Holistic Therapies during Early Pregnancy - Holistic Pregnancy and Childbirth

Holistic Therapies during Early Pregnancy

Fertilization normally takes place within 24 hours after a sperm encounters an egg inside the fallopian tube. Only one of the millions of sperms will pass through the membrane of the ovum (female egg). Once the sperm has fertilized the ovum, enzymes in the egg alter the inner membrane and make it impossible for more sperm to enter. Once introduced, the nucleus of the sperm and egg, each containing 23 chromosomes, unite to form one fertilized egg. The fertilized egg then travels to the womb where it embeds itself in the lining of the uterus, and begins to grow.

The fertilized egg in the wall of the uterus soon divides into many cells and begin to form the embryo's organs. Five weeks after fertilization, the embryo develops a nervous system, skin, muscles, and internal organs. By the eighth week, the 3-centimeter long embryo has a complete nervous system, a beating heart, a fully formed digestive system, and the beginnings of facial features. By the sixteenth week, its heart and brain are well developed; and by the twenty-sixth week, its lungs are functional.

Holistic Key: Nutrition during First Trimester.     A mother's diet during the first days of pregnancy is crucial because the only way the embryo in her womb can receive the nutrients and oxygen it needs for growth is through her bloodstream. Each organ and tissue of the fetus has its own specific time for cell division. By the time an organ such as the heart begins to grow in size, the important events are probably already over. This is why her nutrition during the five weeks following conception is extremely important. This means that if her diet is lacking in essential nutrients, it can have irreversible effects that may not fully become apparent until her child reaches maturity, including: delayed sexual development during early adolescence; poor dental health; and smaller number of brain cells, which researchers believe affect a baby's learning ability.

How can a woman be sure that the foods she consumes provides the fetus with the essential nutrients it requires? The safest method is to have an obstetrician regularly monitor her intake of essential nutrients.

Holistic Key: Nutrition during Second Trimester.     Many pregnant mothers experience heartburn and constipation, either due to the slowing of digestion or due to die size of the uterus, which will begin crowding the stomach and intestines. An obstetrician may recommend that the mother introduce a blander diet consisting of unprocessed and unseasoned foods. The obstetrician or naturopath may also prescribe natural antacids for heartburn and herbal laxatives for constipation. Prescription drugs should be avoided as they may have toxic effects on die fetus.

More than 50% of pregnant women complain of morning sickness at some time during their pregnancy. Typical symptoms include nausea and vomiting, especially in the morning, but which can occur at any time. Mothers should ask their obstetrician or nutritionist whether taking vitamin and mineral supplements will help prevent these symptoms. Vitamin B ₆ supplements, for example, reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Vitamins K and C, when used together, have also been shown in clinical trials to be helpful. In one study, 91% of patients who took daily vitamin K and C tablets showed complete remission within 72 hours.

Women might also consider consuming natural herbs which have proven effective in relieving morning sickness. Eating a small amount of fresh ginger, for example, has proven effective in alleviating morning sickness. In one study, ginger was shown to be far more effective than Dramamine, a popular prescription drug used to relieving nausea and vomiting.

Holistic Key: Nutrition during Third Trimester.     Approximately 10% of American women develop hypertension (high blood pressure) during pregnancy, most often in the third trimester. In most cases, the elevation is mild and produces no adverse symptoms. If it is not stabilized, however, it can result in kidney failure, liver damage, and seizures in the mother.

A 1992 study conducted at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, reported that low calcium intake (along with low magnesium and potassium intake) during pregnancy increases the risk of elevated blood pressure in the newborn. When pregnant women consumed 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of calcium daily, however, they as well as their fetuses had significantly lower risks of high blood pressure. A calcium-rich diet of foods such as low-fat milk, dairy products, sardines, salmon, caviar, almonds, and Brazil nuts effectively prevents high blood pressure. Calcium supplements may also help prevent premature deliveries and low birth weight babies. Calcium supplements, however, can have side effects, including constipation. The best advice is to consume all the recommended absorbable calcium through a balanced diet.

Holistic Key: Stress Reduction.     Today, virtually everyone knows what “stress” is, although it is especially important for a pregnant mother to understand how it affects her body and her fetus. During pregnancy, labor, and childbirth, she'll experience a variety of stresses, some of which will be unavoidable. In addition, she'll also undergo substantial hormonal changes which will affect how she reacts to stressful situations. For example, she may feel more irritable, anxious, or fatigued as her baby becomes larger in the womb. In his book, The Relaxation Response , Herbert Benson explains how a variety of holistic therapies can induce the “relaxation response,” including biofeedback, yoga, meditation, visualizations, hypnosis, guided imagery, and progressive relaxation exercises. These stress-reducing therapies are essential “keys” in the holistic approach to a comfortable pregnancy and natural childbirth.

Holistic Key: Biofeedback.     Biofeedback training is a method of learning how to consciously regulate brain waves, breathing rhythm, heart rate, and blood pressure. Biofeedback machines are simply computers with wires that attach to a patient's skin which measure important biological processes such as the heart beat.

How is biofeedback beneficial for a pregnant woman? Research has shown that when a mother is overstressed, her stress hormones are transferred to her baby's blood supply. One result is that her baby's movements in the womb will increase several hundred percent—even if the mother's stress lasts only for several minutes. The baby's hyperactivity, however, often continues for several hours. If the mother continues to be stressed for several weeks, her baby will remain hyperactive throughout that entire period.

Is this necessarily dangerous for the fetus? Research has documented contradictory results. It appears that a certain amount of short-term stress may be beneficial because moderately active fetuses tend to be more alert and creative following birth. Mothers who experience extreme chronic stress during pregnancy, however, tend to have babies with lower birth weights. These babies also tend to be more irritable, colicky, and cry more. Researchers have suggested that one reason this occurs is because chronic stress decreases the mother's ability to absorb important nutrients that she and her fetus need, especially phosphorous, calcium, and nitrogen.

Chronic stress, as noted, also increases the mother's heartbeat—and when her heart beats faster, so does her baby's. This influences the baby's development while inside the womb—and also affects the baby's heart rate after birth. This was demonstrated by a very interesting experiment conducted with a group of newborn babies. In the experiment, researchers played several tape recordings of

a mother's heartbeat. When they played a tape of a normal heartbeat—the babies became quiet, breathed evenly, ate well, and gained weight. When the recording of the heartbeat was speeded up above normal, the same babies became restless and began to cry.

The experiment suggested to the researchers that unborn babies in the uterus seem to recognize when the mother is anxious or frightened, because they, in turn, become anxious. Other research has confirmed that the heart rhythms which a fetus develops in the womb persist long after birth. Researchers have found, for example, that unborn babies whose heart rates were accelerated due to their mother's stress showed similar cardiac variations at 20 years of age.

Biofeedback has many beneficial uses during pregnancy. In the latter part of her pregnancy, for example, a mother may find that her legs and feet become painful, or that she develops varicose veins—swollen leg veins caused by increased blood pressure due to the weight she has gained. In some cases, these symptoms result because she places a disproportionate amount of weight to one side of the body.

Dr. Marjorie K. Toomim, director of the Biofeedback Institute of Los Angeles, uses a biofeedback machine to help pregnant mothers detect muscle imbalances caused by improper weight distribution. When they are connected to an EMG feedback machine, her patients can see which weaker muscles need to be exercised to rebalance their weight. Biofeedback has also helped pregnant women with back problems by showing them how to relax specific muscles to prevent muscle spasms and back pains.

Holistic Key: Yoga.     The meaning of the word yoga is “union,” the integration of physical, mental, and spiritual energies. Yoga involves many different forms of physical (stretching), breathing, and mental exercises. Some yoga practices also include visualization, progressive relaxation exercises, and meditation.

In The Relaxation Response , Benson details a number of studies which show that yoga induces deep breathing, decreases the heart rate, and increases blood flow to the brain, which produces more relaxed brain wave rhythms called “alpha and theta state.” Each of these is important for a mother and her baby.

Deep breathing is important because it produces the “relaxation response.” A pregnant mother undergoing emotional stress tends to breath faster (shallow chest breathing) and may also hyperventilate. Shallow or hyperventilated breathing, in turn, increases her heart rate, which can cause her fetus to become hyperactive—or to be born with cardiac irregularities.

Yoga and biofeedback are the two most effective therapies in lowering heart rates. Benson also documents how women who practice yoga also produce “alpha and theta” brain waves which are associated with positive thinking. One type of yoga, hatha yoga—which combines deep breathing exercises with a gentle form of calisthenics—is especially effective in lowering a person's heart rate. Dr. F. Schell reports in the January 1994 issue of the International Journal of Psychosomatics that women who practiced hatha yoga showed “markedly lower scores in heart rates, excitability, aggressiveness, emotionality and somatic complaints.” They also had significantly higher scores in positive thinking.

Pranayama (“prana”=life force; “yama”=regulation) is also effective in regulating heart rates and lowering blood pressure levels. “Prana” is similar to what the Chinese call “chi”—and both Indian and Chinese physicians believe that when a person is stressed, the vital life energy which normally flows throughout their body becomes blocked. Pranayama exercises help remove these blockages and promote a steady, even flow of prana throughout the body. According to Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide , pranayama yoga can also help relieve indigestion and morning sickness.

One form of pranayama yoga, Nadi Shodhana, employs alternate nostril breathing. Indian Ayurvedic physicians believe that slow, meditative breathing through alternate nostrils acts as a kind of acupuncture—that is, it purifies the nadis (channels) along which the prana “flows.” In Quantum Healing , Dr. Deepak Chopra suggests that this technique helps the brain produce its own natural painkillers (“endorphins”) which are actually several hundred times stronger than prescription drugs.

The best known form of yoga, the asanas (asana means “ease” in Sanskrit), uses physical postures and deep breathing to align the vertebrae of the spine, which in turn helps relieve back, neck, and joint pains which pregnant women often experience. By performing these gentle postures, a mother can automatically regulate her heartbeat and breathing.

Three to five percent of all pregnant women develop diabetes during pregnancy, usually during the second trimester. Pregnant women with diabetes will find practicing asanas especially beneficial. Dr. Mary Schatz, president of the Medical Staff at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, has found that alternate nostril breathing can help diabetic mothers decrease their insulin dependency. Her book Back Care Basics also details case studies in which yoga has helped pregnant women with cardiovascular arrhythmias and thyroid disorders.

Practicing yoga will also help to keep the mother's pelvic muscles and ligaments strong and supple, which will enable her pelvis to expand more easily when the baby moves through the birth canal. Yoga will also relieve lower back stiffness and soreness in the front joint of the pelvis (symphysis pubis).

Holistic Key: Meditation.     Meditation is a state of focused concentration that produces a heightened sense of inner peace and awareness. Daniel Goleman, in his book The Meditative Mind , states that more than 1,000 studies have proven that meditation effectively reduces stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, relieves addictions, and improves metabolic and respiratory functioning. He notes that meditation has proven so effective in reducing stress and tension that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) now recommends it in place of prescription drugs as the first treatment for mild hypertension.

Why is maintaining a normal blood pressure important for a mother and her baby? Many healthy women develop a mild form of hypertension when they become pregnant. One reason is that as her fetus grows it presses on veins in her pelvis, which increases the pressure in the veins that bring blood up from her legs. This increased pressure may cause her leg veins to enlarge (to become “varicose”). The pressure can also cause fluid to leak from the veins into the tissues, in which case her feet and ankles will become swollen.

The impact of hypertension on a baby can be severe. Several studies have suggested, for example, that babies tend to be born with higher blood pressure levels if their mothers had high blood pressure in their third trimester. Dr. A. Himmelmann reports a study in the October 1994 issue of Blood Pressure which showed that babies born to hypertensive mothers tend to have higher blood pressure levels during their first year. They also tend to maintain high levels through their later childhood. In addition, the same study suggested that babies bom with high blood pressure tend to have lower birth weights.

Holistic Key: Progressive Relaxation.     Progressive relaxation, according to Benson, is another effective therapy for inducing the “relaxation response.” In each form of exercise, expectant mothers first contract (or tense) a muscle group such as the back and neck muscles for several seconds—and then relax them. This is a particularly effective way to relax the womb. The procedure can be repeated progressively from the face and neck to the upper chest and arms, the abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, calves, and feet. The whole process is repeated two or three times, and produces a deep state of relaxation.

Holistic Key: Spiral Relaxation.     Spiral relaxation is a variation of progressive relaxation in which a person imagines a point of light or heat circling three times around the top of the head—and slowly spiraling down around the face, neck, upper chest, arms, abdomen, waist, hips, thighs, knees, calves, and feet. Each part of the body relaxes as the series of three spirals encircles it.

The third relaxation exercise for pregnant women involves imagining their body being filled with healing energy which enters through the top of their head and progressively moves from the frontal lobes down the rest of the body. Although these exercises are imaginary, they effectively relax tensed muscles (especially in the womb), and they also lower the heart rate and blood pressure and slow down breathing.

Holistic Key: Deep (Dream State) Sleeping.     Sleep requirements and patterns will vary throughout pregnancy. Many women find that they go to bed earlier, sleep more, and take frequent naps.

The most obvious benefit of sleep is that it replenishes the mother's energy. Deep sleep patterns are very important for the baby. Researchers have found that when the mother sleeps in a deep dream state, essential hormones are transferred across the placenta to her baby. These hormones appear to stimulate her baby's brain growth and differentiation. Consequently, if a woman is chronically stressed and do not sleep in deep sleep cycles, her baby will receive less growth hormones and more stress hormones, which can be harmful.

Holistic Key: Intimacy with Partner.     The mother's feelings of intimacy with the baby's father can also affect her fetus' development because it can sense her emotions at a physiological level. Arguments and conflicts with the father, or lack of support from an absent father, for example, can produce a sense of loneliness in the mother which stimulates “stress hormones” that are transferred to her fetus. Researchers have found that mothers who are emotionally stressed due to marital adjustment or the absence of the father tend to have babies who develop colic.

If a woman feels intimate with her partner, on the other hand, this will help her maintain the “relaxation response”—and also strengthen her immune system. Researchers have noted, for example, that mothers who feel loved and supported by their partners tend to develop healthier holistic habits such as resting and relaxing more, and maintaining a more nutritious diet. As a result, pregnant women who feel loved have been shown to maintain stronger immune systems throughout pregnancy and develop fewer illnesses and infections.

One problem many pregnant women report is a fear of sexual intimacy while they are pregnant. A mother's sexual desire often flows in different rhythms during each trimester. She may become anorgasmic for a period, or the symptoms and discomforts of pregnancy may dampen her sexual drive. During the latter months, she may also feel awkward about her body which may inhibit her love-making.

A mother need not be concerned that intercourse even in the third trimester will harm the fetus. In fact, developmental researchers suggest that unless there is a danger of abortion or premature labor, sexual intimacy beneficially stimulates the fetus and also increases her the mother's self-esteem. Sex also relaxes the mother, and nourishes her body because her partner's semen is rich in prostaglandins, natural chemicals that help soften her cervix. Gentle intercourse can also help initiate uterine contractions.

Holistic Key: Exercise.     Regular, moderate exercise is also essential for the baby's health. A two-year study of 463 women at the Columbia School of Public Health in New York City, for example, found that expectant mothers who worked out for 30 minutes five days a week gave birth to bigger, healthier babies. Other studies have also shown that pregnant women who exercise have a heightened sense of well-being and experience fewer complications and less pain during labor.

Even if a woman has not exercised regularly before, she can safely begin this workout program. The safest, most beneficial physical activities for first-time mothers are swimming, yoga, and brisk walking because they can usually be continued safely until almost the day of delivery and involve little risk of injury. Swimming, walking, yoga, and gentle stretching are ideal for maintaining circulation and supple muscle and relieving back pain.

The type of exercise which is best for each woman will depend on her pre-pregnancy health status and how much weight she has gained during pregnancy. Expectant mothers should discuss their exercise program with an obstetrician, and be careful to avoid strenuous exercise because it may deprive the fetus of blood and nutrients. Several studies have suggested that strenuous exercise in the third trimester is associated with low birth weight babies.

Holistic Key: Hydrotherapy.     Hydrotherapy is a stress reduction therapy which is especially beneficial for pregnant mothers when it's combined with water-based exercises. Water is an ideal exercising environment because its buoyancy makes movement easier and safer. Its viscosity also provides the right amount of resistance to allow a pregnant woman to maintain her muscle tone and aerobic capacity without jarring her fetus. In addition, the circumferential pressure of water enhances blood circulation.

Hydrotherapy has proven effective in relieving many discomforts associated with spinal stress and hypertension in late stages of pregnancy. Dr. Dean Edell notes that hydrotherapy also help lower heart rates and high blood pressure. He describes one study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in which 11 healthy women in their third trimester were immersed in 92°F water (50 minutes a day) for five days. At the end of the study, all of the women urinated more and experienced safe declines in their heart rates and blood pressure levels. The researchers also discovered that in several of the women hydrotherapy relieved edema, the normal but uncomfortable swelling that results from water retention during pregnancy. Every mother should consult with her obstetrician before starting any program of water immersion. Mothers should not immerse themselves in water (including baths) which are hotter than 96°F.

Holistic Key: Kegel Exercises.     Virtually all pregnancy books and childbirth classes recommend gentle exercises called Kegels that strengthen a mother's back, pelvic, and abdominal muscles. Along with yoga, these are the best exercises to offset the mechanical strain and postural changes that result from the weight gained during pregnancy. Doing daily Kegel exercises can prevent backaches and help with bladder control and sexual enjoyment after pregnancy.

Holistic Key: Therapeutic Massage.     A massage is certainly relaxing, and many people fall into a deep, restful sleep after receiving one. In fact, massage is an excellent way of inducing the deep (dream) sleep state. Massage is also an ideal way for a mother and her partner to be intimate together. Some mothers report that they can feel their baby moving when they massage their womb.

Dr. John Yeat, in his book A Physician's Guide to Therapeutic Massage , details a number of studies which have demonstrated that therapeutic massage can help relieve common discomforts of pregnancy, including muscle spasms, swelling of the legs and feet, and migraine headaches.

Massage is also an excellent way to prepare for labor. Most childbirth classes teach pregnant women to massage their perineum (the small space between the anus and the vagina) before delivery in order to prevent perineal trauma during delivery. Several studies conducted by physicians at the Hospital du Saint-Sacrement in Quebec City found that pregnant women who practiced perineum massage at least four times a week for three weeks or longer subsequently experienced less difficulties (including no episiotomies) during childbirth.

Holistic Key: Visualization and Imagery.     Visualization is another excellent therapy which induces the “relaxation response” and creates more positive, pleasurable images about childbirth. Studies have documented that mothers who have the most positive images before birth have the closest, most satisfying relationships with their child after birth.

Receptive imagery involves relaxing and letting subconscious images rise into the conscious in order to silently observe any fears a mother might have about childbirth. Once she has identified her anxieties, she'll be able to focus on taking practical steps to ensure a healthy pregnancy and birthing experience. By visualizing the best birth outcome for herself and her baby, she'll increase her sense of empowerment and self-control.

The more women talk with their obstetricians or midwives, the better they'll be able to visualize what happens during labor and childbirth. Visualizations also stimulate what is called the “nesting instinct.” Most pregnant women spend a good deal of time in the final months of pregnancy creating a loving and stimulating environment for their baby. This can be heightened during imagery if she visualizes holding and nursing her newborn baby.

Tuning into the “nesting instinct” is a good example of using one's intuition to prepare for a pleasurable, relaxed childbirth. The results are both practical and psychological. Each mother receives many intuitive messages during her pregnancy and the more she's in tune with them, the more relaxed her baby will be. If she has subconscious fears about how she'll feel in labor, she can use programmed imagery to intentionally picture herself experiencing contractions in a calm, relaxed manner.

Holistic Key: Chiropractic.     Many mothers experience back pains during pregnancy and labor which are usually caused by minor misalignments of the spine. Sometimes, they occur if they sleep in an uncomfortable position. A chiropractor can relieve these pains by gently realigning the neck and spine. In one trial reported by Dr. P. Diakow, researchers at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto found that 170 women who received a gentle back manipulation prior to their labor experienced less pain during labor and childbirth.

Holistic Key: Qigong.     Qigong (chi-kuang) is an ancient Chinese exercise which combines calisthenics-type movements with breath coordination to stimulate the flow of qi (“chi”)—the vital life energy which flows through the acupuncture meridians (energy pathways). Several variations of qigong exercise are beneficial for pregnant mothers. In the first form, a mother sits in a relaxed pose and uses her mental concentration to channel “chi” energy to specific parts of her body, especially her womb. In the movement form of qigong, she integrates meditation with graceful, dance-like movements which also circulates “chi” through the meridians. Today, most hospitals in China include qigong as part of their pregnancy heath care programs.

Holistic Key: Acupuncture and Acupressure.     Both acupuncture and acupressure stimulate the flow of “chi” energy. In acupressure, the therapist uses her fingers and thumbs rather than needles to press different “chi” points on the surface of the body. The specific benefits of both therapies for pregnant mothers is that “chi” point stimulation triggers the release of “endorphins,” the neurochemicals that relieve pain—especially during labor and childbirth.

Both therapies also relieve muscular tension, which enables more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to be carried to tissues throughout the body. Both have also proven effective in relieving headaches, stiff necks and shoulders, nausea, vomiting, morning sickness, and pelvic pain in pregnant mothers.

Holistic Key: Homeopathy.     Approximately 10% of pregnant women suffer from anemia and fatigue, especially during the third trimester. These symptoms can be alleviated by taking iron supplements. Homeopathic remedies, which have been used in obstetrics in Europe for more than 100 years, can also relieve anemia. In some cases, homeopathic remedies have proven slightly more effective than conventional drug treatments in treating pregnant women with anemia. Homeopathic treatments may also be beneficial during labor and childbirth. One study by Dr. B. Hochstrasser found that pregnant women with anemia experienced “fewer hemorrhages and decreased abnormal contractions” when they were given homeopathic remedies instead of conventional drugs.

Holistic Key: Fetal Stimulation.     In the last 10 years, researchers have learned a great deal about what the baby experiences in the womb. For example, researchers now know that a baby already “thinks” and “perceives” by the sixth month of development. As noted, the mother's movements, heartbeat, and breathing all affect her growing fetus. Her baby's sense of touch, for instance, is stimulated when she exercises. Her heartbeat and breathing stimulates her fetus' sense of hearing.

Many parents have discovered the benefits of playing relaxing music to their babies while still inside the womb. Music, like meditation, appears to stimulate the endorphins. British osteopaths, for example, frequently use sound and music to transmit specific frequencies (healing vibrations) to specific diseased organs. In a like manner, soothing music appears to transmit a healing, stimulating vibration to the fetus.

Therapeutic music can also be beneficial during labor. Listening to music during the birthing process enhances the mother's sense of comfort and security. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide adds that “the best long-term results, in terms of the health and well-being of the newborn, are coming from births that provide soothing, nurturing soundtracks.”

Many mothers have noticed that their unborn baby is especially sensitive to sound. They will often kick, for example, in response to sudden loud noises. They also respond when the mother talks to them because they can sense love from the vibration of her words. Dr. Mike Samuels suggests in The Well Baby Book that one way of enhancing this verbal communication is to give the unborn baby a name (which is a vibration).