Is It Possible to Have a Natural Pregnancy/Childbirth?
Pregnancy and childbirth are of course natural, but in this day and age, getting a little help from modern medicine is often advised, for complications like gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia. This makes both safer, with highly trained midwives and follow-up support.
The Positive Birth Company offers apps and courses for an easier birth.
Founded by a woman trained in hypnobirthing (after her own difficult birth that involved a lengthy induction and forceps delivery), this company offers courses accredited by the Royal College of Midwives, for pregnancy, hypnobirthing and post-partum.
Defining Natural Childbirth
Natural childbirth simply means delivering a baby without medication or surgical procedures, without relying on interventions like epidurals or C-sections.
This is great in theory, but sometimes for the safety of both baby and mother, intervention may be needed.
NHS site has an overview of different types of childbirth. It does not recommend water births for high-risk pregnancies.
Though statistically as safe, in rare cases there has been cases of drowning, waterborne infections, breathing problems and rupture of the umbilical cord. Also read why breastfeeding is (nearly) always best.
National Childbirth Trust has good information on labour and birth, with pain relief options. To reduce risk of stillbirth and miscarriage, expert advice includes:
- Eat well, and avoid smoking and alcohol. Avoid caffeine or reduce to no more than 1 cup of mild coffee or 2 cups of tea daily (avoid cola). Most coffee house drinks are higher in caffeine, so reduce accordingly.
- Obviously eat well and avoid smoking or alcohol. Also limit caffeine (no more than 1 cup of coffee or 2 cups of mild tea per day – ideally none). Know that ‘coffee shop’ drinks are higher in caffeine.
- Protect against infections like flu (wear a mask).
- A baby’s movements should increase up to around 32 weeks, then stay static until the due date. If something is not normal, contact your GP immediately. Attend all ante-natal appointments.
- Try not to sleep on your back, as this can compress your inferior vena cava (large vein) which reduces blood flow to a baby. The Lullaby Trust has info on the safest ways for babies to sleep, to reduce risk of crib death (they do not recommend cot bumpers).
- Preemie Care is a guide by experts on navigating the first year, if you have given birth to a premature baby.
Foods to Avoid When Pregnant/Nursing
Pregnant (and breastfeeding) women must avoid certain foods to keep them and babies safe. Also wash soil off salads and vegetables and avoid caffeine. Ensure food is well-cooked. Read more on food safety for people & pets.
Foods to avoid include:
- Alcohol and caffeine
- Some herb teas (check labels)
- Raw meat, liver and cold-cut meats (salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, chorizo)
- Game meats (goose, partridge, pheasant)
- All pâté (including vegetarian pâté)
- Raw or partially cooked eggs
- Liquorice and liquorice root
- Too much ginger (contracts uterus to cause early labour)
- If you eat fish: avoid raw fish, and no more than 2 weekly portions of oily fish or tuna steaks (no more than 4 cans of tuna)
Pregnancy Supplements in Sustainable Packs
Dr Vegan Pregnancy Multinutrient is designed to support maternal health and foetal development across every trimester, and help through breastfeeding. Pair with a balance diet and add an algae-based DHA supplement to cover omega‑3 needs for brain and eye development. If you are sensitive to iron, take the capsules with the main meal or split the dose.
Check with GP before taking supplements if on medication or other supplements (or if you have any other medical issues during pregnancy/nursing). Keep away from children and pets.
When to Consult Your Doctor
- You have thyroid conditions, anaemia, diabetes or gastrointestinal disorders.
- You are carrying twins or more.
- You take anticoagulants, thyroid medication or high-dose supplements.
- You experience persistent nausea, vomiting or constipation from supplements.
- You are unsure about combining a separate DHA, choline or iron product.
- Do not increase the dose unless advised by your clinician. If you take separate iron or iodine, check combined totals with your midwife or GP.
This formula is built for pregnancy, not for general wellness. It provides 27 vitamins and minerals with dosing that reflects pregnancy needs, from folate for neural tube development to iodine for thyroid health. It uses absorbable forms, for example Calcium L‑methylfolate for folate, methylcobalamin for vitamin B12, and citrate or glycinate salts for minerals. These choices matter because they support bioavailability and tolerance.
It also aligns well with UK guidance. The NHS recommends 400 micrograms of folic acid daily until week 12, a daily vitamin D supplement, and avoiding preformed vitamin A from retinol. This product provides 400 micrograms of folate in the active L‑methylfolate form, 25 micrograms of vitamin D3, and vitamin A as beta‑carotene, not retinol.
That last point is reassuring for pregnancy safety. Iron sits at 15 mg per daily serving, which tracks the UK reference intake for women, and iodine is 150 micrograms, a level widely recommended for pregnancy.
A Plastic-Free Pregnancy Test Kit
Hoopsy Pregnancy Test is unique in that it’s a medically approved pregnancy test (99% accurate). but this one is made from 99% paper, and easy to use.
It can be used up to 5 days before your period is due, and is easy to write on, if you want to record the day you took the test. Contains 5 tests (also in a 10 pack and 3 pack).
The test gives results in 5 to 10 minutes (depending on how diluted urine is). And takes up less space in landfill than plastic tests, if it’s throw in the bin. So it doesn’t take decades to break down, like plastic pregnancy tests.
This test has been approved for sale in the UK and EU by the medical authorities (MHRA and CE). The test is easy to read (positive, negative or invalid – which may mean you didn’t follow the instructions).
To use, just open the test pouch and hold the end with the Hoopsy logo. Put the other end in your urine stream for 3 to 5 seconds, being careful not to pee over the MAX line! Put the test on a flat surface, with the printed side up.
Then wait 5 to 10 minutes, to read the result. Do not read the result after 10 minutes.
A Book of Safe & Smart Prenatal Exercises
Training for Two is a book of safe smart prenatal exercises, written by a fully qualified personal trainer. Many women often find they comfort eat during pregnancy, and end up ballooning in weight, which they then find difficult to lose after their babies are born. This book can help!
Organised by trimester, this book helps to prepare your body for childbirth, then uses strength-based exercises that are safe to perform in most cases, and can even lead to a smoother delivery, faster recovery and healthier new-born.
Back by research, this book features over 200 photos to help you perform the movements with confidence and absorb the material. You’ll find:
Common strength exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges and rows, modified to be safe and comfortable, while pregnant.
- Easy exercises and workouts to prepare the body for labour.
- An overview of common pregnancy complications, and how they affect exercise.
- A postpartum chapter on recovery and mobility, in the first six weeks after birth.
- What to expect (and what questions to ask) at prenatal appointments.
Support for Bereaved New Parents
The charities SANDS and CRUSE offer free bereavement services (use the Baby Mailing Preference service to remove junk mail related to baby items, to avoid further upset).
The charity Dresses for Angels creates beautiful ‘Angel burial gowns’ from people donating wedding and bridesmaid dresses, so contact them if you have a lost a baby.
Natural Skincare for Pregnancy
There are many brands of mum-friendly skincare on the market, but most of them are not that safe, as they contain dangerous chemicals and lots of essential oils (not needed for pregnancy, and most of what goes on hour skin ends up in your bloodstream, which may not be good for your baby). Here are some better choices. Also read of natural baby skincare.
Lucy Bee’s Brilliant Balm is sold in a glass jar with a metal lid. This multi-purpose balm can be used for all kinds of things, and it’s fragrance-free too. Contains oils of jojoba, calendula, apricot, coconut, rosehip and almond. Can also be used to remove make-up.
Avoid nut oils for allergies. Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing and affected medical conditions. Avoid shea butter for latex allergies.
An Organic Stretch Mark Oil (with calendula)
This organic stretch mark oil is ideal for all skin types, and good to use during and after pregnancy, to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Made with sunflower seed, sweet almond, apricot kernel and avocado oil.
All Dr Organic products are made with natural ingredients (any fragrance is a blend of essential oils with natural extracts) and sold in easy-to-recycle packaging (made from recycled plastic). Everything is vegetarian (on this site, we only list vegan-friendly items).
Stretch marks are harmless, and gradually fade, simply caused by the skin stretching during pregnancy. They usually also fade over time. They can also be caused by gaining a lot of weight. There are no ‘miracle cures’ so don’t believe the hype.
You can remove them through beauty treatments, but these are not on the NHS. The best way to prevent stretch marks is simply not to allow pregnancy be the excuse to gain massive amounts of weight, through eating too much!
Pai Stretch Mark Oil is fragrance-free, made with pomegranate and pumpkin seed oils. Packed with omega oils, apply each morning in circular motions to clean dry skin. You can keep the mailer and repurpose it to send it back packaging freepost for recycling.
An Organic Nipple Balm (for breastfeeding mums)
This organic nipple balm for breastfeeding mums is made with natural vegan ingredients, sold in easy-to-recycle packaging. Made with sunflower, coconut, rapeseed and oat kernel oil, along with shea butter.
This is good for sore cracked skin, and unlike most brands, this contains organic calendula, but no lanolin (sheep). Also good for dry and cracked elbows, knees and lips.
