Natural Health and Healing for the Childbearing
Years
Compiled by LLM
For health articles about various topics, go
here. Please
email me
with any suggestions to add to this page. Note
that many topics on this page are discussed by
Gloria Lemay- go here
for more by her.
Also see BirthLove's Holistic
Pregnancy and Birth forum, and sign up for
Demetria Clark's Herb
Course as well.
To see the dangers of "natural induction",
see this page.
Pregnancy Health
Preventing Pregnancy
Induced Hyptertension (PIH)
"I know PIH far too well... Here's what
has worked for me, but others should research
for themselves to see what works.
- Drink water, drink some more, and drink some
more. You'll know the bathrooms around town
like no one else. We're talking 2+ quarts/day.
- Up your protein to 80 - 100 mg, a day.
- Calcium... up that as much as possible, combining
w/ magnesium.
- Take baths w/ Epsom salts (the magnesium helps)
- Visualizations and affirmations (sounds corny,
but if you can visualize your blood pressure
going down and your body relaxing, it CAN help)
- Eat a cucumber each day; as well, bananas
help with potassium, too, so eat one/day.
- Herbs like Passionflower help relax the circulatory
system. Uva Ursi helps reduce edema, but talk
with an herbalist/midwife before consuming.
- I also take Grape seed extract (w/ some vit
E and C) and garlic capsules and Evening Primrose
Oil.
- Stop wearing a bra. I have no scientific
evidence to support this, but relaxing the chest
area from a tight fitting bra can help relax
everything.
- Chiropractics
Also: spend at least 30 mins a day in a pool.
Studies have shown that full body immersion (in
a pool, not a tub) for 30+ minutes a day will
help bring the BP down." -Heather McCue
Butter for pregnant
women
"We've made a HUGE change in the human diet
when we switched from whole grains and natural
fats to synthetic oils and fats (yes, 'synthetic'-
I mean margarine and salad oils, and hydrogenated
shortening, and other heart-damaging substances).
The human body NEEDS cholesterol and essential
fatty acids from fish, meat, and butter. The human
placenta NEEDS a good cholesterol and EFA source-
and so does the baby's brain.
"Our modern diets, lacking in whole grains,
and sometimes high in 'fake-fats' while low in
'real fats'- or sometimes low in all fats-
might not be the best thing to develop healthy
placentas and healthy baby brains. I think butter
(real butter!) is a great addition to the diets
of modern American pregnant women."
Gail Hart, Midwife, Oregon
www.midwiferyeducation.org
Migraines in Pregnancy
Question: "My midwifery client has
migraines. What medicinal and natural therapies
can help her?"
Reply by Vicki Taylor, Mama's Cradle Midwifery:
"I have migraines too, and have researched
this on behalf of my clients. Imitrex is OK to
use during pregnancy after the first trimester.
Of course, you don't want to be using it on a
daily basis, but assuming that this client has
a documented history of migraines, it should be
safe for her to use if for the occasional migraine.
"I would also advise this mom to make sure
that she is getting three meals and three snacks
per day, 85 grams of protein daily, and at least
32 ounces of fluids [1 litre]. If she is aware
of what triggers the migraines (i.e stress, dehydration,
coffee, tea, chocolate, aged cheeses, etc.), she
can sometimes just push 32 ounces of fluids and
eat a high protein snack and ward it off. I have
also had great luck with ice packs to the forehead
and back of the neck, and a hot pack to the feet
to redirect the circulation. Best of luck to her."
-Vicki Taylor
Herbs and seaweeds for
calcium
"For pregnant women who need calcium: The
best calcium herbs are oat straw, borage and bancha
twigs. Bancha twigs are LOADED with calcium. Another
thing very high in calcium is hijiki seaweed.
A half-cup has about 1,400 mg. of calcium! Pregnant
women should also make sure they're ingesting
a fat/oil of some sort within an hour or so since
calcium binds with fat/oil in the stomach and
assimilates this way." -Raven
Gall stones
"Take wool and soak it in castor oil. Wring
out excess and place on gall area. Apply heat
for one hour. Do such for 3 days on, 5 days off
for 3 applications then take 1/4 c olive oil and
1/4 c lemon juice. The castor oil packs will begin
giving relief right away. And no fried or greasy
foods (including butter). Welcome to a bland diet!"
-Judi M.
How one mother upped her blood iron dramatically
"To bring my hemoglobin from an eight to
ten before my homebirth, I consumed the following
each day:
- Eight beet root tablets
- 1/2 cup liquid chlorophyll
- Fresh spinach, collard greens, and kale juiced
with tomato juice (8 ounces per day)
- 4 ounces beef steak or beef liver with a baked
potato
- 40 drops yellowdock and dandelion tincture
three times per day
- Orange juice for vitamin C to aid in absorbtion
- Very little dairy."
This brought my blood iron up wonderfully."
-Sarah Wilson.Read Sarah's homebirth story, and
be linked to her other stories, here.
Three pregnancy questions answered
by Gloria Lemay
1. What causes babies to have hiccups in utero?
How can the mom help with this?
"No one is sure but there is a theory that
it is a magnesium deficiency. Eating canteloupe
or taking a good quality calcium/magnesium/Vit.D
supplement might help."
2. Leg cramps- what vitamin/mineral deficiency
needs to be addressed?
"Calcium/magnesium/Vitamin D." [Note
from Leilah, site editor: I'm 40 weeks pregnant
at this writing, and find that if I stop taking
a calcium/magnesium supplement for even one day
I get leg cramps. I find eating two a day with
food to really help.]
3. Swelling of hands and feet- how can the mother
get her swelling down? Is swelling in a woman
with normal blood pressure "normal"?
"Brisk exercise, rest, extra water to drink.
Pregnant women need to have a large bowel movement
every day to detoxify their bodies. Avoid all
refined flour and sugar. The body is taking excess
toxins to the regions of the body farthest away
from the growing fetus."
Gestational diabetes preventative
measures
-by Gloria Lemay
"Who's at risk for gestational diabetes
(GD)?
- maternal age over 25
- obese woman prior to pregnancy
- previous birth of baby weighing over 10 lbs.at
birth
- previous unexplained stillbirth at term
- family history of diabetes (esp. close relatives
who became diabetic at a young age, i.e. juvenile
onset diabetes)
- previous history of recurrent miscarriages
- extremes of heaviness or thinness
- history of alcohol abuse
- history of anorexia or bulimia
Personally, I like to treat everybody "as
if" they are GD because the diet and lifestyle
changes are good for everyone and it is preventative.
If I see any of the above factors, I get the mother
on a GD diet and exercise program as early as
possible and then, if they do take the 28 week
glucose tolerance test, they usually sail through
it with flying colours. This doesn't mean they
can start eating junk food though. I tell my clients
that ice cream and chocolate are toxic to unborn
babies- there is way too much fat, salt, sugar
and caffeine in these products for a baby in utero
to cope with.
Whole, organic foods, fresh water, and love are
the ingredients to grow a healthy baby.
See this
site for lots of info on GD testing, GD food
plans, and more. Find the research that says that
exercise cuts down a woman's risk of GD by half!
Bacterial vaginosis
and trichomonas
It is very important not to treat Bacterial vaginosis
and trichomonas (asymptomatic vaginal trichomoniasis)
with metronidazole (Flagyl)- in a study in The
New England Journal of Medicine (August 16, 2001
;345:487-493), it was shown to double the chances
of preterm delivery. Go here
for this story, and for more ways to combat vaginal
infections.
Natural ways to eliminate
yeast infections
Garlic and boric acid for yeast infections
"In my pregnancies I often get 'yeasty'
and have tried the usual medicational remedies.
But with my 7th, I learned about garlic: it only
costs pennies to use, and is far more effective
than Monistat, Canasten, etc.
To treat a yeast infection, take a fat, peeled
garlic clove and poke a hole through it. Then
thread the clove with soft embroidery floss, tying
a loop at the end so there is a 'pullstring'.
Insert the clove as high as possible into the
vagina, and let it (and subsequent garlic 'tampons')
remain inserted for 2-3 days, including at night.
Try taking acidopholus orally (1-2 capsules a
day) as well if the yeast infection is really
annoying- and cut down on sugar, too." -LLM
"Fill 3 double 00 gelatin capsules with
boric acid powder. Insert one capsule in the vagina
as high as the fingers will reach upon retiring
at night. Wear a pad to bed as you will get wet.
Do this for 3 nights. Yeast will be gone. Safe
in pregnancy. I instruct clients to check with
a pharmacist to get them in the habit of always
checking with 2 sources when taking anything in
pregnancy. The pharmacists always concur. Boric
acid is most often used by diluting with water
to make a mild eye wash. It slightly changes the
ph of the vagina and makes it uninhabitable for
yeast. This treatment costs pennies. -Gloria
Lemay, Vancouver, BC
"Jumpy" legs
Question: "My legs just seem to not
be able to find a comfortable position and just
jump all over the place. What can I do?"
Answer: "Jumpy legs is caused by
eating too much carbohydrate. Cut out all potatoes,
rice, pasta, bread, cereal and see the difference.
Lots of vegetables and meat, fish, etc will settle
your legs right away." -Gloria Lemay,
Vancouver, BC
Severe morning sickness
Sites that deal with morning sickness/hyperemesis
gravidum:
The importance of salt
"Use of natural sea salt is a subject near
and dear to my heart. Pregnant women need to eat
salt to taste AND it must be natural sea salt
which you can find in the health food store."
-Gloria Lemay
The Truth About Salt
Research about just how important salt is for
people (that is- Celtic sea salt); this includes
mention of why a strictly vegan diet can be harmful
to the health.
Vitamin Cautions for Pregnancy
by Gloria Lemay
"Most people think that Vitamins are always
"good for you" and the more the better.
Pregnant women need to use caution with Vitamins
A, C and D in higher doses than the Recommended
Daily Allowances. Synthetic Vitamin A in some
drugs used for acne and psoriasis can cause birth
defects in the developing fetus. The concern with
toxicity of Vitamin D in pregnancy is calcification
of the placenta and other soft tissues. The mother
is also more prone to developing kidney stones.
Vitamin C taken in extra large doses is thought
to cause miscarriage in the early weeks of pregnancy
and can cause harm to the baby after birth. This
is what Anne Frye has to say about megadoses of
Vitamin C in pregnancy. "High doses of any
water soluble vitamin may, in some cases, produce
marked symptoms of deficiency in the newborn because
of the rapid drop in blood levels once the baby
is not being supplied with nutrients via the umbilical
cord. For example, a baby whose mother takes more
than 5 grams of vitamin C daily throughout pregnancy
may develop scurvy (Vitamin C deficiency disease)
shortly after birth."Anne Frye, B.A. Holistic
Midwifery from the book "Holistic Midwifery:
A comprehensive Textbook for Midwives in Homebirth
Practice" Vol. l, Care During Pregnancy copyright
l995 Labrys Press, Ore. Page 252
Preventing the breech position
of babies
"One tip I would like to give those of you
expecting your second little ones is carry your
toddler on your hip. Keep the older child off
your pregnant belly. Women who use the uterine
fundus as a seat for a toddler are more prone
to breech presentations." -Gloria Lemay
"Handstands in a pool can help turn breech
babies. The woman needs to be in water to just
below her breasts. She does series of handstands
over the course of about 10 minutes about two-three
times/day & walks about a half hour after
each session. I've had several women whose babes
turned after just the first day of doing handstands."
-Karen of BirthTender
Miscarriage
Also see BirthLove's Loss
page.
Threatened Miscarriage
-by Gloria Lemay
"Clear instructions regarding threatened
miscarriage is helpful. Filling more than two
regular Kotex pads with blood in one hour is too
much blood and the pregnant woman should seek
help at Emergency if she is bleeding that heavily
(they will put up an IV of fluids so she doesn't
lose all her blood volume and have kidney failure).
Bleeding alone is less ominous than bleeding combined
with cramping. If she continues to bleed she might
be advised to have a D & C. In this day and
age, we don't want to have women need a blood
transfusion.
"Something is wrong if there's that much
blood coming out. Some babies survive quite a
bit of blood loss. The placenta may be low-lying
in the first trimester (unusual in a first pregnancy)
but may move up and away from the cervix as the
pregnancy continues. Getting extra rest, nutritious
food and NOT travelling would be advisable."
Should anembryonic pregnancies
be treated?
"Before the days of pregnancy tests, women
had these all the time. They just called them
'late periods'. They would skip a period or two
and about the time their third period was expected,
they would have a period- perhaps a bit longer
or heavier than usual, but nothing to worry about.
And they's just kind of shrug and figure their
period was just late. They wouldn't have known
that they HAD been "pregnant", but that
the embryo had never formed.
"The only difference nowadays is that we
have early pregnancy tests, women know they are
pregnant within days of their first missed period-
and then they get an early ultrasound and discover
the pregnancy didn't continue- which brings up
the whole issue and question of "what to
do". I don't think these situations are any
more risky than they even have been; the woman
will eventualy have a "heavy period"-
anywhere from a normal period to a slightly longer
period- and in all but rare cases, this is the
end of the story.
"If a woman tries to use herbs or medicines
to 'get a miscarriage started' before the body
is ready to clear things out on its own, then
she risks bleeding and other problems. I know
of folks who do chemical abortions (like cytotec),
D&Cs or D&E for this, but these procedures
are not risk free; and you have to wonder 'why
rush'? Is there any risk to waiting for the inevitable
miscarriage? Little. The uterus won't stay long
quiet without a functional placenta, and eventually
mom should start having signs/symptoms of a miscarriage.
"Anembryonic pregnancies are common enough
that in the older days women were advised to wait
till they skipped thier third period before seeing
their doctor or midwife so they could be sure
they were pregnant- or that the pregnancy was
likely to last."
-Gail Hart, Midwife,
www.midwiferyeducation.org
Remedies for heavy bleeding
"My name is Sobande Ifasanmi Karade-Anke
and I'm a 5th generational (Sangoma) or herbalist
for over 20 years. I'm also a holistic nutritionist,
consultant & Reiki Ashe Practitioner. Taught
by the ancient ways of my great grandmother, there
are some really good holistic ways to handle the
bleeding from a miscarriage. Granny used to call
a episode like this 'Flooding the Gates'.
For general purposes try the following formula
in a tea or capsule:
- shepherd's purse
- raspberry leaf
- cinnamon
- agrimony
This is a start, and these proportions should
be mixed equally except for the cinnamon.
Aiku Ashe (health, long life so be it)
Sobande
The following herbs are also helpful:
- vitex
- blue cohosh
- motherwort
More by LLM: Bleeding is
our bodies' way of telling us to rest more. Please
remember to rest lots, and eat and drink lots
too in miscarriage. Read Miscarriage
Update and Message to get an idea of what
can help you feel better.
Birth and Postpartum Health
Lochia
"The duration and amount of Lochia is like
the duration of pregnancy. The 'normal' range
as shown by the replies on this list varies enormously.
The mean duration is six weeks; this of course
means that some women will bleed for only two-three
weeks some for seven-eight weeks. Both extremes
are normal- as is the stopping and starting that
happens as the loss dries up.
"A sudden increase in loss or passing small
clots at around 12 days postpartum is also a common
and 'normal' occurrence and is due to a slough
over the placental site separating around that
time, slough is a sort of soft moist scab which
can form over internal raw areas. What is NOT
normal is heavy bright red bleeding that soaks
a maternity pad in less than half an hour, or
smelly lochia not due to forgetfulness in changing
pads; nor is fever or feeling like you have flu."
-Mary Cronk, Independent Midwife
Endometriosis in Birth
"I've been hired as a doula for a client
with stage 4 endometriosis. She's had several
surgeries and was told she couldn't get pregnant;
she was planning to try IVF later this year but
happily discovered that she was pregnant (she's
five months along now) after seven years of 'wishing,
hoping, praying, and crying' as she puts it.
"Due to the enormous amounts of scar tissue
and adhesions (she almost lost her kidney and
had to have her urethra cut and reattached) she's
worried about her chances for a vaginal delivery.
Her caregiver doesn't seem interested in researching
the issue and she can't find much on her own so
she asked me if I'd look into it.
"Have you had clients with severe endometriosis
or other scarring? How did it affect the labour
and birth? Were there any issues with regards
to dilation? Any suggestions on things we could
do before and during the birth to make a vaginal
birth more possible/pleasant?" -Robin
Replies:
"Robin, in my 29 years of experience, I
have dealt with many clients with endometriosis,
and never had a client run into a problem due
to endometriosis during labor and birth. The worst
problem most of these ladies have is getting pregnant
and avoiding an ectopic pregnancy. I would not
foresee any complications during her labor and
birth due to the endometriosis (which may be why
her caregiver is not interested in researching
this).
"Should not be an issue with her cervix,
as endometrial implants on the cervix are rare,
and should not cause a problem with dilation.
I realize this lady has been through the mill,
but pregnancy and birth have always been presented
by the docs I know as a great cure for endometriosis.
If she is thinking about future pregnancies, she
may not want to wait too far between them, to
give her the best shot at conception, etc. Best
of luck to her and you as her doula."
Happy Birthing,
Vicki Taylor
"I have also dealt with many clients with
endometriosis, and know of more; and I've never
had a client run into a problem due to endometriosis
during labor and birth either. There weren't any
issues with regards to dilation. Yes, getting
pregnant is usually the challenge.
"'Are there any suggestions on things we
could do before and during the birth to make a
vaginal birth more possible/pleasant?'- YES! Don't
borrow trouble! Your client shouldn't worry about
'what might happen'- first, because it isn't likely
to happen. She isn't particularly at risk for
problems- and even if she is (which I doubt)-
she shouldn't go around looking for reasons to
worry! Tell her to relax and enjoy her pregnancy,
and be thankful and happy to be pregnant, and
that all should go well, and to let go of fear!
"The usual CURE for endometriosis is PREGNANCY!
She is quite likely to discover that all of her
problems will be remedied with the birth of this
baby."
Gail Hart, Midwife, Oregon
www.midwiferyeducation.org
The Cochrane Database
says- "leave the cord stump alone!"
"Ten studies were included, all from developed
countries. No systemic infections or deaths were
observed in any of the studies reviewed. Cord
and other skin infections within six weeks of
observation were not affected by use of antiseptics.
There was a trend to reduced colonization with
antibiotics compared to antiseptics and no treatment.
Antiseptics prolonged the time to cord separation.
Use of antiseptics was associated with a reduction
in maternal concern about the cord. Reviewers'
conclusions: Simply keeping the cord clean appears
to be as effective and safe as using antibiotics
or antiseptics."
Citation: Zupan J, Garner P. Topical umbilical
cord care at birth (Cochrane Review). In: The
Cochrane Library, Issue 1 2003. Oxford: Update
Software.
* * *
Note from Leilah, site editor: I do nothing at
all with my babies' cord stumps; they get a bit
smelly just before falling off, but this is a
normal effect. The only times I have ever had
problems with umbilical cord stumps is back when
I still used rubbing alcohol to cleanse them,
as the hospital recommended. The more I cleaned
the stumps, the more irritated the sites would
become (and the longer it would take for the cords
to dry up and fall off). Doing nothing, not even
washing with water, is my own best bet. For more
on cord care, see Don't
Be Afraid!
Vulval varicose veins in
pregnancy and birth
"In my experience of caring for women with
vulval varicies, there is usually little or no
problem at the birth. As the head descends, the
veins empty as the pressure from the head distends
the vulva. Episiotomy is contraindicated, in fact
it really is to be avoided in this condition.
I have helped women give birth with really bad
varicose veins and vulval varicose veins, and
I have never had a problem. I usually advise women
to be on their hands and knees or squatting to
birth their babies, but women with varicosities
will often want to recline; and like all births
one should try and listen to what the woman's
body is telling her to do. I have a lovely photo
of a woman giving birth in the semi-reclining
position which she had chosen despite my best
efforts to get her off the bed. She had awful
varicose veins and semi-reclining was right for
her- and her varicosities." -Mary Cronk,
Independent Midwife
"Denise Tiran in 'Natural Remedies for Morning
Sickness and other Pregnancy Problems' suggest
mother sits in shallow bath to which is added
witch hazel. Or bath with essential oils of cypress,
juniper berry and or lemon but no juniper berry
if history of kidney disease. Also homeopathy."
-Jenny Lesley
"A sanitary pad with witch hazel, then put
into the frezer can be very soothing, and is supposed
to help hemorrhoids too. Just remember to dampen
it with water before applying, otherwise it'll
take the skin off!" -Deepest Blue
"I am a diehard fan of good support hose.
A woman will be so much more comfortable. Another
midwife highly recommends athletic bike shorts-
you could put a pad inside these to provide counterpressure."
-Edie, CPM in WI
Red Raspberry Leaves Linked
with Lower Rates of Forceps Deliveries
"Researchers in Sydney, Australia undertook
a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled
trial to explore the effect and safety on labor
and birth outcomes of raspberry leaf consumed
in tablet form by nulliparous women from 32 weeks
gestation until the beginning of labor. There
were 192 participants. Each woman in the treatment
group took a 1.2-g tablet of raspberry leaf herb
twice daily. The control group received an inert
tablet that was identical in appearance. The herb
was found to cause no adverse effects for mother
or baby. The only clinically significant findings
were a shortening of the second stage of labor
and a lower rate of forceps deliveries (19.3%
vs. 30.4%) in the treatment group." -Journal
of Midwifery & Women's Health, Vol. 46, No.
2, March/April 2001.
Excerpted from: MIDWIFERY TODAY E-NEWS, a
publication of Midwifery
Today, Inc. Volume 4 Issue 11 March 13, 2002
Mary's Expectant Management
of SROM
"How do I 'manage' SROM [spontaneous
rupture of the membranes- waters breaking]
prelabour at term at home? If expectant ["wait
and see"] management is chosen by the
mother, I do NOTHING, no vaginal exams, and await
events asking the woman to monitor her Temperature
AND PULSE. I am perhaps a little obsessive about
maternal pulses, but in my experience a rising
pulse rate can often precede a rise in temp. If
no signs of labour after 24 hours I would do a
full blood count and C reactive protein and repeat
this every 2 days. I would advise avoiding penetrative
sex, and suggest showering rather than bathing.
"I have a current client whose membranes
ruptured spontaneously with a twin pregnancy at
28 weeks, she with truly amazing strength and
fortitude coped with leaking liquor [water] until
labour started spontaneously at 35 weeks."
-Mary Cronk, Independent Midwife
Protocols for When Your
Water Breaks Before Labor
-by Gloria Lemay
1. Drink plenty of fluids. Minimum: 8 glasses,
spaced throughout the day. Purified water with
lemon squeezed in it is good.
2. Allow nothing in vagina. No fingers, no tampons,
no oral-genital contact, no bath water, no swimming
pool water, no speculum, no penis, nothing whatsoever!
3. Wear something loose-fitting with no panties.
4. If you are leaking and need something for
sitting, use clean towels fresh out of a hot dryer.
5. Take your temperature every 4 hours while
you are awake. Normal range is 35.5 to 37.3 Degrees
Centigrade or 96 to 99 Degrees Fahrenheit. If
it goes above the upper ranges, drink some water,
retake it and if your temperature remains up call
your medical person. It could be a sign of infection.
6. Take 250mg Vitamin C every 3 hours while you
are awake. Oranges, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, red
peppers are all good sources.
7. No baths. Shower as much as you like.
8. Eat foods that are unconstipating and easy
to digest. Especially avoid foods with MSG or
nitrates, such as pizza, Chinese food, or deli
meats. These foods can make you vomit in the birth
process.
9. Be meticulous about toileting. Wipe from front
to back, and wash hands carefully after.
l0. If the water is colored green or brown (meconium),
or if it has a bad smell (sign of infection),
let your medical person know.
If you want to know your baby is doing well,
check the baby’s heart rate- have someone
put his or her ear against your lower belly or
listen through a toilet paper roll. The fetal
heart rate should be 140-160 beats a minute. And
to monitor the fetal movements in a day, start
at 9 a.m. and count each time the baby kicks until
3 p.m. There should be l0 distinct movements (the
Cardiff fetal movement test). Contact your medical
person if you get less than 10 movements, or if
you’re having problems assessing the fetal
heart rate.
Question to Gloria: "How
long can I go after my waters have broken before
birth?"
"There is always more fluid being released
to replace the amniotic waters. I once had a client
with released membranes and water gushing out
for 6 weeks. She gave birth on her due date to
a healthy 7 1/2 pound girl. If the temperature
of the Mom is normal, there is no reason to treat
the mother/baby any differently than if the membranes
are intact. The woman usually wants to drink extra
fluids."
Herbs for afterpains
Many women experience pain in their uteruses
after their babies are born, as a result of the
uterus contracting back down to normal size. Herbs
can be of great assistance in relieving pain after
childbirth.
Herbs for Afterpains:
Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium)
Crampbark (Viburnum opulus)
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifolia)
Vervain (Verbena off.)
I would recommend a tincture. A common recipe
I would use might look like this:
Crampbark 25 ml
Blue cohosh 25 ml
Motherwort 15 ml
Vervain 15 ml
Black haw 20 ml
Total: 100ml
5 ml three times a day in water or 2 ml every
two hours if pain is considerable (for no more
than 3 days).
If a woman has not yet delivered, but anticipates
pain, she should consider some stronger uterine
tonics in the last month, such as partridge berry,
black cohosh, motherwort, etc.- a list is on my
site.
Submitted by Stacelynn Caughlan, Cl.N., C.H.,
R.N.C.P.
Clinical Nutritionist, Certified Herbalist
Prenatal and Pediatric Care
Vancouver, B.C.
Herbal remedy for the
perineum
You can use herbs to help with perineal pain
after giving birth. Make a strong infusion by
bringing two cups of water to a boil, then allowing
it to cool slightly. Pour the water into a teapot
or jar, over two heaping teaspoons of herbs- comfrey,
yarrow, rosemary, goldenseal, witch hazel, thyme,
calendula, myrrh and/or aloe vera. Cover, and
allow the mixture to steep for at least half an
hour- overnight is best- then strain well. Refrigerate
unused tea for up to three days.
Make a compress with the tea: soak a cloth in
the cooled tea, and put in on your bottom. Some
women find either cold compresses or hot compresses
to be of most assistance- see what works best
for you.
To make going to the bathroom easier, dilute
the tea by one half with clean water and fill
your peri bottle (or a water bottle with a pop-up
top). Spray while urinating to reduce stinging.
For more about postpartum herbs and herbal remedies
for the perineum by Stacelynn Caughlan, Cl.N.,
C.H., R.N.C.P. Clinical Nutritionist, Certified
Herbalist Prenatal and Pediatric Care, go to this
page.
Stopping postpartum hemorrhage
naturally and effectively
"Motherwort immediately following delivery
of placenta is a great prophylactic- but the most
surefire solution I have heard has been keep a
knife nearby to slice off a small piece of placenta,
put it 'between the cheek and gum', or under the
tongue- or even chew on it. There are many midwives
tales that have a mom nearly brought back from
the dead by doing that." -from Amanda.
Note: the maternal side is best to use- see below
for more.
Consuming placenta to
ease or prevent postpartum depression
"This works well to prevent postpartum depression:
the mother cuts one of the plump lobes off the
maternal side of the placenta (baby's has the
cord) and then cuts that into little pieces about
the size of the eraser at the end of a pencil.
Whenever she feels the need, she puts a piece
of the raw placenta, which she keeps in a little
covered glass jar in the fridge, under her tongue
and holds it there for about 5 minutes. She can
spit it out after that time or swallow it, but
all the steroids and iron are absorbed sublingually
(under the tongue)." -Gloria
Lemay
Breastfeeding Health
Self-help for mastitis
"I know a bout of mastitis is on its way
when my breast gets red and sore, and I feel chilled
and tired. I know it's time to get serious about
taking care of myself- I can't let things get
so bad that I end up in the hospital on IV antibiotics.
What I do is recruit help for the older kids,
and get right into bed with baby. I keep a bottle
of water with me and drink frequently, and eat
fresh grapefruits. I NURSE AS MUCH AS THE BABY
WILL TAKE from my affected side, and a bit from
the other as well. And- I sleep- sleep and rest,
moving as little as possible, nursing and sleeping
until I feel better. This is the best way I heal
myself. -LLM
Dealing with thrush
"Yeast advice: baking soda paste. It was
my last resort and it works! In minutes it takes
away the pain. I read this tip in Mothering magazine,
the issue *after* the yeast/thrush issue (sometime
in the last year or year and a half I believe.)
I used this for thrush on my breasts but I'm sure
it would work on other body parts. I made a paste
with water and baking soda."
Urinary/GI health
Urinary tract health
"Here's some specific actions to take to
have a healthy urinary tract:
- Eliminate apple juice, fizzy drinks, and caffein
from the beverage list.
- Every a.m., make a quart (or litre) of purified
water with a l/2 lemon squeezed in it (ideally
put in a glass container). Sip on this throughout
the day. I find lemon water better than cranberry
juice for bladder infections. Don't sweeten
the lemon water.
- Be sure to pee BEFORE love making.
- Cotton underwear that stays outside the cracks.
i.e. NOT thongs, strings.
- To bed earlier at night. . . the hours before
midnight are the best quality sleep.
- Reduce stress.
- Take acidophyllus and eat lots of yogurt
to help counteract the effect of any antibiotics
taken.
- Your body is probably full of yeast if you
have been on antibiotics more than once in the
past year. Eliminate white sugar and bread.
Pharmaceutical companies can only provide an
imperfect bandaid for a problem. Real health comes
from loving ourselves and taking good care of
the machinery." -Gloria Lemay, Vancouver
BC Canada
Fom the Brtish Medical Journal:
Cranberry
juice reduces recurrent urinary tract infection
Urinary tract infection
"Avoid strong kidney irritants such as juniperus
spp.; choose botanicals that act as demulcents,
urinary astringents: zea mays (cornsilk), gallium
aparine (cleavers), althea officinalis (marshmallow),
equisetum spp. (horsetail), mitchella repens (squawvine),
arctostaphylos uva ursi (uva ursi); urinary antiseptics
include allium sativum (garlic), thymus vulgaris
(thyme)." -Mary Bove, ND, The Birthkit
Issue 20
Help for hemorrhoids and
constipation
Comfrey for hemorrhoids
"Comfrey helped me tremendously with both
rhoids and varicosities. I would steep some dried
comfrey leaves in hot water for about 5 minutes.
While they were steeping, I would draw myself
a hot bath... then dump in the comfrey tea. complete
with dimmed lights, classical music, and candles
(I did this a couple of times a week to escape
from my 2 and 3 year old boys!)
After the bath I would take the comfrey leaves
and roll them up and place them next to the affected
areas. I would also put them on a nice thick cotton
pad.
My doula makes all her clients comfrey pads.
Makes a comfrey tea, then lightly soaks the pad
in the tea and puts them in the freezer."
-Heather M.
Hemorrhoid help
"I have struggled with constipation and
'roids' for most of my life. My mom said I was
born constipated. I have had the unpleasant problem
of a compacted bowel.
"One thing that really works for me is using
flax seed oil. I take 1 tablespoon in the am and
1 Tablespoon in the pm. I put a Tablespoon of
the oil in my mouth and then a big sip of juice
and swish it in my mouth to mix it and then swallow.
I could not handle the texture otherwise. It does
not have a strong flavour. It works like a charm
and if I missed a dose my BM's would get a little
harder. Also try to do things you would normally
do standing in a sitting position. I would pull
up a stool to the counter when preparing dinner.
Walking helps too ( not to be confused with standing
still ). I also found it helped to NOT push. I
waited till my bowels were ready to do most of
the work themselves. This meant that I would have
to relax, read a little, maybe some music : )."
-A.L.
Hemerrhoid suggestions
- "Best not to strain while moving bowels,
and don't sit too long on the pot.
- A chilled, raw potato in a cheese cloth compress
helps. Some say to actually insert a chunk of
skinned potato or glove of garlic into the rectum
- but eeeegads, I wouldn't!
- Witch hazel on a cotton ball helps, or you
can get those hemorrhoid wipes- but they're
nothing but witch hazel. Chill these for added
relief.
- Homeopathic Hamamelis 30x
- A nice comfrey sitz bath
- Plenty of water
- Most importantly, daily exercise.
I had terrible hemorrhoids with my 2nd and 3rd
babies. I was pretty lazy though, and didn't move
much, ate lots of red meat. With my 4th and 5th,
I made sure I got good daily exercise - with that
not a single incident of hemorrhoids the entire
pregnancy or post partum. Can't say if it was
just luck, the exercise or the bulkier diet, but
whatever it was, I was relieved." -Beth
Babies
Herbal baby eye wash
Eyebright tea:
"Put a level teaspoon of the dried eyebright
herb in a coffee mug. Add l/2 a mug of boiling
water poured over the herb. Let cool down to warm
and strain in a fine sieve. Use a clean cotton
ball for each eye. Wipe from inside corner out
and throw away cotton ball. Dry with clean cotton
ball. We usually do this simple treatment 3 hours
after birth when we do the full baby exam. Take
care to have a facecloth so the eye wash does
not drip down the cheek and into the ears."
-Gloria Lemay
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