Pregnancy Problems

The special time of pregnancy is also often accompanied by some rather troublesome complaints - many of which can be helped or eliminated by complementary therapies, especially as they present no risks to the baby.

Diet

Being pregnant means an increased need for vitamins and minerals:

• You need more protein - from eggs, cheese, milk, and meat
• During the first six months, a pregnant woman requires 1,500mg of calcium per day, increasing to 2,000mg from seven months until delivery. You should eat plenty of skimmed milk, cheese, and yoghurt
• Take 30-50mg of iron each day, to avoid becoming iron-deficient
• Take a zinc supplement as well
• You need to supplement your folic acid (or vitamin B9): 15mg per day
• Make sure you get plenty of magnesium
• Vitamin D is another requirement; you need 400-1 ,000mg every day so as not to risk hypocalcaemia in the new born baby

Oligotherapy and vitamins

If you do not wish to take trace-element remedies, you will need to get these elements and vitamins from your diet:

Calcium

Calcium is found not only in dairy products, but also in mineral waters, which can provide as much calcium as milk, Calcium also comes from green vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, splnach, green beans, and watercress), nuts (almonds and walnuts), and fish (such as shrimp, sardines, and salmon)

Iron

Iron is found mainly in black pudding, cocoa, spinach, soya flour, liver, beans, lentils, potatoes, red meat and offal, and wine.

Magnesium

The foods rich in magnesium are citrus fruits. almonds, cereals (such as oat flakes) chocolate, fish and shellfish, snails, figs, nuts (hazelnuts and walnuts), vegetables (especially maize), whole-grain bread and soya beans.

Zinc

Zinc comes from broccoli, cereals, mushrooms, spinach, seafood, beans, oysters ++ and shellfish, brewer's yeast, nuts, egg yolk, fish, and meat.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is found mainly in oily fish (especially halibut and cod ++ ), where it is concentrated in the l iver, eggs, cheese (such as Brie or Emmental), and meat.

Vitamin B9

Folic acid is most plentiful in green or leafy vegetables, but also in offal, apricots, beer, carrots, cereals (whole wheat), beans, and eggs.

Relaxation methods

These are tremendously useful because, by learning to control your breathing, bodily sensations and mental processes, you can relax and thereby lessen your fear of the unknown and your anxiety over the delivery to come. This will make the actual delivery easier and less painful. 'Pain-free childbirth', however misnamed, draws on these relaxation methods to calm you in preparation for what is, after all, a natural process.