Prepare yourself for real drama! This is going to be a very exciting time and always remember that in the great majority of cases it has a wonderful ending too.

READING ABOUT CHILDBIRTH
Many wonderful books have been written about labour in the last 30 years. Frederik Leboyer wrote a wonderful book called Birth Without Violence in 1974 where he poetically described the difference between the mechanistic and holistic ways of helping women give birth. When I read this book as a medical student, it had a major impact on me and from that moment on I was destined to adopt a more holistic framework in which to practise medicine. It is, to my mind, one of the great books of the 20th century. It’s inspiring to read and beautifully illustrated. Leboyer changed the rulebook for childbirth and his work encouraged other obstetricians. Among these are Michel Odent and Yehudi Gordon, who both now live in Britain.

Michel Odent explained to me how the holistic and natural approach to childbirth originated in France but is now most popular in Holland, followed by England. That is good news for you as in practice it means that many private and NHS maternity wards are open to the idea of natural childbirth.

Yehudi Gordon is a superb obstetrician and in June this year [2002] published a marvellous book on pregnancy, labour and the first nine months of life called Birth and Beyond. It is sensible, comprehensive and inspiring and I warmly recommend it.

AT HOME OR IN HOSPITAL?
A big question and one that I can’t answer for you!
Home is where the good vibes are and in most cases the best place to give birth. It’s ideal if all goes well and especially if you can get an obstetrician or good midwife to look after you there. The only down side is when there are complications. Occasionally, but pretty rarely, you need active medical intervention or even a Caesarian section, quickly. This is when being a journey away from a hospital is a distinct disadvantage. On the other hand, most births in the world take place at home…

Giving birth in a hospital is commonplace but in a way quite strange because you are not sick. Don’t forget this! You are only there in case something unexpected happens. Ideally you should be in a lovely bedroom next door to a medical ward. Most hospitals don’t provide this so make it lovely yourself, by surrounding yourself with music and books that make you happy.

If you have been advised to give birth in hospital because your doctor thinks you have a higher than average risk of needing medical attention, then please take that advice.

MEDICATION IN CHILDBIRTH
If doctors advise certain medication for induction or anything else strongly, than always take it. If medication (e.g. an epidural) is offered for pain then it’s up to you and your intuition. As a holistic doctor I’m not against medication in labour. I think that the most important thing is for you to be comfortable and feel good about the whole process and I can’t tell you exactly how to achieve that. You need to trust your own intuition. Listen to advice but trust yourself; your body instinctively knows how to give birth.

HOMEOPATHY
In my experience, homeopathic medicines can be very useful in labour. They are best prescribed by homeopaths or by midwives who have had some training in homeopathy. Some homeopathic chemists supply excellent ‘Pregnancy and Labour’ kits of homeopathic remedies telling you when and how to use the different remedies. This can be a good thing for your partner to do during labour, as it’s difficult for you to be objective and prescribe for yourself.

I’ll give a few tips here of some homeopathic remedies with a very good reputation in labour.

CAULOPHYLLUM:
This is the one to use if the contractions are not coming as strongly as they should. Use according to the instructions in your kit. On the whole, remedies can be repeated frequently (every half an hour) in pregnancy.

ARNICA:
The great homeopathic remedy to use immediately after giving birth. Use at least a 30c or 200c potency twice a day, starting immediately after birth and continuing for a few days. It is excellent for the inevitable bruising that occurs after all births.

STAPHISAGRIA:
This is the remedy to use if your birth is a bit difficult and they needed to do an episiotomy, use forceps or perform a Caesarian section. I usually recommend it in a 30c potency twice a day.