Tips for an Easier Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be accompanied by some uncomfortable symptoms but there are certainly ways to alleviate and prevent  things like cramps, nausea, insomnia or back pain.

Morning sickness

I am not sure why in English we refer to morning sickness as in my experience women can suffer from it in the morning, in the evening or even all day long!  Recent research at Liverpool University suggests it may be due to diet and certainly Chinese medicine advise to eat more of certain foods (plain whole foods, cereals such as oats and rice, plenty of vegetables, ginger) and avoid others (rich greasy foods, fried foods, sugar, ice cream, etc) . Also, it seems that in countries with diets high in cereals and pulses, there is a lower incidence or "morning" sickness.
In addition to diet, some smells such as smoke or perfume can act as triggers, but one thing that is pretty much a constant is that the nausea is usually worse on an empty stomach, which is why nibbling on dry biscuits can help.

Acupuncture is a popular alternative treatment and there are many reasons why people are sick.  In Chinese medicine you look at the root cause and treat that.  For instance treatment would differ depending on whether the nausea gets better or worse for eating, whether the person is tired and weak, whether there is a lot of acid reflux, whether is is worse at the end of a work day or in the morning upon waking, etc.  Dietary suggestions would differ slightly depending on the symptoms you present with as well.

Indigestion
As with many of the symptoms of pregnancy, indigestion is a consequence of the increased level of hormones relaxing many tissues in the body, including the valve from the stomach to the oesophagus.  It is obviously helpful to work out which foods trigger indigestion in your particular case.  Also, as pregnancy progresses, you may want to start eating smaller meals, especially in the evening, as the problem is exacerbated as the baby gets bigger.
If lying down makes the heartburn or acid reflux much worse, you may want to try sleeping with your head propped up slightly and during the day sitting up straight, rather than slumping.

Back Pain
During pregnancy, the body produces hormones to soften the pelvic ligaments in preparation for birth. Unfortunately, those hormones don't just get released locally and ligaments then to relax throughout the entire body, including around the spine and sacrum, which can lead to slight misalignment and lower back pain, and in more acute cases sciatica. This, combined with the weight of the baby, can lead to extra strain on the back.
Acupuncture, a great therapy for chronic back pain, can be especially useful if you start getting backache during pregnancy.  However, to prevent it from recurring, it is important to do your bit too so...
-  try and keep a good posture as much as possible and to avoid overarching your lower back (not always easy when you have all the extra weight on your abdomen but it is certainly helpful to consciously try and avoid it)
- avoid things that would make you arch your back such as wearing high heels (especially if you will be on your feet a lot), lifting heavy objects and standing for too long
- do light exercise such as pregnancy yoga and swimming (avoid breast stroke, which makes you arch your back to catch your breath).

Tiredness and Insomnia
In the first trimester you're exhausted and by the third you're suffering from insomnia. Tiredness may be nature's way of telling you to slow down, and if you can you should definitely try to get enough rest.  In the first few months nausea can be made worse if you are tired so resting can actually help you break the vicious circle of nausea/tiredness/more nausea. Later in pregnancy, poor sleep can be simply due to the fact that achieving a comfy position can be tough so use cushions and pillows to find what's comfortable; you can also use the special pregnancy pillows but normal pillows are usually fine if you play around to find the best position for you.
Acupuncture usually has a relaxing effect so it would help you get to sleep and stay asleep.  In Chinese medicine Blood deficiency is often linked to insomnia so make sure you don't suffer from anaemia and that you have a good nourishing diet including plenty of Blood nourishing foods.  Floradix iron supplement is great at this stage, also because it boosts iron levels without causing constipation, another common problem in pregnancy.

Fluid retention
"Fluid retention is a result of hormonal changes and the extra blood circulating," says Gillian Fletcher, former president of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and antenatal teacher.  It is important to get moving to get blood and fluids circulating so try walking (and if you are near  the sea a few minutes in the water will do wonders), or if you work at a desk try every now and again to put your feet up and circulating the ankles. It is also important to drink plenty of fluids as you need your kidneys to be working effectively for good circulation. Acupuncture can certainly help although it is often crucial to ensure that you physically relieve your legs, by being active or putting your feet up.

Leg cramps
They can be a sign of sluggish circulation and often doing brisk exercise with your ankles and calf muscles before bed it helps during the night. The sooner cramp is stretched out the better, so lean against the wall and stretch out the calf, or wake up your partner and get them to push your foot flat with your leg extended.
Leg cramps can be a sign of iron, magnesium or potassium deficiency or even dehydration so make sure to drink plenty of fluids, keep your iron and magnesium levels up and try having bananas to keep up potassium levels.

Blood Nourishing Foods

In Chinese Medicine, Blood and Qi have a close interdependent relationship. Both Qi and Blood circulate around the body through the meridians and blood vessels activating and nourishing the tissues.
The quality of our Blood is a measure of the available nourishment circulating in our body. Blood nourishes our muscles, organs, brain – every part of us. Its quality depends on the quality of food we eat, as well as our ability to absorb nourishment.
Blood can be easily improved through diet. As all food forms the basis of Blood, it is recommended to eat well and widely although certain foods will have a stronger effect on the blood (see table below).

Avoid or reduce	Beneficial foods	Dietary habits, cooking methods and other advice
- Fatty foods or deep fried foods - Processed foods or foods with chemicals/additives - Non essential drugs	Meat or fish in regular, small amounts: Chicken and eggs, pork, lamb or beef, liver (organic), oysters, mussels, cuttlefish, sardines, herring Vegetables (preferably cooked): Carrots, spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables, beetroots, avocado, black beans, kidney beans, aduki beans, eggplant, glutinous rice Fruit: dates, lychee, grapes, raisins, cherries, figs, mulberries Sesame seed, molasses, Chinese angelica	- Chew foods well and eat slowly and in a relaxed environment - Eat foods that are good quality, especially when eating liver make sure it is organic - Rest for a while after eating, especially after your main meal of the day - Preferred cooking methods are steaming, boiling, stewing and stir-frying - Raw fruit and vegetables in small quantities only

Strengthening Your Digestion

Acupuncture

Classical Acupuncture seeks to aid your body regain homeostasis and heal itself by achieving and maintaining an energetic balance throughout the body; this is achieved by treating at the level of the cause of the underlying imbalance.

Acupuncture can greatly help regulate your digestive system.  In addition you may experience a sense of relaxed calm and increased vitality, both of which will contribute greatly towards improving your digestion, as it has been shown that digestive problems can often be linked with stress and the person’s emotional state.

Dietary Therapy

Using food therapy and making the proper adjustments to your lifestyle will help restore you to a state of energetic balance, and encourage your body’s natural cycles to function efficiently again.

1. Include in your diet plenty of:

• Fresh, lightly cooked vegetables; avoid raw vegetables as they are more difficult for your stomach to process
• Fibres, especially from whole grains (but avoid wheat, especially white flour products) such as brown rice, quinoa, oats, millet, rye.
• Beans and lentils.
• Eat small amounts of animal protein as it is harder to digest and have fish and white meat rather than red meat or fatty meats (sausage, ham,…). Think of it as flavouring for your meals, rather than the core of it.
• These foods will help your digestion: carrot, potato, sweet potato, pearl barley, adzuki beans; in addition, adding aromatic spices and herbs to cooking like star anise, cardamom, coriander root, turmeric, cumin, caraway, marjoram and tarragon will help stimulate digestion.
• Linseeds in the morning will also help your digestion if it is sluggish; you can either have them on their own or sprinkled on your food.  You can get them from the health food shop.
• Probiotics can help strengthen your gut flora and can be either used as supplements or consumed through foods such as sauerkraut, miso, kefir, kemchi, among others.

2. Have herbal teas and plenty of water

Along with fibre intake, it is crucial to include plenty of fluids.  This may be water but in cases of constipation herbal teas can be a great help too.

There are herbs containing digestive enzymes that have been used for centuries to promote a healthy digestion and in many traditions herbal teas are taken daily as medicine.  For best digestive benefits, try drinking one of these teas 30 minutes to 1 hour after every meal:

• Peppermint: increases gastric secretions, relaxes the intestines, soothes spasms, settles the stomach and alleviates gas.
• Liquorice: thought to have soothing and anti-inflammatory action that help relieve gastro-intestinal irritations.
• Ginger: soothes the stomach's digestive lining and balance gastric juices. It also facilitates the absorption of nutrients and the elimination of wastes.
• Chamomile: excellent herb for settling the stomach. It also soothes the nervous system and relaxes the muscles, making it a perfect choice for the evening.
• If tea is not your thing, you can get digestive benefits from drinking a glass of hot water with fresh lemon juice squeezed in it first thing in the morning (before food!). This lemon drink will help cleanse and move the residues from your intestines.

3. Avoid foods that may impair your digestion

• Avoid sugar: Our digestion is adversely affected by an excessive amount of sweet foods in the diet - reducing sweets and high GI (glycaemic index) foods like fruit juices will help to improve your digestion.
• Avoid "sweet" tasting food; this includes fruit!  Although rich in fibres, fruit also have a high sugar content, and too much sweet foods can impair your digestion so avoid high quantities of fruit. You can have some but in moderation.
• Avoid cold foods and drinks: drink room temperature or warm water; if you want cold water, drink it not too cold and use lemon or mint to make it more refreshing.
• Eat very little greasy or oily food
• Avoid alcohol
• Avoid dairy
• Avoid caffeine, especially if your stools are dry: it is a diuretic and dries you out further.
• Avoid yeast
• Avoid processed foods and ready meals
• Spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper are beneficial IN MODERATION; too much of them leads to too much "heat" in your intestines, which you want to avoid when you have inflamed intestines or dry stools.

Avoid:

• Eating late at night
• Eating in a hurry
• Overeating
• Eating while stressed

4. Get moving

Regular exercise will get the energy moving in your body and should help a sluggish system where there is not enough energy to move the stool, as is often the case with constipation.

Exercise also will often help your body relax which will also help a slow digestion so whether you prefer yoga, a run outside or a brisk walk along the seafront get moving as often as possible.