Dr. Jean-Jacques Dugoua recommends a number of naturopathic supplements to make a woman's experience of labor and delivery easier and safer. By the third trimester, he suggests that the pregnant woman should be taking probiotics, fish oil, and prenatal vitamins. He encourages the use of red raspberry leaf which may improve the chance that the mother and child will get to full term. Red raspberry leaf also seems to reduce risk of complications during labor.
(Transcribed from video interview)
Dr. Dugoua:
Third trimester is a very interesting time as we prepare the woman for delivery. So we’ll have them continue their regimen from first trimester, so they’ll take probiotics. What we found with women is when we give them probiotics in the third trimester and they continue to take them or they give them to their child, their children are less likely to end up with an atopic disease.
An atopic disease is eczema, asthma and allergies which is, this is very good research. They continue with their fish oil because of the brain development will continue throughout the third trimester, and also with their prenatal multivitamin, and most importantly is we prepare them for labor.
So there is a number of natural health products out there that have been pretty well researched. So there’s red raspberry leaf; 32 weeks beyond, they found that giving red raspberry leaf actually improves labor outcomes and babies are more likely to be born at term, less use of forceps and vacuum extractions, the second stage of labor seems to be shortened.
Also there’s some very good studies with castor oil; however, castor oil should be supervised by a naturopath, an OB or a midwife when giving it.
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Video:
https://www.empowher.com/pregnancy/content/how-should-woman-her-third-trimester-advocate-herself-and-her-baby-dr-dugoua-video