Pregnancy: minor discomforts
By Christine Deschêne, birth attendant
www.maternia.ca
Expecting a child is a milestone in a woman's life. The womb becomes the cradle of life. Pregnancy and birth are natural phenomena as complex as they are prodigious. In the months following fertilization, the woman's body undergoes a gradual transformation: every system in the human body must adapt to this new situation. Of course, for some women, these changes can cause a wide range of pregnancy-related discomforts at different levels and intensities. Although motherhood is a time of bliss for many women, for many of them the symptoms associated with pregnancy take such an important place that living fully the moment of grace that is motherhood is impossible.
But what to do with all these side effects? How do we manage them when we're not allowed to take a simple aspirin? If you've never wondered about alternatives to traditional medical treatments before becoming pregnant, you'll have to ask yourself during the gestation period, since most of the products you used to have access to in pharmacies, whether on the shelf or by prescription, will now be off-limits to you. What are your alternatives? Alternative medicine and natural health products, from simple foods to add to your plate with the properties you're looking for, to naturopathy, herbalism, homeopathy and aromatherapy. In natural food stores such as La Boite à Grainsyou'll find all the tools you need to soothe pregnancy-related discomforts and perhaps even put an end to them. Why not take advantage of this special situation to try them out? Here are a few tips to help you with the common aches and pains of pregnancy, and others to prepare you for childbirth.
Nausea and vomiting
One of the first complaints most primiparous or multiparous women experience is nausea. Whether it's accompanied by vomiting or not, nausea is an unpleasant experience that sometimes lasts right up to the birth of the baby. This is a good example to illustrate my point. To help them disappear, it's sometimes enough to modify your diet. For example: eat fruit mainly when your stomach is full, avoiding citrus fruit and other acidic fruits; eliminate refined white flour and refined sugar from your diet in favor of natural sugars such as honeyAvoid rich meats and foods containing chemical additives, colourings or artificial flavours, and increase your intake of foods rich in salt (tamari sauce), crackerssaltwater fish and seafood). Include plenty of ginger by consuming fresh ginger root, candied ginger and ginger infusions, or if you prefer, by taking a capsule after each meal and at bedtime. In addition, get into the habit of chewing aniseed. A vitamin B6 supplement may also help - consult your naturopath for the right dose! If heartache is due to difficulty in accepting pregnancy, homeopathy or Back flowers will be of great help.
Gastric reflux and heartburn
As the digestive system is particularly stressed during gestation, other related discomforts are to be expected. Gastric reflux and heartburn are frequent examples. Once again, modifying one's diet by avoiding acidic and irritating foods, as well as reducing animal proteins, may be sufficient in most cases. For others, eating alkaline foods (apricots, figs, dates, green olives, fresh grapes, bananas, peaches, potatoes, beans, chicory, watercress, etc.) and adding white almonds, rice, dried beans (red or white), tofu and bread, which are natural antacids, to their diet will be the solution. After the meal, opt for a fennel, lemon balm or meadowsweet tea; these are not contraindicated during pregnancy. (Or, if you feel like it, an infusion of flaxseed!) In all cases, don't drink while eating, opt for small meals several times a day, and eat the last meal made up of carbohydrates two to three hours before going to bed.
Constipation
Changing your diet is often the basic solution to many problems, and the same applies to constipation, which will affect almost all pregnant women at some point during their pregnancy. Foods that can help include raw wheat bran, oat bran, rice bran, fruits (cantaloupe, prunes, figs and dates) and vegetables (especially fibrous ones). As folic acid deficiency can be linked to constipation, increase your intake of green leafy vegetables such as parsley, asparagus and spinach, which are rich in folic acid. If you must take an iron supplement, opt for iron citrate rather than iron fumarate and iron sulfate, which are more likely to cause cramps and constipation. Of course, drink plenty of water and incorporate physical exercise sessions such as walking or yoga into your daily schedule. If constipation persists, you can turn to various mother tinctures or take brewer's yeast.
Hemorrhoids
Unfortunately, constipation sometimes leads to the appearance of hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids, as well as varicose veins and edema, are problems linked to the circulatory system. Thanks to progesterone (a hormone released by the body during pregnancy), blood vessels increase in capacity. This helps balance blood pressure despite the 25% increase in blood flow. For relief, you'll find what you need to make a clay poultice (green or grey), to which you can add plantain paste or cabbage leaves, and a little garlic as a disinfectant. Take sitz baths with essential oils (3 or 4 drops in a cup of water) of chamomile, lemon balm, thyme or geranium. As often as possible, apply a compress soaked in witch hazel water and use a St. John's wort-based ointment to alleviate itching and burning. For edema, reduce your intake of mineral salts by replacing your necessary intake of iodine, chlorine and sodium with kelp. Remember to avoid sugar and eat foods with diuretic properties: melon, grapes, cucumber, celery, beet, onion, etc. Help your kidneys by drinking nettle, raspberry, rosemary or borage tea.
Stretch marks
Alongside the increase in blood volume comes weight gain. Although weight gain varies from one mother-to-be to another, it inevitably has an impact on the skin. Both weight gain and skin dehydration can lead to the appearance of stretch marks. To prevent them, massage the abdomen (especially the bottom), breasts, buttocks and thighs as needed, with a moisturizing oil, butter or lotion. Although studies show that it's the massage that does the most to eliminate the risk of stretch marks, not the product used, using a quality product without harmful chemical additives can only optimize your results. Shea butter, pure vitamin E and sweet almond oil are good examples. Foods to choose? Those rich in Omega 3, such as cold-water fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines), flaxseed oil, pumpkin seeds and eggs.
Other tips
As far as your skin is concerned, you'll need adequate sun protection, as the epidermis is particularly sensitive during pregnancy. Use a mineral-based sunscreen to protect yourself and limit the absorption of chemicals that can cross the placenta. As for your beauty products and hair dyes, make sure you choose products with the fewest ingredients potentially harmful to your child.
In addition to reducing other pregnancy-related symptoms such as muscle cramps, nasal congestion, sleep problems and pregnancy-related anxiety, natural products and alternative medicines can be useful in the following situations: urinary tract infection, flu, sinusitis, reducing the risk of carrying streptococcus B, anemia, etc. Whatever discomfort or problems you may experience during pregnancy, there's a solution available.
Preparing for childbirth
On another note, there are a number of tools you'll need to prepare for childbirth. Raspberry leaf tea, for example, has the property of toning the uterus and enriching breast milk. Studies have shown that drinking 1 to 2 liters a day at the end of pregnancy facilitates and accelerates childbirth. The same is true of dates, which, when consumed at a rate of six a day, are said to have a similar effect due to their high oxytocin content.
Triggering labor
If you're planning to induce labor artificially for any reason, you may want to try and stimulate it less abruptly beforehand. To do this, take some steps and mobilize your hips as much as possible. If you still feel like it: make love. The prostaglandin present in semen will have a beneficial effect on cervical ripening, and orgasm will trigger the release of natural oxytocin in the body. The secretion of oxytocin, the hormone that triggers labor, can also be stimulated by massaging and stimulating the nipples. Homeopathy combined with acupuncture could be of great help - consult us to find out more. Eating dates, pineapple and plenty of spicy foods can also have a beneficial effect on inducing labor. If nothing works and you're ready to try a drastic solution, castor oil used as a poultice and/or ingested at a rate of two to four tablespoons in a glass of orange juice will be your last resort!
In conclusion...
Pregnancy shouldn't be treated like an illness, and neither should childbirth. Rather, it's a natural process that sometimes requires support to make it easier, but nature does things well. Just as she has ensured that a woman's body is perfectly suited to procreation, she has made available to us in nature everything we might need to ease and help us through this period of intense transformation. One thing is certain, whether or not you know anything about alternative medicine, natural products and grandmotherly tricks: before embarking on any treatment, especially during pregnancy when there are so many contraindications and specificities, consult a specialist. Whether it's a naturopath, homeopath, herbalist or aromatherapist, make sure he or she specializes in perinatal care. Perhaps this new adventure will help you realize that there are alternatives to traditional medicine. For me, it was an opportunity to change my old reflexes when it came to taking care of myself, and now to think differently. When one of my family members has a minor health problem, before going to the pharmacy, I visit a natural food store and ask an advisor for a suggestion. After all, nature isn't just for pregnant women!
By Christine Deschêne
FQM-certified massage therapist
Certified yoga teacher
Fitness trainer
Birth coach