Ultimate, Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting Guide. Lilian Paramor

pregnancy supplements for a few days to check if this is the cause; change brands if necessary.

      ✓Regular tongue-scraping or brushing often helps prevent nausea – you can buy a tongue scraper from most pharmacies and dentists.

      ✓Make one meal a day fruit only – ideally breakfast.

      See your midwife or doctor:

      •Excessive nausea and vomiting, called hyperemesis gravidarum, must be treated to avoid dehydration, but you can try the self-help tips too.

      •Nausea starting later in pregnancy must be assessed to check for a link to other conditions like blood pressure abnormalities, hypoglycaemia or anaemia.

      3.Constipation

      More about it:

      •The relaxing effect of progesterone on the bowel muscle wall may weaken peristalsis (the muscular contraction that ensures regular bowel movements) and affect your ability to pass a regular stool.

      •Constipation is often triggered by pregnancy supplements.

      •Some women who have had constipation prior to pregnancy due to a spastic colon, find constipation improves while expecting a baby, due to the relaxing effect of progesterone.

      Self-help tips:

      ✓Eat at least five pieces of fresh, seasonal fruit a day.

      ✓Drink 1,5 litres of water each day.

      ✓Sip a cup of hot water first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

      ✓Prioritise sufficient time to go to the toilet when nature calls, as suppressing the urge leads to drying of the stools – early morning is the prime time for this.

      ✓Eat your main meal at midday as often as possible and avoid eating for about three hours before sleep for easier digestion.

      ✓Walk briskly for 20–30 minutes most days, or take part in some form of exercise you enjoy.

      ✓Being in water stimulates the bowel – swimming or relaxing in a bath may help to get your bowels moving.

      ✓Take a homeopathic remedy for constipation and bloating or take the tissue salts Calc fluor and Ferrum phos to help improve elasticity and strength of the bowel wall muscle.

      ✓Take an omega 3-rich oil supplement, like linseed or flax oil.

      ✓Do this excellent reflexology move: Massage the midpoint of the underside of your left heel with your knuckle for two to three minutes a few times each day.

      See your midwife or doctor:

      •If these self-help tips do not relieve the problem.

      •Do not use laxatives in pregnancy, as many are contra-indicated. They may also lead to dehydration and irritate your womb into contractions.

      4.Heartburn and indigestion

      More about it:

      •The valve between the stomach and the oesophagus is relaxed due to increased progesterone in pregnancy, making it even easier for this reflux of stomach contents.

      •This is quite common in the third trimester as your baby grows and presses up against the stomach, pushing the acidic contents through to the oesophagus and burning the membrane lining.

      Self-help tips:

      ✓Eat smaller meals more regularly, rather than big meals.

      ✓Do not eat for three hours before sleep as heartburn is worse when lying down before food has moved out of the stomach.

      ✓Reduce your consumption of spicy, fatty and rich foods considerably.

      ✓Take a homeopathic remedy for heartburn or the tissue salt Nat phos.

      ✓Sip a cup of hot water to which you have added a few drops of peppermint essence.

      ✓Chew a fresh mint leaf or a small piece of liquorice.

      ✓If necessary, raise the head of your bed a little or sleep on a continental pillow or two.

      ✓Do the heartburn stretch:

      Sit on your haunches, knees splayed wide, about 30cm from a wall. Keep your toes together and your heels opened away from each other.

      Keep your buttocks firmly down on your feet and place your hands against the wall, palms down.

      “Walk” your hands up the wall, keeping buttocks and shoulder blades as low as possible, until you feel stretching between your shoulder blades and less pressure from Baby on the diaphragm area.

      See your midwife or doctor:

      •If these tips do not help sufficiently.

      •Only take antacids as prescribed by your practitioner or pharmacist, as you already tend to greater alkalinity in pregnancy.

      GENITAL AND URINARY HEALTH

      No system in the body goes unaffected by pregnancy, but, of course, your reproductive organs are at the centre of the action! In addition, many women become even more prone to infections due to immunity changes in pregnancy – your immune system has to become less active so that your baby is not rejected by your body.

      Pre-existing infections might become more acute and irritating ones like thrush are more common because your body’s pH balance is altered in pregnancy. Many women are prone to cystitis or bladder infections generally, but the likelihood is further increased when expecting.

      The two most common vaginal infections are vaginal candida infections (thrush) and bacterial vaginosis (BV). They are associated with increased risk of preterm labour, so treatment is essential.

      1.Candida

      More about it:

      •Candida is also known as thrush, vaginitis or a yeast infection, and is caused by a fungus. Although you may find it quite embarrassing, vaginal candida in pregnancy is actually quite common.

      •The symptoms include a thick, white-yellow discharge with bad odour, itching, burning and in some cases there may be light bleeding.

      •Vaginal candida must be treated to prevent Baby from picking it up during natural birth if there is an active infection at the time, as this could lead to oral thrush in newborns.

      •Your partner will also need treatment; the same vaginal cream can be used, or any other thrush treatment prescribed by the doctor or pharmacist. This is important, because it will prevent reinfection.

      Self-help tips:

      Fortunately, thrush is quite easily treated.

      ✓The homeopathic remedy calendula is specifically indicated for thrush infections in women, babies and even men.

      ✓Take the tissue salt Kali mur three times a day for supportive treatment.

      ✓Avoid foam baths but you can add a few drops of tea tree and lavender essential oil to your bathwater.

      ✓Avoid synthetic underwear – cotton is best.

      ✓Do not douche!

      ✓Limit your refined sugar and wheat consumption, reduce dairy and grain products in your diet, and stay away from fermented foods like pickles.

      ✓Apply calendula cream externally to soothe itching and burning, and also to promote healing of the affected skin.

      ✓Taking a course of probiotics is another way to make the body less susceptible to candida infections and to treat vaginal thrush. This is especially true if you have recently been on a course on antibiotics.

      ✓There are also ranges