Congratulations! You are pregnant!

You might have struggled to get there, watched the calendar every day and had very reproduction-orientated sex. Or getting pregnant may have been a pleasure, a shock or a joyous surprise. All that is in the past. Now the real work begins!

I will give you some holistic and homeopathic tips about staying as healthy as possible during your pregnancy, but there is only one Golden Rule.

TRUST YOUR INTUITION to look after yourself and your baby. I believe that most women naturally become centred and intuitive in pregnancy even though others around them may act out terribly. So the big question is: How do you stay calm while family and friends are freaking out a bit?

KEEP A COOL HEAD – just know that your primary responsibility is to look after yourself because you are the home of your unborn child. Your baby wants to live in a happy home! The natural chemicals and hormones in your blood are different when you are in a good state of mind. And as your baby is nourished by your blood, it has a vested interest in you being happy.

The trick is to try to feel happy inside as the world continues to go mad all around you. Your goal is to stay at the eye of the storm, where everything is peaceful. Other people may need to play out their personal dramas. Try not to get emotionally involved, but watch with a mixture of sympathy and detached interest. It’s not easy but you owe it to yourself and your baby. In other words this is a time to be both intuitive and a little selfish.

FOOD AND DRINK:
The cravings of pregnancy are legend. You do need to give in to them - but not totally! Indulge your taste buds, but don’t binge. Bingeing will not make you feel well before, during or after your pregnancy. There is only one substance that you should have as much as you want and that is water. This will prevent dehydration and is good for you and your baby in another way. When you drink water your blood volume goes up and your kidneys are encouraged to get rid of the excess fluid. Every time they do this, they also filter the blood of impurities. So by drinking water you keep your blood ‘fresh and clean’ for your and your baby.

EXERCISE:
A gentle exercise programme in pregnancy can do wonders for how you feel during and after pregnancy as well as helping you cope with labour. Conventional workouts and yoga are both excellent but it’s a good idea to be supervised by a trainer or attend a class for pregnant women. This will help you look after yourself and teach you exercises and stretches that are particularly good in pregnancy.

SEX:
A healthy sex life is a good thing for most of your pregnancy. Once again, trust your intuition and only use positions that feel comfortable. You also need to be a little selfish and only have sex when you really want to. Still, remember that sex is good for you, your partner, your relationship and the atmosphere in the house.

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES:
Homeopathy can be useful in pregnancy as it is a very safe form of medicine. Nevertheless it is still best to have the remedies prescribed by a qualified, homeopathic doctor. The symptoms that come up in pregnancy are often very clear and I have always found it a pleasure to prescribe homeopathically for pregnant women.

As I’ve said, it’s always better to consult a homeopath, but here are a few remedies I’ve seen work time and time again for the most common problem in pregnancy - morning sickness. Actually most of the women I’ve treated say they wish the nausea and vomiting was only in the morning!

If the nausea is made much worse by the smell of food (especially eggs or fish), the homeopathic remedy, Colchicum 6c may be helpful. Take one pill twice a day.
If the nausea is aggravated by travelling in a car or you are a person who is prone to carsickness, you could try Cocculus 6c twice a day.
If the nausea is accompanied by great irritability and your pregnancy has made you very averse to sex, you can try Sepia 6c twice a day.
If the nausea goes away, stop taking the medicine.
If it returns, then start taking the remedy again. Don’t take the medicine to ‘prevent’ the nausea - only to treat it. If the medicine hasn’t acted after 3 days use, stop taking it as it’s probably not going to work.

And remember, I can only give general advice in this newsletter. A homeopathic doctor can choose a remedy to suit your specific symptoms as well as your personal constitution.