natural maternity care

Pain During Pregnancy: Pelvic Area, Groin, Legs and Back

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Pain During Pregnancy: Pelvic Area, Groin, Legs and Back

Experiencing pain is humbling, and it can be a chance for personal growth. It can be an opportunity to practice techniques that will help with labor, birth and life beyond. Techniques like breathing, mindfulness, befriending and relaxing into intense sensations. Prevalent societal attitudes that include fear, numbing, medicating or escaping symptoms of discomfort as opposed to being with them, surrendering, welcoming, honoring them, listening to and finding meaning and beneficial purpose in their messages. Pain provides a chance to learn patience, acceptance of normal bodily changes associated with pregnancy, and how to prioritize, delegate, let go of activities of overwork or those that create increased stress, and allow others to help.

For pregnancy related aches and pains in the groin, back, or legs, it is recommended that you consult a reputable chiropractor or osteopath who can successfully relieve strained muscles and correct a spine or pelvis that is out of alignment. Other helpful professionals include a massage therapist (especially deep tissue, shiatsu, rolfing and Thai) who can do wonders to release tightened painful or aching muscles in spasm , a homeopath who can suggest a safe natural remedy to effectively treat your specific symptoms, or an acupuncturist skilled at directing needles on the trigger points. Therapeutic yoga can be helpful to reduce tension, increase strength and flexibility of responsible muscles,

Pain in the Groin

Sharp but short lived pain in the groin area that can sometimes travel down into the legs is either related to the stretching of the round ligaments that hold and support your growing uterus within your abdomen, or to the pressure of the uterus or baby on local nerves. This sort of pain usually occurs while walking or movement, and can be enough to stop you in your tracks.

For relief from round ligament pain, stop to rest, bend your knees onto your abdomen while lying down, or get on your hands and knees and rock your pelvis inward and outward. Take a very warm bath with Epsom Salts and a few drops of Lavender or Olbas herbal combination, followed by applying Tiger Balm then a hot or cold pack, or heating pad.

To minimize strain on these ligaments: 

  • Take frequent breaks

  • Use full body or pregnancy pillows under your uterus and between your legs when lying down on your side

  • Roll on your side, transition through your hands and knees to use your arm, leg and core muscles when getting up from a supine position

  • Apply gentle pressure to the area when laughing, coughing, or sneezing

  • Consider wearing a maternity support garment -like Bellefit’s prenatal support wear.

  • Practice your kegel (those you use to stop the flow of urine) or even more comprehensive and effective, yoga mula bandha or root lock exercises, daily to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles that help support your uterus. Get out your yoga mat and do a modified bridge pose, supporting your sacrum on a yoga block. In this position it is easy to practice your mula bandha, by placing another yoga block between your thighs. While inhaling, tilt your pelvis up toward your face as you slowly squeeze the block and draw your entire pelvic floor upward and inward, starting from its center. Hold as long as is comfortable, then release and return to resting your sacrum on the block as you exhale. Let the breathing be smooth, relaxed and deep as you do this. It takes practice but you will get it. Start with 25 twice per day, and work up to 50 twice per day. Once you get the hang of it, you can do it in many positions, anywhere, anytime. You will also notice other benefits like easier birthing, reduced tearing, less urinary incontinence, better sex, improved exercise performance and yoga practice, and if done on a deeper level, enhanced overall well-being. 

Back Pain

High backache in pregnancy is related to breast enlargement and heaviness, which may produce strain in compensating back muscles, especially if your breasts are not well supported. Wear a well-fitting, comfortable and supportive wire free maternity bra that lifts your breasts upward and inward. Do shoulder rolls and arm exercises that tighten and release your upper back muscles, and get a regular back massage.

Aches and pains in the lower back are related to several factors: 

  • Pressure of your growing uterus or baby on the nerves

  • Stretching of the ligaments that connect the sides of the enlarging uterus to the lower back

  • Hormonal relaxation and increased mobility of your joints, especially in the pelvis

  • The shift in the center of gravity from your expanding belly, which leads your pelvis to tilt forward and your back to arch, straining the back muscles

The problem is made worse by excessive weight gain, prolonged walking or standing, frequent bending or lifting with poor posture and improper body mechanics, ill fitting or high heeled shoes, and weak or separated abdominal muscles or weak back muscles. Wear Bellefit’s prenatal support wear, or try Baby Hugger for more extensive support. They provide wonderful relief of lower abdominal pressure and aching back from weak or stretched abdominal muscles after several pregnancies. It is also helpful for Diastasis Recti.

Diastasis Recti (belly muscle separation) can sometimes cause back pain. More significantly, it can impact pregnancies as lax abdominal muscles do a poor job of supporting the uterus. Sometimes this causes the baby to take on a suboptimal position. This is a normal physiologic separation that takes place during pregnancy for most women. The effort made to correct it postpartum is mostly cosmetic as there are rarely any major medical issues associated with mild separation, especially when the separation is less than 3 finger widths. You can certainly do yoga and can learn corrective exercises to strengthen these muscles as well as bring them together. 

Sciatica pain is caused by pressure of the enlarging uterus or baby on nerves that pass through the lower spine into the legs. This pain can travel from the back or thigh all the way down to the feet or toes. It can be severe and associated with other strange sensations like tingling or numbness.

REMEDIES

Watch your weight gain. Remember, under normal circumstances, you only need to gain 3-6 pounds during the first trimester and ½-1 pound per week thereafter, for a grand total of 25-35 pounds. The following strategies should be sufficient to maintain ideal weight throughout your pregnancy:

  • Regular moderate exercise (like brisk walking, cycling, swimming or dancing) for at least 30 minutes 5 days per week.

  • Practicing yoga postures modified for pregnancy, aimed specifically to help with your specific location of pain. Good examples are spinal twists, hamstring stretches and hip openers for sciatica; or down dog, forward bends, cat/cow, puppy, bridge, plank, triangle, sphinx, cobra, thread the needle and spinal twists to stretch and strengthen lower back. 

  • A healthy diet high in fresh organic fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, tempeh, whole organic eggs, beef, chicken or turkey, wild Alaskan salmon, and whole fresh raw goat or sheep dairy.

  • Reduced intake of sugar, white flour, refined vegetable oils and partially hydrogenated fat, refined processed and deep fried foods.

  • Consumption of at least 64 ounces of filtered, spring or well water daily, between meals (at least 20-30 minutes before or 2 hours after eating).

Make sure you are eating enough calcium (found in whole dairy foods—ideally goat or sheep, sardines, wild caught salmon, ground sesame seeds/tahini, and dark green leafy vegetables excluding spinach) and magnesium (abundant in fresh green vegetables, apples, wheat germ, seeds, and nuts). You also need sufficient vitamin C, D, E , and B complex easily absorbed from a well-balanced whole food diet as well as natural prenatal supplements to provide needed nourishment not obtained by food alone. If you have inflammation, especially if your pain is more chronic, you may benefit from anti inflammatory diet and supplements adapted for pregnancy. Load up on the tumeric in your cooking!

BETTER BODY MECHANICS FOR PAIN REDUCTION

Know your pregnant body’s limits and pay attention to what your symptoms are telling you. Take frequent breaks or rest periods if you need to be on your feet for prolonged periods of time. Cut down on nonessential burdens in your life and be clear about your priorities. It is OK to say “no” or to leave the housework, pile of papers and long ‘to-do’ list for tomorrow, or better let most of it go, and/or delegate to someone else. Don’t be afraid to ask family or friends to help with chores or child care, or treat yourself to hired help and healthy take-out meals.

Avoid fatigue by making sure you are getting extra needed sleep by going to bed earlier, sleeping later, or taking naps. Rest on a firm supportive mattress or use a bed board, and sleep with pillows positioned to straighten your back and alleviate strain or pulling. Some women find the floor or a futon helpful. Use full body or pregnancy pillows for additional support.

Pay deliberate attention to your posture, especially when standing or walking, by lifting your abdomen up and in (bringing pelvic bone towards breast bone and using your muscles to corset your ribs inward), tucking your pelvis slightly up and in to minimize the arch in your lower back, and relaxing your shoulders down. Even when sitting, take care not to slump by using your abdominal muscles to lift up and keep your back straight. Sit on harder, more supportive chairs. Even better, ditch chairs and squat with your pelvis supported on a yoga block or your heels supported by a wedged yoga blanket. Use an ergonomic work station or standing desk, resting alternate feet on a foot stool while standing for extra relief on your back muscles. The foot stool will also come in handy during labor and life as a mom. 

Walk barefoot while home, and wear supportive, well-fitting comfortable flat or rocker bottom shoes when out. Save the high heels until after the baby.

Avoid heavy lifting. Spread out grocery store purchases into several bags and take more trips carrying a lighter load instead of a heavier one all at once. Better yet, ask for help.

Watch your body mechanics by using your stronger stomach, arm, and leg muscles not your weaker back to lift, pull, or push something. Instead of bending at the waist or lifting abruptly, bend at the knees with a broad base and lift carefully. Instead of reaching for an object, come closer to it. Turn and twist more slowly and with caution. If a particular action feels even a bit uncomfortable, STOP!

Take extra precautions during activities requiring balance and walking on wet, icy or slippery surfaces. Remember your sense of balance is changed, your gait is more awkward and you have an increased tendency to fall. Use a non-skid floor mat in the bath and shower.

If you can not tolerate your usual exercise routine, do regular but more gentle exercise. Take a prenatal dance class, gentle yoga, or a pregnancy exercise class. A good instructor can help you maintain proper posture, and learn how to strengthen your abdominal, back and extremity muscles. Swimming is another option, as it allows you to get great exercise without any weight on your back.

Put on a maternity support garment like Bellefit before you start each day, especially if you were out of shape before the pregnancy or have poor abdominal muscle tone after several children, if you are overweight, carrying a big baby or twins, or on your feet a lot. Many specialty stores stock lightweight maternity girdles with soft elastic fronts and an adjustable belt if you are looking for alternatives.

STRESS REDUCTION FOR PAIN REDUCTION

Emotions greatly influence nerve and muscle interaction. Try to put yourself in a more positive, joyful and calm state by reading uplifting books, watching movies and listening to podcasts that inspire or make you laugh, and spending time with those who bring out your finest moods.

Stress leads to increased muscle tension and pain. Although easier said than done, limit your stress and inner tension, and increase feelings of calm by taking a “healing interval” a few minutes several times each day. Sit quietly with your eyes closed and think and do absolutely nothing, meditate, practice breathwork or pray. Do regular yoga (especially Yin, prenatal, gentle and restorative), practice progressive muscle relaxation techniques (yoga nidra), QiGong, Tai Chi, or take a walk outside in nature. Read these recent blog posts on natural remedies for stress and ways to manage your emotions.

The following breathwork exercises are simple to do and can be done any time and place. For example, while traveling, waiting in line, resting, before rising in the morning and going to bed at night, in the bath, on the toilet, or whenever you feel stressed or triggered. 

When all is otherwise healthy and well, throughout all the exercises, practice embracing, relaxing into and even magnifying intense sensations without the mental story about them. Can you make friends with discomfort and pain, instead of trying to escape, numb or fight it? Is there something that they can teach you? Get curious about all of their details, including the borders or edges, and parts of you that feels good, or does not have unpleasant sensations. Yes there are remedies to help alleviate pain. But you will be amazed how effective this practice is, and how much it will help you to better cope with childbirth, as well as with the pain that is an inevitable part of being human. It is the suffering from the pain that is optional, so you can choose not to suffer.

Sit up straight but comfortably, with your eyes closed, internally keeping your gaze between your eyes, or open and focused on a nonmoving distant object or place. You can do this reclining, as long as you are not likely to fall asleep - the point is to be conscious throughout. While breathing be mindful, and just observe and release any muscle tension working your way slowly from head to toe. Practice Ujjai breathing. Breathe at the pace and depth that feels right for you, but by inhaling through your mouth or nose, directing the breath into the back of your throat which makes a sound like ocean waves (it is a calm, slow, and smooth circular version of gasping on inhale and fogging a mirror on exhale). This is meditation, combined with the benefits of breathwork.

Breath Awareness

Start with being more conscious about your breath, and simply focusing all of your attention on your breathing. Get curious about all the details of your sensations as you inhale and exhale, without trying to change anything. Notice what you are currently seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, tasting. Just watch without judgment. This brings you to the present and is deliciously relaxing. 

Deep Abdominal Breathing

  1. Exhale slowly with an audible sigh, releasing all muscle tension, especially in your jaw and breathing diaphragm muscle. 

  2. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4. Imagine a pump expanding your abdomen, and lower back, down to your pelvic floor, causing you to inhale. Allow ribs to expand with air, then inhale air into your upper chest towards your collarbone and shoulders.

  3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 4. Release effortlessly, in the same order you inhaled, returning to baseline, your abdomen, ribs, then upper chest. With each exhalation, try to let go and relax even more.

  4. Repeat this cycle a total of 8 times or at least a few minutes. You may need to play with counts, using a count of 3 or maybe even 5 or 6. But keep the counts of inhale the same as the counts of exhale.  

  5. Then extend, or double the exhale. For example, if you are inhaling to a count or 3, exhale to a count of 6, or if you are inhaling to a count of 4, exhale to a count of 6. And repeat this cycle for several minutes.

Triangle Breathing

Inhale for a count of 3 or 4, exhale to the same count of 3 or 4, then pause for the same count of 3 or 4, while consciously and deeply relaxing your diaphragm muscle of respiration, as well as all other muscles.  Repeat for several cycles or a few minutes.

Box Breathing

Another great breathing technique that disengages your conscious attention from thought and relaxes the nervous system, and can be done any time, is box breathing. With this exercise, you add a timed pause between each inhalation and exhalation. 

  1. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes.  

  2. Inhale deeply into your belly as above for a count of 3.

  3. Hold without tension for a count of 6.

  4. Exhale to a count of 6 while consciously relaxing more and more.

  5. Hold again without tension for a count of 3. 

  6. Repeat until your timer chimes. You may love this so much you will want to do it longer.

Breathing In Varied Ratios

Play with the ratios and counts of inhalation, exhalation and the pauses in between them. For example, exhale slowly through your mouth with an audible sigh. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, then exhale through your mouth for a count of 8. Repeat for a total of 8 cycles. 

Forced Exhalation Breathing

One more breathing exercise to try is forced exhalation: 

  1. After a normal breath, try squeezing as much air out as possible using your intercostal muscles.

  2. Next, allow the breath to come in naturally and deeply, but automatically. 

  3. Repeat the cycle for several minutes or as long as you like.

See what feels best for you in each situation. Make these sorts of deep breathing and breath awareness practices, meditation and authentic yoga a regular part of your daily routine, even for 20-30 minutes. 

Practice abdominal breathing as much as possible so it becomes habitual. This is the ideal form of breathing, as opposed to rapid shallow breathing. Do this by imagining a pump expanding your abdomen and lower back, which causes you to inhale. The pump then releases effortlessly, which causes you to exhale. Then there is a natural pause until you need to inhale again. 

If you need video instruction, take my breathwork online course.

Don’t hesitate to schedule a session with me if you need more guidance with mastering breathwork and experiencing its transformative power.

Conscious Relaxation

Notice habits of increased muscle tension, especially around your upper back, shoulders, neck, forehead and jaw, and make an effort to release these tightened muscles while doing slow deep abdominal breathing. Ask someone to massage these areas or treat yourself to regular massage therapy.

It would be very beneficial to you if you could learn how to relax the muscles that are tensing up. It is an essential skill for labor and can be used in any stressful situation. Set aside a 10-15 minute time slot, like during one or two of your “healing intervals,” to focus on releasing all of your muscles:

  1. Get into a comfortable position.

  2. Breathe slowly and deeply while thinking about relaxing each muscle from your head down to your toes.

  3. Visualize feeling heavy and limp like a rag doll, or like your napping dog or cat.

Life is stressful and always has been, and eliminating all outside stress is not an option. But you can learn to activate your own relaxation response and quiet your nervous system with breath work and awareness, meditation, imagery and visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and self mastery over your thoughts and reactions to difficulties.

Minimize time online, especially addictive stressful apps, social media and computer games.Try to stay away from things, sounds and people that agitate your mind and raise your internal tension, and instead surround yourself as much as possible with calm centered people, things and sounds that inspire, relax and restore you to inner peace and serenity. Make a conscious effort to work on increasing your own feelings of forgiveness, appreciation, love, joy, optimism and healing, while letting go of anger, resentment, envy, fear, sadness and negativity.

Become conscious of anxiety provoking, tension causing thought patterns that are not serving you, and literally stop them. Shift your attention to something more positive like slow deep breathing, and ultimately change your inner mental state. You have the ability to alter your attitude and reaction to stressful life experiences with more health enhancing responses. For example, you can surrender to and totally accept unpleasant events over which you have no power, or you can view them as a wake-up call, an opportunity for personal growth and redirection. And you can always try to focus as much attention as possible on the present moment, literally without letting your thoughts wander into magnified past or imagined future.

For more information about this and other great ways to improve your physical and emotional well-being, read Natural Health, Natural Medicine by Dr. Andrew Weil, Practicing the Power Of  Now by Eckhart Tolle, Loving What Is by Byron Katie, and Prescriptions for Living by Dr. Bernie Siegel.

While it is not only helpful to express your troubling feelings to a sympathetic trained ear, it is  more effective to move these emotions through your body with Femme, Ecstatic Dance or Journey Dance and release them through conscious connected breathing type of breathwork. It is also critical to develop skills of self-mastery and empowerment.

HOME REMEDIES

Reputable brands of the supplements and remedies I recommend include Innate Response, Wish Garden, Gaia, Herb Pharm, Wise Woman Herbals, Pure Encapsulations and Eclectic Institute, or any of those in my online holistic apothecary.

When your back hurts, allow time to rest and get into a position that eases the pain. Some women find stretching or pelvic rocking helpful. Take slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, and focus on releasing your tense muscles head to toe. Most often pain from muscle spasms heals with rest, excellent self care and time.

One of the most pleasant ways to relieve backache is a massage to the painful area, with arnica oil, mixed with a dropperful each of St John’s wort topical oil, cramp bark and lobelia tinctures. Massage the mixture lovingly into your deep muscle, ligament and joint aches and strains. Try any of the following and regularly use what works best for you: Essential oils of Ginger, Juniper, Cinnamon, Lavender, Marjoram, Chamomile, Lemon Balm/Melissa, Wintergreen, Spearmint or Rosemary can be diluted within it, alone or in combination. You can also apply Comfrey ointment, rubs of Tiger Balm, or Olbas herbal combination. Chinese herbal Zheng Gu Shui can also help, or any product that contains these soothing herbs. 

After the massage, apply locally a  hot or cold pack, heating pad, hot water bottle, herbal infused hot or cold pack, or try moist heat using a hot damp towel or packs from a hydrocollator (what the professional chiropractors, massage and physical therapists use). Take a hot shower or soak in a very warm Epsom Salts bath for ½ hour with a few drops of any of the above essential oils or add a wonderful Swiss Olbas herbal combination.

Some find that ice packs or cool compresses helps to relieve the pain, especially during the first 24 hours after an injury. For acute spasm and inflammation of your back muscles, apply an ice pack off and on for the first 12-24 hours. Once the pain begins to subside, apply moist heat. Complete rest in positions that feel best are essential for the first 1-2 days. Sometimes the only tolerable position is lying flat on your back on the floor with your buttocks up against a bed or chair and your legs raised at a right angle with your calves resting on the mattress or seat, or lying flat on your yoga mat in Legs Up The Wall, Viparita Karini. Props like yoga blankets, bolsters or blocks make postures more accessible, passive, comfortable and restorative. In this case, use them to support your lower back and head, and elevate your hips. Legs Up The Wall is done lying down flat on your back with your buttocks all the way to the wall, or elevated on a folded yoga blanket, bolster or block. Let your legs rest straight up the wall for 10-20 minutes. It is also a great opportunity for practicing quiet meditation, focusing on slow deep breathing and inner gazing between your eyebrows. A lavender infused eye pillow adds to the yummy relaxation effect.

Use a TENS unit, which relieves back pain of pregnancy, and can also help in labor.

Take a dropperful of Cramp Bark tincture every hour x 4, then 2-4 times per day for no more than a 1-2 weeks, and 1-2 dropperfuls each of St. John’s Wort and Skullcap tinctures 1-3 times daily for several weeks. You can also take Ginger to reduce inflammation and pain 500-1000 mg once or twice per day until you feel better. Place 4-5 pellets of homeopathic Arnica 30c under your tongue every hour while awake, every few hours the next day, then 3-4 times per day for a week. Discontinue topical BenGay or Tiger Balm, if it lessens the effect of your homeopathic remedy. 

Chamomile, Lavender or Lemon Balm tea are good options for relaxation and helping to soothe tension related pain.

It is currently considered medically OK to take an occasional dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol), or an occasional ibuprofen (Advil) in the first or second trimester only. But it really is less toxic to avoid these medications which are not as benign as we have been led to believe. Do avoid other drugs before consulting with your practitioner, since many are not safe for use during pregnancy (including aspirin, certain muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory medications). Instead, try a turmeric latte for its inflammatory benefits, and Curcumin (turmeric) is researched as being as effective as many common over the counter analgesics.

Avoid hot tubs and whirlpools because getting your body to such high temperatures without allowing you to sweat to cool your body down may not be safe for the baby. 

For SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction):

This can happen when the ligaments and joints connecting the bones of the pelvis become so lax that the pelvic bones go easily out of alignment. It can create very intense pain, especially in the pubic area, and a sense that the pelvic bones are breaking apart even though this is extremely rare and they are really not.  

Typical general advice usually given to women includes avoiding activities like strenuous exercise, prolonged standing, vacuum cleaning, stretching exercises and squatting. Women are also frequently advised to: 

  • Have regular chiropractic or osteopathic care.

  • Brace the pelvic floor muscles before performing any activity that might cause pain using your mula bandha (yoga root lock), and stabilize your pelvic bones with a support belt or belly band. You can also use a belly support garment called Baby Hugger, which uses straps and Velcro over the shoulders and under the belly to use the shoulders to assist in carrying the weight of the baby. This prevents the baby from resting entirely on the pelvis. I joke that the Baby Hugger is Industrial Grade Lingerie, especially when paired with thigh high compression stockings, but I can attest it is helpful for SP pain.

  • Rest the pelvis.

  • Sit down for tasks where possible.

  • Avoid lifting and carrying. 

  • Avoid stepping over things. 

  • Bend the knees and keep the legs 'glued together' when turning in bed and getting in and out of bed. 

  • Place a pillow between the legs when in bed or resting. 

  • Avoid twisting movements of the body. 

  • Avoid straddle movements especially when weight bearing. 

  • When rolling over in bed, go belly DOWN, not UP. 

The sign I look for that means there is a true separation and not just inflammation and pain (tenderness to touch) is walking backwards is easier than walking forwards. 

If the pain is very severe, you may benefit from physical therapy. Using elbow crutches will help take the weight off the pelvis and assist with mobility. Alternatively, for more extreme cases a wheelchair may be considered advisable. 

It is usually recommended that women with SPD give birth in an upright position, with knees slightly apart, and it is often suggested that a woman tie a ribbon to both legs to ensure that the gap never exceeds her maximum comfort zone. 

Practices such as placing the feet on the provider’s hips during delivery, stirrups, and interventions such as forceps should be avoided in the delivery room if at all possible, as they can strain ligaments further and cause long term problems. If stirrups must be used, for example during suturing, great care must be taken to move the legs in symmetry, maneuvering them gently into position.

It doesn't always get worse with birth, so I have learned not to be fearful about it and to use hands/knees, side-lying with knees together or upright. Avoid squatting, lunging and pushing on one’s back.

For those with any sort of chronic musculoskeletal pain in which serious causes have been ruled out and none of the natural or allopathic remedies help, get to the root cause and avoid getting dependent on pharmaceuticals and surgery unless absolutely necessary. Consider reading the book The Mindbody Prescription By Dr John Sarno, MD. He is an amazing pioneering physician whose brilliant approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people without drugs, physical measure or surgery. 

To release stress and trauma energy often responsible for chronic issues, do conscious connected Clarity breathwork and experience miraculous healing and transformation. Also check out Brandon Bays’ book The Journey, and her website. These are all extremely effective mind-body cutting edge methods that have also lead to transformational healing for thousands of people around the world.

As always, if you need more guidance, schedule a consultation with me.

Remember that not all aches and pains can be blamed on pregnancy. Consult your practitioner if:

  • The above suggestions do not help.

  • The pain is different than usual, or is severe, persistent, or continuous.

  • Pain is associated with other unusual symptoms like fever, chills, changes in bowel or bladder habits, vaginal bleeding or leaking of water-like fluid.

  • You experience regular pelvic pressure, uterine hardening or cramping.

  • You have a local area of increased pain, redness, swelling, and redness on your leg.

  • Normal movement becomes difficult.

  • You have a history of serious back problems, injury, or surgery.

Prenatal & Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga Class Series Online Course
$147.00

This course has 16 yoga classes plus bonus material:

  • Seven ~ 60-80 minute Prenatal Yoga classes

  • Seven ~ 60-80 minute Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga classes

  • A soothing Gentle Slow Flow Yoga class

  • A Restorative Yoga class for deep relaxation

  • Bonus videos of an hour Live more advanced Vinyasa Class, shorter breaks of yoga anywhere anytime, use of props - like the wall, a chair, yoga blocks, yoga belts, yoga blankets and bolsters to enhance your practice, and practicing with your baby or pet.

The prenatal yoga 7 class series will invite you to grow, strengthen, focus, train and enhance your mind, body, heart and spirit. Discover for yourself the calming, healing and transformative power of yoga - intentional meditative movement with breath. Classes begin with meditation made simple using breathwork, gradual warm up, increasing difficulty as well as yoga play, gentle cool down, and end with restorative practices in deep relaxation. They are slow flowing, with space to explore specific poses but are meant to challenge you. Classes are different each session, with classical fundamental alignment based asana fused with modern postures and their many modifications and varied creative transitions. The classes are taught with modifications for pregnancy, incorporate positions for positively influencing baby’s position and active birthing as well as those to relieve common discomforts in pregnancy. They also are fused with meditative, breathwork and visualization techniques and tools for coping with and easing sensations of labor and birth, which will transform your childbirth experience with regular practice.

The seven classes are there for you to practice a different class each day of the week or according to your own frequency, then start over again from the beginning of the series. Each class ranges from on average 60 minutes to 80 minutes, and they build on each other; following the sequence from class 1 onward is advised if it is your first time taking the series or are a beginning practitioner. Classes are mindful, at a slow safe pace, gentle but challenging, so that you build strength, flexibility & agility. They start with the basics but are for all levels, and beginners too are welcome! If you are not pregnant, you can use the prenatal classes as beginner classes, just modify as needed and use any mention of pregnancy and labor as it pertains to any labor of your own life. The need to relax into intensity and the multiple benefits of yoga practice pertain to everyone. Or simply take the general Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga Class Series online course.

Once you hone your skills, you can take the Mindful Hatha Flow 7 Class Series that follows, doing your own modifications as needed - for pregnancy or wherever you are on your yoga journey, or simply start them after you are recovered postpartum. They also build on one another and can be practiced successively until you are ready to mix and match and create your own classes and practice schedule.

Additional videos are included to enhance your practice with use of the various props, as well as a soothing gentle slow flow class and a restorative yoga class for deep relaxation (great for evening!), shorter breaks of doing it anywhere and anytime, and a live bonus video of a more advanced class.

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Introduction to Clarity Breathwork Online Course
$47.00

Clarity Breathwork is the most empowering, transformative experience I’ve ever been through in my entire life.

Clarity Breathwork uses breath as a powerful medicine, which releases trapped trauma energy, psychic pain and stress that is stored in your body - without having to talk or think much about it.

It is a direct path to more energy and vitality, lasting inner calm and joy, better health and enhanced relationships.

What's Included:

  • Welcome and Overview

  • Breathing Exercises Companion Guide

  • About Clarity Breathwork

  • 15 x Breathing Exercises with step-by-step videos demonstrating each technique

  • BONUS VIDEOS:

    • Introduction to Breathwork Positions

    • Breathwork Positions with Yoga Props.

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Becoming The Creator Of Our Pregnancy, Birth and Life

As featured in the Best Holistic Life Magazine….

The biggest act of self-love is to become the creator of our lives, not the victim; to take charge of our thoughts, emotions, reactions, behavior and habits that do not serve us; to take responsibility for our own health and well-being, not depend on others to do that for us. As a holistic nurse-midwife of 27+ years, self-love includes taking back our pregnancies, births, and health of our babies. This takes lots of work. But the reward is divine, sacred , empowering and transformative. You want to shout from the roof tops how incredible your experience was, how it moved you and your partner to tears and opened your hearts, that you DID it, you found your strength in the challenge – in the mountain that you felt too big to climb, and you birthed your baby as YOU wanted to. Your body worked to birth as your heart knows how to beat and your lungs know how to breathe.  You can draw on this power forever as you face other mountains that seem too high.

In the westernized early 1900s, healthy birth was moved out of the homes and normal family life, and taken over by hospital institutions and their providers; it was treated as an illness and stripped of humanity; our ability to give birth and experience it in its intensity, its raw realness and wondrous beauty, surrounded by the support and wisdom of our loved ones was robbed from us. We surrendered our autonomy, and harmful things were done to us in our most intimate areas, at our most vulnerable moments; we trust technology and modern medicine rather than ourselves and our healthy bodies innately wise ability to grow, birth and breastfeed our babies, and our healthy babies’ ability to be born and breastfeed. This caused high rates of birth trauma and worsening health outcome stats for mom and baby as compared to developed countries, among other concerning long term effects.

There is HUGE hope. That depends on YOU. It involves lots of preparing like you are running your marathon, educating and empowering yourself with knowledge; mastering coping and life enhancing techniques to practice so they become habitual; shifting your mindset, getting your modern mind out of the way so you can let you body do its thing; remembering what you forgot; going against your conditioning, going against the grain, your culture, your family and friends who may not understand, and joining a new rapidly growing community who are doing this with you around the world; being very selective about the provider and setting you choose to give birth, and respectfully speaking up for your rights as an autonomous human being. This may involve paying more money, but it’s worth every penny. The outcome is not only a healthy mind, body , heart and spirit for you, but also for your baby and your family, you will all treasure forever. You will have the experience of pregnancy and giving birth beyond your wild dreams, supported as you deserve postpartum – as we have been for thousands of years before. You will LOVE the experience in spite of its intensity and challenges. You will be so darn proud of yourself with a heart bursting with joy and gratitude.

It is SO possible. But YOU must be the change. I recently received an email from a mama who lives in a remote rural area. She had no option for her birth setting and provider other than a small local hospital with an obstetrician with unacceptable, extremely high rates of risky interventions and cesarean. She was inspired by my social media pages, devoured my book. She wanted a natural birth, a special peak life, family-centered experience that is inherent in bringing the new life of your own baby into the world. He said he did not practice that way, never saw natural birth and did not believe in it. She empowered herself further by taking my online course, presented him with her evidence based decisions and choices, and kindly insisted that he honor her wishes, to be there in the background, just in case, to do nothing but let her body go through its natural physiologic process without disturbing it. He finally agreed. She had her beautiful healthy birth and not only was she in heaven, but also her obstetrician was humbled and moved beyond words. What a ripple effect that will have on how he cares for others in his practice. That is how we improve birth and make needed change.

My gift to you to get you started is my free guide to planning your own birth mini course - with video and PDF download. My advice is to prepare like a boss so you can rock you birth in all settings. It takes work, but it is beyond worth it. Here are more resources I have for you. Each are different, and they are meant to be used in adjunct to one another. Many blessings on your journey of a lifetime!

Love Your Birth Course
$397.00

NEW! and IMPROVED, including an extra 20+ BONUS Videos!

Love Your Birth is a holistic, holistic midwife created, doctor recommended, on-demand course to help you birth YOUR way at home, birth center or hospital. Prepare for the most blissful experience from pregnancy to postpartum.

I’ve taken everything I’ve learned, trained and supported women with locally for over twenty years in my private practice and I’ve poured all of my love, passion, knowledge and experience into creating something truly special for you ... LOVE YOUR BIRTH!

10 core video modules with 13+ downloadable resources and packed with over 20 new BONUS videos and resources:

  • Health In Pregnancy

  • Preparing The Mind

  • Testing Procedures

  • Anatomy and Physiology

  • Labor Coping Techniques

  • Birth Preferences

  • Guidance For Dads And Partners

  • Postpartum - the 4th trimester

  • Breastfeeding and Newborn Care

  • Meditation, Breathwork, Visualization and Relaxation

    NEW! Over 20 Newly-Added BONUS Videos Where I Answer the Most Common Questions I am Asked, and Discuss Hot Topics Relevant to Your Journey.

    Value — Priceless :)

    The videos include discussions about such topics as:

  • What to do when family and friends not supportive of your choices.

  • Supplements in pregnancy.

  • Prenatal yoga.

  • VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean).

  • Kids at birth.

  • Friends and family at birth.

  • Ideal Candidates for homebirth.

  • How to have a homebirth like experience in the hospital.

  • More on the placenta.

  • How to deal when things don’t go as planned, and so much more!

The key to a positive birth, is feeling confident, strong, relaxed, and empowered during the entire process, regardless of the twists and turns it may take.

Photo Credit: Megan Hancock Photography

Add to Cart
A Walk With Anne - Tips & Insights on Holistic Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond Online Course
$77.00

Take a walk with me, Anne Margolis, where I talk on topics that matter to you on your journey of planning pregnancy, birth, postpartum and beyond.

Over 45 short, sharp video talks, covering:

Planning pregnancy

  • What to do

  • The preconception appointment

    Pregnancy

  • How to find & choose a provider

  • When to start prenatal care

  • Elective testing

  • Pep talk for first trimester feeling sick symptoms

  • Group B Strep

  • Internal exams

  • Preventing late pregnancy panic & birth trauma

  • Pep talk for going past due date

  • What we can control & when we need to let go & flow

  • What happens at the prenatal home visit when planning a homebirth

  • How to know if your tub is good for water labor/birth

  • Tub temperature, when to set up & get in

  • Planning a homebirth & packing a hospital suitcase?

  • Dealing with homebirth in apartments or with neighbors close by

  • Postpartum prep

    Birth

  • Fear of losing control

  • Pep talk for second time mama birth fears

  • How we can improve birth outcomes

  • Why the name Home Sweet Homebirth for all settings

  • Handling emergencies out of hospital - at home or birth center

  • Need for advocacy in hospitals & why we must be the change

  • Soothing nature and labor sounds

  • Visual for birth

  • Inspiration for your birth

  • The huge gift in birth

  • Dogs & cats at birth

  • When to call your provider in labor - noticing stages & progression

  • Early labor pep talk

  • Pep talk for on and off or prolonged labor

  • The post birth sacred pause

  • Dealing with birth ‘mess’

  • Planned unattended freebirth

  • Some things we learn from animals

    Postpartum

  • Preparation begins in pregnancy, what you need to do, what support is needed

  • Dealing with emergencies - processing & healing afterwards

  • Postpartum illness, depression/anxiety

  • Gifts to give your midwife

    Holistic Health and Healing

  • What is it?

  • Importance of posture & improving it

  • Pausing throughout the day

  • Tools for hard days

  • How to find your inner calm

  • Transforming ‘what if’ thinking

  • Meditation - why and how

  • Self-care non-negotiables

Watch anywhere/anytime, on your PC, laptop, tablet or mobile.

Prenatal & Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga Class Series Online Course
$147.00

This course has 16 yoga classes plus bonus material:

  • Seven ~ 60-80 minute Prenatal Yoga classes

  • Seven ~ 60-80 minute Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga classes

  • A soothing Gentle Slow Flow Yoga class

  • A Restorative Yoga class for deep relaxation

  • Bonus videos of an hour Live more advanced Vinyasa Class, shorter breaks of yoga anywhere anytime, use of props - like the wall, a chair, yoga blocks, yoga belts, yoga blankets and bolsters to enhance your practice, and practicing with your baby or pet.

The prenatal yoga 7 class series will invite you to grow, strengthen, focus, train and enhance your mind, body, heart and spirit. Discover for yourself the calming, healing and transformative power of yoga - intentional meditative movement with breath. Classes begin with meditation made simple using breathwork, gradual warm up, increasing difficulty as well as yoga play, gentle cool down, and end with restorative practices in deep relaxation. They are slow flowing, with space to explore specific poses but are meant to challenge you. Classes are different each session, with classical fundamental alignment based asana fused with modern postures and their many modifications and varied creative transitions. The classes are taught with modifications for pregnancy, incorporate positions for positively influencing baby’s position and active birthing as well as those to relieve common discomforts in pregnancy. They also are fused with meditative, breathwork and visualization techniques and tools for coping with and easing sensations of labor and birth, which will transform your childbirth experience with regular practice.

The seven classes are there for you to practice a different class each day of the week or according to your own frequency, then start over again from the beginning of the series. Each class ranges from on average 60 minutes to 80 minutes, and they build on each other; following the sequence from class 1 onward is advised if it is your first time taking the series or are a beginning practitioner. Classes are mindful, at a slow safe pace, gentle but challenging, so that you build strength, flexibility & agility. They start with the basics but are for all levels, and beginners too are welcome! If you are not pregnant, you can use the prenatal classes as beginner classes, just modify as needed and use any mention of pregnancy and labor as it pertains to any labor of your own life. The need to relax into intensity and the multiple benefits of yoga practice pertain to everyone. Or simply take the general Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga Class Series online course.

Once you hone your skills, you can take the Mindful Hatha Flow 7 Class Series that follows, doing your own modifications as needed - for pregnancy or wherever you are on your yoga journey, or simply start them after you are recovered postpartum. They also build on one another and can be practiced successively until you are ready to mix and match and create your own classes and practice schedule.

Additional videos are included to enhance your practice with use of the various props, as well as a soothing gentle slow flow class and a restorative yoga class for deep relaxation (great for evening!), shorter breaks of doing it anywhere and anytime, and a live bonus video of a more advanced class.

Add to Cart
Want a comprehensive holistic guide to the journey of getting pregnant, being pregnant, birth, breastfeeding, postpartum and beyond? Check out the second edition of my international and national best selling book Natural Birth Secrets.

Want a comprehensive holistic guide to the journey of getting pregnant, being pregnant, birth, breastfeeding, postpartum and beyond? Check out the second edition of my international and national best selling book Natural Birth Secrets.

Common Causes of Bleeding in Pregnancy

Featured image: Photo by Sierra St John on Unsplash

Featured image: Photo by Sierra St John on Unsplash


--- BEGIN TRANSCRIPT Instagram.com/homesweethomebirth ---

Hi there. I am just going come on and say hello, and I wanted to talk to you about bleeding in pregnancy. It's incredible. A lot of people online, on my social media pages, are asking me about bleeding in pregnancy - and they're freaking out. Of course, they're freaking out. It's scary. I get it. And in my own practice, when people call me and tell me they're bleeding, they’re scared.

I totally get it. 

But what I wanted to do is reassure you that in the first trimester, 25% of women will bleed. And many times, the causes are benign. Like nothing to worry about, easy to treat if needed, or monitor, kind of watch and wait. 

Sometimes the causes are more serious, so definitely if you have bleeding in pregnancy, you can post it on my Facebook group or post it on Instagram, you can tell me about it. But I really want you to check it out with your provider.

Let me go over some of the common things. First of all, I would say about half of people who bleed in the first trimester miscarry. So that means 50%, they're not going to miscarry. A lot of times miscarriages go unnoticed if people aren't tracking their cycles. It's just like, you have a heavier or a late period. But there are people that track cycles and they see bleeding, and that's scary. 

So, the first thing is that when the fertilized egg implants in the uterus, around the time of the missed period, that's implantation bleeding, and that might last a day or two, a little bit of spotting. Nothing to worry about. Okay. 

Also, some people have a little vaginal or cervical inflammation or infection, like a yeast infection, for example. Many infections or inflammation can cause a little bleeding and that's easy to treat holistically. It's easy to deal with. 

Sometimes, first of all, in pregnancy, your blood volume is doubling. You are so vascular. There’s just many more blood vessels in the area.

So that's how come people tell me they have bleeding and I said, did you have sex?, and they'll say, oh yes. Well, that's what it is.

Now, it's not dangerous to have sex, but if you notice a little bleeding after sex, intercourse, that's just a little tiny blood vessel in the vaginal area or the cervix that just broke, and you'll just have a little spotting, a little bright red blood, and then brown the next day or something like that, and then it will go away. 

If you had an internal exam that can cause bleeding. So first of all, I’d question why you're having internal exams, but many times I find that people are having way too many internal exams that are necessary, but that can cause bleeding. A pap smear can cause bleeding. And this kind of bleeding does not endanger the pregnancy. Yes, if you need to have a pap smear in pregnancy, you can absolutely have one, it does not affect the pregnancy. It's just scraping the little cells on the top of where the cervix is. That doesn't go inside the cervix or into the uterus, okay, but that can cause bleeding. I've even had moms that have had varicose veins vaginally, and have noticed some bleeding with that. 

So, these are all sort of innocuous things that can cause bleeding. 

Another is it benign growth, like polyps. It could be uterine or cervical, can cause a little bleeding. They have nothing to do with the pregnancy, it’s just that it's more in engorged, more likely to bleed. So these are just normal, nothing to worry about.

There is something called sub chorionic hematoma. I don't know if you've ever heard of it? I definitely want to hear in the comments your experience with bleeding in pregnancy too, because I want everyone to feel that they're not alone.

I want people to be able to share and to know how common it is to have bleeding in pregnancy. 

A sub chorionic hematoma is kind like a bruise, or like a collection of blood between the placenta and the uterus, and most of the time, the vast majority of times, it's something that might've occurred at implantation or somewhere after that. Most of the time, it just resolves, and does not affect the pregnancy. 

So, if you're in the first trimester, I definitely would check with your provider because there's some basic blood tests that we can do, and sometimes you need an ultrasound.

I'm not talking about routine ultrasound; I'm talking about if we're concerned about something. Sometimes an ultrasound can help us determine what's going on.

Anytime there's bleeding in the first trimester, we want to make sure that it's not an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is potentially life threatening. It's rare, thankfully, one in fifty pregnancies, twenty in a thousand pregnancies. I've seen it, I've detected it myself, and that's something that we want to detect before it actually ruptures.

So thankfully it's rare. What's more common of the serious is a miscarriage. And a miscarriage is most often related to a pregnancy that's just not meant to be, a chromosomal abnormality in the fetus, and it's sort of nature's way of releasing that. Sometimes it could be a low progesterone and the pregnancy is healthy, so that can be treated with natural progesterone. 

There's so many that are involved, but you know, years ago, before we had all this testing, and people weren't using birth control, and people were having sex, and I would say, just about everybody who gets pregnant will have, in their lifetime, one miscarriage at least. That's how common miscarriage is. 

Once we get the heartbeat of the baby, it's rare. So if you have a fetal heart rate, miscarriage is rare. But anytime there's bleeding again, just check it out. 

Now, in the second half of pregnancy, we start thinking of, we’re not thinking of ectopic pregnancy anymore, or a threatened miscarriage, we are thinking if there is bleeding in the second half of pregnancy, in addition to possible bleeding after sex, or a little inflammation or infection, thinking also about a placenta previa, which means the placenta is implanted partially or directly over the cervix. That is something that we need to watch and monitor, and you do not want to have any internal exam if that happens. And thankfully it's rare, but we just want to make sure that that's not what it is. 

Also, placental abruption; if the placenta is partially separating from the uterus. That can cause bleeding.

Preterm labor; because look, as the cervix dilates, tiny blood vessels will disrupt and cause bleeding. 

In labor; labor, there's blood. You have bloody show and as you dilate you bleed, right? 

So, these are just some of the many reasons that you can have some bleeding in pregnancy, and I just love so many times we just don't find out the reason. All right? And then everything's just fine. 

But it's always better to just check it out. 

So that's what I have to say today. I would love to hear from you your experience with bleeding in pregnancy, whether it's your personal experience, the experiences of your clients, or people that you know, so that all of you will just realize how common it is, and that you're so not alone. Okay? 

And if you found this interesting or helpful share it ok?

Love to you all. Namaste. Have a good afternoon, or day, or evening wherever you are in the world.

--- END TRANSCRIPT ---

Learn ways to calm yourself, and holistic modalities you can do depending on the cause, and so much more….in my Natural Birth Secrets book second edition.

Learn ways to calm yourself, and holistic modalities you can do depending on the cause, and so much more….in my Natural Birth Secrets book second edition.

Need more personal guidance? Book a chat with me!

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Bladder Infection During Pregnancy and Beyond: Natural Remedies

Bladder Infection During Pregnancy and Beyond: Natural Remedies

Bladder infection is one of the most common ailments in all women. Also known as cystitis, lower urinary tract infection, or UTI, it can occur more frequently from bodily changes during pregnancy.

Prevention and prompt treatment of early symptoms are the safest courses, as the untreated infection can spread to the kidneys and then blood stream, and cause serious illness as well as preterm labor. Simple bladder infections can be treated successfully with natural remedies, and thereby avoid overuse of antibiotics and the cycle of multiple antibiotics. 

Early warning signs of a UTI include feeling an urgent and frequent need to urinate but only a little comes out; burning during and after urination; cloudy, odorous or blood tinged urine; pelvic pressure and aching or cramping in the lower abdomen. Some women feel exhausted and unwell, while others do not notice much symptoms at all.

Frequent trips to the bathroom (especially at night) is common in the first and third trimester of pregnancy from the pressure of the growing uterus and baby on the bladder, and isn’t necessarily due to infection.

Other predisposing factors in bladder infection besides pregnancy include:

  • Sexual and hygienic practices that bring bacteria from the bowel towards the urethra

  • Frequent or traumatic sexual intercourse

  • Use of public whirlpool baths or hot tubs

  • Bubble baths

  • Perfumed soaps

  • Use of the contraceptive diaphragm in some susceptible women

  • Coffee and other caffeinated drinks

  • Dehydration

  • Cigarette and alcohol addiction

  • Diabetes

  • Menopause

  • Urinary catheterization

  • Kidney diseases and other illnesses

To Prevent and Treat Bladder Infections

HYDRATION

Drink at least 64 ounces of fluids daily between meals mostly during the day (at least 20-30 minutes before or 2 hours after eating) to dilute the urine and increase the force of flow. Filtered tap or spring water, herbal tea, soup broth, some citrus drinks, and unsweetened cranberry juice is best. The last two help acidify the urine, discouraging bacterial growth.

You can limit intake of fluids and natural diuretics, like juicy fruits and vegetables, during the evening to minimize waking in the middle of the night to urinate. 

In the third trimester, recline on your side for a bit before going to bed. This relieves the pressure of your uterus on the major vessels and thus allows the increased fluid that has been trapped in your lower body during the day to return to the heart and kidneys, allowing you to urinate this additional amount out before sleep.

Urinate as soon as you feel the urge, or at least every 2-3 hours while awake, as bacteria grow more easily in concentrated urine held back.

DIET

Eat a well-balanced whole food diet with lots of:

  • Fresh organic fruits and vegetables

  • Whole grains

  • Nuts, nut butters and milks

  • Seeds and their products like tehina

  • Beans, organic tofu and tempeh

  • Organic whole eggs

  • Turkey and chicken

  • Beef, lamb, and wild game

  • Organic fresh raw whole milk—ideally goat and sheep

  • Wild Alaskan salmon

  • Organic cold expeller pressed extra virgin olive, coconut oil or goat butter as your primary cooking fat

  • Fermented vegetables and products like kombucha and live culture organic yogurt

Avoid highly processed refined white flour sugary foods laden with chemicals and unhealthy refined vegetable oils and partially hydrogenated fats, as they weaken the immune system and are harmful to your health. Also avoid irritants such as alcohol, caffeinated drinks, spicy foods, red and black pepper, food colorings, sugar, cigarettes and alcohol. Make sure to take your vitamin and mineral supplements so you get the needed nourishment not supplied by diet alone.

Reduce stress and strengthen your immunity by following the general steps in a recent blog about natural remedies for the common cold.

HYGIENE

Always wipe from the front (vagina) towards the back (rectum), ideally using plain unscented toilet paper. Wash the rectal area with water and soap or hypoallergenic wipes after a bowel movement until clean. 

Wear all cotton underwear or no underwear and avoid tight synthetic clothing, as bacteria thrive in the moist heat created by this practice. If you need to wear panty hose stockings, use those with a 100% cotton crotch. Likewise, change into dry clothing after swimming and sweat-inducing exercise.

Change sanitary pads and tampons frequently, at least every time you go to the bathroom. Use the organic brands of tampons and/or pads or a menstrual cup instead.

Avoid bubble baths, perfumed soaps and bath oils, as they can change the delicate acid base balance and cause inflammation of the urethra. Even colored toilet paper and certain laundry detergents have been known to aggravate UTIs in sensitive individuals.

Women who get frequent bladder infections and use the diaphragm may need to be fitted for a smaller size or one with a less rigid rim, or switch to a different contraceptive. Some women react to the spermicide used with the diaphragm, as well as with sponges, condoms and foam and may need to consider alternative methods.

Avoid traumatic sexual or anal intercourse and repeated episodes of sex in a short time. Have a tall glass of water before intercourse to dilute and flush out possible bacteria. Urinate and wash with cool water afterwards, as sex may transfer bacteria from the bowel forward towards the urethra (the tube where the urine comes out).

Drink strong Nettle leaf Infusion every day to strengthen the kidneys if you are prone to UTIs. To prepare your own herbal infusion of Nettles:

  1. Steep a handful of the dried herb in a quart of boiling water for at least 4 hours.

  2. Strain to a glass canning jar.

  3. Add a splash of lemon or lime juice, fresh mint leaf or a dash of honey to taste (optional).

  4. Drink 1-3 cups daily. 

At the First Suspicion of a UTI

Reputable brands of the supplements and remedies I recommend below include Innate Response, Wish Garden, Gaia, Herb Pharm, Wise Woman Herbals, Pure Encapsulations and Eclectic Institute, or any of those in my online holistic apothecary.

In addition to upping your hydration, drink 8 fluid ounces of UNSWEETENED cranberry juice every 2 hours, which has been studied to prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall, acidify the urine making it hostile to the causative bacteria, and effectively treat bladder infections. You can make your own by using cranberry juice concentrate diluted in water or other juices to reduce the sour taste, or by adding powdered cranberry as directed to your smoothie, apple sauce, yogurt or oatmeal. OR take encapsulated powdered cranberry 800-900 mg or the studied brand Cranactin 1-2 capsules every 3-4 hours with plenty of water until symptoms resolve. Dr. Aviva Romm reports the most success with a Cranberry-D-Mannose supplement, 2 capsules twice per day. If you are prone to frequent UTIs or are going on a honeymoon get-away weekend with your partner, you can take ½ dose of any of the cranberry supplements daily and drink extra water for prevention.

Take 500–1000 mg of Vitamin C with bioflavonoids every 4-6 hours for 3-5 days or until a few days after you are better, but limit dose to 500 mg daily in the past 36 weeks of pregnancy.

Eat a bulb of fresh garlic cloves daily. You can make it delicious by sautéing them in olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of parsley. If you prefer raw garlic, eat several cloves twice a day. You can crush it into your salad, or cut it and swallow as a pill. Eating it with parsley reduces the odor. Another wonderful option is to take New Chapter’s Garlicforce, a capsule of mild tasting supercritical fresh organic garlic, 1-2 capsules daily as directed with 8 ounces of water per capsule until the UTI resolves. Garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic that safely kills unwanted germs while preserving flora that normally resides in the body.

To boost your immunity, fight infection and reduce inflammation, take Gaia’s Echinacea Supreme, 1-2 dropperfuls in juice or water every few hours, and then three times daily for a week after your symptoms resolve. 

Take Marshmallow Root as directed if you need to soothe the pain of inflammation in your urinary tract. 

Drink even more fluids (up to 14 glasses a day, or a glass of water every ½ to 1 hour) to further dilute the bacteria and flush them out. Try drinking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with juice 3 times daily to acidify urine and kill bacteria. 

Drink a cup every half hour of barley water with lemon juice. To make this concoction, simmer a handful of whole barley and cut pieces of one lemon in plenty of water for 40 minutes, strain off and drink daily. 

Take a high colony count mega probiotic (2-4 capsules twice daily until symptoms resolve, then continue with 1-2 capsules per day) to increase the amount of normal bacterial flora to offset the imbalance which created infection. This is especially important if your gut microbiome has been disrupted from antibiotics.

Homeopathic remedies are very safe in pregnancy, and when you get the correct remedy to your particular symptoms, they can help your body to heal quickly and naturally on its own. Start with a common effective remedy like Cantharis 30c; take 3-5 pellets under your tongue every few hours for the first day, but if no relief, you may need a different remedy. An excellent reference is Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine by Dr. Stephen Cummings MD and Dana Ullman MPH. If you need more personalized support, consult your professional classical homeopath. You can also drink Weleda’s Sarsaparilla tea at least twice per day.

Take a daily bath or use a sitz bath to direct the healing where it is most needed, and add to the warm water a few drops of essential oils of bergamot, lavender, and/or sandalwood. Use the mixture in your peri-bottle to wash yourself after urination, squirting your genitals towards the back while on the toilet. Both the sitz bath and peri-bottle will come in handy postpartum as well. 

Get extra rest and keep warm with additional clothing or blankets as needed to avoid feeling chilled.

If You Are Passed the First Trimester or are NOT Pregnant

Take a short course of encapsulated extract of Uva Ursi while temporarily stopping the cranberry which blocks its effect. Dosage recommendations are 1-2 capsules, 400-800 mg tablets, or 1 dropperful of liquid tincture 3-4 times per day up to 3-5 days. You can also make your own herbal infusion by adding a handful of the leaves of Uva Ursi to a glass canning jar filled with water, brew for a few hours, strain and drink. Dr. Aviva Romm advises drinking it hot or cold ¼-1 cup every 4 hours, increasing the dose depending on the severity of your symptoms. For bladder pain, spasm, and cramping, she recommends 1-2 dropperfuls each of Cramp Bark and Wild Yam tincture every 2-4 hours the first 24 hours, then every 4-6 hours for the next 24 hours. You can also take oil of Oregano 1 capsule three times daily to treat the infection.

When to Call

Consult your practitioner if you do not notice improvement by 24 hours, and full resolution of symptoms within 3-5 days, after following the above suggestions or if you start to feel ill and develop such symptoms as:

  • High fever

  • Shaking chills

  • Sweats

  • Muscle aches

  • Marked weakness and exhaustion

  • Low back or flank pain

  • Severe abdominal pain

  • Headaches

  • Nausea and vomiting

  • Increased burning pain or persistent blood in the urine

Under these circumstances, you may need antibiotics for a more serious infection. Always contact your practitioner if you feel consistent cramping, contractions, or hardening of the uterus (over 4 per hour), lower back ache or pelvic pressure, or bleeding or fluid leaking from the vagina, as these may be signs of labor.

Healthy nonpregnant women may wait 48 hours of trying the natural remedies before reaching out to a professional, if the burning pain is slight, the frequent urination is mild and there are no other symptoms.

Ideally get a urine culture before treatment, to not only confirm or rule out a urinary tract infection, but also to determine what organism is responsible and what antibiotic it is sensitive to. If you must take antibiotics, take the full course even after you feel better. Eliminate sugar intake and take probiotics, 2 capsules twice daily for a week after your finish the antibiotics, to restore the balance of healthy bacteria in your body, prevent a vaginal yeast infection and minimize stomach upset. And continue to follow the above suggestions.

Do another follow-up urine culture after you complete the natural treatment or prescription medication, and every trimester if you are pregnant or have a history of recurrent UTIs, to make sure the infection has been successfully eradicated and does not recur (which can happen, even though you do not feel symptoms).

As always, if you need more guidance, schedule a consultation with me.

Love Your Birth Course
$397.00

NEW! and IMPROVED, including an extra 20+ BONUS Videos!

Love Your Birth is a holistic, holistic midwife created, doctor recommended, on-demand course to help you birth YOUR way at home, birth center or hospital. Prepare for the most blissful experience from pregnancy to postpartum.

I’ve taken everything I’ve learned, trained and supported women with locally for over twenty years in my private practice and I’ve poured all of my love, passion, knowledge and experience into creating something truly special for you ... LOVE YOUR BIRTH!

10 core video modules with 13+ downloadable resources and packed with over 20 new BONUS videos and resources:

  • Health In Pregnancy

  • Preparing The Mind

  • Testing Procedures

  • Anatomy and Physiology

  • Labor Coping Techniques

  • Birth Preferences

  • Guidance For Dads And Partners

  • Postpartum - the 4th trimester

  • Breastfeeding and Newborn Care

  • Meditation, Breathwork, Visualization and Relaxation

    NEW! Over 20 Newly-Added BONUS Videos Where I Answer the Most Common Questions I am Asked, and Discuss Hot Topics Relevant to Your Journey.

    Value — Priceless :)

    The videos include discussions about such topics as:

  • What to do when family and friends not supportive of your choices.

  • Supplements in pregnancy.

  • Prenatal yoga.

  • VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean).

  • Kids at birth.

  • Friends and family at birth.

  • Ideal Candidates for homebirth.

  • How to have a homebirth like experience in the hospital.

  • More on the placenta.

  • How to deal when things don’t go as planned, and so much more!

The key to a positive birth, is feeling confident, strong, relaxed, and empowered during the entire process, regardless of the twists and turns it may take.

Photo Credit: Megan Hancock Photography

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Interested in learning yoga? I created online class series for pregnancy and another for all.

Prenatal & Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga Class Series Online Course
$147.00

This course has 16 yoga classes plus bonus material:

  • Seven ~ 60-80 minute Prenatal Yoga classes

  • Seven ~ 60-80 minute Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga classes

  • A soothing Gentle Slow Flow Yoga class

  • A Restorative Yoga class for deep relaxation

  • Bonus videos of an hour Live more advanced Vinyasa Class, shorter breaks of yoga anywhere anytime, use of props - like the wall, a chair, yoga blocks, yoga belts, yoga blankets and bolsters to enhance your practice, and practicing with your baby or pet.

The prenatal yoga 7 class series will invite you to grow, strengthen, focus, train and enhance your mind, body, heart and spirit. Discover for yourself the calming, healing and transformative power of yoga - intentional meditative movement with breath. Classes begin with meditation made simple using breathwork, gradual warm up, increasing difficulty as well as yoga play, gentle cool down, and end with restorative practices in deep relaxation. They are slow flowing, with space to explore specific poses but are meant to challenge you. Classes are different each session, with classical fundamental alignment based asana fused with modern postures and their many modifications and varied creative transitions. The classes are taught with modifications for pregnancy, incorporate positions for positively influencing baby’s position and active birthing as well as those to relieve common discomforts in pregnancy. They also are fused with meditative, breathwork and visualization techniques and tools for coping with and easing sensations of labor and birth, which will transform your childbirth experience with regular practice.

The seven classes are there for you to practice a different class each day of the week or according to your own frequency, then start over again from the beginning of the series. Each class ranges from on average 60 minutes to 80 minutes, and they build on each other; following the sequence from class 1 onward is advised if it is your first time taking the series or are a beginning practitioner. Classes are mindful, at a slow safe pace, gentle but challenging, so that you build strength, flexibility & agility. They start with the basics but are for all levels, and beginners too are welcome! If you are not pregnant, you can use the prenatal classes as beginner classes, just modify as needed and use any mention of pregnancy and labor as it pertains to any labor of your own life. The need to relax into intensity and the multiple benefits of yoga practice pertain to everyone. Or simply take the general Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga Class Series online course.

Once you hone your skills, you can take the Mindful Hatha Flow 7 Class Series that follows, doing your own modifications as needed - for pregnancy or wherever you are on your yoga journey, or simply start them after you are recovered postpartum. They also build on one another and can be practiced successively until you are ready to mix and match and create your own classes and practice schedule.

Additional videos are included to enhance your practice with use of the various props, as well as a soothing gentle slow flow class and a restorative yoga class for deep relaxation (great for evening!), shorter breaks of doing it anywhere and anytime, and a live bonus video of a more advanced class.

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Mindful Hatha Yoga Class Series Online Course
$127.00

This course has 14 yoga classes plus bonus material:

  • Seven ~ 60-80 minute Level 1 Yoga classes

  • Seven ~ 60-80 minute Mindful Hatha Flow Yoga classes, building to Level 2

  • A soothing Gentle Slow Flow Yoga class

  • A Restorative Yoga class for deep relaxation

  • Bonus videos of an hour Live more advanced Vinyasa Class, shorter breaks of yoga anywhere anytime, use of props - like the wall, a chair, yoga blocks, yoga belts, yoga blankets and bolsters to enhance your practice, and practicing with your baby or pet..

The classes are for all people able to take them. Part one of the series will invite you to grow, strengthen, focus, train and enhance your mind, body, heart and spirit. Discover for yourself the calming, healing and transformative power of yoga - intentional meditative movement with breath.

Classes begin with meditation made simple using breathwork, gradual warm up, increasing difficulty as well as yoga play, gentle cool down, and end with restorative practices in deep relaxation. They are slow flowing, with space to explore specific poses but are meant to challenge you. Classes are different each session, with classical fundamental alignment based asana fused with modern postures and their many modifications and varied creative transitions. Classes are taught with modifications as needed. They also are fused with meditative, breathwork and visualization techniques which will transform your experience and life with regular practice.

The classes are there for you to practice a different class each day of the week or according to your own frequency, then start over again from the beginning of the series. Each class ranges from on average 60 minutes to 80 minutes, and they build on each other from Part one to Part two; following the sequence from class 1 onward is advised if it is your first time taking the series or are a beginning practitioner. Classes are mindful, at a slow safe pace, gentle but challenging, so that you build strength, flexibility & agility. They start with the basics but are for all levels of experience, and beginners too are welcome! You can use the initial classes as beginner classes, just modify as needed and use the tools and techniques as they pertain to your own life. The need to relax into intensity and the other multiple benefits of yoga practice pertain to everyone.

Once you hone your skills, you can take the Mindful Hatha Flow Part 2 Class Series that follows, doing your own modifications as needed - for wherever you are on your yoga journey. They also build on one another and can be practiced successively until you are ready to mix and match and create your own classes and practice schedule.

Additional videos are included to enhance your practice with use of the various props, as well as a soothing gentle slow flow class and a restorative yoga class for deep relaxation (great for evening!), shorter breaks of doing it anywhere and anytime, and a live bonus video of a more advanced class.

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Natural Newborn Care

Congratulations! Having a new baby in the house is such an exciting and wonderful blessing. But, it can also be overwhelming, especially if this is your first or if you’re trying new things with this baby. Below are some tips to help guide you through this special time.

Feeding

Breast is best for you and your baby, but it is a learning process.  Allow a few weeks for the both of you to become pros. Get help from your midwife or lactation consultant as soon as possible if you are having difficulty. Some excellent resources are pediatrician Dr. Jack Newman’s website and his international center, as well as kellymom.com. General suggestions to ease the process are:

  • Nurse baby on demand or every 1-½ to 3 hours while you are awake. If the baby has a 4-6 hour stretch in the middle of the night, let baby sleep.

  • If baby is too sleepy to nurse this often in the beginning, try to rouse by  unswaddling and undressing, a diaper change, a gentle back rub, or a cool washcloth on the baby’s forehead.

  • Nurse one side each feeding. Start the next session on the other breast.

  • Alternate feeding positions between side lying, cradle and football hold.

  • Burp baby as needed if appears gassy during and after feeding.

  • Do not give baby glucose water or common formula, especially while you are trying to get the breastfeeding going. Breastmilk alone, including the ‘liquid gold’ initial breast milk colostrum, is adequate nutrition and hydration for at least the first six months when all is well. The water or formula fills up their tiny stomach so they nurse less, which makes you produce less milk, and the bottle’s teat confuses them and can impair their ability to suck on your nipple. If there are issues and you do need to supplement, pumped or donor breast milk from certified mild banks is the choice method of feeding. If you must give formula, go for the organic brands that most closely resemble breast milk. Use a dropper to the side of baby’s mouth, supplemental nursing system or slow flow nipples that are more similar to the breast.

  • Avoid smoking, alcohol and drugs while breastfeeding. Always consult your practitioner before taking any medications or herbal preparation.

  • Limit caffeinated beverages to no more than 1-2 cups per day.

  • To calm a screaming baby that is too upset to nurse, try:

    • Changing the diaper

    • Burping baby

    • Swaddling baby in a blanket

    • Giving baby a warm bath

    • Cradling or cuddling baby close to your chest

    • Rocking

    • Singing

    • Swinging

    • Talking softly to baby

    • Giving baby a gentle back massage

    • Taking baby for a walk or car ride

    • Holding baby in a position that allows application of slight pressure on his or her abdomen

    • If all else fails, give baby to your partner, take 30 minutes, and try again.

Sleeping

Babies sleep about 18 hours per day.  Place your baby on his or her back, or side to sleep, with baby’s back supported by a rolled receiving blanket.

Bowel Movements and Voiding

Babies have greenish-black, sticky stool for the first few days. This is called meconium.  Breastfed babies’ stool will then become golden-yellow, soft, and seedy-looking. Once your full milk comes in and replaces colostrum, your baby will have 1-4 stools and 6-8 wet diapers in a 24 hour period. Change the baby before each feeding to prevent diaper rash. For a reddened diaper area, use homeopathic calendula, zinc oxide or herbal diaper cream, A & D ointment,  Desitin cream plain or with zinc oxide. French green clay is excellent for diaper rashes. Use talcum free baby powder. Place baby on an absorbent pad and allow periods for baby to be diaper free, or read up on elimination communication - training baby to poop and pee on the potty! 

Cord Care

Keep the cord stump dry by folding the front of the baby’s diaper down. Squeeze a saturated cotton ball of alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to the cord stump three times per day to keep it clean. Open a capsule and apply powdered goldenseal herb or herbal combination cord powder around the base. The cord stump should fall off by itself within 8-12 days after the birth. 

General Care

Wash hands before handling the baby.

Bathe baby with mild natural soap and water, and wash the baby’s hair with a gentle tear-free natural shampoo several times per week (ideally every day – they love it).  

After the first 24 hours and the baby’s body temperature stabilizes, dress him according to the temperature as you would dress. 

Best to file than cut long nails with scissors, so baby does not scratch her/himself.   

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Take the baby for a daily outing, but keep the baby away from crowds and people with contagious illnesses.  

Wear your baby. Experiment with a few baby carriers and see which one you and baby like the best.

Add to your collection The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears, as it is a wonderful “must have” comprehensive reference and guidebook to the baby’s first two years of life and virtually every aspect of care.

If you had antibiotics or baby was born by cesarean, take extra precautions to restore baby’s microbiome (healthy balance of flora).

Safety

It is State law and safe practice that babies ride in car seats every time that they travel in a vehicle. 

Always make sure that the baby is not unattended on changing tables, beds or other high places.   

If the baby sleeps in bed with you, make sure baby is in a sleeping pod or baby lounger, and that the bed has a guard rail. Do not keep pillows, stuffed animals or extra blankets in the baby’s sleeping area.

Danger Signs

Contact your pediatrician immediately if:

  • The baby becomes listless, will not nurse, is inconsolable, has high pitched screaming, or behaves in an unusual way.

  • The baby does not urinate within the first 24 hours, or voids less than 6 diapers per day after your milk is in.

  • The baby has no bowel movement for 48 hours, or has more than 10 watery green, foul-smelling diarrhea diapers per day.

  • The cord starts to smell bad or has pus oozing from it and the area around it becomes red and swollen.

  • The baby’s temperature is below 97 degrees or above 99 degrees when taken under the baby’s arm.

  • The whites of the babies eyes become yellow or the skin color becomes a yellow or tan tinge.

  • The baby’s skin turns blue or white, especially the trunk or around the mouth.

  • Projectile vomiting.

For more tips on newborn care and breastfeeding, read my Natural Birth Secrets Book 2nd edition and take my online course. Need more personal guidance? Schedule a consultation with me.  Many of the reputable brands of remedies I recommend are available in my online holistic apothecary.

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For extra support in relieving common aches and pains, wear an abdominal binder. like Bellefit. They make postpartum support girdles that mamas really love. I have a holistic approach to life, including healing after pregnancy and birthing. Nothing replaces abdominal toning and exercise for restoring muscle strength and tone - which I encourage for all mamas as soon as they feel up to it postpartum. Nothing replaces touch, slow deep abdominal breathing, and a 'love your postpartum body' perspective that I promote.  But I have found many mamas simply feel comforted by this support garment, especially early postpartum and temporarily as needed....to be used without forfeiting abdominal toning and strengthening exercise, breathing well and touch. 

I have found Bellefit supportive garments to help like they use belly binding around the world such as in Indonesia. They do aid in early postpartum healing and provide support many mamas feel comforted by. I deal with human beings and the reality is many postpartum mom's struggle with body body image, feel frustrated that getting back to themselves takes longer than expected. Being into holistic health and healing includes being sensitive to real human struggles - the mind, body, heart and soul of each person and their unique situation. Having helped countless women with these issues after having a baby as a midwife, I have found many still love that binding and feel better with this support, and ability to fit into their pre-pregnancy clothes comfortably and sooner than they would if they went through a C-section or natural childbirth recovery without it - especially when they have to dress up and fit into a certain favorite outfit for a special occasion or wedding not long after having a baby.

Have a Great Postpartum Recovery (with a little help from Bellefit)!