So, what makes a Naturopath who specialises in preconception to postpartum a bit special? This does.
A Naturopath is something a bit special and unique, because of being defined by a set of principles followed, rather than therapies trained in. This means that when you see me, regardless of which therapy I use from my Naturopathic tool kit, for example, Nutritional Therapy or Reflexology or teaching you about your baby’s sleep; my approach is underlined by my Naturopathic ideology. There are 6 principles, which I’m not going to list, but I will sum up how they shape my approach with you.
The fundamental, number one principle is do no harm. This means that I will never go against medical advice, diagnose or suggest you come off medication. It also means that I won’t really give you any advice until we have had an initial consultation and I have found out about you, because I help the individual. And my aim is to get to the cause of the problem, rather than suggest things to ease symptoms. So if, for example, you come to see me because your baby is unsettled and struggles with their digestive system, I won’t just suggest colic relief aids. I will find out about your pregnancy, how the birth was, if you are breastfeeding or formula feeding. If you are breastfeeding, how is that going? Any pain or issues with latch? How much caffeine are you drinking? If you are using bottles or formula feeding, which bottles and teats? Which formula? How are you holding the bottle when you feed? How much time your baby spends in the pram and on the floor compared to being in a sling or held? How and where does your baby sleep? All these things and more will contribute to their digestive system.
It’s not until I know the above that I can put together a plan for you and your baby to help you in the best way. An example of what it will contain for the follow up session/s is some baby massage techniques, some herbal tea suggestions, some reflexology, breastfeeding positioning help, pace feeding support, talking about sling use, co-sleeping, formula options, routine suggestions, probiotics and other therapies I’m not trained in that could be beneficial alongside what I recommend. Because what my aim is, which is also unusual, is that you only need me for a short amount of time. I want to educate and teach you enough, so you know what to do to help you and/or your baby without me.