Pregnant Muslimah"s guide to natural & spriritual childbirth

A list of essential baby items

A list of essential items needed for babies and moms

EINA... teething and breastfeeding

Baby has sprouted those pearly whites, family and neighbours have come round for the pancakes. But now breastfeeding has become a nightmare as baby keeps trying to bite off your nipples....
Solutions from the sisters from the Facebook page;

1.When she bites, say ouch loudly and take her away from the breast for a minute or so and try again. Only let her stay at the breast if she is not biting. Babies are smart, she will put 2 and 2 together and learn it is something you don't want her to do.
2.  Pinch baby cheek. It worked
3.You just have 2 move them off right away & they start realizing that if they bite then they are not getting anything

Tips for mummies

Tips for mommies on various topics from the Pregnant Muslimah Facebook page. 

Recipe ideas for busy moms

 In the week I bought some red curry paste. Supper was super easy to make. 2 tsps of paste in oil, let it warm up, tin of coconut milk, cook a bit. Slice up 2 chicken breasts in that mean time add to pot with a packet of woolies veg pack. And 10min later we had supper. Have with rice or noodles

Buy marinated meat, get your butcher to cut n clean your meat, cook potatoe curry, buy roti n pita. Cook extra chicken fillet cubed n freeze, use to make roti wraps, soups, toasted chicken.

Try the knor cook in a bag range. all u need is your chicken or meat. goes super quick and  is super lekker.

Baby Constipation

Tips on how to alleviate constipation in babies

1. Boiling water with just alittle brown sugar

2. Hoowa water

3. Honey water, though there is research that says that giving honey can not be given to babies younger than 1. 

Flu and cold fighting remedies

With winter season round the corner in South Africa, flu season is almost here. Here are tips for keeping moms and babies healthy during this sniffly, body aching time and coughing time 

Circumcision

This post is all about caring for the ummm delicate bits after circumcision.....

1 .Apply vaseline to the affected area after every nappy change
2. Mechurochrome, a few drops on the area at every nappy change. 
3. Using a combination of vaseline and graze powder
4. chloromax (anti septic eye ointment)
5. coconut oil
6. Bactroban

Mpumalanga Medical Directory

A list of medical professionals for the Mpumalanga compiled from the facebook group, Please feel free to comment and add doctors as well as your experience with them

Free State Medical Directory

A list of medical professionals for the Free State compiled from the facebook group, Please feel free to comment and add doctors as well as your experience with them

Khalas & Aunties

Every town and city has them- khalas and aunties who come to massage baby after birth. They help with bathing baby and shave baby's head on the 7th day. 

Nappy rash remedies

Tips on how to treat nappy

1.       Bepanthan and maizena

2.       Sudocream heals within 1-2days

3.       Corn starch sprinkled like baby powder

4.       Fissan Paste

5.       A barrier cream called Siopel mixed with clotrimazole, applied thrice daily

Shoes shoes shoes for the little ones

Which shoes to get for the little one when they start to scramble around can be just as daunting as deciding which pair of shoes to leave behind when packing for a holiday

KZN Medical Directory

A list of medical professionals for the Kwazulu Natal compiled from the facebook group, Please feel free to comment and add doctors as well as your experience with them

Western & Eastern Cape Medical Directory

A list of medical professionals for the Western & Eastern Cape compiled from the facebook group, Please feel free to comment and add doctors as well as your experience with them

Repelling mosquitoes

Tips on how to get rid of those pesky little buggers that buzzZZZ round your ears at night keeping you up more than a newborn baby and to top it all leave you with red bumps all over. Followed by ways to treat the bites

Foods to give your energy levels a healthy ‘kick’ during pregnancy

Most pregnant women can testify to the exhaustion and utter lack of energy felt especially during the first and last trimester. The first trimester is a time when your body is adjusting to the hormonal changes resulting in your energy levels taking a undesired nose dive. In the last trimester, with your bulging belly and now bigger baby is zapping any energy resources you have. There are many ways to help give you the spark you need such as rest, exercise, drinking plenty of water and food. Food especially can provide your body with the nutrients it needs to keep enough energy in reserve for you! So what foods should you include in your diet and what should you avoid?

Kegel exercises: A how-to guide for women

TAKEN FROM - www.mayoclinic.com

Why Kegel exercises matter

Many factors can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, from pregnancy and childbirth to aging and being overweight. This may allow your pelvic organs to descend and bulge into your vagina — a condition known as pelvic organ prolapse. The effects of pelvic organ prolapse range from uncomfortable pelvic pressure to leakage of urine. Pelvic organ prolapse isn't inevitable, however. Kegel exercises can help delay or even prevent pelvic organ prolapse and the related symptoms.

Kegel exercises — along with counseling and sex therapy — may also be helpful for women who have persistent problems reaching orgasm.

Braxton Hicks Contractions

TAKEN FROM - www.babycentre.co.uk

What are Braxton Hicks contractions?

Some time towards the middle of your pregnancy, or maybe even earlier, you may notice the muscles of your uterus (womb) tightening. If you place your hands on your bare bump when this is happening, you can feel how hard your uterus becomes.

Advise on what one should eat or not eat for pregnancy according to sunnah

FROM - www.askimam.org

There are many beautiful virtues and rewards for being pregnant. 

Sore nipples while breastfeeding

Cracked, bleeding nipples while breastfeeding are common, here are a few tips from Facebook page to for better breastfeeding.

Thrush

Thrush, gruesome itchy and smelly…cottage cheese anyone?

Bringing on labour

Advice on bringing on labour from our facebook page, funnily all the advice given is contrary to the advice given whilst pregnant. I guess all the aunties and uncles throw caution to the wind just so that baby can come out already :)

Teething Remedies

1. Most common homeopathic remedy for teething is chamomile, but if the baby is really bad please consult with a homeopath for dosage

2. Vidol

3. Prodol teething drops/ gel - the gel numbs the gums and thus lessening the pain

4. amber teething necklace

5. Paragoorie

6. Pansoral

7. For the severely painful nights mix half tspn panado, few drops prodol, a little honey and some zam zam water, rubbed on gums

Gauteng Medical Directory

A list of medical professionals for the Gauteng compiled from the facebook group, please feel free to comment and add doctors as well as your experience with them

Hospital Bag

What to pack in your hospital bag, also its a good idea to start packing the bag once you hit 30 plus weeks and either put the bag in the car or by the door so you can trip over it every day till its hospital time....

Six Signs that Labor is Within a Few Weeks or Days

-  (email from a Pregnant Muslimah)

1. Lightening: You can breathe again! This is an indication that the baby has dropped, settling deeper into your pelvis and relieving some of the pressure on your diaphragm, so you are not so short of breath. You may feel increased pressure on your bladder, which means more trips to the bathroom. Others may comment on your changed appearance, although you might not be aware of it at all.

How to massage your crying, colic baby

Nazreen Kassam-Bulbulia

For the calming of your baby down when they crying for no reason, use the 6 S's

What to give your newborn for cramps...

1. Diluted gripe water until 3monthes and then plain gripe water (though be careful as gripe water is not always good for all babies) and make sure its the non-alcohol kind.
2. Behoepsmiddel
3.Exercising the babies legs after every nappy change. Press their legs inward on their tummy or do gently do the bicycle.
4. Sister Lillian products
5.Bonnie Care from the TIBB range

The language of babies

- courtesy of Amina via email

I found this to be very useful, courtesy of Great Expectations... How to understand the cries of your baby

Top 5 Myths About Having a Home Birth, by; Tracy Odell

Whenever I'd tell someone I was having a home birth, their reaction would inevitably fall into one of three buckets:

1. "YAY! I wish I'd done that." (Or, "I have done that.")
2. "How? What? Why?" A million questions.
3. "Are you crazy? What if something bad happens?"

3 Tips for a Successful Home Birth

The following is a guest post from Kaitlin Rose, founder of Bring Birth Home, a website dedicated to education and support for home births.

I didn't know birth could be so rewarding until I gave birth at home and became a part of a community of women who had also delivered their babies this way.

10 Reasons to Delay Solids Until at Least 6 Months; By Christie Haskell

Despite some clear messages from many health organizations, old recommendations -- or old wives' tales -- have many babies starting on solids before they reach 6 months old. Reasons range from "Baby is big enough!" to "Baby is too small!" (huh?) and even "I can just tell she's ready."

Naturally Inducing Labour – Natural Induction Methods By: Kelly Winder BellyBelly Creator, Mum & Birth Attendant

Chances are that if you’re reading this article, you’re late in your third trimester, overdue, ‘over’ being pregnant or trying to beat a planned induction date!

Natural methods of induction are a great way to try and stimulate labour or to ripen the cervix, especially if this means beating a medical induction or caesarean (should you not go into spontaneous labour beforehand).

Fasting for Ramadan in pregnancy

Is it safe?

There is no clear answer, even though medical studies have looked at the effects of fasting (Cross 1990, CIA/NHS 2007). At the moment, we don't know if fasting is completely safe for pregnant women and their babies (NHS Choices 2008).

Reflux

www.babycentre.co.uk)

What is reflux?

Reflux is what happens when your baby's stomach contents come back up into his food pipe (gullet or oesophagus) or even into his mouth. The long name for reflux is gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Getting A Flat Tummy After A C-Section

From - www.pregnancy-info.net

When it comes to losing weight and toning up your stomach after a cesarean section, it's very important not to push your body too hard before you've had a chance to recover. Like most new mothers, you're keen to get back your figure as soon as possible, and you're probably already thinking about what type of diet and exercise program will help you. Don't forget, however, that in addition to bringing a baby into the world, you've also had a major operation - therefore you shouldn't be discouraged if it takes you longer to slim down your stomach area than it does a woman who delivered vaginally.

Constipation in babies

From  (www.babycenter.com)

How can I tell if my baby is constipated?

When it comes to a baby's bowel movements, there's no "normal" number or schedule — only what's normal for your baby. Your baby may pass a stool after every feeding, or wait a day or more between bowel movements. Her individual pattern depends on what she eats and drinks, how active she is, and how quickly she digests her food and then gets rid of waste. With practice, you'll be able to tune in to your baby's unique habits.

Introducing Solids

Introducing solids (Approved by the BabyCentre Medical Advisory Board)

When should I introduce solid foods?

It's a good idea to wait until your baby is six months old before giving her solid food as well as her usual milk. The Department of Health says it's best to exclusively breastfeed your baby until she is six months old. After that, breastmilk on its own doesn't give your baby everything she needs, in particular iron.

Umrah and little ones

Tips given from the Facebook page by mothers on going on Umrah with their little ones;

Castor Oil Induction

(www.gloriamay.com/blog)

Inducing with castor oil isn’t safe. Once swallowed the castor oil is hydrolized by intestinal lipases to recinoleic acid which stimulates intestinal secretion, decreases glucose absorption and increases intestinal motility. Castor oil is used in lipsticks, too. Many women who can tolerate the oil quite well on their lips get a reaction on their mouths if the oil converts to recinoleic acid. My question to a midwife who says castor oil is not absorbed is ‘Would you please provide me with references for that statement’.

Preparing For A Natural Hospital Birth - Be informed. Don't go into hospital and accept everything they do to you.

I took this article from mamabirth.blogspot.com. I love reading her blog as she is so pro natural birth, she always shares these awesome stories that show us that anything is possible. I hope that this article will help you ladies make informed decisions when it comes to having your baby. Too many people go into hospital and end up having a caesarean after artificial interference which destroys the natural labour process. Be wise. Know what is going to happen when you're in labour and make informed decisions!!!

THE CONTRACTION MOTION THAT FACILITATES BIRTH

Well worth a read! Special thanks to sister Fatima Jada for sharing this with us!

The pains of labor drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said, 'Oh if only I had died before this time and was something discarded and forgotten!' A voice called out to her from under her, 'Do not grieve! Your Lord has placed a small stream at your feet. Shake the trunk of the palm towards you and fresh, ripe dates will drop down onto you.' (Surah Maryam, 23-25)

The Morning Sickness Diet

(http://www.babynature.co.za/babynature/articles-natural-remedies-and-tips-for-morning-sickness.php)

Morning sickness has long been thought of as an annoying and miserable inconvenience of pregnancy brought on by physical and hormonal changes happening in the body. However, researchers have since discovered that morning sickness is a remarkable safety mechanism pre-programmed to protect the developing fetus from potentially harmful toxins.

Increasing breast milk supply

Comments from the Facebook page to help with increasing breast milk.

1. Putting the baby on the breast more often, with loads of skin to skin contact

2. Black seed its the best thing to take

3.  Fresh coconut .Slice it up and have as a snack.

4. Oats.You can even soak like 2tbsp in a glass of water overnight n strain n drink the water next day.

5. Drinking liquids- water, coke and ginger beer 

6. Herbal tea -  HIPP organic, its herbal tea with aniseed, fennel, caraway etc. and it supports lactation

7. Hoowa Water aides in lactation

8. Warm ginger beer

9. Dates

10. Jungle Juice

11. Patience

Morning Sickness (or all day sickness)

Comments from the Facebook page to help with morning sickness; 
if serious morning sickness persists into the 2nd trimester and you are not picking up weight please see your doctor as you could be loosing vital electrolytes which could lead to dehydration. 

Jungle Juice Recipe

50ml Weleda Schlehen Elixir blackthornberry tonic
1lt apple juice
2lt water
1 Rehydrate
4 Rescue remedy tablets