So you’re having a baby… Congratulations! This is an exciting time as you prepare for the arrival of your new little one.

What is so remarkable and different about homeopathic remedies is that there is no possibility of negative side effects. This makes it especially valuable for pregnant women, new moms, babies, and children of all ages. I have successfully used homeopathy for many years, and my daughter continues the tradition with my grandson. I rank homeopathics right alongside natural childbirth, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and cranial sacral work.”

We’ve created this guide to help you manage the discomforts of a normal pregnancy.  With some exceptions (see NOTE*), you can safely treat yourself for minor complaints that are recent. For more serious or long-term problems, it’s always best to consult a trained homeopath and your doctor or midwife (if they are not one and the same).

• First consider your symptoms.  Pay special attention to any that are unusual or exceptionally strong. Notice whether your mood has changed and also what behaviors or environmental factors seem to make your symptoms better or worse.  You may want to write your observations down on paper.
  Next, take your list of symptoms and compare it to the descriptions of the remedies in this brochure.  Choose the remedy that most closely fits your symptoms (keeping in mind that not every symptom has to match).
• Homeopathic remedies come in various strengths:  the 6c, 12c, or 30c strengths are gentle and perfect for home use.  Take one or two pellets, and let them dissolve under your tongue.  Then wait and see what relief it brings.
• If your symptoms improve, that’s great!  You do not need to take any more doses.  If after feeling better for a while, your symptoms return, take another dose of the remedy.  You may continue in this way, repeating a dose as needed - but only if the remedy is helping.
• If you have no improvement whatsoever after one to three doses - or if the remedy was helping you at first but now the doses seem to be having no effect - stop taking that remedy.  Choose a different one - or better yet, consult a homeopathic professional.
• Always check with your doctor to make sure your symptoms are not serious, especially if they are persistent.  Some seemingly innocuous symptoms can indicate a significant problem; for example, itching in late pregnancy can be a sign of a more serious liver disorder.
• The remedies in this brochure are just a sampling of the ones used most often for pregnant women.  For more information, visit www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org and search the “Articles” section for “pregnancy.”

*Note: Please be advised… If your symptoms are severe or ongoing, or if you have any questions about them whatsoever, consult your doctor or midwife immediately.  Some examples of severe symptoms during pregnancy that require immediate medical attention include but are not limted to: spotting or bleeding or leaking fluid; severe nausea; abdominal cramping or pain; diarrhea; pain with urination; a decrease in the baby’s movements once it has started to move regularly; severe headache or backache; swelling of hands and feet.

Information offered here is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the individualized attention of a qualified health professional. Those with serious or chronic illness should always seek the services of a well trained professional.

Mild lower backache results from gravity as the body changes. “Round ligament pain” is usually felt as a brief, sharp pain or a longer-lasting dull ache in the groin or lower abdomen, as your ligaments stretch and thicken to support the growing uterus. Make sure to sleep on a firm bed and wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes. Try one of the following remedies for additional relief:

Kali carbonicum: You have a bruised, dragging feeling with sudden sharp pains up and down your back, buttocks, and thighs. Pain in the hip joint is common. Hard pressure over the painful area offers relief, but you feel worse from touch. You’re very sensitive to changes in weather, cold, and drafts; you want to be warm but not overheated. You may feel irritable, touchy, and domineering.

Belladonna: Pain comes on fast and disappears just as quickly; it’s worse from sudden jarring movements and from touch. You’re very restless. You may have a flushed, red face with dilated pupils, and be thirsty for lemonade. Older women with their first pregnancy respond very well to Belladonna for backache.

Sepia: Your back feels tired with an aching, dragging pain in your lower back, possibly worse on the left. You have a sensation of heaviness or bearing down in your pelvis as if everything might fall out. You may be depressed and chilly. (See Morning Sickness and Hemorrhoids for more indications.)

Bellis perennis: This remedy can stop the pain of sciatica of pregnancy or any pain in the groin extending down the legs that makes walking difficult, which often comes on during the last months of pregnancy.

During the early stages of pregnancy, changing hormone levels may contribute to insomnia. During the last trimester, discomfort from the growing baby, increased urination, and anticipation of the birth may keep you awake at night. One of these remedies may give relief:

Coffea crudum: You can’t sleep because you’re excited and euphoric - or you’re uptight and extremely sensitive to teh slightest pain. All your senses are very acute and you wake at the slightest sound. Your mind is overactive and dreams are vivid. You are anxious, energetic, and very tired at the same time - much like someone who drank too much coffee. Take this remedy an hour before bedtime and also on waking in the night.

Aconite: You have a lot of fears, the biggest being that you’ll die in labor. You are restless in sleep, with vivid, frightening dreams.

Try eating a dry cracker before getting out of bed. Avoid rich, high-fat foods. If the nausea is worse when you’re hungry, eat frequently but in small amounts. One of the following tried-and-true remedies also may help.

Pulsatilla: Your nausea is worse in a warm stuffy room, better in the open air and better from walking slowly. You crave rich, sweet, fatty foods, but they make you feel worse. You are not thirsty. You tend to be weepy with changeable moods; you want comfort and reassurance. Eating the wrong foods can bring on headaches with a bursting pain over your eyes.

Colchicum: You are extremely sensitive to the small of food and may gag at the very thought of food. Your nausea can last all day and is worse from motion. You want carbonated drinks. You prefer to lie with your knees drawn up, since stretching out your legs can cause nausea.

Ipecacuanha: Your severe, constant nausea is not even relieved by vomiting. You salivate profusely and may have to spit frequently. (Note: This remedy is homeopathically prepared and diluted Ipecacuanha and is NOT interchangeable with the common drug store Ipecac used to induce vomiting.)

Nux vomica: Your nausea is strong, especially in bed on waking, but you’re unable to vomit. You are very hungry but feel worse after eating, with indigestion and cramping. You may be irritable and oversensitive to light.

Sepia: Your nausea is worse from the smell and thought of food. You have a sinking feeling in the stomach that makes you feel faint, eating may relieve it but only temporarily. You crave vinegar and pickles, as well as sweets. You have a sensation of heaviness or sagging in the pelvis. You may feel indifferent to your loved ones because you’re exhausted; but physical exercise makes you feel better overall.

Heartburn is one of the most common complaints of pregnant women, perhaps because hormonal changes relax the esophagus, allowing acid to back up. Try cutting out spicy and greasy foods, and sleep with your head and shoulders elevated. Ginger tea can be helpful if you drink it before or during a meal, rather than when you actually have heartburn. One of these homeopathic remedies may also bring relief.

Pulsatilla: Your heartburn comes on at different times of day and after eating various kinds of foods (especially rich, greasy ones). Your burps have a sour bitter taste. Your stomach and abdomen feel empty, with gurgling and rumbling in the evening, and pressing pains. You feel better in fresh air. (See Morning Sickness for more indications.)

Carbo vegetabilis: Bitter, sour, rancid burping along with nausea and a very bloated abdomen are typical; burping gives temporary relief. You may feel worse after rich, high-fat food. You crave fresh air and want the windows open and fans turned on. You feel physically exhausted and mentally sluggis, but when you lie down the indigestion is worse. You tend to have cold hands and feet and varicose veins.

Many women fear that labor will be painful, but we now know that fear can actually contribute to labor pain. So prepare for your baby’s birth with childbirth education to better understand the process and with relaxation training (e.g., self-hypnosis) to reduce fear and lessen or eliminate discomfort.

If pain does become problematic during labor, homeopathy can work quickly and safely to relieve you. For example, if you experience extreme pain in the back during labor (“back labor”), certain homeopathic remedies (e.g., Kali carbonicum) can be very effective.

Homeopathy has a long history of helping the laboring woman in many other ways as well. For example, if exhaustion overwhelms you or if labor has stalled and is not progressing, a well-chosen homeopathic remedy can set you right and get your labor back on track. Of course, you will likely need an experienced homeopathic prescriber at your side during labor to help you select a remedy (some of the most frequently used remedies include Caulophyllum, Cimicifuga, Arnica, Bellis perennis, Belladonna, and Kali carbonicum). Visit the National Center for Homeopathy web site to find a directory of practitioners.

Homeopathy works beautifully to speed healing and relieve pain after birth so that you can enjoy mothering your new baby.

Arnica: This is the number one remedy for the pain and “bruised all over” feeling that many women feel after birth. Take 1 to 2 pellets of Arnica 30c every 2 to 3 hours for the first day, and then take a dose 2 or 3 times a day for teh next two or three days as needed. It will help to stop pain and bleeding and ease the effects of physical and mental shock.

Hypericum: This is an excellent remedy for relieving pain in areas rich in nerve endings, such as the intense pain that may follow an episiotomy, a forceps or vacuum delivery, or an epidural or other IV injection.  Shooting pains, and pain in the tailbone or perineum may also be relieved by this remedy.

Staphysagria: This remedy will relieve pain from deep surgical incisions after Cesarean sections or episiotomies.  It will also help severe pain and sensitivity of the genital organs that is worse after sitting.  This mother may have feelings of anger, shame, or humiliation from the birth experience.

Bellis perennis: This remedy will help the mother who had deep aching pain and bruised soreness in the pelvis following a Cesarean section, forceps delivery, or similar trauma, especially if Arnica hasn’t helped.

Calendula: This remedy has a reputation for healing infected wounds (e.g., incisions).  It can be taken orally in the 6c, 12c or 30c Strength, but it also works wonders in cream, gel, or diluted tincture form when applied directly to the inflamed area (e.g., perineum).  Calendula gel or cream is also excellent for diaper rash and sore, cracking nipples - both as a healer and as a preventative.

Phytolacca: A woman needing this remedy may have painful, inflamed, or red breasts; lumps in the breast; or cracked nipples.  When the baby nurses, pain radiates from your nipple all over your body.  You feel exhausted with aching muscles or joints, as if you have the flu.  This remedy is a rapid healer for certain kinds of mastitis.

“In my first pregnancy, I was so sick with nausea the whole time. I was worried it would be the same with my second child, but as soon as the nausea started I used a homeopathic remedy. It worked at once and the nausea didn’t return! Since then I have had 2 more children. I still got nausea, but at the first sign I used a homeopathic remedy. It’s the only thing that worked for me. I enjoyed my pregnancies and use homeopathy for all the family now.”

- Carlean Shields, California