I was prescribed a natural remedy on Friday by my sage-femme (midwife) to help ensure I have a natural birthing experience. It was my final scheduled appointment and I wanted to add to my birth plan that I do not want oxytocin to be administered to me unless absolutely necessary. It is given to induce labor if it is not progressing fast enough and routinely at the end as a preventative to bleeding.
In the US, this it is commonly known as Pitocin. I have heard too many horror stories of this drug, so I want to avoid it if possible. My sage-femme said it was up to my OB/GYN and asked him to come over to talk with me. Oxytocin is given routinely after childbirth as a preventative to bleeding, whether or not the woman actually needs it. It is proven just as effective after the women starts bleeding as before since it works immediately.
My OB/GYN said that he will make note of my wishes of holding out on inducing labor as long as he safely can and will consider not giving me oxytocin as a preventative at the end. I do not feel very reassured. After he left, the midwife really understood that I want to have as natural a childbirth as possible. She prescribed me a homeopathic remedy to start taking soon.
This natural remedy will help ensure that I will not need to be induced by oxytocin at the end. The pharmacy had to special order it for me on Saturday since it is not something they keep in stock. It arrived today, Monday, and my husband just brought it home to me. We only had to pay 4.42 euros.
I am a bit hesitant on taking this natural remedy, as I am not sure what studies have been done to prove its long-term side effects on the baby. I went onto some French message boards and found that some of these herbs are used individually to induce labor. However, they appear to be administered at a much higher dosage to induce labor quickly. They are also very highly recommended by French mammas! After 4 weeks of being on bed rest, that does not sound too bad right now. I am no longer on bed rest as of Friday but it is painful for me to be standing or sitting for too long.
The pills include 9 ch of the following:
- Gelsemium
- Caulophyllum Th.
- Actaea Racemosa
- Arnica Montana
- Pulsatilla
I am to take 3 pills both in the morning and in the evening. While the idea of having her come early is very tempting, I do not want my daughter to be born before she is ready. I am 36 weeks and 4 days pregnant. If these dosages are considered low, then I guess it will not hurt to take them now to help me have a quicker labor later. As long as I do as suggested by my sage-femme, she should not come early. Decisions, decisions!
Did you take a homeopathic natural emedy during your last month of pregnancy? If not, would you consider doing it for whichever reason?
hello mama! i have had two children now, my first, a son, at home in the States and then my daughter, here in france…i ended up driving to clinique jules verne in nantes to give birth because i found many doctors here pushing drugs like they have learned to do…i did not have Any drugs with either birth…not before, during or after…with my son i took a concentration of what queen bee’s produce for energy as he was over 40 hours of work…with my daughter i too wanted a shorter labor and my acupuncturist prescribed the Actaea Racemosa that you speak of and another that i now forget along with palmarosa in an essential oil formate to rub directly over my womb a few times a day…to loosen things up…only to be done 15 days before due date…she said…needless to say, i arrived at the clinique at 6.30ish at 4cm and hyvailla was born at 9.42…fast…and easy….
oh and basil in essential oil format…rubbed on womb only During labor…of course julianna is born but if you decide on another…just some info…if you are facing a stressful, painful moment within labor also good to Smell only citron essential oil…clearing emotion…stresses….calming Yet invigorating…
did you use these remedies in the end? If so, did it work for you?
I’m due in a month and want to have as natural a child birth as possible, but it is true that amongst my French friends ‘natural’ is nearly unheard of except for a random few….and sometimes not by choice!
Hi Liza, I am probably too late in responding! I am sorry and I hope your pregnancy is going excellent. I do not think it really helped because I gave birth exactly on my due date and was in labor for 24 hours. Maybe I would have been late or in labor more without it, but I will never know. I do not think I would bother with it for my next pregnancy.
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