The BirthSkills Program also teaches you about a number of areas of natural therapy to help you manage your health and well-being during your pregnancy and parenting journeys.

Nutrition

If you were eating a well-balanced diet before you became pregnant, you probably won't need to make big changes. But some little changes can make a big difference in ensuring that you and your baby get all the vitamins, minerals and calories needed for a healthy pregnancy. Make sure that you are getting food from the five healthy food groups: grain products, vegetables, fruits, protein foods, and milk and milk products. By eating healthy you can contribute to the health and well-being of your child at birth and during breastfeeding.

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Exercise

With the sedentary lives many of us lead today our bodies are unused to being active. If you are planning an active birth, regular exercise is vital to help you prepare for labour, enhance breathing and circulation, tone and strengthen your muscles and increase flexibility.

Yoga-based exercise is an ideal way to prepare your body and your mind. With practice, positions and movements soon become second nature enabling you to pick and choose the ones that feel most natural and comfortable when you are in labour. The BirthSkills program offers some useful yoga positions to try for pregnancy and labour designed by a qualified yoga teacher (and BirthSkills practitioner!).

The Birth Ball is a wonderful aid to yoga-based pregnancy exercise. It's particularly useful for strengthening your body's central core - the deep muscles of your abdomen, back and pelvic floor - that is increasingly being recognised by fitness professionals as the foundation of a strong, healthy body.

Weak core muscles can cause your pelvis to tilt forward giving a hollow back posture where your back arches excessively, your belly sags and your bottom sticks out leading to the classic pregnancy "waddling duck" gait.

Herbs

Four herbs are particularly recommended by experienced herbalists and have been used safely by pregnant women for centuries. Rich in vitamins and minerals, red raspberry leaf, nettles, alfalfa, and dandelion act as system supporting tonics for overall health of the expectant mother.

Red raspberry leaf, taken as a tea or in capsule form, strengthens the uterus, alleviates morning sickness, eases labor and delivery as well as postpartum discomforts, and aids in milk productions. Women with a history of miscarriage, however, should not use this herb until the second trimester.

Nettles, a mineral, is high in calcium which nourishes both the mother and fetus and can ease painful leg cramps and the pain of childbirth. Nettle has been known to improve the elasticity of the veins and strengthen the kidneys.

Alfalfa increases Vitamin K in the blood and used to prevent hemorrhage.

Dandelion strengthens the uterus and kidneys and is high in calcium, potassium, and folic acid.

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Massage

Pregnancy is a time of major structural, physiological, psychological, spiritual, and social changes. Some of these changes produce discomforts and concerns, which can be addressed with appropriate massage therapy and body use guidance. Pregnancy massage therapy is beneficial throughout the nine months of a low-risk pregnancy. If you are not having a low risk pregnancy, discuss your condition with your obstetrician or midwife. After further discussion, you may be able to receive therapy with additional written release.

Massage therapy in pregnancy can include specific light and deep pressure massage, myofascial techniques, circulatory work, acupressure, reflexology, and other techniques.

 Possible Benefits

Massage therapy during pregnancy is not intended to replace appropriate prenatal care. When used as a form of adjunctive health care, some of its possible benefits are:

·      Reduces stress and promotes relaxation.

·      Provides emotional support and physical nurturing, particularly for those who are alone in the process, either literally or by the emotional absence of the partner.

·      Reduces and alleviates neck, back, and joint pain caused by posture, muscle weakness, tension, extra weight, or imbalance.

·      Relieves muscle spasms, cramps, and fibrosis.

·      Alleviates stress on weight-bearing joints and musculo-fascial structures (sacro-iliac joint, mid-back and lumbar spine, hips).

·      Combats tension, fatigue, and headaches, soothe nerves to help with sleep problems, and possibly reduce blood pressure through relaxation and stress reduction.

·      Increases blood and lymph circulation and supports the physiological process of gestation, by supporting the work of the heart, increasing cellular respiration, reducing oedema, and contributing to sympathetic nervous system sedation. Reduces the possibility of problems with swelling, varicose veins, and leg cramps.

·      Helps maintain skin elasticity to ease stretch marks and uncomfortable tightness.

·      Assists with the management of digestive complaints such as constipation, gas, nausea, and indigestion.

·      Encourages deeper, easier breathing.

·      Enhances self-esteem and self image, helping the pregnant woman feel more at home in her changing body.

·      Develops the sensory awareness and relaxation necessary to be an active and responsive participant in the birth experience. (in order to birth, the musculature of the legs, back, abdomen, and pelvic floor must release to allow the uterus to labour with no resistance).

·      Provides a pregnant woman with the experience and model of loving, nurturing touch that encourages her to touch her baby lovingly.

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Relaxation

Relaxation is the key to a calm, comfortable pregnancy, whether it be through massage, hypnosis, aromatherapy, a warm bath or some other activity which you find calming and enjoyable. Relaxation encourages your body to release endorphins, your own natural feel good drug. These hormones flow through your body when you relax, laugh, during sex and massage and contribute to your overall sense of well-being. The hormones also cross the placenta to your baby providing the same feel good reaction in his little body. Relaxation during pregnancy teaches your baby the skills needed to be a calm, happy little person.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a natural and beautiful way to help induce feelings of calm and confidence as you approach one of the most powerful experiences in your life as a woman.

Oils can be used in a variety of ways in baths, foot and hand treatments, as compresses, for inhalation and in self and/or partner massage to help ease tension, restore vitality and alleviate minor ailments of pregnancy.

Conditions that respond well to aromatherapy include respiratory difficulties, high blood pressure, insomnia, nausea, stretchmarks, fluid retention, cystitis, vaginal infections and varicose veins.

A growing body of research provides evidence for the benefits of using aromatherapy as a gentle, safe and natural way to nourish the skin, calm the mind and relieve troublesome minor ailments.

The essence of the oils is transported through your breath or skin into your bloodstream. Some oils work directly on the circulation, others travel on to other tissue and organs in your body, some regulate metabolism, while others act as neuro-chemicals, effecting your emotion.

Essential oils have a remarkable effect on both the body and the mind. They can help alleviate tension and depression, restore energy, improve sleep, fight off bacteria, stimulate cell production, aid digestion, improve circulation of your blood and lymphatic systems and stimulate sexual response.

There are literally hundreds of essential oils to choose from. However, because they are very concentrated, during pregnancy it’s best to use just a small number that have been tried and tested for their gentle action and safety during pregnancy.

Aromatherapy offers a stimulating and strengthening energy to draw on during this special time. Your goal is a positive balance and a harmony of mind, body and spirit. Develop your inner strength and accept empowerment.

Reference: Aromatherapy for Pregnancy and Childbirth
Margaret Fawcett RGN RM LLSA, 1998

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