Image by Tawny van Breda from Pixabay
[I share this important post by Joette Calabrese (with her permission) because we want you and your baby to thrive.]
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
Hmmmm…I think that line’s already taken, so, let me be more specific.
Giving birth can be both the most magical time and the most stressful time of a woman’s life. Our bodies are changing by the moment, and any little out-of-the-ordinary pain or seeming delay can send even the most stoic amongst us into a tailspin of worry.
But there are women who came before us. Some women serve as emotional or educational support to enlighten us as to what to expect as we approach delivery.
But some women have taken it one step further by being pioneers in the medical field who have made delivery easier.
One such woman was Dr. Mercy B. Jackson (1802-1877). We touched on her contributions in our Mother’s Day tribute to a few stand-out women of homeopathy. Having given birth to 11 children, Dr. Jackson was understandably drawn toward a specialty in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
One of her greatest contributions was discovering that Pulsatilla can be used to turn breech babies in the womb and to speed labor.
Without this discovery, many women would have been subjected to unnecessary surgery in the delivery room.
I’ve personally witnessed this phenomenon and can attest to its efficacy.
Pulsatilla is a uniquely feminine medicine.
As such, it can help with so many physical issues that arise during pregnancy, such as bladder infections and indigestion.
It can also be extremely useful during periods of extreme emotion, especially weepiness (or what I like to call, feeling like “emotional mush.”)
It can also help prevent a delayed labor.
If taken daily for the last month in an otherwise uneventful pregnancy, it sets the mother up so that when the time comes, her labor won’t lag.
But one of its most amazing uses (as Dr. Jackson discovered) comes into play when the baby is breech.
I have no better example to share than that of one of my staff members, so here is Carrie’s breech baby story in her own words:
Two years ago, I was preparing to give birth to my third baby.
Having no need for interventions with my two previous home births, I proceeded to plan my third homebirth with the same midwife.
In the last month, I started to prepare for the birth: I purchased my birthing tub, attended hypnobirthing classes, and ordered any remedies I may need for the birth process — all in advance.
But at week 35, my midwife discovered that my baby was breech.
This threw my plans for a loop, as I was informed that unless the baby turned, I would not be able to birth at home.
I have always been a “good student” and immediately dedicated myself to the baby-turning methods described on Spinningbabies.com. I inverted myself daily, on an ironing board.
But the only thing that was spinning was my head!
After a week of practice, the baby still did not turn. I was getting anxious. That’s when I got the recommendation from Joette.
Alright midwives and expectant parents, get your pencils ready for this one: Pulsatilla 200, twice daily.
That’s it.
You mean I don’t have to put myself through any uncomfortable positions or exercises?
Nope!
This is what I realize time and again about homeopathy: It is just so easy.
And as for my third baby? I got to deliver him at home in my birth pool, just as planned.
In fact, I’m pretty sure I felt him start to move into the correct position after taking my second dose of Pulsatilla.
Certainly, a good reason to keep Pulsatilla on hand during pregnancy.
Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom (NA) is an international homeopathic consultant, educator and mom, who raised her now-adult children with only homeopathy over the last 30+ years. She has studied with world-class homeopaths, including Lou Kline, Jeremy Sherr, Jan Scholten, Andre Saine, Dr. Richard Moskowitz, Dr. A.U. Ramakrishnan, Dr. Prasanta Banerji and Dr. Pratip Banerji. After years of full-time practice, Joette has compiled this wealth of knowledge to educate others — in her own no-nonsense, energetic, empathetic way — to use Practical Homeopathy® as the center of their own health strategy.
Joette offers a homeopathic strategy for women’s unique health issues in her course, Feminopathy: How You Can Correct Female Ailments Using Safe, Inexpensive and Effective Homeopathy.
Visit Joette’s website, PracticalHomeopathy.com, to read her blogs, listen to her podcasts and tune in to her weekly Facebook Live events to take your homeopathic knowledge to the next level.
Megan
Our third little one wasn’t breech, but Pulsatilla was still a great help to me during labor! I didn’t have any strong feminine presence during my labor except for my midwife, and she was on her way . . . so I was really working through the mental/emotional aspect of labor. I had started labor the day before but contractions had stopped because our second had a short fever and my body knew I had to attend to him first before being able to focus on working this little one out. I remember kneeling down on a yoga mat to get through a contraction that felt ineffective and just weeping . . . that’s when I knew I needed Pulsatilla! Within 5 minutes of taking a dose my contractions became more effective and labor picked up. Grateful to the Lord for homeopathy! 🙂