The use of natural products to care for specific ailments is a common thing today. These products can help significantly improve symptoms for many people, without negative impacts.

In this article:

•   Advice from my expert naturopath
•   Description of natural products for mother and baby

Today, the major problem resides in the fact that people don’t get informed about what products contain and their undesirable effect on the body and general health.

The biggest problem when taking medications to deal with a problem is knowing if natural products conflict with medications already being taken. Will they impact the desired effect? Will they cause more harm than good?

Health Canada has published information you should consult before taking relatively unknown products that may contain metals and pesticides.

For pregnant women, you should never stop taking medication that was prescribed by a doctor, replacing it with natural products. They should never take over the counter medications to soothe ailments without getting advice from their health professional.

Never neglect the effects they may have on your physical and mental health, and on your baby’s health. There are still many questions about potential consequences or reactions due to lack of data and research. An ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure. If you don’t know, abstain.

According to recommendations from public health officials (INSPQ), pregnant women should never take medication, natural products or medicinal plants during the first trimester of pregnancy without advice from their doctor or a pharmacist. Only ginger can be taken without risk, to help with morning sickness at the start of pregnancy. The dosage for taking ginger is 250mg by mouth 4 times a day.

If you meet a naturopath specialising in maternity and young children, you will get a full evaluation before they recommend products. Additionally, the suggested products will be approved so they will be labelled with a natural product number (NPN), which certifies they were inspected and deemed safe for sale in Canada.

The term “approval” means that the product was certified in compliance with established standards or regulations. Approval guarantees that the product corresponds to what they should expect. However, even if the product has an NPN, it does not certify that it is safe for pregnant women and their babies. This is why we always encourage mothers to get advice from their health professional before using them.

Currently, many natural products seem to help specific ailments for mother and baby. A naturopath’s help is crucial to find the right solution for a particular problem.

Along with Geneviève, I want to highlight two products that are often recommended:

•   To increase the mother’s energy – Chi-Mineral Tonic (NPN: 02237353)
•   To help soothe a young baby’s digestive issues, such as reflux, colic, constipation and gas – Liquid Catnip and Fennel (NPN: 80050418).

Advice from my Expert Naturopath

Even if you are exhausted, your nights are really short, your mood is black, your baby screams its lungs outs, vomit and cries at least several times a day, they have thrush and eczema, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Help is always available.

Proper diet and hygiene is the necessary foundation for healthy living, but sometimes you need to give nature a helping hand. Often mothers forget to take care of their needs when taking care of their little one. But they need to remember that the baby needs a healthy mother, so they have to take care of themselves too.

To learn more about natural products, go to the next article Description of Natural Products for Mother and Baby.