Herbs are an all-natural alternative treatment for a variety of conditions.  In addition, using certain herbs is also thought to help enhance a person’s life in a variety of ways.  Herbs have been used during pregnancy for a number of purposes. 

One of the uses for herbs during pregnancy is to assist with morning sickness. Sometimes, a woman can use a herbal cream to help with sore nipples. There are a number of postpartum herbs, too. There are indeed even herbs that you can use during labor.

The most common use for herbs during labor is to help with labor pain.  There is no question that labor is painful.  And, in many cases, the medical options for treating that labor pain really have side effects that the mother would like to avoid.    One of the biggest reasons for wanting to avoid pain medications to help with labor pain is that they can, in some ways, detract from the woman’s experience of childbirth, and make her less lucid in her baby’s first minutes and hours of life. 

There are several different herbs and herbal products that you can use during labor to help with pain.  There are a number of different herbal teas that you can use for relaxation. There are a variety of ointments that may be able to, when applied to the perineum, help prevent the necessity of an episiotomy. In general, those kinds of ointments may contain herbs like blue and black cohosh, as well as lavender and kuki nut.

Some herbs, like vanilla oil, can help with labor pain. Goldenseal, blue cohosh, black cohosh and squaw vine may be able to help shorten the duration of your labor.

Talk with your herbalist, as well as your health care provider, about the different kinds of herbal remedies that you can use to make your labor go much more smoothly.

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