Okay, so you're pregnant. Great !! The most important 9 months of your life .The most important 9 months for staying healthy and feeling stress free. But you need to stay healthy without pumping your system full of artificially created drugs . Drugs should only be used in cases of emergency but lots of times during your pregnancy you will feel under the weather, below par both physically and mentally. If you don't turn to drugs what do you turn to ?

You can stay healthy in lots of ways during pregnancy. All of them are based on natural medicine . All of them can be effective in helping you look great and feel great for the most important 9 months of your life.

So what are they ? What are the main ways of keeping healthy during pregnancy ?

This article is the first in a series of 10 which will look at feeling good and looking great when you're pregnant.

Pregancy and herbs is the area to examine first. Herbs are natural . Herbs have been used in the treatment of medical problems for thousands of years and they can be used to help you feel great and deal with some common pregnancy ailments.

Today most of us neglect them but they can help.

You need to be aware of which herbs are safe and which are not.. There may be risks in using some herbs in pregnancy.

- The Risks:

a) Herbs can lead to miscarriage, injury to the foetus or premature birth.

b) Whereas prescribed drugs are subject to scrutiny for safety by the FDA vitamins and natural herbs do not go through this safety validation process.

Some herbs may contain ingredients that are contraindicated in pregnancy.

d) Professional advice underwritten by the FDA is that if you are pregnant you should not take any herb without first consulting an experienced herbalist, your midwife and doctor. This does, of course, make perfect sense .It would be foolish to take anything even a natural herb without first checking on its safety.

You should avoid these herbs in pregnancy;

a) Blue Cohosh- can induce labor

b) Goldenseal- this could cross the placenta.

c) Dong Quai

d) Ephedra

e) Yohimbe

f) Passionflower

g) Pennyroyal.

Herbs which are safe to take during pregnancy:

The herb ginger root has been used through history to help alleviate sickness and nausea.

b) Oats and Oat Straw- these are great sources of calcium and magnesium and will help you to control anxiety ,restlessness and sore skin.

c) Peppermint leaf- again useful in helping to control morning sickness and flatulence.

Red raspberry leaf can also reduce nausea, help with labor pains and even increase the flow of milk. e) Slippery Elm bark- use the inner bark. This can help with vaginal irritation.

Additionally garlic, dandelion, and chamomile are noted for their healing properties. Chamomile is relaxing and can help you sleep, whilst garlic is great for the blood, and dandelion can help relieve mild edema.

In conclusion herbs, if taken properly and sensibly and in consultation with your midwife and professional herbalist, can help you to continue to feel healthy and look good during pregnancy. As with anything else some have tremendous benefits but others could do you harm. Be sure to take care.

A reminder this is the first of 10 articles about the use of complementary medicine in pregnancy. Look out for number 2 in the series :

'Pregnancy and Aromatherapy.'