Essential Mama

My first pregnancy and ‘4th trimester phase’ with Ava were tough.

- Ranae Von Meding

I had no idea how to manage all those fun symptoms that go hand in hand with bringing new life into the world! Nausea, heartburn, back pain, cramps in my legs, headaches to name but a few. As a first time mama, I didn’t really know what to expect. So inevitably when certain symptoms would crop up, I would head straight to Dr Google (or my own GP when I was being more sensible) and get whatever medicine was recommended. I didn’t know much about alternative therapies at that time - I think the extent of my knowledge was that Red Raspberry Leaf Tea could help tone your uterus towards the end of the pregnancy! And so, I relied heavily on over the counter solutions. Sometimes they worked, but often I didn’t get relief from them. Not to mention that many medicines are contraindicated in pregnancy, meaning that you cannot take them anyway.

Fast forward to baby number 2 - Arya. I had gone on a journey of discovery, recognising my ability as a parent to take charge of my own health and emotional care. Using a combination of alternative therapies, essential oils and modern medicine, I would utilise whatever worked for me and my family. I felt empowered to use the tools at my fingertips.

In no way am I against modern medicine, and as a Type 1 diabetic I am grateful on a day to day basis that I have access to 21st century healthcare. That being said, an over reliance on meds can lead to a whole host of other issues, not to mention being very costly, not only personally but on our nation as a whole. So when I have the option to treat something with two different approaches, most of the time I will treat it naturally first. If that doesn’t work, I will then look at the medical option.