Welcome to the third trimester! Most babies are moving head down at the beginning of the third trimester, with baby settling in around 34 weeks. While head-down is a great start, that’s only half the story. If you’re new to Spinning Babies® or need a refresher on The Three Principles in Pregnancy℠ (balance, gravity, and movement), now is the time to bring this important self-care into your final trimester. Balance, along with gravity and movement in pregnancy, enhance both your and baby’s birth experience but also add comfort for you. Learn more about baby positioning and prepare your body for a vaginal birth.
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Now is also a great time to prepare for birth by revisiting your eating habits and considering herbs and homeopathy for support and natural relief of common pregnancy discomforts. When used properly, we love herbs and homeopathy for their natural and gentle health-boosting potential.
Nutrition
Your body is working hard now. Feed it. Eat six servings of protein (four if you like to chow down on huge burgers). Non-meat protein can be just as healthy as meat as long as you get your B vitamins and prenatal vitamins.
Fish oils help build a brilliant baby brain. Norwegian Cod Liver Oil has long been considered the best. Nordic Naturals are not fishy, and the lemon or orange flavored capsules are better tolerated. There is a product specific to pregnancy called Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA.
Herbs
Nutritive herbs are like special food — that serve a specific purpose. See Susun Weed’s Herbal for the Childbearing Year — a classic! Here are a couple of our favorites for this stage of pregnancy, but be careful that you don’t make the mistake some people make: If a little is good, a lot must be better. Stick with the recommended dosage for pregnancy.
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea helps tone the pelvic floor and uterus, increase milk production, decrease nausea, and ease labor pain. Plus, it’s rich in iron and is considered safe during pregnancy. (Make sure the tea you buy is not simply flavored black tea but the leaf of the red raspberry plant.) You can try Traditional Medicinal’s tea bags or follow our simple recipe using bulk herbs from a trusted source like Frontier Co-op.
- Steep 1 Tbsp. red raspberry leaves and 1 Tbsp. stinging nettle leaves in 1 cup of almost boiling water for 10-15 minutes. (It’s also lovely steeped with freshly-grated ginger, peppermint leaves, or a spoonful of honey.)
- Strain before enjoying.
Homeopathy
These remedies are made from natural sources such as plants and minerals. They work with your body’s own natural processes to heal you gently, and when taken as directed, are safe for pregnancy. Side effects can occur, however, so we urge you to consult a homeopath for proper dosage and usage.
There are a handful of homeopathic remedies that help with common pregnancy complaints such as heartburn, nausea, insomnia, and hemorrhoids. Pulsatilla (wind flower) is known to help a breech flip head down, and we find it helps many posterior babies, too. Learn more about homeopathy and pregnancy.
