Tips on pregnancy for first time moms

1. afribirther.org

2. Afribirther
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Discuss about anything
pregnancy related

3. What are some traditional remedies for common pregnancy ailments, such
as morning sickness and back pain?
MORNING SICKNESS
- GINGER
- LEMON
- MINT
- SOMETIMES, JUST TRY DIFFERENT THINGS AND SEE WHICH WORKS
BACK ACHE
- REST
- MASSAGE
- WARM COMPRESS
- PRENATAL YOGA

4. Remedy for toothache during pregnancy;
- CHEWING ON WHOLE CLOVE ( YORUBA CALL KONOFURU), WORKED
WONDERS FOR ME
- MAINTAIN GOOD ORAL HYGIENE, EVEN IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE
BRUSHING COS IT MAKES YOU WANT TO THROW HELP. BUY NON-
ALCHOLIC MOUTHWASH / CLOVE WATER AND USE IT TO RINSE YOUR
MOUTH REGULARLY.

5. What are some tips for navigating the healthcare system during pregnancy in any part of the
world Nigeria , UK and the rest ?
- Doing your own research is very important. So you can ask precise questions
and that way you can be in control of your pregnancy
- Don’t be afraid of all the medical jargon, whatever you don’t understand ask
the health practitioner to explain to you in layman terms.
- Understand that doctors and nurses work for the hospital and not for you. They
will most likely do what is best for the hospital in most situations.
- If you don’t have any underlying medical conditions and your scans and bloods
are up to date. It is best to labour at home to increase your oxytocin level, being
in the hospital can reduce oxytocin level and can slow down labour progress.
From my personal experience

6. What are some tips for preparing for manageable and positive childbirth
- Prepare yourself mentally, so you can deal with any situation that arises during
labour.
- Have a birth plan.
- Have a birthing partner that has a positive vibes and is truely aware of your
birth plan in and out.
- Drink your ewedu or okra water and any other drinks you have researched that
helps baby come out smoothly
- Find the perfect birth positions that work for you, water births,squatting, on all
4s and much more

8. What are some tips for postpartum care
- Clove water sitz bath.

9. Being overdue is not a big deal. It is called EDD
for a reason
The thing is different things works for different bodies at different times. Every pregnancy is
different.
Check out my own case;
I drank raspberry leaf tea(used abroad cos that is what grows here, naija has surplus) for my
last two pregnancies. For both I was overdue.
- The 3rd one I had CS cos I surrendered myself to the doctor and they broke my water to
induce labour. Labour did start but it was not progressing within their own save window. So
they played it safe by going for CS due to hospital policy. FYI, I did drink caster oil too but it
never put be into real labour. I had 3 sweeps, it did not put me into labour. My cervix was
checked alot while in labour, it gave me and baby an infection after birth.Baby came out
weighing 3.680kg.

10. The 4th one I was 2 weeks overdue and baby was weighing 4kg but did not ask for
any help from the hospital and I had no medical problem. Listened to my body and
drank a bit of caster oil( only for if overdue and having little contractions but want to
progress quick) with juice . That put me into labour and I had my baby at home over 2
hours later. Baby came out vaginally weighing 4.180kg with very very tiny tear that
did not need any stitches. That was my biggest baby ever. No sweep, no cervical
checks, no infections.
So my point is, the job is in the hands of the mother and the father. Your strength,
your preparation and research can help you get the result you want. Birthing position
matters a lot too. I laboured and gave birth on all fours(hands and legs on the floor)
which made a lot of difference compared to lying on the bed.