Childbirth Health Dictionary

Raspberry leaf tea (iron absorption) should be taken the last 3 months of pregnancy (1oz to 1 pint boiling water; infuse 15 minutes; all drunk at intervals during the day). Taken hot at expectation of delivery the tea favourably assists.

For last month of pregnancy to ensure easy delivery Blue Cohosh should also be taken: (Helonias or Pulsatilla in its absence).

Blue Cohosh. Strengthens muscles of the womb and pelvis. Assists labour pains and all aspects of childbirth. (An old veterinary stand-by to reduce piglet mortality.) Where labour is delayed, the os rigid, painful spasms, “all worn-out by fatigue”, 10 drops Liquid Extract or 20 drops tincture in water every half hour favourably assists.

Pulsatilla. For inefficient labour, to accelerate delivery. Safe and reliable for weak and distressing pains. Thirty drops tincture or 15 drops Liquid Extract in water every 15 minutes to half hour. Even if ineffective, its action is harmless. Believed to act as well as Ergot. At time of delivery, place 20-30 drops tincture or liquid extract in 4oz water; dose – 1 teaspoon every 15 minutes as circumstances dictate. Given once daily, last month of pregnancy, 5 drops tincture or liquid extract powerfully assist women whose labour is expected to be difficult.

For sickness. Black Horehound tea.

Convulsions of childbirth: see, ECLAMPSIA.

Severe haemorrhage: Yarrow tea, as much as tolerated. OR:– Combination. Equal parts: Helonias, Black Haw, Cypripedium.

Powders: Quarter of a teaspoon.

Liquid Extracts: 30-60 drops.

Tinctures: 1-2 teaspoons in water or honey, hourly.

Sponge-down. A sponge saturated with Marigold (Calendula) tea after delivery is most comforting to the new mother. 

The onset of the 1st stage of labour is marked by regular contractions which become progressively more painful, and occur at shorter intervals. The cervix becomes thinned and softened and then begins to dilate with each contraction. During this time, there may be a “show’’, the mucous plug that blocks the cervical canal during pregnancy is expelled as a bloody discharge. “Breaking of the waters’’, the rupture of the amniotic sac, may occur as a slow trickle of fluid or a sudden gush. The cervix is fully dilated when the opening has widened to about 10 cm in diameter. This may take 12 hours or more for a first baby, but only a few hours for subsequent babies.

In the 2nd stage of labour, the woman feels the urge to push with each strong contraction. As the baby’s head descends into the vagina, it rotates to face the mother’s back. The perineum is stretched thin at this stage, and an episiotomy may be performed to prevent it from tearing. Once the baby’s head is delivered, the rest of the body follows with the next contractions. After delivery, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut.

In the 3rd stage of labour, the delivery of the placenta takes place.

The various forms of pain relief available during normal labour and delivery include opioid analgesic drugs, epidural anaesthesia, and pudendal block.