Filed under: herbal remedies, postpartum care | Tags: afterpains, colic, herbal medicine, herbal postpartun, how to get rid off jaundice, how to relief colic, jaundice, natural childbirth, newborn jaundice, overcoming afterpains, postpartum, postpartum care
Keep the room warm immediatley after the birth, and do not give a postpartum woman cold drinks. If a newly postpartum woman has to warm her body after a chill, or if she has to warm up the contents of her stomach, she is wasting vital energy. Her entire course of postpartum recovery can be greatley affected by these two factors. Her energy at this time is precious. Respect and conserve it.
Afterpains
These can be very painful and distracting for the new mother. Strongly brewed Ginger tea brings relief from afterpains. Pour one cup boiling water over three to five slices of fresh ginger and steep five to ten minutes.
Motherwort tincture also eases afterpains-begin dosage at 1/2 dropperful and increase as needed.
Jaundice
Traditional Chinese medicine offers a very effective remedy for newborn jaundice, which parents can obtain from a Chinese apothecary or herbalist. Simmer this root, and swab the liquid inside the baby’s mouth. One or two applications will usually clear the jaundice.
A few teaspoons of crushed Fennel or Caraway seed tea can greatly relief the discomfort of colic. Try light pressure and warm compresses on baby’s belly, or bringing his feet slowly up to his ears several times. Clockwise massage in a sweeping motion above the belly button may also be effective.
Misalignment of the skull or spine may also be implicated in colic. Have the baby see a chiropractor with pediatric expertise (newborn adjustments are more like massage than manipulations).
Some babies find great relief in this simple exercise. With the baby on her back, grasp her tights and lift her feet toward her head, like during a diaper change. Continue to roll upward, and raise the baby until she is hanging upside down. Really! Now wait and watch her move: she will rotate her back this way and that, and when she seems finished, gentky let her down.
First touch her head down, then roll down shoulders, back, butt, and her legs uncurl. Babies partucularly benefit from this exercise when offered daily.
Excerpts from “Herbs and Homeopathy Postpartum” by Shanon Anton, found in “Hearts and Hands” by Elizabeth Davis; Photo by David K
Filed under: labour | Tags: drinking during labor, drinking during labour, eating during labor, eating during labour, food during labor, food during labour, natural childbirth
The involuntary fast
Excerpts from Ina May Gaskin’s “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth”
You may wonder about weather you should eat or drink in labour. Many hospitals place restrictions on eating and drinking once you have been admitted. Some maintain a strict policy of denying anything by mouth. The reasons for this are historical rather than scientific. The fear behind this policy is that if a woman should need a cesarean section under general anaesthesia, she might vomit and inhale some of the food into her lungs while she is unconscious from the anaesthesia. Those who devised this policy hoped that restricting food and drink during labour would guarantee that there would be nothing to vomit in those rare cases when general anaesthesia was used.
However, subsequent research has shown that restricting food and drink after hospital admission does not guarantee an empty stomach. When you are in labour, digestion happens slower than usual, so the food you ate several hours before coming to the hospital is likely to still be in your stomach. In addition, even when your stomach has been “empty” for hours, it will still secrete gastric juices, and these can be vomited and inhaled under anaesthesia. This kind of inhalation can burn the lining of the lungs or cause aspiration pneumonia, a serious disease.
…Be sure to drink a lot while in labour and to pee every hour or so. Drinking a lot will prevent dehydration as you labour. It also prompts the need to pee, which will send you to the toilet. This is good, because you likely have a conditioned response that causes your pelvic muscles to relax when you sit on the toilet. This will increase pressure against your cervix if you are still dilating or help descent of the baby if you are pushing.
…Labour is the only hard work that people do that carries a medical prohibition against eating and drinking. i think that much of the “uterine dysfunction” noted in hospitals can be attributed to low blood-glucose levels caused by fasting for a number of hours.
…In fact, I think that some women require nourishment in labour. I always did. I never had a baby in less than twelve hours, and each time, rather late in labour, I needed a tofu salad sandwich and regular gulps of water in order to feel strong and relatively comfortable. in some births I have attended, I know that a few bites of food gave the mother the strength she needed to push her baby out without forceps or a vacuum extractor.
…Many women never feel hungry in labour, and their labour progresses so quickly that eating would be bothersome for them. If labour is progressing well and the mother does not want to eat, I find it best to honor her wishes. She knows what is best for her. On the other hand, many women, particularly those having her first babies, may be in labour far longer than six hours. My partners and I always provide food for labouring women when they express a desire to eat.
…The strangest request I have encountered was that of a first-time mother who-just before pushing-asked her husband for a jar of peanut butter and proceeded to eat two heaping spoonfuls. She then washed the peanut butter down with nearly a quart of raspberry leaf tea and pushed her baby out. I was impressed.
Photo by Greg Hirson
Filed under: breastfeeding | Tags: benefits of breastffeding, breast feeding, breast milk vs formula milk, colostrum, formula milk, natural childbirth, natural childbirth benefits, pros natural childbirth
Breast milk is the only kind of milk which was designed by nature for human babies. Formula made from cow’s milk must be changed and added to in order to be suitable for human babies. Because formula milks must be packaged and preserved, they contain various additions which breast milk does not have. Such additives include emulsifiers, thickening agents, acid-alkaline adjusters, and antioxidant.
Cow’s milk contains proportionally three times as much as protein as human milk. Unless it is diluted, as formula is, a human baby cannot digest and absorb its nutrients. Even with dilution, the protein in cow,s milk forms curds in the baby’s stomach which are relatively large and hard when compared to the protein curds from breast milk.
The large curds from formula are digested by the baby with only 50 percent efficiency, which means half of the protein must be excreted. The protein in human breast milk, on the other hand, is used by the baby with almost 100 percent efficiency. The formula fed baby, then, must drink a greater volume than the breastfed baby in order to obtain the same nourishment.
Protection against Disease
Human milk and colostrum, the yellowish=white “early milk” which is in the breasts during the latter half of pregnancy and the first couple of days after birth, are both rich in antibodies which protect newborn babies against many diseases. Breastfed babies are less susceptible to respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Breast milk also provides good protection against stab infections babies.
From Babies, Breastfeeding, and Bonding by Ina May Gaskin
Very valuable information for the new mother. Encouraging and practical.
Photo by Raphael Goetter
Filed under: baby care, Uncategorized | Tags: baby care, baby massage, bonding, mothering, natural childbirth, oil massage
Massaging a newborn is one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling activities you can participate in. As parents, we long to touch our newborns from the moment of their births. We want to go over every finger, every limb, marveling at the wonder “we’ve” created. Massage gives us the opportunity to do this, while being very nice for the baby, as well.
A wonderful massage you can do from the very first day your baby is born is a castor oil massage. A time-honored East Indian tradition reputed to reduce the heat in the baby’s system caused by the friction of birth, it also makes the baby’s skin lovely and soft, even on wrinkly feet. Buy castor oil from a local health food store and try to get ‘cold-pressed’ if you can.
In preparation for the massage, make sure your room is nice and warm. Lay a towel on the bed or the floor and lay a receiving blanket over it to make a nice, soft place for the baby to lie. You may also want to place a sheet of plastic beneath the towel in case the baby pees while you are in the middle of the massage. Have another blanket or two close by to cover the parts of the baby you are not massaging to keep the baby warm. If it is the middle of summer, or you are in a very hot room, this may not be necessary.
Warm your hand by rubbing them together, or running them under hot water. Undress your baby and lay her face up on the towel. Pour about a tablespoon of oil into your palms and rub them them together to warm the oil.
Beginning with the chest area, slowly ang gently rub the oil onto the baby, starting from the center and moving down to the sides. You will notice the oil is very sticky. Rub the oil onto the baby very slowly so you don’t pull the skin, adding more oil to keep your hands well lubricated.
After the chest, move to the abdomen and rub in small circles, clockwise in the direction th large intestines move. If your baby has not had a first bowel movement, expelling the sticky, brownish black meconium that filled the intestines in utero, don’t be surprised if the castor oil massage stimulates this expulsion.
After the abdomen, move to the legs. GEntly massage from the feet toward the hips, which helps to return the blood from the legs to the heart, and then massage the feet themkselves.
Rubbing in little circles in the center of the feet and on the heel for the accupressure points for the colon can also help to stimulate the expulsion of the meconium. From the feet move to the arms and massage from the wrists to the shoulders, and then the hands, gently rubbing the palm to stimulate the colon.
Next carefully roll the baby over and massage the back, stroking from the center out to the sides. Rub up in around the neck and down all over the buttocks. Last, roll the baby back over and massage the face and head. It is fine to get the oil in the baby’s hair and ears, just remember to be careful with the soft spot on the top of the baby,s head where the bones have not yet closed.
After you are done, wrap the baby in a receiving blanket, and another warm blanket and, if it is at all cold, put a hat on the baby’s head. The baby will seem very sticky for about twelve hours until all the castor oil has been absorbed. Then you will noticethat any dry skin is gone, and that everything, including the hair, is soft and silky.
You can give your baby a castor oil bath as often as you like, even every day is not too frequently, as they never seem to outgrow their love of massage.
[From ‘Choosing Waterbirth, reclaiming the sacred power of birth’ - by Lakshmi Bertram; Photo by Valentina Powers]
Filed under: midwifery, Uncategorized, video | Tags: homebirth, hospital birth, Ina May Gaskin, natural childbirth, sphincter law, the farm
Midwife Ina May Gaskin talks about natural childbirth — and “sphincter law.” Filmed at The Farm, Summertown, Tennessee USA, September 7, 2007.
Filed under: baby care, postpartum care | Tags: bonding, natural childbirth, natural childbirth benefits, natural childbirth books, natural childbirth techniques, natural childbirth vs medical childbirth, natural methods of childbirth, newborn, pros natural childbirth, separate newborns from their parents, sheila kitzinger, supporting natural childbirth, tips for natural childbirth
The hours after birth are extremley important ones; they can deeply affect the future realationship between the child and the parents. Time spent together during those first few hours and days after the birth lay the groundwork for a profound relationship with one another. Becoming deeply bonded is vital for the family and can be wonderful satisfying to all.
And, one might ask, why should it be any other way? Perhaps no aspect of conventional birthing has caused as much distress for new mothers, fathers, and babies as hospital policies that require separation at a time when parents most want and need to be with their babies. There is no good medical reason to separate a heathy newborn baby from his mother.
In 1989 Dr. Mardsen Wagner, an American born pediatrician who is currently a consultant to the Maternal/Child Health division of WHO, lectured “I am convinced the procedure of placing all newborn babies in one room was the biggest mistake of modern medicine.” He further refers to the newborn nursery as “a cradle of germs, separating babies from their mothers at the most sensitive point of their relationship.
Sheila Kitzinger, well presented British childbirth educator and author, noted, “A screaming baby alone in its cot or lined up with rows of other screaming newborns is a neglected baby. He cannot know that help is near, that milk is coming in half an hour, or twenty minutes or even five minutes. He cannot know that loving arms are waiting to hold him. He is to all intents and purposes completley isolated and abandoned.
In a gentle birth the mother is awake and aware, highly conscious, energized by having given birth, and extremley eager to spend time with her child-touching, looking, feeding, resting, or sleeping together. The newborn wants the comforting presence of his mother, her warmth, touch, sound and smells. Exerpts from “Gentle Birth Choices” by Barbara Harper, R.N.
Photo by Nico
Filed under: homebirth, Uncategorized | Tags: birth, conception, homebirth, medicated vs natural childbirth, natural childbirth, natural childbirth vs medical childbirth, pregnancy, sheila kitzinger
Whether birth is difficult or easy, painful or pain-free, long-drawn-out or brief, it need not be a medical event. It should never be conducted as if it were no more than a tooth extraction.
For childbirth has much deeper significance than the removal of a baby like a decaying molar from a woman’s body. The dawning of consciousness in a human being who is opening eyes for the first time on our world is packed with meaning for the mother and father, and can be also for everyone who shares in this greatest adventure of all.
There are many women who hope for childbirth in which they, not the doctors, are in control. They want to have the information that will enable them to make their own decisions, to prepare themselves for an experience in which they participate fully, and do not wish labour and birth to be taken over by managers.
They know that it is easier to do this on their own ground, in a place to which the doctors and midwives who are their care givers come as guests. They would like to give birth outside a hospital. This may be either in their own home, or in a birth centre in which the rhythms of a labouring woman’s body are honoured and waited on, and where birth is non- interventionist and centered on people instead of on mechanical processes.
Hospitals exist where all members of staff share this attitude, but they are few and far between. You need only one person who is out of tune with such ideas, who believes in the aggressive management of labour, who, instead of being client- oriented, sees a woman as a patient who must obey hospital protocols, one person who is anxious and afraid, and who cannot trust women’s bodies, for the environment in which birth takes place to be poisoned, and completely unsuitable for the focused concentration and inner confidence that is needed for a good birth.
Extract from “Homebirth” by Sheila Kitzinger
A fully revised and updated version of this book became available under the title Birth Your Way in Feb 2002
Filed under: pregnancy, Uncategorized, video | Tags: business of being borm, medicated birth, natural childbirth, natural childbirth vs medicated childbirth, natural vs medicated childbirth, pregnancy, the business of being born
“Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies.
The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal.
Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?”
From ‘Youtube’
Filed under: waterbirth
What are the benefits of waterbirth and waterlabour?
Soak in a tub of water to ease labour
…and baby’s being born into an environment that is suited to her innocence and newness
- Provides a kind, gentle and loving entrance into this world for the baby
- The women achieve achieve much comfort in the water
- Reduces fear and anxiety
- The body relaxes
- Provides significant pain relief
- Floating in a pool the woman can move unencumbered
- Labour becomes easier
- Speeds up the labour
- The woman can focus better inwardly on giving birth
- Water imparts elasticity to the tissues of the perenium which reduces tearing
- Eliminates episiotomies
- No need for ‘pain-reducing’ drugs
- Reduces the rate of cesarean sections
ease of the mother tranferred to the child (intricately linked) - Makes the experience of birthing a positive one
- Water mitigates the sensory overload and shock experienced by the newbornand more benefits are:
- Reduces blood pressure
- Gives mother more feelings of control
- Conserves her energy
- Gives mother a private protected space
- Is highly rated by mothers – women who have given birth in water would do it again
- Is highly rated by experienced providers
- A gentler welcome for babies
- Mother or father can more readily catch her baby
- Bacteria is dissipated in water reducing infection to mother and baby
- Cleaning up is easier
- Moist air assist better breathing for mother specifically if asthmatic
- Conservation of maternal energy
- Less problems with breastfeeding after birth
- Less trauma to mother means less trauma to baby
- Babies brought into a world with less violence have a greater potential to integrate into the world with less violence
Photo by Barbara Backyard
Filed under: homebirth, video, waterbirth | Tags: birth in water, homebirth, natural childbirth, water birth, waterbirth
A woman giving birth at home in a tub, helped by a midwife.
Filed under: breech (posterior baby), traditional midwifery, Uncategorized | Tags: breech, breech birth, comrado, midwifery, natural childbirth, posterior, traditional midwifery, turning baby in utero
A Zapotec partera will massage the woman’s legs to diagnose tension. By becoming aware of tension in her legs she discovers where the baby is pressing against the woman’s spine and causing backache, and this shows how the baby should be repositioned. She starts doing this at thirty-two weeks and massage sessions are arranged every fifteen days. As well as massage of the legs, she palpates the abdomen, kneads it, lightly massages it with the sides of her hands, and ‘lifts’ the baby if the mother has uncomfortable pressure against her bladder and pelvic floor…If the baby does need repositioning she asks the woman to lie on her back on the ground, with her knees drawn up and heels flat. Then she places a long shawl, the rebozo, under her back and pulls it up at either side so that it cradles her hips. She pulls alternately with her hands to rock the woman’s pelvis from side to side in the sling formed by the rebozo. She may also do this in the second stage of labour with the woman in a standing position, leaning back against her, to help her to push the baby out. These complex techniques of massage and rocking are now being reassessed and incorporated into modern midwifery skills in Mexico.
An aboriginal tribe in Japan, the Ainu, also used massage to turn the baby from posterior to anterior. Indeed, evidence from many cultures suggest that this is a midwifery practice that has been largely forgotten today.
In the past in Europe and North America, obstetricians often used to turn a baby from breech to vertex in order to avoid Caesarean sections and difficult vaginal deliveries. But over the last twenty years or so, few have learned how to do it and many now consider it not worth the bother. Yet randomized controlled trials have revealed that two out of three birth can be turned, and will stay head down for birth, if rotation is performed after thirty-seven weeks or early in labour. This halves the Caesarean rate for breech births.
Modern midwives are not taught how to do this. Nor do they know how to rock and massage babies from posterior to anterior so that the head is in a more favorable position to pass through the cervix and birth canal. Only in countries where professional and traditional midwives have an opportunity to share their skills is this still possible.
Sheila Kitzinger “Rediscovering birth”
Filed under: herbal remedies, pregnancy | Tags: alternative medicine, healing with herbs, herbal medicine healing, herbs during pregnancy, how to prevent miscarriage, natural childbirth, nausea relief, pregnancy morning sickness, pregnancy sickness, pregnancy tea, pregnancy tonic, prevent hemorrhage, prevent miscarriage, red rappberry leaves, reducing pain in labour, susun weed, vitamin c, wise woman herbal
RED RASPBERRY LEAVES (Rubus spp.)
Brewed as a tea or as an infusion, raspberry is the best known, most widely used, and safest of all uterine and pregnancy tonic herbs. It contains fragrine, an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself.
Most of the benefits ascribed to regular use of Raspberry tea through pregnancy are traced to the nourishing source of vitamins and minerals found in this plant and to the strengthening power of fragrine – an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. Of special note are the rich concentration of vitamin C, the presence of vitamin E and the easily assimilated calcium and iron. Raspberry leaves also contain vitamins A and B complex and many minerals, including phosphorous and potassium.
The benefits of drinking a raspberry leaf brew before and throughout pregnancy include:
~ Increasing fertility in both men and women. Raspberry leaf is an excellent fertility herb when combined with Red Clover.
~ Preventing miscarriage and hemorrhage. Raspberry leaf tones the uterus and helps prevent miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage from a relaxed or atonic uterus.
~ Easing of morning sickness. Many attest to raspberry leaves’ gentle relief of nausea and stomach distress throughout pregnancy.
~ Reducing pain during labor and after birth. By toning the muscles used during labor and delivery, Raspberry leaf eliminates many of the reasons for a painful delivery and prolonged recovery. It does not, however, counter the pain of pelvic dilation.
~ Assisting in the production of plentiful breast milk. The high mineral content of Raspberry leaf assist in milk production, but its astringency may counter that for some women.
~ Providing a safe and speedy pariuntion. Raspberry leaf works to encourage the uterus to let go and function without tension. It does not strengthen contractions, but does allow the contracting uterus to work more effectively and so may make the birth easier and faster.
From
Susun Weed’s Wise Woman Way
Consider asking the following questions before you choose how you will give birth to your new baby. See the full list of questions for each service provider in Gentle Birth Choices (Gentle Birth Choice, Barbara Harper, excerpts).
Questions to Ask a Doctor
Do you have any children and how were they born?
How long have you been practicing?
What are your guidelines for “normal” and “high-risk” pregnancies?
What routine tests do you require?
How often will I see you?
Where do you have hospital privileges? Can I choose which hospital if you have privileges at more than one?
Do you return calls personally or ask your nurses to call?
If there is more than one doctor in the practice, what is your rotation policy? Will the other doctors respect the agreements you make with me?
Questions to Ask a Hospital
Do you routinely require an IV?
What mechanism is in place so that I can refuse routine interventions like vaginal exams?
Can my partner stay with me the entire time?
Can I birth the baby in the position of my choice?
How long will you allow me to labor before starting interventions?
Can I breastfeed immediately after birth?
Can I delay weighing and measuring the baby for at least an hour?
Do you routinely recommend circumcision?
Questions to Ask a Midwife
How many years have you been practicing?
Do you work alone or with a partner or assistant? What is his or her experience?
Do you require that I see a physician during my pregnancy even if everything is all right?
How often will I see you?
If I am planning a home birth, do you visit my home before I go into labor?
In what situations would I need to go to the hospital?
Have you ever had to resuscitate a baby?
How often do you come to see me after I give birth?
Filed under: video, waterbirth | Tags: birth in water, natural childbirth, painfree labour, water birth, water birth video, water birth video sharing, waterbirth, waterbirth video, waterbirths, woman giving waterbirth
| The mother in this video shares her birth story: |
Filed under: labour, midwifery, Uncategorized | Tags: bonding, natural childbirth, natural childbirth benefits, natural childbirth books, natural childbirth techniques, natural childbirth vs medical childbirth, natural methods of childbirth, newborn, pros natural childbirth, separate newborns from their parents, sheila kitzinger, supporting natural childbirth, tips for natural childbirth
“As we prepared her for the delivery we continued to coach her through the pushing. Tanya became totally involved in the process. Pushing required all of her energy and she became absorbed with effort. Although I had to prepare the sterile table, I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she worked. I was fascinated by the birth. It demanded my total consciousness.
Tanya was purposeful. She listened to all our instructions. I saw her mature into a woman in a few moments. She put all of her strength into delivering her baby. As the head was born, I hold her to pant so that it would be born gently. Even though this is difficult to do, she performed beautifully. The baby was born slow and gracefully. Tanya’s hand instinctively went out to bring her child to her breast.
When everything was over, we brought Tanya’s mother back to the recovery room. She held the baby and all of her earlier fears melted into pride. She was proud of her daughter who had given birth in a way she thought was impossible. And she was proud of her first grandchild. Her eyes glowed with joy as she held him, and Tanya looked on with maternal pride. I left all three of them together to bond.”
From “Diary of a Midwife- the power of positive childbearing”
by Juliana van Olpen-Fehr
Beautiful book, I recommend to read it. Reality, facts and feeling. Thank you, Juliana.In her book “Diary of a midwife- the power of positive childbearing”, Juliana van Olpen-Fehr shows the realities of childbirth in the US by telling us about her life and experience as a mother and midwife.
Filed under: midwifery | Tags: homebirth, midwife, midwifery, midwives, natural childbirth
“Any woman who has had a midwife care will tell you that it is not just a question of what a midwife knows and how clever she is that matters, but who she is as a person. Research on woman’s birth experiences reveals that it is the quality of the relationship between a woman and her midwife that is the single most important factor in being able to look back on birth as a satisfying experience.”
Filed under: breastfeeding, herbal remedies, postpartum care | Tags: boost milk supply, breastfeeding, galactagogue herbs, herbal medicine. latching on, herbal milk enhancement, herbal remedies, herbs, herbs for brestfeeding, natural childbirth, natural milk enhancement
Alfalfa is used to increase appetite, vitality and to help with water retention. It is high in various nutrients, high in protein, and contains vitamins A, B1, B6, B12, C, E, K1 along with minerals calcium potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. It is a good pregnancy herb. many midwives and lactation consultants suggest about 2-4 grams daily. There are rare reports of allergic reaction and sprouts are not to be used by those with SLE (Lupus). It is also a great blood builder.
Anise- pimpinella anisum
Anise is a wonderful anti-spasmodic and is great for the woman with a colicky baby or one with heartburn. It is not for use in pregnancy.
Blessed thistle- Cnicus Benedictus
Blessed Thistle is a wonderful herb for helping milk supply; in many uses it is combined with fenugreek. This bristly herb also modifies hormone levels and can also be used alone.
Black cohosh- cimicifuga rasemosa
Black Cohosh is used herbally and homeopathically. Modifies estrogen levels and helps with oxytocin levels. This herb is used to aid in labor and delivery, and to make the labor easier. In modifying oxytocin it aids in the milk ejection reflex. Oxytocin is responsible for uterine contractions and the contractions in breast with MER. It s anti spasmodic and used with menstrual cramps. Black cohosh is used to treat symptoms of PMS and in other folk remedies is that it is used for rattlesnake bites. 1ml tincture 3x daily. Not for use in early pregnancy as it is a known abortificient. Use with guidance from a qualified practitioner.
Borage- borago officinales
Borage leaves can be eaten as greens and mixed with collards and mustards. However there is controversy as borage leave contains pyrozoloid alkaloids, and large amounts of this constituent can cause liver damage. however in my research it seems that most agree that the seed oil has so little of the PA’s that the oil is safe. The flowers are also safe and edible. It is used a restorative to the adrenal cortex and the flowers are said to be an aid in treating depression. The oil is rich in the omega 3 fatty acids needed to enrich milk for brain growth. it is also used in the last weeks of pregnancy to help in perineal massage or to soften cervix. Usual dose is 1000mg (1 gm) daily.
Caraway- Carum carviifor
Caraway seeds are used when a woman has muscle spasms, in back, neck and breasts. Caraway contains a substance which seems to relax the muscles in the breasts and improve let down.
Dandelion- taraxacum officionale
Dandelion leaves and root have been used for generations to treat liver, gallbladder and kidney aliments. Them leaves are traditionally used as a diuretic. It is loaded with calcium, iron, vitamins A, C, and k that it helps with women post birth to recover their vitality quickly.
Dill- Anethum graveolens
Dill is reported to be antispasmodic, duretic, anti-flatulent, and galactagogue. It is used in “gripe water’ remedies for colic in infant. the oil and tea has been used to use its antifoaming action and as an appetite stimulant. The seeds have been chewed to help with bad breath. Dill is an emmenagogue so only use food doses in pregnancy. It does well in tea to aid a milk supply, usually 2-3 cups are taken daily.
Evening Primrose Oil- Onethera Biennis
Evening Primrose oil it is a seed oil that is used medicinally . EPO contains gamma lenoleic and gamma lenolenic acids- necessary for brain growth and good for skin conditions. it relieves menopausal discomforts and PMS. it seems to control psoriasis and thrombosis. In lactation it is used to actually enrich mothers milk that seems to be low in fat.
Fennel-Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel seed’s general actions include those of a circulatory stimulant, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, galactagogue and anti-spasmodic. These particular reasons make it a good milk aid. It is also used in many colic remedies. In low doses this can be used for heartburn in pregnancy but large doses are toxic and an emmenagogue. This can be used in tincture or tea.
Fenugreek- trigonella graceum foecus
This herb is a standard among lactation consultants. It is diaphoretic, galactagogue, stomachic, anti- diabetic mucilaginous herb. This herb is used in flavoring maple syrup, and Indian curries. Fenugreek is used in many mother’s milk teas and is used as a poultice for mastitis. The dose is safe up to 6 grams per day and if using on a regular basis, moms report their skin can smell somewhat like maple syrup, but the babies do not seem to mind. Many lactation professionals will mix this with blessed thistle. If you have diabetes or are hypoglycemic use with caution, It does not replace insulin therapy. In studies done with diabetics fenugreek also reduces cholesterol level. This herb is also an emmenagogue and not to be used during pregnancy as it can cause contractions.
Goat’s rue- Galega officianalis
is a wonderful herb for milk supply and is safe to use if you are tandem nursing or are pregnant and needing to develop more breast ductal tissue. This herb is a galactagogue, diuretic, diaphoretic and it reduces blood glucose levels. So be cautious if you are diabetic or hypoglycemic. it does not replace insulin therapy. Animal studies show that this herb can increase milk supply up to 50 percent.
Hops- Humulus lupulus
Hops helps with some supply issues, but is actually a relaxant and assists with the milk ejection reflex. The strobiles can be eaten as a vegetable. Hops is a milk tonic and a mild sedative and muscle relaxer. The estrogen content is the reason for its increase in lactation, however it should NOT be used if there is or has been a history of depression. Usual dose is 2 -350 mg 3x daily.
Marshmallow root althea officianalis
The Marshmallow leaves are used to heal bronchial and urinary tract irritations. It is very mucilaginous and the root are use as expectorant, used to heal wounds, such as burns and boils and heal peptic ulcers and hiatal hernia. It is good in minute doses for babes for reflux. It is used to heal mastitis as well. Marshmallow may slow the absorption of other medications. Tincture or tea can be used. 1 cup of tea 3 times daily or tincture 3ml 3-4 times daily.
Milk Thistle- silbanum marianum.
The entire plant is edible and aids in digestion. Many people use this herb for liver protection from all type of toxins from cadmium to death-cap mushrooms. The leaves are used to increase milk supply. It is also protectant of the heart. Seeds should only be used by qualified practitioners. Many midwives use this on infants in just a few drops to help with jaundice. To build milk supply the herb moderates estrogen levels. It is good for PMS symptoms as well.Usual dosage is 1 gram daily in 2 doses.
Nettles- Urtica diotica
Nettle has been used since ancient times for disorders of the spleen, asthma and as a diuretic. it’s powder has been used for nosebleed and contains calcium so that it is effective against bleeding internally and externally either as a powder or tincture. It is also taken to treat nettle rash and works well in allergic rhinitis and in Germany is used in arthritis preparations.There are no known restrictions for use in pregnancy and lactation. It is high in other vitamin c and K.
Oats- Avena sativa
Oat straw works as a nervous system restorer, to strengthen a weakened constitution. It treats shingles and chickenpox topically. It calms a nursing mother and stimulates supply. It contains high contents of silica, zinc, and manganese and beta -glucans that stimulates immune functions. There are no know contraindications in pregnancy and lactation. oatmeal in current medical studies is also shown to reduce cholesterol levels.
Red raspberry rubus ideaus
Red Raspberry leaves are the ultimate pregnancy and nursing herbs. High in vitamins; a,d,e,k,c, and it contains calcium, iron, it is safe during pregnancy. See a whole post about it on Birthowl’s natural childbirth blog.
Schizandra berries-
This is a Chinese herb that is used similarly to red raspberry as that it is tonic and astringent, and adaptable enough to balance female hormones. Schizandra is supportive of supply in that it assists with the milk ejection reflex to make it manageable and more efficient. It harmonizes the balance of the body’s physiologic processes. Schizandra is a woody and aromatic vine that is sometimes referred to the fruit of 5 flavors in Chinese medicine because it includes the taste of all the five Chinese elements.
Inspired by Mechell Turner, photos by Mechell Turner
read more at Birthandbreastfeeding.com
Filed under: breastfeeding | Tags: breastfeeding, breastfeeding support, breastmilk, la leche league, natural childbirth, weaning
The basic philosophy of La Leche League is summarized in the following statements:
Mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby.
Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying relationship and an adequate milk supply.
In the early years the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food.
Breast milk is the superior infant food.
For the healthy, full-term baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of needing solids, about the middle of the first year after birth.
Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the baby outgrows the need.
Alert and active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start.
Breastfeeding is enhanced and the nursing couple sustained by the loving support, help, and companionship of the baby’s father. A father’s unique relationship with his baby is an important element in the child’s development from early infancy.
The ideals and principles of mothering which are the foundation of LLLI beliefs are further developed in THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, the most comprehensive handbook on breastfeeding and parenting ever published. It has provided needed answers to three generations of nursing mothers on every aspect of breastfeeding.
(From LLLI publication No. 300-17, “La Leche League Purpose and Philosophy.”)
Filed under: waterbirth | Tags: birth in water, naturel childbirth, painfree labour, water birth, waterbirth, waterbirths
