First, Let’s Start With My Pregnancy and Labor Book List
These are the pregnancy and labor tips I wish someone had handed me with my first baby. They are what worked for me and my friends, so take what feels right and always run things by your midwife or doctor.
I would highly recommend the two books HypnoBirthing and Essential Oils for Pregnancy, Birth & Babies. There are hypnobirthing classes you can take as well. I did one at the hospital, so check your local area for labor classes.
Let me give you a quick rundown: HypnoBirthing is basically meditation and letting your body do its thing. It teaches you and your fear to get out of the way and trust the process. The book goes over a fascinating history of HypnoBirthing, and gives you CDs to listen to and practice. The book talks about where the “pain” comes from in labor, and how so many women are able to have a calmer natural birth with much less of it.
The second book, Essential Oils for Pregnancy, Birth & Babies is by a midwife that I met with my second child. She is amazing and very knowledgeable. Her book goes through oils that will help in pregnancy and good ones to have on hand for labor as well as after birth. She has a lot of tips and ideas of what you can do. Both books are good to have beforehand so you can practice the meditations and relaxation tips.
Check out my post “Oils for Babies & Holistic Protocols” for all the things you might run into with your baby and infants.
Natural Pregnancy Tips for Morning Sickness
Ugh. Yes this one is a big one. Unfortunately there is not a one-size-fits-all fix because there are many reasons a woman’s body has morning sickness during pregnancy in the first place. Here are some causes of morning sickness:
- Most often it is a hormonal change. Red raspberry tea can help this one, and you can combine it with ginger and alfalfa mint.
- Another cause is a congested liver. Some herbalists believe yellow bile vomited in the morning during the first weeks of pregnancy can be a sign of liver congestion. Gentle liver support like dandelion is often suggested, but check with your midwife or doctor before taking any herbs while pregnant, and doing a liver cleanse AFTER birth and AFTER nursing but before next pregnancy would be very helpful.
- Morning sickness may be low blood sugar. Making tea with honey and getting something in your system right when you wake up and having something by the bed would help.
Other tips to help with morning sickness:
- Vitamin B6 is one of the first things many doctors suggest for morning sickness. Ask your provider about the right dose for you, because too much B6 can cause problems. Make sure to get a Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C.
- Clove tea might help—steep 1 tsp in 1 cup boiling water.
Pregnancy and Labor Tips for Birth and After
Jaundice: Many newborns get a little yellow in the first week. Always let your baby’s doctor check it, because high levels need treatment. Feeding early and often helps your baby clear it out. In natural circles, some moms give a little vitamin E from a soft gel with the first feeding to help get the liver going. Please ask your pediatrician before giving your newborn anything besides breast milk or formula.
Back labor: I would look into a TENS unit. Cheap for avoiding pain, although for some women it works wonders and for others, not so much. Every woman is different and then every labor is different. You never know until you are in it and then you just have to try different things. Black pepper essential oil is also good for back labor and another option you can try.
Milk production: My advice is just invest and get a good pump right off the bat. You will have a lot of milk in the beginning, and it’s best just to keep that up for when you fall into stressful times. So pump, pump, pump and freeze the milk for a rainy day. Putting cabbage on your breasts right when you are getting all your milk in helps with pain. Keeping the milk moving helps with engorgement and lowers the chance of clogged ducts and infection.
To increase milk, there are lots of things to try: Mother’s milk tea works great. Green salads, green smoothies, chlorophyll, and lots of water for hydration is key. Taking brewer’s yeast/nutritional yeast at 3-4 tablets or 1 tsp and then slowly increasing, because it might cause gas in the beginning is a huge help. Even nonalcoholic beer can help if you are desperate (I would get a good organic brand). Pink Stork is a good brand for supplements, and there are also lactation brownies that are really good that you can make.
If nothing is working, reach out to a lactation consultant. Some women truly have low supply, and that is not your fault. Do not stress over nursing if it simply does not work for you. Fed is best! If you need formula, choose a commercial infant formula. The FDA and pediatricians advise against homemade formula because it is too easy to get the nutrients wrong.
To decrease milk or for someone wanting to dry up, parsley herb helps, so make some Italian food! Also try using peppermint oil.
Tearing & Scar tissue: If you tore, an enzyme may help. I believe taking one helped me heal with less scar tissue. I took it three times a day on an empty stomach. This means no food. For example: take an enzyme right when you wake up, right when you go to bed, and once in the middle of the day. I did this for two months. If you still have pain that is not getting better, talk to your provider or a pelvic floor physical therapist. Helichrysum essential oil is also amazing to heal nerves and tissue—use a couple drops in 1/2 tsp of coconut or olive oil.
Mastitis: I would not wish this on my worst enemy. I would say it’s way worse than labor. I was down in bed for over a week. To avoid mastitis you need to make sure the milk does not stay and “sit” in the ducts. Make sure everything keeps moving. But also make sure you are getting enough sleep. If you do get mastitis, rest, keep nursing or pumping, support your immune system like you would for a cold, and use lavender essential oil topically. If you have a fever, chills, or a red, hot, painful spot that is not getting better within a day, call your doctor, because mastitis sometimes needs antibiotics.
Peri Spray: One thing that will help you heal up quickly is peri spray. Peri sprays are amazing. You can make your own with this recipe: In 2 oz spray bottle, fill half with witch hazel and add 3 Tbsp fractionated coconut oil, 10 drops helichrysum, 5 drops Frankincense, 5 drops Copaiba, 3 drops Lavender, 5 drops Yarrow. Fill the rest with water and shake before each use.
Water retention or edema: Do not reduce your water intake. Cut out salt and take minerals, especially potassium. Eat more bananas, parsley, and vitamin C. You can also use grapefruit, lemongrass, or cypress oils topically on legs. Sudden swelling in your face or hands, a bad headache, or changes in your vision can be signs of preeclampsia, so call your provider right away if you notice any of these.
Postpartum depression after labor: This is legit. No one would wish to have this and only those who have felt it know that it is real and serious. Know that it is not the real you. It is an imbalance. Taking these supplements right in the beginning will help you with rebalancing and avoiding postpartum depression (hopefully). Take these right away and have them on hand before the labor—B vitamins, omegas, and magnesium are essential. And please, you do not have to carry this alone. If you feel hopeless, cannot sleep or eat, or have scary thoughts about harming yourself or your baby, reach out to your provider right away. In the US you can also call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-852-6262, any time of day.
Bergamot, lemon, lavender (stimulates serotonin), lime, and frankincense are great oils to diffuse and even drop into hands and breathe deeply several times a day. Frankincense is the “brain” oil: diffuse it or rub a diluted drop on your temples in the morning and at night.
Avoid During Pregnancy, Single Oils:
Basil, birch, calamus, cassia, cinnamon bark, hyssop, Idaho tansy, laurel, lavandin, mountain savory, mugwort, rosemary, sage, tarragon, wintergreen.
Use Cautiously During Pregnancy, Single Oils:
Angelica, cedarwood, chamomile (German/blue), cistus, citronella, Clary sage, clove bud, cumin (Black), cypress, davana, fennel, laurel, marjoram, Mountain savory, myrrh, nutmeg, peppermint, rose, spearmint, vetiver, yarrow.
This post shares my own experience and is not medical advice. Please talk with your doctor or midwife before using herbs, supplements or essential oils during pregnancy, birth or nursing.
