Postpartum

Homeopathy postpartum

Nine months ago you set off on a journey. You nurtured a new growing living being inside you, went through the emotional and physical roller-coaster of pregnancy and birth. And now your baby has been born, and with it a new you, a mother. You are a goddess, a sacred vessel. You created a new life. Pause for a second and reflect on it. I love this Rumi quote:

Woman is the radiance of God. She is not a creature, she is the creator.

And so a new stage begins, and with it new joys and challenges. First of all, a new mother needs to heal and recover from childbirth.

Homeopathy postpartum – recovery and healing

Birthing a baby is no picnic. It is called “labour” for a reason. Don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s the most incredible experience, and we as women are blessed to be able to go through it. The birth of my own babies, especially the first one, left me in complete awe. I can honestly say that it was the greatest experience of my life. I remember thinking that men are deprived in a way because they can never know what it’s like. But it is a demanding and challenging process nevertheless. As a routine, I recommend a mix of three homeopathic remedies to speed up healing and regain strength after delivery:

• Arnica: the best known homeopathic remedy in the world for trauma in all its forms.
• Calendula: to speed up the healing of tears and stitches and prevent infection.
• Hypericum: injuries to nerve-rich areas such as coccyx; helps with residual nerve damage if mother had an epidural.

Homeopathy postpartum – after-pains

After-pains occur after the delivery when the uterus shrinks back to its pre-pregnant size. As a general rule, the more babies you had, the more painful the after-pains will be. Useful homeopathic remedies for after-pains:

• Arnica: a woman may feel that the bed is too hard and insist “I’m all right”, there may be an element of emotional shock.
• Bellis perennis: sore, bruised feeling in the pelvic region, “deeper” Arnica – when Arnica isn’t enough.
• Secale: severe after-pains, women who had many babies, more than three. Burning pains. Worse for heat and better for cold.
• Sepia: weak, dragging and bearing down pains, as if the uterus would fall out. Irritability.
• Cimicifuga: strong after-pains accompanied by depressed, gloomy feeling; pains radiate to the groin.
• Chamomilla: strong after-pains accompanied by anger.
• Staphisagria: after-pains with resentment about interventions / labour pain, woman can be withdrawn.

Homeopathy postpartum – c-section, shock and drug effects

In those cases when the baby had to be delivered by c-section, the best remedy to take is Bellis perennis. You can add it to the routine after-birth mix of Arnica, Calendula and Hypericum. Staphisagria may also be useful, especially if there is a sense of violation.

Sometimes women experience emotional shock during birthing process. It may be due to a very fast delivery or a very long and hard one, or having a baby-boy after expecting a baby-girl. Whatever the reason, homeopathic remedies such as Aconite, Arnica, and sometimes Ignatia or Cimicifuga will help.

If a woman received conventional medication during labour, the following homeopathic remedies may be needed:

• Secale: to antidote ill-effects of Syntometrine.
• Opium: for after-effects of any opiate medication such as Pethidine. The woman may look spaced-out and feel drowsy.
• Phosphorus: great remedy to help with recovering after anaesthesia, where a woman can’t wake up properly, feels drowsy, dizzy and may vomit.
• Hypericum: as mentioned above, this remedy helps with nerve regeneration after an epidural.

A common problem during the postpartum period is postnatal depression. Because it is such an important topic, I cover it in a separate post.

A lot of the homeopathic remedies that I mention in this article you will find in the homeopathic childbirth kit from Helios pharmacy. They come in 200c potency, which is a great idea because the symptoms during labour and postpartum can get quite intense.

I hope you find this helpful. I wish you a beautiful time bonding with your new baby and experiencing the wonder of motherhood. You will discover an endless source of love and tenderness in you and find strength and places in your heart that you didn’t know existed. It won’t always be easy but is so worth it.