As you know, I'm someone who would always, always try the natural option in life first and see if it is effective. During my postnatal recovery after Lara was born, I tried arnica as a homeopathic remedy to speed up the healing process of my episiotomy - I was very impressed with the speed of healing (mind you, there were all sorts of other complications it couldn't help me with) and will definitely be using it again. What I hadn't considered was using arnica as an external use remedy for aches and pains or swelling so over the past week or two at these late stages of pregnancy I have tried out Atrogel Arnica Gel as a natural remedy for some common pregnancy complaints.
Arnica gel is made from the flowers of the arnica plant - the gel has quite a nice 'gardeny' smell, nothing too medicinal, and it is non-greasy and very quick to absorb. I've used it for two different pregnancy complaints - swollen ankles and an achey back.
Right now, my achey back isn't so much about the weight of baby on my softened muscles, but more about the pressure of baby on my lower back and pelvis so there isn't a lot that arnica can do for me but it is nice when Mr. B. massages it into the area around the top of the back of my pelvis which he can do upto 4 times a day. I don't feel any instant relief from the gel, more from the massage to be honest. I wonder, if I had used it during the earlier stages of pregnancy, when the backache genuinely was muscular, whether the arnica gel would have been more effective.
I've had a lot more success with the arnica gel for relieving swelling. In the past 10 days or so, my ankles have begun to swell as fluid collects at the base of my legs - I have started to have to wear Mr. B's socks because mine are too tight around the ankles! When I get home from work, there is nothing better than taking off those socks and rubbing in some cooling Atrogel and within half an hour the swelling goes down and my feet and ankles feel right as rain. Arnica gel can be used to combat swelling after injury too.
Atrogel might not have the same tingling effect as some of the minty foot gels (none come much more tingly than Mama Mio Lucky Legs) I've tried for exactly this problem in the past but it is as effective, if not more so. It also feels like better value for money than a cosmetic foot balm (Atrogel costs £6.35 for a 50ml tube) because, when my pregnancy is over and I no longer have feet the size of a yeti, there are lots of other uses I can put the Atrogel whereas a foot gel might spend the next few years unused in my cupboard.
Arnica gel is made from the flowers of the arnica plant - the gel has quite a nice 'gardeny' smell, nothing too medicinal, and it is non-greasy and very quick to absorb. I've used it for two different pregnancy complaints - swollen ankles and an achey back.
Right now, my achey back isn't so much about the weight of baby on my softened muscles, but more about the pressure of baby on my lower back and pelvis so there isn't a lot that arnica can do for me but it is nice when Mr. B. massages it into the area around the top of the back of my pelvis which he can do upto 4 times a day. I don't feel any instant relief from the gel, more from the massage to be honest. I wonder, if I had used it during the earlier stages of pregnancy, when the backache genuinely was muscular, whether the arnica gel would have been more effective.
I've had a lot more success with the arnica gel for relieving swelling. In the past 10 days or so, my ankles have begun to swell as fluid collects at the base of my legs - I have started to have to wear Mr. B's socks because mine are too tight around the ankles! When I get home from work, there is nothing better than taking off those socks and rubbing in some cooling Atrogel and within half an hour the swelling goes down and my feet and ankles feel right as rain. Arnica gel can be used to combat swelling after injury too.
Atrogel might not have the same tingling effect as some of the minty foot gels (none come much more tingly than Mama Mio Lucky Legs) I've tried for exactly this problem in the past but it is as effective, if not more so. It also feels like better value for money than a cosmetic foot balm (Atrogel costs £6.35 for a 50ml tube) because, when my pregnancy is over and I no longer have feet the size of a yeti, there are lots of other uses I can put the Atrogel whereas a foot gel might spend the next few years unused in my cupboard.
