natural remedies for pregnancy & childbirth

[Spirulina&Sage]

i thought that it would be great to have a compilation of natural remedies for pregnancy and childbirth..
im interested in herbal medicine & homeopathics.. i will share what i know and i hope that you will share what you know.
These are all things that have worked for me


Morning sickness:
Homeopathic remedies..
Pulsatilla
Ignatia (for emotional upset)
Nux Vomica
Sepia
Ipecac
B-complex vitamins

Red raspberry, ginger, chamomile & mint teas
Protein & iron rich foods

Heartburn:
chewable papaya enzymes
raw almonds
slippery elm
Meadowsweet
chamomile

Leg cramps:
a good natural Calcium magnesium suppliment
Homeopathic Magnesia Phosphorica
Potassium

pregnancy herbs
Red Raspberry Leaf:
rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins B, C, and E, and the alkaloid fragarine--the constituent that contributes to the plant's potency as a pregnancy tonic. It increases fertility in men and women (especially when combined with red clover), tones the uterus, eases morning sickness, and assists in plentiful milk production.
To make a tea, add one to two tablespoons dried leaf per cup of boiling water and steep ten to 20 minutes

Nettle:
rich in biochelated iron, calcium, and protein, as well as a host of other important nutrients.The benefits of drinking nettle infusion before and throughout pregnancy include nourishing and strengthening the kidneys, increasing fertility in men and women, nourishing the mother and the fetus, diminishing leg cramps and childbirth pain, preventing hemorrhage after birth, reducing hemorrhoids, and increasing the richness and amount of mother's milk.

Oatstraw:
a great form of natural assimilable calcium.


Alfalfa:
loaded with vitamins A, D, E, and K, eight digestive enzymes, and numerous trace minerals. It is particularly helpful in late pregnancy because the vitamin K it supplies promotes proper blood clotting, thereby reducing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.


dandelion root:
Both the leaf and root of this common garden "weed" provide many essential nutrients: vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, potassium, and many trace elements. The root is said to be a specific remedy for the liver. The leaf is a mild, nonirritating diuretic, which can reduce water retention during pregnancy. You can eat flesh leaves as salad greens, cook them, or steep them as a tea. However, because dandelion is rich in vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that can accumulate in the body, use only in moderation.

other good herbs..
red clover, meadowsweet


fluid retention
fresh dandelion leaves
drink lots of fresh water

constipation:
Homeopathic remdies
Bryonia
Nux vomica
Sepia
Sulphur
water!
fresh fruits and veggies


Irregular contractions:
hoomeopathic pulsatilla


exhaustion and healing:
homeopathic arnica

this is a great website that has more info on some of the homeopathic remedies that ive listed..and a bunch more that i havn't
http://www.homeopathy-soh.org/about-homeopathy/what-is-homeopathy/pregnancy-and-childbirth.aspx


Vitamin C, folic acid, zinc, calcium, magnesium, iron are all super important durring pregnancy. there are some great natural prenatal vitamins available. also found in dark leaft greens, fruits and veggies

[Kirsten]

**Dr. Brewer's Blue Ribbon Baby nutrition plan (lots of protein)

**Bradley exercises, as well as plenty of walking

**don't sit in recliners

**plenty of water!

**no coffee or pop or fake sugar of any kind

It worked three times for me. I had practically no pregnancy symptoms.

[KateSt.]

S&S--Hi!!!!! :love What a fabulous list! Thank you! (You should post this at Wise Ways, too! :loveeyes: )

I'm absolutely swearing by Flower Essences so far this pregnancy. My energy was gone and I was emotionally and physically exhausted. On a hunch I went to my local hfs, picked out 3 essences that spoke to me and WOW! The difference is night and day! These essences saved me!

What a great thread! :love

[KateSt.]

And I also strongly believe in yoga and meditation! :wink :love

[Spirulina&Sage]

S&S--Hi!!!!! :love What a fabulous list! Thank you! (You should post this at Wise Ways, too! :loveeyes: )

I'm absolutely swearing by Flower Essences so far this pregnancy. My energy was gone and I was emotionally and physically exhausted. On a hunch I went to my local hfs, picked out 3 essences that spoke to me and WOW! The difference is night and day! These essences saved me!

What a great thread! :love


:love thanks!

im just starting to get into flower essences ( i borrowed a friends book and have been reading it) but ive never used them except for erescue remedy (another thing that should be on the list!) so please share your knowledge!

[KateSt.]

Oh, I should clarify, I have no knowledge about them :lol . I just went and read the descriptions on them and chose what applied to me. I chose

Olive: for physical and mental exhaustion

Red Chestnut: allows you to love without worrying about the well-being of your loved ones

Walnut: helps you adapt to major life transitions without the influence of others.

Those personally worked for me in my present life situation. (and I do love Rescue Remedy too!)

What's great about Bach's flower essences is that the description is right on the bottle so you can intuit what feels right for you.

[eloise24]

Thanks for posting about the herbs, it reminds me to get my tea out and drink it. I have a bunch of herbs on hand from TTC, most of which I can still use (red raspberry, alfalfa, etc.) that I combine all together to drink. It's not my favorite thing but I"m trying to remind myself that it's worth it for the baby.

[SharonAnne]

**Dr. Brewer's Blue Ribbon Baby nutrition plan (lots of protein)

**Bradley exercises, as well as plenty of walking

**don't sit in recliners

**plenty of water!

**no coffee or pop or fake sugar of any kind

It worked three times for me. I had practically no pregnancy symptoms.

Yeah! I'm a Bradley Mom too! In the middle of studying for my certification, in fact. :D I love it so much, I want to teach it. :D

Bradley's awesome; got me through 37 hours of back labor with my first, completely unmedicated. :D

The water drinking cannot be overstated. The more water we drink, the less water our bodies will need to retain ;)

[LynnE73]

This is a great thread! One of the few which makes it feel like old time mdc! Thanks ladies!

(I second the raw almonds and mango!)

[lilylove]

There is a book that has (I think) the exact same tittle as this thread. I had it, but let a friend borrow it, and well it's been two years.......
I need to go buy a new copy. It has sections on herbs, homeopathics, flower essences, acupuncture, and reflexology. It was awesome.
Oh and I second, or third, the Rescue Remedy, I found it useful for transistion and for Daddy :D

[eloise24]

Maybe I am a naive first timer, but why the "no recliner?" Is that the whole pregnancy or in the later stages? Thanks for answering my silly question!

[Cullens_Girl]

great list!

[Nico DeMouse]

Nothing new to add, but thanks for the great info!

[Spirulina&Sage]

There is a book that has (I think) the exact same tittle as this thread. I had it, but let a friend borrow it, and well it's been two years.......
I need to go buy a new copy. It has sections on herbs, homeopathics, flower essences, acupuncture, and reflexology. It was awesome.
Oh and I second, or third, the Rescue Remedy, I found it useful for transistion and for Daddy :D

that sounds like a rad book! ive seena few great homeopathy books for pregnancy and childbirth and some good hearbal ones (susan weed's wise woman herbal for the childbearing year) butr it would be great to have it all in one book. if you remember the title/author let me know!

[pampered_mom]

Don't forget to check out Aviva Jill Romm's book. It's very much along these lines.

[lilylove]

I'm looking on Amazon, and so far I don't see it. I know I didn't dream it up :lol

I did find this (http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Pregnancy-Book-Nutrition-Holistic/dp/1587611783/ref=sr_1_107/002-3513379-9869613?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179674417&sr=1-107) one though, it sounds similar.

[g&a]

This is a great thread! One of the few which makes it feel like old time mdc! Thanks ladies!

(I second the raw almonds and mango!)


ok, why raw almonds and mango???


I also wanted to mention vitamin b6 for morning sickness.


g.

[WishingNHoping]

Peppermint essential oil helps alot with my waves of queasiness.

I put some on a cotton ball and carry it around in a ziplock in my pocket.

[Tiffany_PartyOf5]

KEGELS KEGELS KEGELS... Do them from DAY 1 and never stop!! They help with everything!!!

[Spirulina&Sage]

bump!

[muttix2]

Would echinacea fit in here? I use it when not pregnant too but when pregnant, I HATE to get sick. So I take three a day until the person/people who are sick around me stop showing signs. I just took it when my husband had the flu and didn't catch it for once :)

[organic-momma]

Great list so far ladies!

Evening primrose oil - helps to ripen the cervix. At 36 weeks 1000 mg capsules orally in the AM and PM; after 38 weeks 2 additional capsules as vaginal suppositories.

Actaea Racem Compositum (EZ Birth) - homepathic remedy containing caulophyllum, cimicifuga, arnica, pulsatilla and gelsemium; take twice daily from 37 weeks, 3-5 pellets. Results in an average of 5 hours shorter labour and lower rate of difficult births (UK double blind placebo controlled study)

[Spirulina&Sage]

muttix - sure :)

Organic - i cant believe i forgot EPO, thanks for filling that in! its great for so many things!
and ive never heard of Actaea Racem Compositum but im going to look for it now! thanks for the info!

[Spirulina&Sage]

im wondering if we should make this a sticky so it doesnt get lost?! its a really great resource and then we wont have lots of threads asking for help on stuff like MS because the answers will be right here!

[organic-momma]

muttix - sure :)

Organic - i cant believe i forgot EPO, thanks for filling that in! its great for so many things!
and ive never heard of Actaea Racem Compositum but im going to look for it now! thanks for the info!

I swear by Actaea Racem Compositum, my first labour was 5 hours from the time my water broke to the time my son was born.... not bad for a first timer!

[Chavaleh]

So my youngest daughter who we called Typhoid Issy brought home some more crud that I've now caught, this time with snot, low grade fever and a sore throat plus general yuck feeling. Any natural recommendations for dealing with that? I'm thinking some green tea with honey in the morning but that's about as far as my natural notions go. It's not an area I know much about. I've just been popping tylenol every 5 hours or so. I'm really worried about the fall/winter. We went round and round with strep last year. Ugh.

[momonthebeach]

Hi! I just posted this on another thread...my cure for insomnia:
I have had terrible insomnia with previous pregnancies until I started practicing Hypbirth cds. They are a homestudy course for using hypnosis during birth. I bought them used on ebay for $90 and then sold them back when I was done for $95. I am bidding on Hypnobabies for this pregnancy because I have heard that it is better about teaching you to use it while moving around during labor. Hypbirth teaches you to lay still which worked fine for me during early labor (I took a nap while listening to the cds from about 3-5pm with baby being born at 8pm) but by transition, I was not having it. Anyway, it worked for me. Everytime I would wake up, I would put on a cd and go right back to sleep. I remember thinking often that even if it didn't do anything during birth, it was well worth it for the sleep!! HTH!
Katie

[zahirakids]

During your second trimester you can make a vitamin and mineral nutritive tea which will help you and your baby. But you must be careful what you put in this tea. Some ingredients are still not to be used until the last few weeks. Be sure to consult the list below before you use anything.

Your tea should be:



one part red raspberry leaf


two parts nettle leaf


two parts alfalfa grass


four parts of spearmint


two parts of oatstraw


one part horsetail


three parts lemon balm leaf

Pour one cup of boiling water over one teaspoon of this mix, let it sit for 15 minutes and then strain it. You can make up to 8 cups at once and store in a glass bottle in the refrigerator. Drink it hot or iced with honey or plain.

You might to start rubbing your belly with oil in order to prevent stretch marks. Once you have stretch marks, they are almost impossible to get rid of, so prevention is the best policy. To create your anti-mark oil mix:

two tablespoons of almond oil

ten drops of borage seed oil

six drops of lavender essential oil

five drops of tangerine essential oil.

Rub one Tbs. on your belly once a day. Gently.


Third Trimester

Now you can stop your nutritional tea for a while....About six weeks before your due date you should drink three cups of red raspberry tea daily to help tone the uterus and make your labor easier. Many people start drinking red raspberry tea earlier or throughout their entire pregnancy, however, this can reverse the effect of the herb and perhaps increase the pain or length of labor.

The Birth

When the labor starts take:
10 drops of Motherwort tincture every hour for up to four hours.
Plus 10 drops of Black Cohosh every hour for up to four hours.

After the baby is delivered you can take:
Valerian, Catnip and Scullcap tea or tincture. Take only one cup every four hours for up to three cups in one day. That is it. No more. This will lower your blood pressure which is OK for people with normal blood pressure. Don’t let it worry you. It will go back to normal when you stop drinking the tea.

Herbs to avoid and information about some Herbs for you


Avoid these during pregnancy:

Bitters
From the material concerning bitters already covered, it is clear that the general metabolic stimulation and especially that of smooth muscle and the emmenagogue results, are contra-indicated during pregnancy. All strong bitters should be excluded, with especial attention to :
Artemisia abrotanum Southernwood
Artemisia absinthium Wormwood
Artemisia vulgare Mugwort
Berberis vulgaris Barberry
Chelidonium majus Celandine
Hydrastis canadensis Golden SealRuta graveolens Rue
Tanacetum parthenium Feverfew
Tanacetum vulgare Tansy

Alkaloid containing plants
Alkaloids are a diverse group of secondary plant constituents that have a wide range of pharmacological impact upon the body. The stronger representatives are to be avoided, including the caffeine containing social drugs Coffee and Tea. These include :
Berberis vulgaris Barberry
Colchicum autumnale Autumn crocus
Hydrastis canadensis Golden Seal
Podophyllum peltatum Mandrake
Sanguinaria canadensis Blood root
Sarothamnus scoparius Broom

Oil containing plants
Many of the essential oils can have a devastating impact on the placenta and foetus is taken internally during pregnancy. Avoid all Essential oils internally. However, the whole plant that the oil was distilled from will usually be fine if used in moderation. Important exceptions are:
Juniperus communis Juniper
Mentha pulegium Pennyroyal
Myristica officinalis Nutmeg (in large amounts)
Thuja occidentalis Arbor vitae

Anthraquinone Laxatives
The strong herbal laxatives often owe their effects to the presence of anthraquinones that stimulate peristalsis in the bowel. They may have a similar stimulating impact upon the uterus. If a laxative is needed during pregnancy it should be either a bulk or hepatic laxative.
Cassia senna SennaRhamnus catharticus Purging Buckthorn
Rhamnus frangula Alder Buckthorn
Rhamnus purshiana Cascara Sagrada

Others
There are other plants that should be avoided which do not fit into such convenient categories. Some are listed here. Male Fern is an example of an anthelmintic remedy for the treatment of worm infestations.
Cinchona spp. Peruvian Bark
Phytolacca spp. Poke
Dryopteris felix-mas Male Fern
Gossypium herbaceum Cotton-RootViscum album Mistletoe

NEVER TO USE DURING PREGANCY: OTHERS
Toxic herbs like: tansy, rue, spikenard, pennyroyal, cottonroot bark, mistletoe, coltsfoot, comfrey, and goldenseal
Menstruation inducing herbs like: angelica, birthroot, black cohosh, blue cohosh, don quai, motherwort, pennyroyal, parsley and yarrow
Strong herbs for specific illnesses: cayenne. coffee, goldenseal, senna, angelica, buckthorj bark, osha root, ephedra, echinacea, valerian
The following spices (and in their “herbal preparation” form) should also be avoided: Basil, Caraway Seed , Celery Seed ,Ginger ,Fresh Horseradish, Savory, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Parsley, Tarragon, Thyme, flax seed, aloe, licorice

Doesn't make food sound as tasty, but considering the end result well worth exercising a little caution. There is a famous pizza store in Texas where women go in the last weeks of pregnancy. It is said that eating the man’s fresh pizza (he makes it with fresh basil, thyme, and savory and marjoram) causes the woman to go into labor. Many women go there to “plan” their birth-day.

Herbs to use in pregnancy – these are OK
Black Haw - Used as a threatened miscarriage prevention
Blessed Thistle - Reduces risk of hemorrhage during childbirth and increases mother’s milk.
Burdock Root - Nourishing herb for weak uterus, often uses to ease childbirth.
Chamomile Flowers - Used of uplifting the spirits and relaxation
Cramp Bark - Used at the first sign of a miscarriage.
Dandelion - Highest food source of vitamin A, calcium and iron. Nourishes and tones the system and eliminates excess water.
Ginger Root - A morning sickness and stomach remedy. Not all people enjoy or are benefited by this herb, however. Give it a try. Also used for colds, sore throats and flus during pregnancy.
Lady’s Mantle Leaf - European “women’s herb”. Tones the uterus, reduces hemorrhaging during childbirth, helps settle stomach and helps against morning sickness.
Lemon Balm Leaf - Very calming and relaxing herb, also milk anti-depressant. Can reduce effects of allergies and helps the digestion.
Nettle - Rich in calcium, iron and many minerals and vitamins. Good for restoring energy.
Oat Straw - Calms nervous tension and stress. Good remedy for yeast infections dur9ing pregnancy.
Red Raspberry Leaf - Tones and nourishes the uterine muscles. Restores energy after childbirth.
Slippery Elm Bark - Good for mucous membrane complaints during pregnancy, colds, flus and all infections.
Squaw vine - Uterine toner.

USE FOR CHILDBIRTH AND LABOR ONLY
Angelica - indices uterine contractions, helps expel the placenta. Used for a slow birth.
Black Cohosh - A uterine stimulator and relaxant. Often used with blue cohosh in the last weeks of pregnancy to prepare the uterus for childbirth.
Blue Cohosh - Menstruation promoting herb. (see above)
Motherwort - Use to prepare the uterus the last week of childbirth. Uterine stimulant.
Shepherd’s Purse - Curbs excess bleeding during childbirth.
Yarrow - Used with shepherd’s purse as an anti-hemorrhaging herb.

[LeBoof]

I'm carrying twins this time and wish I'd known some of this stuff when I was pregnant with my first child.

Here are a few tips I have. Get lots of rest and water. Around the second and third trimester make sure you get plenty of calcium in your diet since recent studies have shown a correlation between low calcium intake and pre-eclampsia. Stay away from high or concentrated doses of Rosemary as it has been used to jump start periods in the past. For swelling use some epsom or sea salts in water that is as cold as you can comfortably stand it. I saw rasberry tea mentioned lots here already but it's good enough to mention again :)

[riverundine]

so much wonderful and comprehensive info!

i'd like to add dock (i use the fresh, wild-crafted leaf) as a wonderful iron supplement. i also take a spoonful of organic blackstrap molasses to up the iron as well.

[katimae@eritter.ne]

Thank you...Thank you....Thank you....
I've been using homepathics and herbal remedies since I was a kid but with my first pregnancy I've steared clear of everything for fear of the unknown (and since there's no one knowledgable in my area who also uses them to check with-I live in VERY rural Arkansas) This is just what I've been looking for. I muddled through morning/all day sickness until my 14th week and now it's heartburn! Yippie for good info from like minded momma's!!!!:)

[nanaT]

What great suggestions and input! I use peppermint oil more than anything else...but haven't had to use it for nausea, I use it for headaches.
I also have a friend who was having some swelling and edema in her ankles and feet in her last trimester and her midwife recommended emergenC or Vitamin C. IT made a drastic improvement almost immediately.

[riverundine]

shatavari - what almost all pregnant women in india take. nourishes and tonifies the uterus, the baby and the nervous and endocrine systems entirely.

[robidora]

Does anyone have any suggestions for an itchy belly from stretch marks. I have lotions with vitamin E, coco butter, etc, I am currently placing a cold rag to eleviate the itch but cannot do this all the time, I even bought some homeopathic itch cream for psoriasis, but that is not working.

thanks for any suggestions!!!! :)

[riverundine]

aloe gel helped my itchy belly immensely.

[hadassah]

maybe calendula(spell?) cream? I'm sorry mama....that sound frustrating!