Medically, labor is divided into three stages. In the first stage, your cervix opens fully to allow your baby to pass through; in the second stage your baby is born; in the third stage the placenta is delivered. All these stages are discussed in detail over the following pages. In addition to these stages, most women experience prelabor. Your experience of labor will be much more colorful and exciting than the medical definition above. Go into it believing that very little can go wrong, and very little will go wrong.

Prelabor

Before real labor begins, hormones from your uterus and your baby prepare your body for birth. During the last few weeks, you’ll probably notice signs of your coming labor. But just as each woman’s experience of labor and birth is unique, so these prelabor symptoms affect everyone in different ways. They do provide useful signals to warn you that labor is imminent.

Engagement - To position himself for the journey through the birth canal, your baby will move lower down so that his presenting part, usually his head, settles into your bony pelvis. This is known as engagement, and you’ll experience it as a feeling of lightening. You may actually see your belly drop down. If this is your first pregnancy, your baby will probably engage two to three weeks before the labor starts. If you’ve had previous babies, your baby’s head may remain higher until just before labor starts, because your uterine muscles may have stretched and so will exert less pressure on your baby. You’ll know when your baby has engaged because there’s less pressure on your diaphragm and breathing becomes easier. On the other hand, you’ll probably find you have to pass urine more often, as your baby will now be pressing down on your bladder.

Braxton-Hicks contractions - Your uterus practices for the strong contractions needed in labor with weak, irregular contractions, named after the doctor who first described them. Most women feel these during the last few months. If you place your hand on your abdomen, you may feel a hardening and tightening of your uterus, which lasts for approximately 25 seconds.

Unlike real labor contractions, these are usually painless, although some women find them uncomfortable. If you do feel any discomfort, sit down quietly until the feeling eases. You may find you get more and stronger Braxton-Hicks contractions as real labor approaches. This is your body’s way of preparing the cervix to dilate and increasing the circulation of blood to the placenta. When you feel a run of Braxton-Hicks, practice the relaxation techniques you’re going to use during labor; the tightening and relaxing of your uterus will give you a good idea of how a contraction feels as it waxes and wanes.

Some mothers misinterpret Braxton-Hicks as real labor pains and go to the hospital, only to be told they can go home again.

Nesting instinct - You may suddenly feel like making final preparations for the arrival of your baby. If you want to rush around cleaning or decorating the house, or cooking large meals, try to restrain yourself. Save this extra energy for coping with labor and delivery.

The show - An obvious sign that labor is coming soon is the appearance of the show-the plug of mucus that seals your cervix in pregnancy, providing protection against infection. Although the show often doesn’t appear until labor is underway, the cervix may widen enough for the mucus plug to be dislodged up to twelve days before labor begins. This sticky substance may be slightly brown, pink, or blood-tinged from the capillaries that attached it to the cervix. The show signals dilation of the cervix.

Premenstrual feelings - You may notice some physical and emotional changes similar to those you have before a menstrual period. You may also feel crampy, with some pressure in your rectum, and feel the need to empty your bowels and pass urine more often than usual.

Your Baby’s Descent

Your doctor or midwife will check this by internal examination and measure it in “stations,” lines measured in centimeters from -5 to +5 in relation to the level of your ischial spines and your baby’s head. When his head first enters your pelvis, it is at station-5. When the top of his head is level with your ischial spines it is at station 0 (engaged). The remaining stations describe the head’s position as it passes via the birth canal to the vaginal opening, station +5.

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Benefits of Combined Natural Therapies

Along with medical help from a physician or psychotherapist, acupuncture has been beneficial during alcohol withdrawal and the detoxification period. In particular, it can minimize stress-related cravings that will recur from time to time during detoxification.

While the appetite is suppressed (a common occurrence during withdrawal), vegetable and fruit juices, warm broths, soups and herbal teas, including chamomile, valerian root and skullcap, are suggested. (One of the goals of detox is to replenish fluids and increase intake of alkaline foods.)

In addition, taking an amino acid supplement, L-glutamine, is often advised, as it can be helpful in reducing cravings for both alcohol and sugar.

Herbal Remedy for Constant Cravings

Research shows that pueraria, otherwise known as kudzu vine, diminishes alcohol cravings. The vine is also thought to relieve hangovers. An herbalist or an expert in Chinese medicine can help you locate pueraria capsules or a tincture, and can outline an individual course of treatment-in combination with other therapies if necessary-to control alcohol addiction.

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Bites from most domestic and farm animals are harmless but you should keep tetanus injections up to date if you come into contact with many animals.

Treatment

Homeopathy For minor bites use Hypericum ointment. Pain and swelling can be eased by taking Apis 6c or Staphysagria.

Stings

Stings may come from plants, insects, or fish.

Treatment

Apply calomine lotion.

Naturopathy Bee stings are acidic, wasp stings alkaline. Neutralize bee stings by bathing affected area in a mixture of 2 teaspoonfuls of sodium bicarbonate per cup of water. Dab a wasp sting with lemon juice or vinegar. Calendula ointment can reduce swelling. Witch hazel relieves symptoms.

Homeopathy Use tincture of pyrethrum as a lotion.

Bach Flower Remedies Apply Bach Rescue Remedy as an ointment.

Aromatherapy Apply lavender oil and/or tea tree oil to the injured area every hour until symptoms subside.

Jellyfish Stings

Stings from jellyfish may be more serious than insect stings, but should only cause painful burning and swelling. If the person stung goes into shock, get medical help immediately.

Treatment

Scrape away remaining tentacles, but not with your hand. Treat injured area as for insect stings. A hot bath 100°-102°F / 38°-39°C is a good way to inactivate the toxins in jellyfish stings.

Homeopathy To avoid a severe reaction take Apis 30c every hour until sting subsides. Ledum or Calendula can also help.

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Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness in which a very highly concentrated state of attention is focused on a specific idea or memory The patient (or subject) is fully awake but responds only to the therapist’s suggestions. There is abundant empirical evidence that hypnotherapy produces desired results for many people. Some, however, are incapable of achieving a deep trance state. Others can reach only a light hypnotic state because they are unable or unconsciously unwilling to achieve this form of total concentration.

Origins

From ancient healers to Dr. Franz Mesmer, an 18th century Viennese physician who cast his subjects into a trance as a theatrical entertainment (hence mesmerizing), hypnosis has had a colorful history Not until the late 1950s did it begin to overcome its association with charlatans and movie villains. In 1958, the American Medical Association acknowledged for the first time that hypnosis was a useful therapeutic tool.

Practitioners

Hypnotherapy, as the medical use of hypnosis is called, is practiced by physicians (especially psychiatrists), dentists, psychologists, naturopaths, physical therapists, psychiatric social workers, and holistic healers. Legitimate hypnotherapy should not be confused with staged hypnosis, which is some­times presented as entertainment.

When It Is Used

A psychotherapist or other health care professional may use hypnosis in several ways. One is behavior modification; for example, helping a patient to overcome a weight problem or nicotine addiction. Another is the calling up of traumatic events, such as childhood abuse, that may have been denied or buried as a means of self protection. Two other uses are the diagnosing of multiple personalities and the treating of phobias, such as fear of flying. Pain management is another major application of hypnosis. A deep trance state may be induced to serve as anesthesia during surgery; a lighter trance is often employed to ease the pain of childbirth. And for controlling chronic pain, many people are now taught the techniques of self hypnosis.

How It Works

To control pain through hypnosis, patients are taught to become intensely aware of their body sensations, to track their breathing, and to eliminate distracting thoughts and images. Then they are instructed to focus on the pain its location, intensity, and shape. Through this technique, they become active participants in pain control, learning to modify its features, shift its level, and raise and lower its intensity Eventually they can learn to transfer the skills developed during hypnosis to control other troublesome problems. To help a patient remember a blocked out traumatic event or a critical childhood experience, the hypnotist will put him in a hypnotic trance and suggest mentally going back to the time and place in question. This regression is often done in steps; for example, he may be instructed to visit a childhood classroom or former home. Typically, the subject begins to speak in a childlike voice and assume a different posture. If the flashback scene is especially painful, he may cry, but the crying is likely to be that of a child, rather than an adult. After the subject is instructed to end the trance, voice and posture return to normal, and often there is no memory of what happened during hypnosis. In diagnosing and treating multiple personality disorders, the hypnotist tries to get the other personalities to come forth. Again, there is often a dramatic change in voice and bearing as different personalities emerge.

What To Expect

A hypnotic trance is most successfully induced in a subject who is cooperative and who can relax, maintain a state of mental alertness, and concentrate on repeated instructions, which sometimes involve visualization . They may be repeated in a low, confident voice as the hypnotherapist leads the subject into a deep trance. As the suggestibility level increases, breathing and pulse rate slow down. At this point, the therapist can instill desired images; for example, having a smoker concentrate on a scenario in which all ashtrays are discarded and all tobacco smoke becomes noxious. Most patients can learn the techniques of self hypnosis and visualization, thereby reinforcing and extending the efforts of the therapist. Audio and video tapes that offer instructions in hypnosis and visualization are available for home use.

Precautions

Be wary of self styled hypnotherapists who advertise their services in the Yellow Pages or newspaper classified ads. Instead, ask your doctor for a referral or call the psychiatry department of the nearest teaching hospital and ask for names of qualified hypnotherapists in your area.

Visualization

Visualization entails concentrating fully on a specific image. It may be combined with hypnosis or another therapy to induce relaxation, counteract anxiety, or control pain perception. Dr. Herbert Benson, a Harvard psychologist and author of The Relaxation Response, urges patients to use visualization to overcome stress. For example, he instructs them to visualize a peaceful landscape while tensing and relaxing different muscle groups to achieve more complete relaxation.

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