My personal and spiritual evolution under midwife care during pregnancy, delivery & post-partum

Like many new moms, I found my pregnancy and delivery to be a transformative experience.  Some of that was obviously due to the process of motherhood itself.  However, I also attribute a significant amount of this spiritual awakening to the gentle care I received from midwives.  When I began receiving prenatal care at Birth Partnership Midwifery Services, I felt like I was walking into appointments with my eyes tightly shut.  I was torn between my dependency on Western medicine thus far, with my interest in natural childbirth.  However, at that point, my interest remained focused on just that – natural childbirth with no intention to further explore the world of natural healing.  At one of my first appointments, during a discussion with my midwife about the possibility of post-partum depression, she told me about how women in some cultures eat their placentas to balance their hormones and how even in our urban hometown, there’s a service that will encapsulate your placenta for consumption (http://www.purebirth.ca/placentaencapsulation.htm).  I was so turned off by the thought that I didn’t even have time to put on a poker face – I just looked disgusted and thought to myself ‘I would never do that’.  Well, as it turns out – ‘never say never!’.

During the course of my pregnancy, I gradually shifted from a being skeptic to a believer and proud user of natural remedies.  I used judge people who ‘wasted their money’ in the health food store…to being someone who is now willing to pay a bit extra for natural products.   Below are just a few of the natural remedies that I tried and found to be incredibly effective alternatives to Western medicine:

For Pregnancy-related issues:

Papaya enzyme tablets – to treat heartburn

Shredded potato  - to treat hemorrhoids (okay, I never tried this one cause I was scared of potatoes falling out of my pants…but apparently it works!)

To prepare for birth at full-term:

Homeopathic ‘EZ birth’ pellets – to help body prepare for dilation, anxiety, and pain

Evening primrose oil capsules – to help ripen cervix

Red raspberry tea – to help prepare uterus to contract

Acupuncture treatment and acupressure point training for labour

Post Partum:

Evening primrose oil capsules – to balance mood

Valerian tincture – to reduce anxiety

Homeopathic Coffea – to calm and reassure

Rescue Remedy Bach Flower – to calm and reassure

Placenta Capsules – to restore iron and nutrients lost during delivery in order to balance hormones, increase energy, and stabilize mood
Homeopathic Arnica Montana – to promote healing

Homeopathic Calendula – to promote healing

Infant Care:
Breastmilk - apply to baby's dry/irritated skin or lips
Sunlight - to treat mild jaundice

As you can see from my long and growing list – natural remedies have truly changed the way I view my body and health.  So if you happen to be the skeptic I used to be – I dare you to try just one natural remedy the next time you have an ache, pain, or other health difficulty, to see if you might be converted too.