Pregnancy A to Z - Continued

by Arabella Greatorex, owner of www.naturalnursery.co.uk

Heartburn
Even if you never normally suffer, you are likely to now. This can range from slight discomfort through to burning sensations in the upper chest. Ask your pharmacist about proprietary remedies or try peppermint tea.

High Blood Pressure
Cayenne pepper, three times a day in juice or water is said to help stabilize high and low blood pressure. Remember to follow your GP's advice as well.

Insomnia
Caused by anyone of a number of factors – general discomfort and the need to wee frequently being common ones. Don’t forget to keep drinking water through out the day, though you could reduce your intake after about 7pm to see if this helps with the latter.

Move around the bed to find your most comfortable position, which is often on the right hand side. A banana shaped pillow can be very comfortable and can be used to breastfeed when the baby has been born. Remember to relax for an hour before you go to bed, turn off the television, have a warm bath, ask your partner to give you a massage or read a book. A cup of hot milk or teaspoon of honey and cider vinegar in warm water can help you sleep better.

Taking regular, light exercise during the day will help, especially if you managed to get out into the fresh air.

Itching
Another common and usually minor but irritating side effect of pregnancy, it is often caused by sweating. Wearing loose clothes made of cotton or other natural fabric will help as will frequent cool baths or showers. Applying calamine lotion to the affected area can help but do check with your doctor if you suffer from severe itching on your hands or feet as this could be a symptom of a serious illness called cholestasis.

Morning Sickness
Some women will hardly suffer; others will carry on being sick all the way through their pregnancy. It doesn’t just strike in the morning either. Some will actually be sick, others will suffer from nausea for hours without needing to be sick. Strong smells (especially artificial ones) can make it worse, so ban spray air fresheners and the like.

Ginger helps with nausea – try a ginger biscuit before you get out of bed in the morning or make ginger tea by steeping grated fresh ginger in hot water for a few minutes. Eat little and often – even if you don’t really feel hungry, have a dry biscuit or banana and stave off the hunger pains later in the day. Fatty, rich or spicy foods often make things worse, so try eating plainer foods such as potato, pasta or breads.

There are several homeopathic remedies that you could try: pulsatilla is good when nausea comes on in the evening; ipecac for continued nausea not relieved by vomiting; nux vomica helps with nausea that is worse in the morning; sepia if the nausea is made worse by the smell of thought of food.

Smoking
It is now well known that all smoking (including passive) during pregnancy is harmful to the baby as well as to you. If you can, stop altogether and get your partner to as well. If not, at the very least, try and cut down as much as possible. You could try saving the money you would have spent on cigarettes and put it towards a relaxing massage for you or a really special present for your baby – that way you will see a real reward for giving up as well as having the satisfaction of knowing you are giving your baby the best possible start.

Talk to family and friends about giving up and ask them for help – either moral support or simply not smoking in front of you. Talk to your GP about aids that you can use when you are pregnant and check out support groups in your area.

Stretch Marks
These are red lines that will eventually turn silver and are caused by the skin stretching as the body changes shape. Keeping the skin supple, with lots of massage and good moisturiser, will help. Vitamin e creams are especially good as is aloe vera.

Weeing
At various stages of your pregnancy, you are likely to find that you pass water frequently – typically early on in the pregnancy when the uterus is still low and towards the end when the baby presses against the bladder. If it wakes you at night, you could try drinking more during the day and less as the evening progresses but don’t cut down on the total amount that you drink.

Arabella Greatorex is the owner of www.naturalnursery.co.uk, a family run business specialising in products for ethical families including organic and fairly traded clothes and bedding, cloth nappies, soft shoes, slings, wooden toys, maternity wear and natural toiletries.

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