Jodie Foreman, Medical Herbalist at Foreman and Jones Integrated Health Practice talks about her experience with helping pregnant women get a good night’s sleep throughout pregnancy.
There are so many reasons why sleep can be difficult for women during pregnancy and the cause of poor sleep can vary depending on which stage you are at. The common causes that my patients have complained about include – restlessness, anxiety and/or a feeling of unsettledness, heartburn, leg cramping, back ache, sinus congestion and even strange dreams and nightmares can disturb them. Herbal medicines can be used to treat the root cause of poor sleep and enable the patient to get some much needed rest.
When I treat women during pregnancy I see them for an hour consultation to assess their health, discuss how their pregnancy is progressing and how their health was before pregnancy as well as how it has been during. I also perform blood pressure checks and urinalysis. It’s important to understand how the whole body is functioning when treating a patient for poor sleep as there are so many factors involved. I assess how balanced the patient’s system is through questioning and I take into account lifestyle factors and how the patient feels about their pregnancy.
Herbal Medicines are extremely useful during pregnancy as they are a gentle, yet effective way of balancing the ever changing system and they help the body adapt easily. Herbs are completely safe for Mother and Baby if prescribed by a qualified practitioner, I would never advise that women experiment with herbal medicines over- the-counter during pregnancy as they may cause harm to themselves and/or their baby.
There are many herbs that can help encourage a good sleep pattern, some include Skullcap, Passionflower, Lime Blossom and Rose. Following a consultation an individual blend of herbal medicines are prescribed and dispensed onsite. We use both herbal tinctures (liquid medicines) and teas on prescription for our patients.
Contact Foreman & Jones on 01303 760001 to find out more.
