Pregnancy is often the opportunity to discover homeopathy for those who are not followers of this alternative medicine. Safe for babies and mothers, homeopathy is indeed a great alternative to relieve pregnancy ailments. It is also an additional resource to better experience childbirth and the aftermath of childbirth.

During pregnancy, certain allopathic medicines are contraindicated because of their teratogenic risk (which can cause malformations in the fetus) or their adverse effects on the good progress of the pregnancy. The use of allopathy is therefore limited in expectant mothers.

To treat the various ailments of pregnancy, homeopathy, without danger for the mother and her baby, is therefore a great alternative. Moreover, more and more midwives are training in homeopathy and prescribing it to expectant mothers in pregnancy monitoring or for the delivery room.

Homeopathy can be used to relieve various pregnancy ailments, along with hygiene and dietetic measures and, possibly, allopathic treatment:

• nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy;
• acid reflux;
• l’hypersalivation ;
• cramps;
• the constipation ;
• joint and ligament pain;
• sleep disturbances;
• stress and anxiety;
• hemorrhoids ;
• low back pain and Lacombe syndrome;
• heavy legs;
• help with smoking cessation.

More and more maternity hospitals offer homeopathy in the delivery room. This alternative medicine does not claim to erase the pain of contractions or resolve all the difficulties that may arise during childbirth, but it does help at work by bringing serenity to the future mother and by promoting the physiological process of birth.

This preparation should ideally begin before childbirth. Different great remedies exist: Arnica Montana (to gather strength), Caulophyllum (to prepare the cervix), Actaea Racemosa et Gelsemium (to alleviate the anxiety of childbirth).

From the first signs of labor, Gelsemium is recommended in order to arrive more serene in the delivery room. Taken regularly from the first contractions, Actaea promote the regularization of contractions and softening of the cervix. Caulophyllum is used when work has difficulty starting or when it stagnates. Chamomilla is used when contractions are very painful, Ignatia amara for its antispasmodic and anxiolytic action. In case of epidural, take Hypericum perforatum.

A 1986 study, conducted in double blind with 93 mothers, compared the effectiveness of a homeopathic treatment during the 9th month and continued during labor, versus placebo. The homeopathic protocol consisted of 4 remedies: Actaea, Caulophyllum, Gelsemium et Arnica montana. The results showed a decrease in the average duration of labor in the homeopathy group: 5,1 hours against 8,7 hours for the placebo group. Onset dystocia also decreased significantly (1).

Homeopathy is also used after childbirth, from the birth room. After expulsion of the placenta, Arnica montana is used to help recover from the physical and mental trauma of childbirth. Staphysagria and Ledum palustre are prescribed for episiotomy, to promote tissue healing. Immediately after childbirth, other homeopathic remedies may be prescribed depending on the situation: cesarean section, general anesthesia, spinal pain and headache due to the epidural, etc.

During the postpartum period, that is to say the period from childbirth to the return of the first period, the body of the young mother must recover from pregnancy and childbirth, which constitute real upheavals on the physical and psychological level. Homeopathy can support this physiological process of recovery. One of the flagship remedies of this period of childbirth is China rubra, used to prevent fatigue

Homeopathy can help relieve some common postpartum ailments such as constipation, hemorrhoids, episiotomy pain. It can also help mom get over the baby blues. Graphites, Staphysagria, Pulsatilla, Sepia, Silicea will be used according to the manifestations of the baby-blues.

Homeopathy can also help with breastfeeding. It does not replace the basic rules, which guarantee successful breastfeeding (frequent breastfeeding, feedings on demand, good position of the baby at the breast), but it can be a help in certain situations. To promote the flow of milk and lactation, Lac caninum et Ricin commune are the remedies of choice. They must be taken in small dilution (4 and 5 CH) because in high dilution, they risk on the contrary slowing down lactation. In the event of cracks, along with the local application of Castor equi cream (to be cleaned before breastfeeding), the following remedies are recommended depending on the appearance of the cracks: Nitric acid if they bleed easily; Graphites if they ooze and have yellow scabs; Ratania if they are itchy. For mothers who do not wish to breastfeed, homeopathy is a solution to stop lactation.

There are no contraindications to homeopathy during pregnancy. The active ingredients do not cross the placental barrier or in such a minute quantity, so that they do not present any risk of fetal toxicity. Homeopathy can be used in addition to conventional treatments, without risk of interaction.

Self-medication is therefore risk-free in homeopathy, but for more efficiency, it is advisable to consult a homeopathic doctor or a midwife trained in homeopathy in order to have a personalized prescription. The choice of homeopathic remedies is indeed based on the patient’s background and the way he reacts to the disease or, in this case, the characteristics of the pregnancy ailments from which the expectant mother suffers. For nausea, for example, the homeopathic remedy will be different depending on whether the nausea is relieved by vomiting, exacerbated by odors or accompanied by cold sweats.

Homeopathy should not however replace allopathy when it is necessary, nor delay a consultation when warning signals (pain, bleeding, headache…) appear during pregnancy.