Robert McDowell's Herbal Treatments
26 January 2003
STRETCH MARKS AND POST NATAL DEPRESSION
On Thursday, January 23, 2003, Heather emailed:
I was just wondering what supplies you had or had produced for pregnancy such as stretch marks post natal depression or do you only do a personalised approach????
Robert Replied:
Dear Heather,
It is very good to think about what you can do preventatively to some of the problems around pregnancy and delivery of your baby.
Stretch Marks Prevention:
A very good support toward minimising stretch marks is to get a good Vitamin E cream and add 10% by volume of an extract combination of the herbs Comfrey, Hypericum, Maritime Pine, Equisetum, Slippery Elm and Wheat Grass to it. This cream can then be massaged daily into your tummy, perineum and upper thighs, or anywhere else you want your skin to be in top shape. It will support the elasticity of the skin during the stretching and allow it to spring back more effectively. I can supply a 100ml bottle, sufficient to make up 1000ml (roughly 1 and a 1/2 pints) of body lotion when added to the Vitamin E Cream you get for yourself, for $46.50 plus postage.
Massaging firmly and regularly is also part of the process and you should develop a program of doing this twice daily and keep it going as a routine. Maybe enlist the aid of a lover or carer for this. You should also consider practicing perineal massage for the last three months also to get this area in shape and to minimise the need for cutting or the risk of tearing during the delivery. Get advice from your midwife or other professional, as to the best way to do this.
Post Natal Depression:
I do treat many ladies for this bout of depression which can be devastating and which is preventable.
The demands that many people put on themselves getting ready for a new baby can be very high indeed. Many also place very high expectations on themselves and on the birthing itself and can set themselves up to be so disappointed when things don't go completely to plan that they stress out and become depressed.
In nutritional terms very high expectations and getting run down just getting to the 'starting post' as it were, can consume all of your available Vitamin B reserves and you arrive at what is a very stressful time with little in reserve. You must realise that good and bad stresses all place demands on Vitamin B. Therefore having a baby and winning Lotto place stress (in terms of rapid learning and lots of new experiences all of a sudden landing on you) just as do the negative demands and stresses of life.
A useful preventative is to take a course of Vitamin B coupled with perhaps additional Vitamin B12 right through the last three months of pregnancy and the first three months of the baby's life just to make sure that your reserves are kept high during this time.
The dream of a short and easy, natural labour and delivery and a baby suckling at the breast happily immediately is the one most of us carry with us to the delivery room. We do know that there is a lot of pain and drama also but we are able to put up with this because we know that it is all going to be so wonderful afterward.
This rather unrealistic ideal can set us up for a huge disappointment and the frustration of any complications can produce a huge feeling failure, unworthiness and the disappointment in ourselves. This can set us up for a bout of depression and one of the Vitamin B collapses which I mention above.
Every birth is different and in the modern surgical environment with its impatience and tendency toward intervention and treating giving birth as some sort of health crisis. Also, without the full time care and preparation of an experienced Midwife before the birth, her reassurance and assistance during and lots of support from those you trust as well and the help advice and assistance of people to assist with the early stages of breast feeding afterward you can experience a huge let down and this is where Post Natal Depression comes from.
There are, of course, huge hormonal changes taking place within us during birthing and feeding and assimilating these can be part of the demands placed on our system.
However to blame the hormones and take no responsibility for preparing for and understanding all the other factors is a sign of not taking charge of, or responsibility for, yourself. You must expect that if you don't prepare and plan for the birth and beyond, and if your head is full of unrealistic expectations, that the hormonal changes will have a much greater impact than they would otherwise.
There are no standard herbal preparations for preparing you for this sort of situation as such although if an expectant mother is in consultation with me I am able to prepare her nervous system and her health and resilience generally as well as provide support and advice where needed.
I do often provide such expectant Mum's with a bottle of Rosehips and Rescue Remedy to take in all drinks during labour and after giving birth (as well as right through all intervention and surgery which happens along the way) to protect your adrenal reserves which can be a big help and speed your recovery. Again a 100ml bottle of this combination will cost $46.00 plus postage.
The primary advice I give my expectant lady patients is to be selfish during the later stages of pregnancy, accept or ask for help and support so that you may arrive at the delivery fit and healthy and not run down physically or emotionally. I always say that they should treat birthing as a marathon race (and it will feel like this at times) and that the delivery is just the beginning rather than the end of the race.
I hope this is helpful Heather and I have taken some time to prepare a complete explanation as I plan to put up your question and my answer on my website to assist others and to put up the two herbal preparations mentioned as standard products. I will of course put nothing of your personal details up on the website apart from your first name.
Yours truly,
Robert McDowell
If you would like to order any of the herbal mixes, click here.
We hope you found this informative.
For any further information or help email info@herbal-treatments.com.
The full list of treatments for people :
Click here to see the complete list of Herbal Treatments for People.
To have a personal consultation with Robert over the internet click here.
© 2002 Herbal Treatments. All Rights Reserved.
Website-development by Altivo eSolutions.
 HERBAL TREATMENTS You'll be surprised at how many illnesses can be treated successfully with herbs! Robert has compiled years of experience in treating different illnesses into standard treatments for these conditions. We have listed them on Herbal-Treatments.com. Click here to see the list. |