The birth of a child and how a woman prepares herself for this represents a very important life event. In Australia, where there are more than 250,000  births each year, the options for pain relief and assistance during labour are numerous. Homeopathy is an excellent choice for use during pregnancy  and labour.

Nisha was 34 weeks pregnant with her first child when she sought assistance for labour. Her pregnancy was progressing well until she began having  strong feelings with the urge to ‘nest’ and clean the home. This could have been considered within the range of a normal response to a pending birth. However, she also experienced a strong sense of urgency and intense panic about the birth process with fear that something awful was going to  happen to a family member. This was not helped by symptoms of congestion in her nose, which prevented her from breathing with ease; and palpitations, which started during the pregnancy.

After taking a full history of Nisha’s pregnancy as well as her current and past state of health, a medicine was prescribed to minimise the physical and  emotional discomfort. At the follow-up, Nisha expressed that she felt more relaxed about the birth, even though she was very busy preparing the  home for the baby. The congestion in her nose had improved by almost 50 per cent and the palpitations had stopped. The next step was to select and discuss with both Nisha and her husband the medicines that might be needed during the delivery of the baby.

Well, the good news came. Nisha announced from the hospital she had given birth to a girl. Her nose congestion cleared up before the delivery and  no drugs were used during labour. Throughout the labour, she needed one medicine that is well-known for its help in relieving exertion and  supporting muscle function during the process of labour.

Anita Jain, professional homeopath, NSW