Natural Remedies for Labour, Birth & Postpartum
By Jessica Carfagnini, ND of Thunder Bay Naturopathic Clinic Botanical tincture This is a botanical tincture that can be taken 6 weeks prior to delivery. Mother’s cordial Caulophyllum, Mitchella repens, Chamaelerium luteum, Vibernum opulus (equal parts of individual botanical tincture, can be compounded – see Resources below). Dosage: 1 tsp 3 times/day, take in warm [...]
The Use of Acupuncture During Pregnancy
By Jessica Carfagnini, ND of Thunder Bay Naturopathic Clinic During pregnancy women are often looking for effective ways to treat a variety of conditions in a safe manner. Since a great number of drugs are not safe to use during pregnancy many women consider other healing modalities, such as acupuncture, to relieve common conditions. Although there are [...]
Cesarean Birth
Support and love from friends and family is important in every birth, regardless of the experience. Before giving birth, make sure you have support put in place. When confronted with a cesarean birth, be aware that you and your baby may need lots of extra love and support. Healing from a cesarean or any other [...]
17 Century Midwives Were Women with Expert Knowledge
According to historians such as Doreen Evenden, research shows that “the seventeenth century [English] midwives were often women of considerable social status, both central figures in local women’s culture and representatives of the respectable part of the local population…the midwife was a ‘specialist’ whose expertise was concentrated in the area of child delivery.” (Evenden, 42, [...]
Inuit Birthing Practices
Due to their location, from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, research shows that Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic were seldom affected by colonization. For the most part they were free to practice their economic and cultural activities. (Babiuk, et al, 35) Generally, Europeans traded with the Inuit and left. They did not attempt [...]
State of World’s Midwifery Doc
Many women who want a midwife cannot have one yet, women die in child birth everyday from a lack of adequate care. The below video “highlights the importance of the role of the midwife in reducing maternal and infant mortality as well as the issues and challenges they face.”
Sharing the Wealth – Thoughts on Global Sustainability in Maternity Care
Maternal mortality is mainly a tragedy of the “third world”. There are half a million deaths world-wide due to cause’s related to pregnancy and birth and [approximately] 99% of them occur in undeveloped countries. (Omran, 91) In saying this, it is not denying the fact that over-medicalized births can be a tragedy of the “developed [...]
Folic Acid
Folic acid is important for women who are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant. It boosts production of red blood cells, so is essential for fetal development. It also helps prevent neural-tube defects. Join Obstetrician/Gynecologist Siobhan Dolan as she takes us through a local farmer’s market in her community to inform us which foods are [...]
Doula Supported Pregnancy&Birth
Having support during one of the most momentous times in your life is vitally important. This support often comes in varying forms, including but not limited to family, friends and health care workers. Women often feel they need the loving, hands-on support of someone who has experience dealing with birth, breast feeding and the postpartum [...]
Birth Positions
There are many different positions that women can choose to give birth in. There are kneeling births, standing births, side-lying births, semi-sitting births and more. Some women give birth on a birthing stool, a classic tool of the midwife. There are documents about some early Aboriginal cultures giving birth standing while using a tree for [...]
