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Pregnancy & Childbirth
During Pregnancy
Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 should ideally be part of the diet and taken in supplement form from 3 months before pregnancy. It is an essential element in the diet important particularly to enable correct formation of your baby's spine, it also helps you to produce healthy red blood cells and so avoid the feelings of exhaustion that can accompany the early part of pregnancy. Floradix is a vegetable and herb supplement that contains iron in a readily-absorbable form and can help with the extra demands being made on your body. You can take most multi-vitamin and mineral supplements while pregnant but please avoid those containing Vitamin A and Vitamin D. Essential Fatty Acids play an important role in the development of your baby's brain tissue, so eat plenty of oily fish or take High Potency Fish Oil or Flax Seed Oil.
Raspberry Leaf tones the uterus and prepares it for childbirth. Take one cup per day (or the equivalent in capsule form) from month 6 to term with your first baby. For subsequent pregnancies have one cup per day from month 3, increasing to 2-3 cups per day from month 6. Raspberry leaf can be used through the labour and after the birth to keep the uterus contracting and returning it to its non-pregnant size. (Honey can be mixed with the Raspberry Leaf tea to help maintain energy levels during labour.)
NB: if you have a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions during late pregnancy you do not need to take Raspberry Leaf Tea as the uterus is already exercising and toning itself.
During your pregnancy you can help to strengthen the skin of your perineum by applying Almond Oil once a day.
Being pregnant can put pressure on the veins in your pelvic cavity that may lead to haemorrhoids. These should clear up after your baby is born. You can help to minimise the discomfort of Haemorrhoids by eating plenty of fibre, especially soluble fibre (fruit and vegetables) and by using our Witch Hazel Suppositories.
Keep the skin of your abdomen supple with Wheat Germ Oil, it may also help to lessen or even prevent stretch marks.
For sickness you can use Vitex and Ginger. Ensuring adequate and stable blood sugar levels can make a big difference for some women - see our section on Hypoglycaemia. Acupuncture can also help and Paul Hambly, our acupuncturist, has had great success in treating many problems associated with pregnancy, including relief of sickness, here at the Clinic. See our Clinic section for more details.
Preparing for the birth and induction
A uterus can need stimulating in preparation for childbirth. From week 37 take 2.5ml of Mitchella tincture twice a day. If you have a history of going overdue and having to be induced, equal parts of the following should be taken instead: Mitchella, Blue Cohosh and Black Cohosh - take 5ml once a day, increasing to 5ml twice a day for week 38 and 39 and 5ml three times a day from the due date.
For inducing labour or to re-establish contractions take Blue and Black Cohosh 5ml twice a day, increasing to three times a day after 5 days. If labour has already been established 10 drops can be taken every hour to promote regular contractions. Our Clove & Rosemary massage oil can be rubbed on the lower back and abdomen to help induce and stimulate contractions.
If contractions are very strong and painful but ineffective, or if practice contractions (Braxton Hicks) are too painful a 5ml dose of Cramp bark will ease this (can be taken once per hour if needed). Cramp bark is antispasmodic and is especially useful in the early stages of labour where strong frequent contractions are inappropriate.
For stamina during labour take 10 drops of Korean Ginseng up to every 10 minutes if needed.
Take one Arnica tablet every three hours during labour and one per day for four days after. This helps reduce bruising and soreness.
Following Childbirth
To speed up the healing process of the perineum after the baby has arrived drink our Calendula Compound Tea, honey can be added to taste. As a wash use our Calendula Bath Herbs. Also apply our St John's Wort Oil to your perineum once a day.
For cracked sore nipples use our Witch Hazel Water then apply Calendula Cream after each feed.
At the first sign of mastitis (any redness and swelling in the breast) you need to get to work to clear the milk duct. Massage the breast towards the nipple with Calendula Cream. Drink a tea of Cleavers and Marigold (we can make this up for you on request) three times a day. The residue of the tea can be applied to the breast. A cabbage leaf in your bra can really work wonders! Bruise the leaf first using a rolling pin. Don't let it get out of control, if you start getting a fever, or feel fluey, seek professional help.
Treating Your Baby
For nappy rash wash the area with diluted Witch Hazel Water or with cooled Chamomile Tea and apply Calendula Cream, Chamomile Cream or Hypericum Oil. For a skin reaction to the actual nappy use our Borage Cream.
Colic is usually worse in the first three months of a baby's life as s/he adapts to life outside the uterus. What mother eats while breast-feeding can also affect the baby. Cutting out onions, garlic, beans and dairy products or anything that you went off during pregnancy can help, as can the "Hay diet" (not mixing proteins and carbohydrates). If the baby is bottle-fed the formula milk might be the problem. Alternatives to cow's milk formula are now widely available and goats milk is likely to cause less problems than soya milk. Visiting an acupuncturist for a "Moxa" treatment to the baby's tummy (no needles are used) can help, as can seeing a cranial osteopath, which is worthwhile for the mother as well. Fennel Tea can alleviate the discomfort; place 1 -2 tsp in a teapot, pour on a cup of boiling water and brew for 10 minutes. When solely breast-feeding the mother needs to drink a cup 2-4 times a day. If not breast-feeding give the baby from10 drops up to a teaspoon of the tea 2-4 times a day. Fennel also stimulates milk flow.
Almond Oil (Hamblys) | 100ml: £4.50 300ml: £8.50 |
Aloe Vera Juice (organic) | 200ml: £9.00 |
Ante-Natal Forte (BioCare) | 60 capsules: £11.25 |
Arnica Tablets (Homeopathic 200) | 100 pills: £4.75 |
Bio-Caps Multivitamins/Minerals Capsules (Bio-Health) | 60 capsules: £6.95 |
Birth Kit (Hamblys) | £75.00 |
Black Cohosh Tincture (Hamblys) | 50ml: £5.50 |
Breast Feeding Tea (Hamblys) | 100g: £6.50 |
Breast Feeding Tea (Hamblys) | 100g: £6.50 |
Calendula Bath Herbs (Hamblys) | 100g: £6.50 |
Calendula Compound Tea (Hamblys) | 100g: £6.50 |
Calendula Cream (Hamblys) | 60ml: £6.25 120ml: £9.25 |
Cleavers and Marigold Tea | 50g: £3.00 |
Clove and Rosemary Massage Oil | 10ml: £4.50 25ml: £6.50 |
Cramp Bark Tincture (Hamblys) | 50ml: £5.50 |
Fennel Seed Tea (Hamblys) | 100g: £4.95 |
Folguard Capsules (Bio Care) | 30 capsules: £3.85 |
Ginseng (Korean) Tincture (Hamblys) | 25ml: £4.50 |
Helios Homeopathics Birth Kit (18 remedies) | £26.95 |
Mitchella Tincture (Hamblys) | 100ml: £7.50 |
Olbas Oil Pastilles (Earnest Jackson & Co Ltd) | 45g: £2.10 |
Raspberry Leaf Capsules (Hamblys) | 100 capsules: £13.50 |
Raspberry Leaf Tea (Hamblys) | 100g: £5.50 |
St John's Wort Oil (Hamblys) | 50ml: £5.50 |
Stretch Mark Oil (Hamblys) | 50ml: £5.50 |
Vitex Agnus Castus Tincture (Hamblys) | 50ml: £5.50 100ml: £8.00 |
Wheatgerm Oil (Hamblys) | 50ml: £4.50 |
Witch Hazel Water (Hamblys) | 100ml: £4.50 |
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