Homeopathy in Pregnancy & Childbirth
Harnessing the power of nature is Pregnancy, Childbirth & Postpartum.
Earlier this week I didn’t a little course for Birth Workers in the use of Homeopathy and it’s used for pregnancy, birth and post partum.
I love exploring alternative ways to support my clients. Having an overview of any considerations clients wants to explore is a useful tool. It’s also useful on a personal level for my health and that of my families.
I am very interested in a more gentle and natural approach. I love seeing how different methods work for different people. Because that’s the point isn’t it. We are all different and it’s not a one size fits all!
Homeopathy treats each person as a unique individual with the aim of stimulating their own natural healing ability. Medicine is selected with the aim of triggering the body’s natural system of healing.
Did you know?!
Homeopathy is the second largest system of medicine in the world today, as recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Two hundred years of practice, research and trials means Homeopathy is perfectly safe. Unlike some conventional drugs, homeopathic medicines are non-addictive and have no dangerous side-effects making it safe to use for babies, children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Homeopathy doesn’t interfere with conventional medicine and should be seen as a complementary treatment, not as an alternative. For me, it is something I am going to utilise for my family as a first line treatment before turning to more traditional medicine from the GP.
Homeopathy can be a useful tool in pregnancy, labour and post partum.
Some examples include.
Pregnancy:
Nausea & Vomiting
Cramps
Headaches
Sciatica
Labour:
Fear/Anxiety
Can give you a little nudge into labour post 40 weeks
Can support physiological 3rd stage of labour
Post Partum
Emotional Trauma/Shock
Soft Tissue Healing
Hormone balancing
Wound Healing
Nerve pains
Physical Exhaustion
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss with me how homeopathy can help you. I use Helios Childbirth Kit linked here.
*remember to notify your health care provider of any alternative medicines you wish to explore* not medical advice*
Post Partum Bounce Back
Post Partum
We spend 9 months (ish) being treated like a goddess, then all of sudden your baby is here and you are expected to take a back seat.
Whats that all about? Along the way we have lost the gentle path of our postpartum recovery and we're not quite sure how that happened!
This bounce back approach to being a new mum can be really damaging, you know it isn’t real right? From the outside, we often only really see snapshots of someone else's life with a newborn looking like they have it together, however in reality, the lead up to that moment looked very different. Your postpartum time needs protecting, it is unique to you, your needs and what you need to facilitate your recovery.
What is postpartum recovery?
Postpartum recovery is the time after your birth and a time where you should be handled with care. Think of it as your recovery time!
But, in realities of today's modern world, how do you make sure YOU recover when looking after a newborn, while your hormones are recalibrating ? (I feel like I need to recover from that paragraph). Remembering my own experiences of that time after my birth was a complete shock to the system.
A lot of people, myself included, overlook the importance of preparing for postpartum time. We get ourselves so fixated on preparing for birth and the practicalities of looking after a newborn that we completely overlook our own emotional needs as a new mum.
Preparing to adjust to motherhood postpartum
Adjusting to everyday life after the birth of a baby has its challenges, especially if you’re a new mother. Although it’s important to care for your baby, you also have to take care of yourself.
You need to think about your postpartum body, the more you allow yourself to rest, the shorter and easier your recovery will be.
Simple right? So how do we rest with a new born baby, especially if we already have children? Here are a few tips to get you started:
Know what to expect - learn about what to expect for your recovery so you can manage it effectively.
Your body may look different, so why not do some research on vaginal birth recovery or caesarean birth recovery and learn how to take care of your perineum and how to manage constipation - trust me you want everything to flow.Make life as easy as possible for yourself - if like me, you hate clutter, trying to declutterduring your pregnancy and prepare for your house is super helpful. Babies breed clutter so creating as much space before they arrive goes a long way to the “tidy house, tidy mind” feeling.
Now, I am no way saying that it will take away the clutter but the less stuff you have the less to clutter!I learnt the hard way that my house is not going to be the polished masterpiece I was once proud of pre-baby, but it is a happy home!Baskets are great for collecting items and having them in one place to sort out at a later date - your home will feel instantly tidier and calmer.Another great way of making life easier for yourself is to create 'stations' around your home; I’m talking baby changing stations, movie stations with snacks, drinks, books, so that when you sit down to watch a movie and relax, you have everything to hand so you don’t have to worry about getting back up again. This is especially useful for caesarean recovery and accommodating a breast feeding journey.When it comes to breastfeeding, if this is what you choose for yourself, remember that it is completely normal for newborns to be on your breast for what feels like 24/7. Babies instincts are usually pretty good but it is a learning curve for you both and little adjustments can make a big difference. You do not have to navigate this alone.Don't be afraid to ask for help - people will naturally want to visit you and your baby after the birth, so your home will be pretty busy for the first few weeks. However, visitors can inadvertently bring on more work for you and leave you feeling even more tired (welcome to the tired mums club!). The best kind of visitor is the one that, when they come round for dinner, they start clearing up after themselves, they offer to help with tidying and they make you feel comfortable. That is your person!
If you can’t think of anyone that falls into this category, it's okay to ask help. And that goes for everything around the house, you'd be surprised at how much people actually WANT to help and have any excuse to spend time with your newborn baby !
Having said that, postpartum birth visits are one of my favourite aspects to being a Doula. I love nourishing the mother and leaving a sense of calm after my visits, it is very rewarding, and an honour to nurture a new parent whilst they navigate their postpartum journey.
So remember protecting your postpartum recovery is so important. Look after your mind and your body and be kind to yourself by celebrating the wins as they come, no matter how small they may be.
And most importantly, remember - you are incredible!
And Doula Diary was born…
It all begins with an idea.
Dear Doula Diary,
It all begins with an idea. Doula Diary was born following the birth of my daughter Olivia on the 13th August 2021 at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. On Wednesday 11th August1pm (ish)I had a trickle down my leg. Did my waters just break or had I peed myself? I genuinely wasn’t sure so I Googled it which wasn’t really helpful. I decided to see if labour would follow and carried on about my day. Nothing else happened. Thursday 12th August me and my husband decided I should speak with the midwife. My midwife told me to go to the hospital to get checked, without even questioning this I did as I was told and was checked. Little did I know at the time that this could be damaging to the natural progression of my labour and also would introduce infection. Without much thought, as I was hoping that The hospital staff would confirm that I would be welcoming my baby, they confirmed my waters had broken but they hadn’t “popped” completely. This is where the cascade of intervention began, I did not know it at the time and I would have done things so different if I had prepared myself differently. Due to the hospital protocol they wanted me to start on 4 hourly IV antibiotics as precaution (infection risk) and I was to be induced the following day. I thought this was over the top but I complied as I thought that they would know best, I put my trust in the service provider and not myself. Working for the NHS for the last 10 years I did not think this trust was misplaced. As I was working through a mixture of emotions I had to fight for my husband to be able to remain with me as they would not let me go home. We offered to pay for a hotel near by so we were close to the hospital, anything to not be separated. Eventually once the night staff had come on and the day staff had gone home they allowed my husband to stay and for us to finally get some rest. It was a very unsettled night and I was praying that labour would start spontaneously.
Friday 13th August cervix closed so to help things along I requested a pessary as the reading I had done had said this may help speed things along. I know better now but in the moment for my first birth I thought this would help my situation. 1st pessary inserted 01:30 and I tried to get some rest. Nothing happened (Surprise!). Later that morning at 12:15 I was checked and my cervix remained closed, I was very disheartened. Certainly know good hormones floating round my body at this stage. Before I was to be induced I took the opportunity to have a bath and then I was induced at 12:45 which was ticking along, I had a lot of nausea and vomiting throughout my pregnancy and I vomited again the morning of the induction. When the induction started I used a tens machine initially to manage any pain. I thought this worked well, I know that induced labours could be more painful and wanted to try and manage the pain as best as I could with limited drugs. When the induced contractions stepped up a level I had a practice with the gas and air. The consultant then came in to do a stretch and sweep and a hook to properly break my waters at 15:25 (this was brutal!) Crazy contractions minute apart minute in length started not long after this with babies heart rate raised! The consultant checked my Cervix and I was only 1.5cm. It was described to us that it was like trying to push a baby out of a keyhole on a closed door. I do not really recall much more other then some paper being placed in front of me and the health care staff “informing me” of the risks to a caesarean. It was too late, I had no choice, I was in pain, something was not right and my baby was in distress. I scribbled something that looked like my signature. With baby distressed, heart rate over 200 and everything a blur, it all happened so quickly and Jack (my husband) held my hand every step of the way. We were rushed to theatre, I had a Spinal block, urinary catheter inserted and a Cat 2 Caesarian Birth. The spinal block was very surreal and made me feel even more vulnerable when I already felt helpless.
Jack got to cut the cord and have a cuddle whilst they played some relaxing music and put me back together. The theatre staff were very lovely and tried to involve me and honour my wishes as much as possible. Olivia was born. Time: 18:41 on Friday 13th August weighing 7lbs 3oz. She was here and she was safe! I however, was broken. All I remember repeating whilst I was in theatre was that “this is everything I did not want!’ This is where the journey began to understand my own birth story, heal from it and find myself wanting to ensure your birth is in alignment with your vision and that you are prepared. Part of my recovery has been facilitated by becoming a Doula and finding a village of women and birthing people who have either a passion for birth rights and birth or have had their own birth trauma to deal with and found themselves wanting to make birth and postpartum the empowering and transformative experience that it should and can be, if we understand the physiological process of birth and have the confidence to trust our instincts. I can 100% support any birth providing that the mother understands their options and can make informed choices that is right for them. I am particularly passionate about first time Mum’s achieving ANY birth as long as it’s what they have chosen without coercion. I am also very passionate for second time Mum’s achieving vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) or home birth after caesarean (HBAC) as this is what I am aspiring for my next birth and I know with the right support around us we can achieve it!