Holistic tips to prepare for giving birth
Ayurveda prepares you for giving birth in a different way than practical matters alone: through grounding, through food and through pressure points. In the final trimester you ground yourself and connect with your baby, for example with a warm oil massage (abhyanga), your breathing and a daily moment for yourself. Raspberry leaf tea and dates support your uterus and the contractions, and from week 41 marma points can help get labour started. These tips come from Eline Flux-van den Bosch of holistic practice Dandelien.
Who is Eline?
Eline Flux-van den Bosch writes for our blog about holistic tips to prepare for giving birth. She is an Ayurvedic therapist, reiki practitioner and specialist in pregnancy massage. Eline is the mother of Jan (2015), twins Toon & Lea (2017) and Amélie (2023). During her last pregnancy she wrote a pregnancy and postnatal journal with Ayurvedic wisdom. She found the tips below very valuable herself.
How can you best prepare for giving birth? Practical things are often the first that come to mind, but Ayurveda looks at it differently. This holistic healing tradition from India sees birth as a very special experience, in which you as a woman become a mother (again). There are various ways to support your body in the run-up to the birth. Below, Eline explains it herself.
Grounding: connecting with your body and your baby
In the final trimester it is incredibly important to ground yourself and settle, to connect with your baby and sink into your body. When giving birth there is so much movement, and that is only possible if you are present in your body.
You can connect with your body and baby by giving yourself a massage, or by booking one with a specialist in pregnancy massage. Ayurveda loves warm oil massages: abhyanga. This massage calms your nervous system and creates, as it were, a protective layer between you and the outside world. It stimulates your lymphatic system, boosts immunity and circulation, lubricates the joints (nice if you have back pain) and contributes to relaxation. You will find a how-to for abhyanga in the pregnancy and postnatal journal. You can also focus on your breathing.
Allow yourself a moment for yourself every day, to connect with your body, your heart and your baby. Consciously place your hands on your belly and ask yourself how you are feeling. You can also ask how your baby is doing; when you bring your attention there, an answer comes up by itself. Another lovely way to connect is through affirmation cards. It is wonderful to write down these intimate moments and read them back later.
Food: raspberry leaf tea and dates
- Raspberry leaf tea is a nutrient-rich uterine tonic that strengthens the uterus and is said to support a natural birth with little blood loss. Drink several cups a day at the end of your pregnancy.
- Dates: in the final month it is recommended to eat 6 dates a day. They support the contractions and have a strong oxytocin-like effect on your body. They also give you a lot of strength during the birth and are a natural source of sugar that provides energy. Date balls (bliss balls) are an easy way to get them in.
Recipe: bliss balls
This is a basic recipe. Do use the nuts you like best. I always add Ayurvedic herbs and various spices myself, such as cinnamon, mixed spice or cardamom.
What do you need?
- 40 g mixed nuts
- 200 g pitted dates
- 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
- 4 tbsp desiccated coconut
Let's get started
- Soak the dates a few hours in advance, that makes them easier to digest.
- Roughly chop the nuts in a food processor with the ghee (or coconut oil) and the cacao.
- Add the dates and blend until smooth.
- With damp hands (you can rub them with your chosen oil), roll the balls and roll them through the desiccated coconut.
- Keep them in the fridge and enjoy!
Pressure points: marma points after your due date
If you are past your due date, from week 41 you can stimulate certain marma points to get labour started. Marma points are energy points on which you apply pressure for a certain time to get your body moving. Therapists who give pregnancy massages or doulas can often help you with this.
The best thing, of course, is to wait until you and your baby are ready, but sometimes it is nice to have this up your sleeve.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a holistic healing tradition that originated in India. It has been practised worldwide for more than 5000 years and is recognised as one of the oldest health sciences in existence.
Ayurveda assumes that we and everything around us are made up of the five elements: ether, air, fire, water and earth. It teaches us how to live healthily and happily with the power of nature. Ayurveda offers nutrition and lifestyle advice so you can take good care of yourself during pregnancy, but also when trying to conceive and postpartum.
Eline Flux-van den Bosch, Ayurvedic therapist, gives reiki and pregnancy massages.
Want to know more about Eline?
- Visit her website for more information: Eline | Ayurveda Reiki Pregnancy Yoga.
- Follow her on Instagram for the latest updates and inspiration: @dandelien.ayurveda.
Summary
- Ground yourself in the final trimester: connect with your body and your baby through a warm oil massage (abhyanga), your breathing and a daily moment for yourself.
- Drink several cups of raspberry leaf tea a day at the end of your pregnancy; it strengthens the uterus.
- Eat 6 dates a day in the final month, for example as bliss balls; they support the contractions and give energy.
- From week 41 marma points can help get labour started; a pregnancy massage therapist or doula can help you with this.
- Ayurveda is a holistic healing tradition from India with nutrition and lifestyle advice for trying to conceive, pregnancy and postpartum.
Frequently asked questions
What is abhyanga?
Abhyanga is the warm oil massage from Ayurveda. The massage calms your nervous system, stimulates your lymphatic system, boosts immunity and circulation, lubricates the joints and helps you relax.
When may you stimulate marma points?
From week 41, if you are past your due date. It remains best to wait until you and your baby are ready.
Why dates at the end of pregnancy?
Dates support the contractions, have an oxytocin-like effect, give strength during the birth and are a natural source of energy.
