Old Fashioned Remedies for Today's Moms-to-be: Learning lessons from past generations.

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When you picture those pregnant ancestors of yours, what do you see? Certainly not the trendy maternity clothes you've begun buying and wearing. What about their daily routines? How were those affected by pregnancy? You know your daily routine has been affected.

Maternity clothes? Forget about stylish, sometimes they were downright dangerous. Victorian era women sometimes wore special maternity corsets to hide their growing middles. Talk about giving new meaning to the idea of sucking it in. Women fainted, could not always eat due to the tight corsets, blood flow was restricted. Not good for mom, not good for baby. Luckily, the medical world quickly determined that this practice was not a safe one. Think about that when your waistband feels a little snug.

For the majority of pregnant women throughout the ages, getting dressed meant squeezing into what clothing they had, altering their existing clothing, or wearing large clothing which did not flatter them. Maternity clothing as we know it only appeared on the scene in the last century, despite the fact that women have had to dress themselves while pregnant for much longer than that. As fashions and manufacturing changed, so did maternity clothing. And right on time for you to benefit, maternity fashions are now down right fashionable, as well as safe. What would your ancestors think about maternity hip huggers?

The daily routines of pregnant women in the past changed, but in a different way than yours has. You make slight adjustments to your schedule to support pregnancy; they opted out of life outside their front doors. Until the early 1900's, many women went into a period of confinement just before their pregnancies became visibly noticeable.

Pregnancy was evidence of sexuality, and society in large part was not comfortable with sexuality. The solution: confinement. Confinement usually began at the beginning of the second trimester. Can you imagine what it would feel like to be stuck in your house from now until a few weeks after baby is born? Even those unfortunate women of today who are on bed-rest have visitors, telephones, DVDs, etc. to provide contact with the outside world. Confinement could not have been helpful to women emotionally. (Though it might help you decide on what to wear.)

While they were confined, women in the past still dealt with the physical issues that you may be experiencing. They were constipated, had leg cramps and all the other things you wish did not accompany your otherwise wonderful second trimester. So, what did they do for themselves that you can also do?

In addition to leaning on their circle of women friends and family for help with caring for their homes and families (lucky you, you get to lean on a larger circle which now includes male friends and family), they used herbal remedies to soothe their pregnancy complaints.

As always, before trying any old-fashioned remedy, discuss your plans with your doctor. Never ingest anything questionable while pregnant without consulting your physician.

Teas/Extracts
While mothers of yesteryear sometimes cultivated their own herbs, they could also visit the apothecary and purchase the teas and extracts made from the following nature's bounty.

Chamomile - to soothe the nerves; also acts as an anti-inflammatory

Dandelion - to assist women suffering with insomnia, constipation, and water retention

Lemon balm (a member of the mint family, not a product derived from lemons) - was added to teas and other liquids to help digestion and blood pressure

Red Raspberry Leaf - helps prepare the body to make milk; strengthens the walls of the uterus to relieve uterine cramping and for better delivery

Nettle Leaves - helps soothe leg cramps; reduces hemorrhoids

They brewed them up, settled themselves down to drink, and let nature heal their ailments. You could go the tea route, too. Or, you could stop at your favorite vitamin store and pick up a few extracts,. You could even stop at your local health food store and put together a quick salad of natural delights. How does Dandelion salad sound? Remember, talk with your doctor before adding anything out of the ordinary to your diet.

And then there's this fun little old fashioned pregnancy tidbit. Okay, so the following is not a remedy really. Well, maybe it is. A remedy for overwhelming curiosity or boredom. Want to know if you've got a little princess in there? Or is it a little prince? Emily or Eric? Meghan or Michael?

If you want to try an old fashioned trick, a parlor game so to speak, try this activity which has been used for hundreds of years. Maybe your mother used it to find out who you were.

The necklace over the belly trick.
Have someone hold a necklace with a pendant or locket attached (or even one with a ring hanging from a string) over your belly. Have the holder gather the chain in his/her palm then quickly drop it, holding onto the top of the chain. Wait ten seconds and then watch the way the chain swings. If it swings back and forth, believers say you're having a boy. If it moves in a circular motion, then supposedly baby's a girl.