Alternative Therapies in Pregnancy

Changes during pregnancy occur because of changes in your hormone levels and when these hormones play havoc within you, there is little that can be done medically. Luckily, there are many natural solutions to ease pain, anxiety and discomfort in pregnancy and delivery as well as to help keep both mind and body healthy and whole. Complementary and Alternative therapies are not meant to override or overtake the importance of a good Gynecologist or Obstetrician guiding you through your pregnancy – they are meant to work side by side with your regular checkups and treatment to further benefit you during these months of dramatic change.

Much research all over the world has established that the womb is where life experience begins and the experience in the womb is what sets the tone of life thereafter. It is not just that the baby is affected by what the mother eats and drinks (e.g. chocolates leads to lots of kicks and gassy foods lead to a colicky baby) but the baby is also affected by the mother’s feelings and the atmosphere around her. This is why it is so important to remain calm, happy and positive during your pregnancy in order to have a calm and happy baby.

There has been much speculation about alternative treatment during pregnancy – some say it is harmful and others talk about the difference it has made to their own and their baby’s lives. It is important to understand first and foremost that if undertaken by professional and experienced practitioners, no alternative therapy or treatment should be harmful to a pregnant mother or the baby inside her womb. Miscarriage and other problems that occur during pregnancy are not because of any outside handling of the body but because of internal complications. As long as the mother is healthy, willing and sure that what she is doing is good for her and her baby and of course as long as the doctor has not specifically advised otherwise due to particular issues, alternative and complementary therapies during pregnancy are only beneficial to both mother and child.

Alternative Therapies are also great for helping to deal with specific troubles in pregnancy like nausea, high blood pressure, constipation, pain caused due to stretching of ligaments in pelvic areas and so on. This is because allopathically, there is not much that can be done about these problems whereas through any of the above treatments, you are positively dealing with the problem at hand with no side effects going through to your baby. Just the fact that you can do something makes you feel better and even if you don’t all of the above make you feel more relaxed and more pampered which is always a plus during pregnancy anyway!

Using any of these alternative methods during pregnancy can be a great way to complement the care you are getting from your doctor and also may enhance that care as they not only takes care of the physical aspects of your pregnancy but also tend to all the emotional and hormonal changes you are going through. However, before indulging in any of these therapies, it is important to look at your pregnancy individually and do only what suits your particular situation. Remember, not everything works for everyone.

Building Self-Esteem in Children

You always give the best to your child. But what is that one gift that will help make your child happy throughout his life? It is building self-esteem in them, giving them a robust sense of self-worth.

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is feeling good about yourself, liking yourself and being content with and proud of who you are.  If you instill self-esteem in children, they will believe in their own unique potential as individuals.

How to develop self-esteem in children?

Value them : The first step towards developing child self-esteem is acknowledging they are good at certain things and ask for their help while doing those. “You are good at math , can you help me count this?” Developing self-esteem in children can also be done by showing them you enjoy their company, “I enjoyed our trip to the mall together.”Listen to them attentively when they tell you something.

Approve of and praise them : Moreover, self-esteem in children improves when you like their ideas. “That was very creative;” and show that you like their choice of friends, “Viraj is a good friend, let’s have him around again soon.” Child self-esteem improves when you think they have done something well.

Spend time with them : Children value you spending time alone with them, both on their terms and yours. “It’s half an hour until dinner. What would you like to play?” or, “Come and talk to me while I clean my wardrobe.”

Show you understand them : You can build self-esteem in children by imagining how they feel about something and telling them how you think it might be tackled, such as, “I know you are upset about your friend not coming to your party, but can we call him up and find out what happened?”

Trust them : Child self-esteem improves with age-appropriate responsibilities such as brushing teeth, getting dressed, arranging school bags etc; this helps in building self-esteem and encourage independence.

Respect them : Also, self-esteem in children improves when you compromise and give them choices to allow some self-determination and autonomy. Your authority is not undermined when you let them win at times. Apologies to them if you know you have been unreasonable.

Be on their side : You build self-esteem in children when you become the last point of refuge. Be the shelter they can hide in. act as a supportive friend who sees their point of view.

Remember, children can value, esteem and love themselves only if you have convinced them that you have valued, esteemed and loved them first.