Cultivate Your Birth

• Kneeling forward onto a birth/exercise ball, couch or bed

• Standing and rotating the hips while leaning against a wall, bed or partner

• Kneeling while gently rocking back and forth

• Half-kneeling, half squatting

• Sitting on a birth/exercise ball

• Sitting and leaning forward on the toilet(can also face backwards with a towel resting on the toilet)

• Squatting

• If you must lie down, it is preferable to do so on your side, with your torso well propped up and a pillow under one knee.

Please enjoy this list of healthful hints for pregnancy, labor and postpartum. I strongly believe in learning from others, so please feel free to pass this along to all your friends! 

• . “The Midwive’s Pitocin”

Make a bowl of oatmeal, honey and nuts during labor and graze on it as you desire. If you break down the ingredients, you will find the perfect balance of complex carbohydrates, protein and natural sugar.

• . Hard Candy to Help give you a  Boost During Labor

Because so many hospitals restrict eating during labor, it is possible for mom to get a little low in the energy department. I always bring hard honey candies with me to labors. This can give the laboring mom a bit of energy, and it dissolves in the mouth so it does not count as eating food, should any one ask.

•  Apple Cider Vinegar for Acid Reflux

Drink one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in the morning, before eating. Theoretically, it works because the stomach is fooled into producing less acid. (Midwifery Today Winter 2007)

• Cold Maxi-Pads with Witchhazel, Lavender and Vaseline

Before you head to the hospital, take several maxi pads and pour witch hazel and several drops of lavender on them, and then place them in the freezer. Not only will this small science experiment feel good on your sore bottom, it also promotes healing.

One of my students recently passed on the idea of smearing some Vaseline on the pad to prevent any stitches you might have needed from sticking to the pad.

•  Breastmilk for Cracked Nipples

It is not uncommon for women to experience sore or cracked nipples while breastfeeding. It is usually a sign that your baby is not latching correctly. One treatment for helping heal your nipples is to express a small amount of breast milk or colostrum onto the nipple and allow it to air-dry.

•  EAT YOUR GREENS!!!

Dark leafy greens, such as kale, collard greens, spinach, arugula, beet greens and dandelion are packed full of vitamins and minerals, and they can alleviate many pregnancy-related discomforts. Studies have shown increasing your iron intake can help relieve restless leg syndrome. A lack of calcium and magnesium (both found in dark leafy greens) can help rid you of middle-of-the-night calf cramps. For those that suffer from constipation, the fiber in these vegetables will help get things moving along!

These dark greens are also rich in vitamin K. Insufficient Vitamin K can contribute to postpartum hemorrhaging.

•  Coconut Water for Electrolytes, Edema and Constipation

Tender coconut water (elaneer/nariyal pani) is one of the richest sources of electrolytes. It is high in chlorides, potassium and magnesium and has a moderate amount of sugar, sodium and protein. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and heart function. Coconut water is also a good source of dietary fibre, manganese, calcium, riboflavin and Vitamin C.

Coconut water is also a natural diuretic, which will help prevent urinary tract infections as well as relieve constipation.

•  Check Out the Wonders of Nettles: A Safe, Wonderful Herb for Pregnancy and After

The use of herbs may be a very new concept for some, but I would like to introduce you to the nettle leaf. There are no contraindications to the use of this leaf during or after pregnancy. (Holistic Midwifery, Anne Frye) And the benefits are bountiful!

*Vitamins A, C, D and K, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, iron and sulphur are particularly abundant in nettles.

*Increasing fertility in women and men. * Nourishing mother and fetus. * Easing leg cramps and other spasms.

* Diminishing pain during and after birth. The high calcium content, which is readily assimilated, helps diminish muscle pains in the uterus, in the legs and elsewhere.

* Preventing hemorrhage after birth. Nettle is a superb source of vitamin K, and increases available hemoglobin, both of which decrease the likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage. Fresh Nettle Juice, in teaspoon doses, slows postpartum bleeding.

 * Reducing hemorrhoids. Nettle’s mild astringency and general nourishing action tightens and strengthens blood vessels, helps maintain arterial elasticity and improves venous resilience.

* Increasing the richness and amount of breast milk.

• Truckee Meadows Herbs Wells Ave.

The benefits of nettles listed above are an excerpt from Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun Weed