Two Must-Have Items for Your Birth Kit – Arnica and Calendula
Arnica – a homeopathic remedy
Arnica is a homeopathic remedy that is used to reduce bruising and swelling and promotes healing. For pregnant women and new moms, arnica is the number one remedy to decrease the inflammation of the perineum that takes place during the pushing stage of birth. Arnica can also help to reduce pain and the “bruised all over” feeling that many women feel during and after birth.
First question: What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy has been a safe and gentle choice of pregnant women worldwide for more than 200 years. It is very effective for keeping moms and babies healthy, and for relieving common problems before, during, and after childbirth.
Homeopathic remedies are derived mainly from plants and minerals. They are inexpensive and usually come in different potencies and take the form of tiny balls or pellets of sugar that you place under your tongue.
Homeopathic remedies are approved by the FDA and prepared in accordance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the U.S. They are available in health food stores, drugstores, and homeopathic pharmacies, and are made from natural sources (e.g., plants, minerals) and are taken in extremely small doses.
Are homeopathic remedies safe?
Homeopathy uses immeasurably small amounts of active ingredients that help stimulate your body’s own ability to heal itself. Homeopathic remedies are derived mainly from plants and minerals, and their active ingredient is diluted many times and shaken vigorously to produce the remedy.
Homeopathic remedies are FDA-regulated, non-drowsy, non-habit-forming, and non-toxic. They have no known side effects and no known drug interactions.
How to prepare arnica bottles for labour
The easiest way to take arnica during your birth is to add it to your drinking water:
In your birth kit, prepare at least 4 water bottles:
Open the water bottles and add 3 arnica pellets to each one
Screw the cap back on
Label them with your name on them so that no one takes your arnica water by mistake
This way, every time drink water, you are also taking arnica.
Postpartum Recovery
After the baby’s birth, many women continue to take arnica to decrease any bruising or swelling of the perineum after hours of pushing and straining, forceps birth recovery or any other birth trauma.
You can pop 3 arnica pellets under your tongue to dissolve 3 times a day, or you can make arnica bottles like you did for labour. (You can also drink any unused arnica bottles left over from your birth)
Guidelines for using Homeopathic Remedies
For best results, homeopathic remedies should be taken on a clean palate, which means that you do not eat or drink 10 – 15 minutes before and after you take your arnica. You can drink water any time.
It is important to avoid strong flavors such as mint, coffee or toothpaste in that 15-minute window before and after because they can interfere with absorption.
Do not touch the pellets with your fingers. Let the pellets roll into the cap of the bottle and then hold the cap between your fingers and pop them into your mouth.
Place the pellets under your tongue and let it dissolve on its own.
Calendula Tincture
Calendula is made from the marigold plant. It is an excellent antiseptic and healing agent that soothes and heals any trauma to the skin. Calendula reduces bleeding and its anti-inflammatory properties promote fast wound healing.
For women who are looking for support with perineal healing, calendula tinctures offer increased wound healing when added into a peri-bottle or applied directly to the perineum using a washcloth or cotton pad.
How to use calendula in peri-bottles
First question: what is a peri-bottle?
A peri-bottle has many holes in its cap so that when you use it, there are many small streams of water that flow out of the bottle.
After birth, you can have minor and/or major tears of your perineum (the tissues around your urethra, vagina and anus). Your urine has nitrogen in it, which can cause these tears to sting quite a lot when you pee.
To use a peri-bottle, you fill it with warm water and you start the flow of water on your perineum just before you pee. The added water dilutes the nitrogen in your pee and decreases the pain you might feel.
In most cases, you will be given a peri-bottle if you have a hospital birth. If you are having a midwifery birth, your midwife might ask you to purchase one, and will tell you where to pick one up to put in your birth kit.
How to add calendula to your peri-bottle
It’s really simple.
As you add your warm water to your peri-bottle, squirt a whole dropperful of the calendula tincture into the peri-bottle as well. The calendula coats your perineal tears, provides relief and increases the wound healing.
Keep using your peri-bottle while your tiny tears heal. You can stop when there is no more stinging when you pee.
How to make calendula menstrual pads
After birth, you will experience a bloody discharge for a few weeks – it’s like a heavy period.
The frozen menstrual pads are very comforting on your sore tissues and will act to help cool your perineum and provide calendula directly on your skin to improve wound healing.
To make these:
dilute the calendula by putting 2 droppers full in 1 cup of water and stir
Pour into a spray bottle
Open 5 menstrual pads (don’t take off the sticky labels) and place them on a cookie sheet
Spray the calendula mixture onto the pads
Place in the freezer
Once they are frozen you can put them into a large ziploc bag and keep them in the freezer, ready to go.
Calendula helps to heal umbilical cords
As added benefit, calendula tincture helps to heal umbilical cords.
Simply apply calendula tincture undiluted to the stump of the umbilical cord, where it quickly heals up the bellybutton so the cord can fall off.
You can keep your leftover calendula
If you have leftover calendula tincture, just place it in your medicine cabinet.
You can apply calendula onto any cuts or scrapes that occur in every day life.
To use the tincture, dilute it so that it doesn’t sting on your open cut:
2 droppers full in 1 cup of water and stir
Use this liquid to pat onto any cuts with a Q-tip or a cotton pad
Keep applying your calendula mixture a few times daily until your cut has healed.
Arnica references
Homeopathy For Pregnancy Birth and Beyond
peacehealth.org/medical-topics/id/hn-2250001
midwiferysupplies.ca/products/arnica-montana-30ch-pellets?variant=31528162066494
Miranda Castro, CCH, FSHom, Author, Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth, & Your Baby’s First Year
Calendula references
angieevans.ca/2021/05/19/perineum-care/
ecoparent.ca/eco-wellness/herbal-remedies-after-childbirth
returntohealth.net.au/product/calendula-tincture/