Labor and Delivery

by Moon Magic

The last stage of pregnancy - labor and delivery. If you're a first time mom, I won't kid you with platitudes about how uncomfortable labor can be. For most women, it just plain hurts.

There are some herbs and alternative therapies that can help make your labor and delivery more comfortable, and even safer - read on!

Nourishment - If you are having a hospital birth, you will probably be forbidden from eating or drinking during labor. This is a real shame, because this is a time when both liquid and solids can greatly reduce the discomfort of labor. The allopathic (standard medical) reason behind this has to do with emergency surgery and anesthesia. If you have something in your stomach while under general anesthesia, you could possibly vomit and choke during entubation, and cause brain damage or death. Chances of this occurring (according to my obstetrician) - 1 in 100,000. So, if it feels good do it! You may not want to eat (I usually don't). But you will probably be thirsty. I secretly drank a light soft drink during one of my hospital labors, and it made me feel much better. I also reasoned with the hospital personnel to let me add water to the ice chips they allowed me! If you are in the early stages of labor, try to get something in your stomach - soup, yogurt, something light. If you end up getting sick to your stomach, it's better to throw up something, rather than nothing!

Blue Cohosh, Squaw Vine, Raspberry Leaf, and Peppermint Tea with Honey - A very nourishing tea! The Blue Cohosh will aid in the effectiveness of your contractions. You can freeze this tea into ice cubes and suck on them, too!

Ginger Tea - Both stimulating and soothing. One to two cups during labor.

Fruit/Vegetable Juices & Water - Need I say more?

Relaxation - Yes, those exercises you may have learned in Lamaze class can help - if you and your partner or attendant have practiced them beforehand. Imagining yourself in your favorite fantasy place - the beach, camping, a mountain retreat, can help distract you from your contractions in the beginning. Toward the end of labor, you'll turn inside yourself anyway, and you really won't be able to talk or communicate with anyone because of your deep concentration.

Make a Joyful Noise - If you feel like yelling, yell! It is best to keep your noises in the lower registers of your voice - loose jaws make loose bottoms! When you start climbing the register, and your voice starts rivaling a New York Met soprano, you tighten up all of your muscles, and labor will not progress well. Moan like a man!

St. John's Wort - Use 25 - 30 drops of tincture in water to control spasms in back and sides.

DISCLAIMER - The herbs discussed on this page have been successfully used by the author. Please consult your health care practitioner before trying any supplement.



These are some of my favorite CDs for labor music. Click through any titles on my site to order direct!

Enya: The Memory of Trees - I love all of her CDs - if you haven't heard her, please, try one out!

Enya: Shepherd Moons - In addition to timeless Celtic classics, listen to "Sail Away - Orinoco Flow"!

Enya: Watermark

Clannad: Banba - Siblings of Enya - "I Will Find You" from The Last of the Mohicans.

Herbs for Pregnancy

by Moon Magic

I began using herbs before my second pregnancy, and have used them ever since. Before using herbs while pregnant, please please please!!! consult with your health care practitioner. I was lucky and had a great midwife for my second pregnancy that fully approved of using herbs, and gave me some good reference books for herbal usage during pregnancy. Check out the bottom of this page for some of those refereces!

Red Raspberry - A great women's herb for pregnancy, or any time. Use once or twice a day as a tea - great uterine tonic. Can help relieve morning sickness in pregnancy, limit spotting and prevent leg cramps. Raspberry leaves can alleviate menstrual cramping and reduce food cravings.

Nettles - Rich in iron, this herb is great for people with anemia. Especially helpful when taken during the last six weeks of pregnancy. Nettles are rich in Vitamin K, and will help promote blood clotting after childbirth, to prevent undue hemorrhaging due to same. Three to six capsules a day recommended.

Pulsatilla - This is a homeopathic remedy which many woman have used successfully to turn their babies. They took 12X potency tablets, under the tongue, one per day for up to two weeks. Do not attempt to make your own tea with pulsatilla. This is a homeopathic remedy and must be prepared according to homeopathic principles.

Vitamin E - Take 400 I.U. per day of natural vitamin E (preferably), or 800 I.U. of synthetic vitamin E for spotting or threatened miscarriage. Be sure to get alpha tocopherols because they're more effective than mixed tocopherols in preventing miscarriages. After the spotting stops, reduce to 200 I.U. daily of natural or 400 I.U. of synthetic vitamin E. Continue this amount for another two to four weeks. Avoid all refined foods and eat only whole grain products, which are naturally high in vitamin E.

Note: The word "tocopherol" means childbearing. Vitamin E will also enable the child to make better use of oxygen, thereby reducing the danger of brain damage and other birth defects.

Wild Yam Root - This is a great anti-spasmodic if you routinely have premature labor or miscarriages.

Herbs to AVOID During Pregnancy

These herbs should NOT be used during the first seven months of pregnancy, because they have been known to cause abortion. Some may be used at the end of pregnancy to facilitate labor, but should be administered under the advice of an experienced practitioner! (Reference: Joy Gardner: Healing Yourself During Pregnancy)

Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegiodes or Mentha Pulegium)
Osha root (Lilium filicinum)
Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Black cohosh (Cimictifuga racemosa)
Squaw vine (Mitchella repens)
Spikenard (Aralia racemosa)
Cottonroot bark (Gossypium hirsutum)
Mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum)
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis) - Don't take more than 1/4 teaspoon or one 00 capsule per day.
These herbs are harmful to babies, and so probably for fetuses.

Ephedra (also known as Ma Huang) - This is currently a popular ingredient in herbal energy formulas and herbal diet pills. If you must use ephedra due to other health problems, use no more than 1/4 teaspoon per day. Try to get off of this one, as it may be cumulative in your system, and your baby's!

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) - This herb can cause stomach upset in children. No more than 1/2 teaspoon per day. If you have some type of infection and need this herb's properties, try to locate it in homeopathic form. It's much easier on the system! I'm not sure about using echinacea augustifoliana - anyone know?

Update on echinacea use in pregnancy - Mothering magazine recently ran an article by a midwife that recommends using echinacea in pregnancy for flu and other infections - so go for it, girls! I have had a recent letter from a user that had some problems with echinacea, and she says she believes it is because echinacea has a "penicillin-like" quality. I myself am allergic to penicillin, and had no problem with it in pregnancy, as long as I took it in mixtures with other substances like vitamin C and Zinc. You might want to avoid the tinctures and extracts during pregnancy if you are sensitive!

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) - Another popular herb currently, valerian is a powerful sedative and is used in many herbal sleeping aids. If your practitioner recommends this herb, use no more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Anyone know the effect of valerian on premature labor?

Update on valerian use in pregnancy - There's been some suggestion that this herb may slow pre-term labor. Haven't confirmed the sources yet - I think I'd prefer Wild Yam Root, False Unicorn Root, and Lobelia.

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) - I don't know what it does (yet!), but as usual, no more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

These herbs are common to your kitchen - watch out for them while pregnant!

Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens) - This is a wonderful hot spice used in many cultures - and it bothers kids! Don't use more than 1/8 teaspoon!

Sage (Salvia officinalis) - This is a great poultry seasoning (especially turkey!), and is in poultry seasoning mixes in the spice counter at your grocery store. It is also used to dry up breast milk! Some herbals recommend avoiding sage during the last trimester and while breastfeeding, but I have never had a problem with using this lightly as a seasoning. Don't overdo it, and you should be fine!

DISCLAIMER - The herbs discussed on this page have been successfully used by the author or by anecdotal reference. Please consult your health care practitioner before trying any supplement.


Best references for herbal usage during pregnancy:
The Wisewoman Herbal for the Childbearing Years by Susun Weed - This one gets a little bit weird sometimes, but it has tons of valuable information.

Healing Yourself During Pregnancy by Joy Gardner - practical advice for pregnancy. Ranges from home remedies to nutritional and vitamin therapy, to accupressure, visualization, and herb usage. A must read for every pregnant woman! Amazon.com has notified me that this is no longer in their catalog, but when I pull it up on a search, it says it ships within 24 hours. When you click through to Amazon.com, put GARDNER,JOY in the search window, and it's about the fourth book down. Or try ordering it from your local bookstore - it's published by Crossing Press.

Spiritual Midwifery by Ina Mae Gaskin - Not really an herbal, but a wonderful handbook for aspiring midwives, and for anyone looking for true to life unmedicated birth stories. I read this cover to cover during every pregnancy!

With Child by Deborah Jackson - Maternal wisdom - translates ancient rituals and myths surrounding fertility, conception, and labor into practical knowledge for the modern mom. Provides herbal remedies to soothe a crying child, feng shui tips for nursery space, and instructions for planting a birth tree, and how to conduct a naming ceremony!

I would also add Ina May Gaskin's "A Guide to Childbirth"...really opened my eyes to the way childbirth could be.

I've heard tons of good things about the Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. I have a big ol' bag of it, just waiting to be opened!

Lady Elaine, thanks so much for this info....very helpful!!