

CARBO VEGETABALIS:
·the “homeopathic corpse reviver,” this remedy has saved many lives
·symptoms at their most extreme are complete state of collapse due to oxygen starvation.
·Body cold, limp and pale, or blue
·Use in conjunction with other efforts to revive respiration. Hold one pill inside the lower lip of patient (including newborns) until symptoms alleviate.
·In fetal distress due to oxygen starvation, give to mother to reduce risk of asphyxia to baby.
·Less severe cases: extreme sluggishness, little or no vitality, coldness (even breath), intense air hunger (epseically cold)
·Face appears pinched, pale, sallow or blue
·Excellent remedy for trapped wind.
·Worse: exertion, heat, humidity, lying down, morning and evening
·Better: fanning, fresh air.

CAULOPHYLLUM:
·Usually used in 1st stage of labor to establish strong, productive surges. DO NOT use routinely. If needed, surges will be centered in lower half of uterus, while top feels flabby.
·Although sharp and painful, surges are short, ineffective, spasmodic and unstable moving around the bladder, groin or thighs.
·Sometimes surges will slow or stop completely due to exhaustion.
·Cervix fails to dilate.
·Symptoms include chilliness, shivering, trembling and irritability. May be thirsty during surges.
·If thirstless and Caulophyllum fails, try Gelsemium next.

CHAMOMILLA:
·Extreme over-sensitivity and violent bad temper
·May demand help one moment and reject it the next.
·Abusive and argumentative, especially with loved ones.
·Finds pains unbearable
·May scream frequently or say “I want to die.”
·Feels and looks overheated.
·Better: being uncovered, stripping off clothes
·Worse: evening, fresh air, company, being spoken to or stared at.

CIMICIFUGA:
·Very similar to Caullophyllum: surges in lower half of uterus, painful, sharp, spasmodic. Cervix remains rigidly closed/fails to dilate properly.
·The differences are:
osurges move from side to side or down into the hips and thighs
ogestures, speech and actions become horribly disjointed
ophysical symptoms often alternate with intense mental/emotional symptoms.
·Full of dreadful fears/foreboding, perhaps because of a previous experience of birth.
·Sense that “I can’t carry on” is meant in the most profound sense.
·Chilly
·Worse: cold, damp
·Better: lying on left side

GELSEMIUM:
·Next best choice if Caullophyllum fails to produce good strong surges.
·Very useful if labor is slow and sluggish.
·Physical heaviness, even eye lids droop, producing a dazed, stupefied appearance which belies the mental alertness that is there.
·Body paralyzed by exhaustion or “stage fright”
·Muscular weakness leads to trembling
·Chilly, possibly shivers up and down the spine
·Thirstless
·Worse: physical exertion, over excitement, receiving bad news (i.e. that cervix has dilated less than expected)
·Better: sweating, urinating, being alone

IPECAC:
·labor pains or bright red hemorrhaging with constant violent nausea.
·Face is deathly blue with dark rings under eyes.
·Hot & cold sweats.
·Worse: at night; for food or sight/smell of it.

KALI CARB:
·Useful in backache labors, where nagging pain is felt in the back, buttocks and thighs
·Mother is often extremely irritable, yet needs company
·Posterior presentations where labor gets stuck
·Backache greatly relieved by very firm pressure.
·Headaches during labor
·Chilliness after surges
·Worse: night and early morning hours, touch, noise
·Better: warmth

KALI PHOS:
·often recommended for exhaustion. Very helpful during labor if no other strong symptoms.
·Best taken between surges.
·Can be used throughout labor whenever energy is low.
·USEFUL FOR ATTENDANTS, TOO.

PULSATILLA:
·Easy to spot when needed because of clear emotional symptoms: weepiness, clinginess, pleading for help.
·Surges are short, weak or stop entirely.
·Pain may be felt in the back.
·Other physical symptoms: exhaustion, faintness, nausea, thirstlessness, vomiting.
·Worse: stuffy room, twilight, getting cold or wet
·Better: fresh air, moving around, sympathy & company

SECALE:
·like Pulsatilla, intolerant of stuffy rooms, but emotionally more stupefied in labor, with much longer surges. If these stop, trembling may start.
·Can be used to encourage a retained placenta to be pushed out naturally, if surges are too weak.

SEPIA:
·pains severe, dragging down, much relieved by exercise.
·Emotionally: irritable, or indifferent to loved ones, responds badly to sympathy.
·Sluggish and weepy.
·Useful for treating uterine prolapse with strong bearing down sensation.
·Worse: fasting, touch, staying in same position.
·Better: after eating, moving around.


homeopathy is wonderful, if used correctly, that is my one caveat. i find lots of folks at whole foods looking just at the little statement on the bottle, and they wonder why it doesn't work for them.

[pamamidwife]

Sepia is amazing for PMS and postpartum blues, too.

I love that homeopathy list!

[plantmommy]

I don't understand the "worse" and "better" fields???

[bunny's mama]

Originally Posted by plantmommy

I don't understand the "worse" and "better" fields???

in homeopathy, all symptoms are considered important. it's important to notice what makes the condition feel better and what makes it feel worse. for instance, if you notice the laboring mama feels much better when she gets outside in the fresh air, or she asks for a window to be opened because she "craves" fresh air, you should examine aconite, carbo veg, and you'd know that chamomilla is most likely the wrong remedy at this point.

make sense?

OT, plantmommy,your child's name brought a smile to my face. zaide was the name i had for my beloved grandfather. it's yiddish for grandfather, did you know that?

[TRIBE]

I used arnica pills during labor to reduc bruising and swelling, also took some after the birth.

I had rescue remedy on hand to relive stress & anxiety in my partner but also took some right before transition.

Pam--how would you use those oils and flower essences in labor? I am going to look for the Cherry Plum to take during trainsition when I hit that "i cant do it" point.

[bunny's mama]

another little known use for rescue remedy is to have someone rub it into the balls of your feet. for some reason, this way seems to have a more powerful and immediate effect. it also works great on crying babies (i.e. espec. those that scream in their car seat)!

[Artisan]

Bunny's mama, that is a great list. Thanks for posting it.

[TRIBE]

wow I wish I has known that when DD was a baby. She absolutely hated her carseat and screamed from the time she wa sput in to the the time she was taken out! She still isn;t crazy for the carseat but at least she doesn't scream anymore...usually

[goodcents]

This is a great resource of information and I am glad to see it here.

One question though - does anyone have concerns about the alcohol content of rescue remedy?

Thanks!

[bunny's mama]

goodcents, if you're concerned about the alcohol content, you can get RR in tablet form. it's called "5 flower." my homeopath makes it up herself, but i'm sure you could ask around and find it. altho the amount of alcohol even a baby is gonna get in one squirt is not gonna be harmful, IMO (or in the opinion of my homeopath...she makes the 5 flower for her recovering addict patients, i think, not necessarily for kids)

[sprinkle pocket]

rescue remedy

the bottle of rescue remedy (or any flower remedy) bought at the store with the brandy is actually called a 'stock bottle'. and while some people take a single drop to dose from the stock bottle, the correct way/the way bach discovered this system to work is this:
fill a 1oz. dropper bottle with pure filtered water and one dropperful of brandy or glycerin to act as the preservative. then add the recommended number of drops of stock as indicated on the bottle. different systems indicate different amounts. i believe bach is 2, stevens is 3, fes--i don't know, i don't use theirs. rescue remedy, help, and peace (all combo remedies that can safely be used alone or as buffers in other remedies) all have their own indicated amount. at this point, some people with homeopathic leanings like to 'succuss' the bottle, that is hit the base of the bottle repeatedly on the palm of the hand to mix it. but being an energetic medicine, i haven't found this to be necessary for the remedy to be effective. it doesn't hurt the remedy in any way though either.

then drops are taken in the amount indicated on the stock bottle. i think it tends to be the same amount of stock added to the bottle. hopefully this info will alleviate concerns about alcohol in the remedy.

by the way, i'd have concerns about a therapist who gave recovering addicts any remedy containing alcohol, especially since it's unnecessary. but that's jmo.