Pregnancy and Childbirth

Most women enjoy their pregnancy, although there is no doubt that in the months leading up to childbirth your body goes through huge changes that affect you emotionally and psychologically as well as physically.

You may get morning sickness during the first three or four months when the baby’s organs are forming – for some women this is the first sign of pregnancy. Hormonal changes can also result in other unwelcome symptoms such as sore breasts, a bloated feeling, dizziness, weepiness, or skin problems in the early weeks. None of these are dangerous either to you or to your baby and most doctors will quite rightly be reluctant to prescribe anything for what is usually a very temporary discomfort.

In the later months of pregnancy it is quite normal to have leg cramps, some sleeplessness and indigestion (heartburn) or constipation. Your increased weight, blood supply, and changing shape make a lot of demands on your body. Softening ligaments may cause pain around the pelvis and you will probably experience some back or neck ache. You may have slightly swollen fingers or puffy ankles. You must have plenty of rest and relaxation.

The Orthodox Approach

Your physician will have helpful advice about diet, exercise and posture, and maybe some mild alleviants or self-help tips to recommend. But unless there are reasons for thinking that something is seriously wrong with either mother or baby, medical intervention is kept to the minimum during the months of pregnancy.

Conventional pre-natal care involves regular monitoring, designed to pick up any potential problems. Blood samples, urine samples, blood-pressure readings and a weight check are the main routine tests.

The Hale Approach

Pregnancy and childbirth are natural processes and should not need medical intervention. If any problems develop, these must be dealt with initially by your physician and obstetrician. If treatment or hospitalization is not required, then a variety of complementary therapies are safe and effective.

Nowadays there is a leaning towards home birth, which is fine if your physician, obstetrician and local nurse-midwives are happy. Women in their second or further pregnancies (multi-gravida), having had experience of childbirth, are probably better suited to considering home birth than a first timer (primagravida). Home births should only be considered if a hospital is within 5 or 10 minutes’ drive.

Complementary medicine has a great part to play in helping a woman and child through pregnancy, childbirth, and post-natal recovery.

During pregnancy, nutritional advice combined with homeopathy and osteopathy will help the baby’s development and alleviate the symptoms of back pain and other routine difficulties experienced by expectant mothers. Support therapies such as yoga and aromatherapy are of great assistance at this time.

In the pre-birth stage, acupuncture is very effective in dealing with breach births and in inducing labour. Homeopathic remedies can also be used to encourage birth during a protracted labour. However, it is advisable not to combine homeopathy with acupuncture during childbirth.

Aromatherapy can help to prepare the body for birth and some oils can be used to speed up contractions. The mind can play an important part in easing childbirth – mothers-to-be can be taught self-hypnosis techniques to help them relax and thereby considerably reduce pain, as well as speeding up the birth itself.

After the birth there are three people who need support: the mother, the father, and the baby. So much emphasis is placed on a woman’s health during pregnancy that it is often forgotten how much help she needs to recover physically and emotionally from this momentous experience. In India there is a lovely tradition whereby a woman comes to stay with the other and newborn child fro three months. She regularly massages mother and child with special Ayurvedic oils, and is there to provide support for them both as they recover from the birth.

Although we do not have this tradition in the West, complementary medicine can play a similar role. As giving birth can often upset a woman’s musculo-skeletal system, it is advisable to have your back checked out even if you are not feeling pain. Acupuncture, Ayurveda, aromatherapy, and homeopathy can really help a mother to recover quickly after the birth, and may be particularly helpful in cases of post-natal depression. Homeopathy offers remedies for women who are having trouble producing milk.

Support therapies such as aromatherapy, Shiatsu, and Bach flower remedies also help mothers recover mentally and physically. Yoga, T’ai Chi and muscle-toning exercises gently coax the body back into shape after the birth, and later more energetic exercise like running or aerobics is recommended.

One of the most essential treatments for a newborn baby is cranial osteopathy. The cranium is easily distorted during birth, which may affect the child in a number of ways – it may cry a lot, be unable to sleep or suckle, or suffer from colic. Fortunately, there are gentle methods that can return the cranium to the correct position. Ideally a cranial osteopath would be present in the delivery room! Ayurvedic medicine also has a special herbal oil massage for newborn babies and mothers.

Finally, it is often forgotten that the birth of a child may also bring profound changes into the father’s life. He frequently plays a key role in supporting his partner and he too may need support. Self-hypnosis techniques to reduce stress can be very beneficial. Homeopathy, Ayurveda and acupuncture are useful for building up the constitution, particularly after the birth when the father, too, might not be getting enough sleep.

Before, during and after the birth both man and woman will go through a whole range of emotional experiences and it is often very helpful for them (as a couple or individually) to discuss their feelings with a counsellor/psychotherapist. For example, a man may fee rejected because his partner has to give so much attention to the baby. It is always better to tackle these feelings before unnecessary tensions are created within the family.

Unborn and newborn babies respond particularly well to the subtle and gentle approach of healing. It can ease their passage into this world – and help to calm and rebalance the parents during this period of great change.

Osteopathy

Osteopathic treatment can help mothers before, during and after childbirth. One of the most common complaints of pregnancy and its aftermath is back, neck, or shoulder pain brought about by the change in the body’s centre of gravity as the baby grows. Hip pain or dysfunction may also occur due to hormonal changes. The effects of incorrect posture and movement during our daily lives are magnified by pregnancy. As well as soft-tissue manipulation an osteopath will give you valuable advice on the correct way to sit, stand or move to avoid problems as the pregnancy develops. Treatment is also helpful for after-birth problems such as stress incontinence resulting from the weakening of the pelvic floor, or back pain following an epidural.

Aromatherapy

Massage using very diluted essential oils can be enormously comforting for mothers in the later stages of pregnancy and in labour as well”, says one aromatherapist, who recommends a monthly treatment. Essential oils are diluted to a third of normal strength in the treatment of pregnant women. The range of oils used is more limited.

Exhaustion, back or neck ache, edema, nausea, and breathlessness – common complaints in the final months – can be eased with a lavender or mandarin, both of which have a calming effect. For puffiness and water retention lemon is gently massaged on the lymphatic drainage points. Ginger or Roman camomile is also helpful for nausea.

Aromatherapy is a wonderful relaxant, but using oils on the abdomen can also prevent stretch marks after pregnancy and prepare the perineum for birth by softening the tissues, reducing the risk of a tear.

Aromatherapy can be applied during the birth by a partner or midwife. A 1 percent dilution of clary sage, massaged into the lower back, is believed to speed up contractions. After the birth lavender, calendula, and tea tree can be used to help heal any tears.

Herbal teas and dietary changes are often recommended to help alleviate nausea and water retention, or to reduce blood pressure.

Nutrition

Eating a wide range of fresh, healthy foods is essential in pregnancy.

Good nutrition needs to be continued after the birth, ensuring adequate levels of vitamins and minerals. Zinc is important in preventing post-natal depression.

If nursing, remember that what you eat is passed on to your baby through your breast milk. Keep off alcohol. Keep an eye on your intake of dairy foods, as they may give the baby colic. If the baby suffers from wind, you may be eating too many cruciferous vegetables (cabbages, Brussels sprouts, etc).

It is very important to maintain good health so that you have enough energy to keep up with the demands of the baby!

Hypnotherapy

Psychotherapy

Having a child completely changes your life - and that of your partner.  Some of the psychological and emotional problems that mothers or couples may experience after the birth might have been better dealt with in pre-natal counselling, though you can’t always predict how you will feel after the birth of a baby.“ The dynamics of a relationship change so much during pregnancy and after birth. One of the new parents may have a completely different idea about what life is going to be like on a practical level. It is surprising how little some couples talk about this together. A birth can trigger off submerged feelings about an unhappy childhood, for instance.

Psychotherapy gives couples, together or separately, the chance to talk through these matters and helps them understand why they feel and act the way they do. Sessions take between one and one and a half hours.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is increasingly used to help with breech births. There is absolutely no danger to mother or baby. The treatment involves both acupuncture and moxibustion (warming the needles by burning herbs) applied to a point on the foot in order gently to increase the energy flow. This may be attempted up to three times and is successful in the majority of cases.

Acupuncture is also helpful in late pregnancy to prepare for the actual birth. It can relieve common discomforts like swelling, fatigue, and lower back ache. It can also help mothers-to-be who are suffering from high blood pressure.

Supportive Treatments

Maya Abdominal Massage

A non-invasive massage technique that specialises in treating gynaecological and digestive conditions. It improves organ function by relieving congestion, enhancing blood supply; increasing lymphatic drainage and aiding nerve supply to the pelvic and reproductive organs.

Biosthetic Aromatherapy - Natural Trichology

It is not unusual to suffer some hair loss after giving birth. This may be caused by hormonal changes, an iron deficiency or simply fatigue. Scalp therapy, combined with nutritional advice, is effective in stopping and reversing the problem.

Healing

Healing can help relax mothers-to-be who are anxious about the birth. It is particularly effective when there have been problems with a previous pregnancy.

Remedial Yoga

This is not recommended during the first three months of pregnancy, but after this time yoga practice, guided by a teacher, can provide a way to keep yourself supple, encourage the free flow of energy, and circulation. Also in yogic breathing practice you can learn to relax and control breathing in preparation for labour and delivery.

After the birth yoga is an excellent way for the mother to regain suppleness and tone the internal organs and systems that have been under strain during pregnancy.