Can grassfed raw milk reduce childbirth pain? While conventional practitioners would poo-poo the idea, the fact is that it is possible with more and more women drinking it regularly and opting for a natural birth in the face of over-medicalization of the birth process.
It is already known that pregnancy diet can play a crucial role in how much childbirth pain a pregnant woman experiences during delivery and whether or not she is successful in withstanding the tremendous physical effort and stamina required to have a natural birth.
So why not raw milk specifically?
The picture above was taken while I was transitioning at 9cm dilation. I was literally minutes from pushing my baby out. Most women in a similar situation are begging for drugs at that point or are already on an epidural IV and completely numb from the waist down.
As for me, I was totally comfortable other than feeling the amazing intensity of the pain free contractions. Here’s my story.
I was fortunate to experience three natural births. The difference between them in the level of discomfort experienced was profound, however, and I can attest that my diet during each of the pregnancies played a key role in the amount of pain I experienced during labor.
During my first pregnancy, I ate completely organic and hormone/steroid free. I ate what would be termed a stellar diet in almost every way. I had a complication-free, natural, and fairly fast delivery although it was a pretty painful experience.
During most of my second pregnancy, I improved my whole organic diet by several notches by adopting a fully Traditional Diet. I took high vitamin cod liver oil and consumed plenty of grassfed meats. I prepared my grain based foods properly by sprouting, soaking and/or sour leavening. My second birth experience was way faster than the first (as is fairly typical for most women), but it wasn’t really that much less painful.
During my third pregnancy, however, I had a Traditional Food available to me in unlimited quantity that I did not have as an option in the previous two pregnancies.
That food was raw, grassfed milk.
I drank raw grassfed milk with abandon with my third pregnancy. It kept my morning sickness at bay during the first trimester due to my propensity for low B6. B6 deficiency can cause morning sickness and raw milk is loaded with this nutrient in highly bioavailable form. B6 supplements did not produce the same excellent results.
Sipping raw milk all day long kept my tummy very happy during those early weeks. Incidentally, pasteurization destroys B6.
What ended up being the most surprising, however, was how completely pain free my third delivery was. The birth of my third child was slower than the second birth, so speed was not a factor.
The picture above is me at 9 cm dilation, completely comfortable and without any discomfort. I told my husband to snap a picture as I couldn’t believe it at the time! I even chatted with my Mom on the phone while I was in transition (she was in the car on her way to the birth center).
Calcium Status Greatly Affects Childbirth Pain
What was the difference? Science will tell you that a women’s calcium status greatly affects the pain she experiences with the uterine contractions during labor.
However, it is much more than just calcium intake as I was consuming plenty of calcium during my first 2 pregnancies and both labors were quite painful as is the norm today. I should note that the calcium was from natural sources too as it was typical for me to drink 1-2 cups of nettle tea during all my pregnancies and nettle is high in calcium and a known uterine tonic. A pain free delivery is not just a matter of popping calcium pills, eating foods that are factory fortified with calcium, or even consuming natural foods high in calcium like nettle.
Why was the delivery of my third child so comfortable and even (gasp!) an enjoyable experience by comparison then?
The bioavailability of the calcium in the diet is an all important consideration that some in the scientific community have not fully grasped yet but a growing number of researchers are emphasizing and certainly something the effects of which I experienced firsthand.
You see, raw grassfed milk is loaded with calcium but it also has something special that pasteurized dairy, calcium supplements, and calcium fortified foods do not.
That something is the enzyme to absorb the calcium!
Voila!
What good is consuming calcium if your body simply does not know what to do with it or can’t do anything with it?
In other words, to experience a comfortable and even pain free labor and delivery requires not just getting enough calcium but getting it in a form that the body can absorb!
To make a long story short, if you think you are getting enough calcium in your diet and you are pregnant, think again. Not all calcium is created equal!
Examine your pregnancy diet and make sure it is loaded with plenty of raw grassfed dairy so that you are getting the bioavailable form of this important nutrient in copious amounts!
Worried about consuming raw dairy while pregnant? Don’t be. Raw grassfed milk is one of the safest foods you can consume and CDC data proves this as shown by the research of Dr. Ted Beals MD.
Interested in following a completely Traditional Diet during your pregnancy and potentially experiencing significantly reduced childbirth pain as a bonus? Here’s an article which outlines the ideal pregnancy diet as recommended by the Weston A. Price Foundation. This is the diet I followed during my second and especially my third pregnancy with the addition of raw grassfed milk.
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I wished I had known about raw milk back in the 80’s when I had my babies, but I did know about dolomite and I contribute taking large doses at the onset of labor for having very easy labors.
I sure hope your right 🙂 I have been downing my grassfed raw milk this whole pregnancy, not only cause I’m addicted to it, but my body is loving it! I will let you know in 20 weeks I I have the same delivery experience as you. My first was induced and with epidural so this is a whole new experience with the traditional diet and milk. Been on it about a yer now. I will let you know!
It’s winter time and cows aren’t on grass right now. Does the raw milk have these same benefits at all, just in lesser quantities? If cows are fed dry hay in their winter time diet, does that give the same effect?
I chose to hide my raw milk consumption from my OB. When I did “fess up” at least to drinking WHOLE milk, I was told to switch to skim to avoid more weight gain. That wasn’t going to happen, EVER, bleh.
I 25wks preggo with baby #3. First 2 were natural, but in the hospital. Baby #3 will be delivered in hospital by same doctor (per husbands request). However, I only recently started transitioning into the more traditional foods, and it surprised me to find how much the OB/GYN’s disapprove of RAW anything, continuing to breastfeed while pregnant, and the amount of vaccinations they “require” you to have. I have a tendency to gain way too much weight during my pregnancies, this one included (already at 18lb gain)….OB/GYN advice – cut your calories to 1800 a day! How could I possibly even measure that when I don’t eat foods that have calorie counts on them! Curious what your advice is on this particular issue? I did seek a traditional food friend’s advice who gave me her midwife’s dietary suggestions, but it does not include organ meats, and does include things like soy :-/ Looking for some wisdom on the topic, please!
Sarah will probably have better advice than I would, but their is a link in the article to Weston Price’s dietary recommendations; including liver, lots of grass fed meats, and FCLO and butter oil. These are great. You probably got the Brewer’s Diet from the midwife; which does have quite a few great recommendations, but does not include the FCLO and liver or as much detail into eating meats every day.
Personally, I think that OB’s are WAY TOO AFRAID of weight gain. Way to afraid. Follow the traditional pregnancy diet guidelines and see how your body reacts. These are incredibly nourishing for you and your baby; and I completely believe they will help you breastfeed when your baby comes. The Brewer Diet even recommends being able to gain around 50 pounds on their diet if you were at a healthy weight before pregnant; more if you were underweight and less if you are overweight – but it’s all based on following the diet instead of worrying about the numbers. It’s so hard to switch to this mindset, but it’s so good for you. I was overweight with my first pregnancy, only gained 20 pounds and I had a terribly difficult time nursing my daughter. This time; I still haven’t gained much but eat a much more traditional diet and am stopping worrying about the weight gain and just eating what my body needs to have a well nourished and developed baby. I often nod at my OB and then go home and do my own research and follow my own beliefs.
Also – squatting, walking, and other exercises will help you build up your strength while pregnant and help with delivery. There was another article recently posted on this website regarding exercise while pregnant. That may help you keep your energy up and get you strong and help you release any excess weight after pregnancy.
Just eat well, and let your body do what it’s supposed to do. And endure the scoldings, go home, and do your own research. Listen to your body, you absolutely know what’s best for you, not your OB. (Even though he or she think differently.)
I learned through my midwife (after the homemade mexican cheese eating had occured) that cultured raw products (like cheese) can have a bacteria that can do serious harm to a fetus (including killing it) while it does little to nothing to non-pregnant people (maybe a short bout of the runs). This bacteria and others that are more harmful to the unborn than to anyone else are problematic due to possible lapses or inadequate refrigeration and cooling. Which can happen everywhere but are most problematic in less developed nations.
Disclaimer: But I am not a medical or diet-related professional AND I am a very irresponsible pregnant woman and have bought raw milk in the streets of Peru from little old ladies, eaten homemade cheese I purchased at outdoor markets in Ciudad Juarez in May and ate Oysters at a seafood place in Cananea Mexico (its a mining town in the desert- they fly their seafood in from the coast every 3 days) and I haven’t missed eating sushi or ceviche during every pregnancy (I’m currently on #3). My kids, both born and unborn are healthy and fully functional individuals (at least from what I know, still a little early to say that my unborn son doesn’t have any abnormalities or disorders).
Michelle- your story reminds me of my MIL. When she was pregnant with her first, she and my FIL were stationed in Japan. The base doctor was mortified by her weight gain and put her on laxatives to help her lose some of her weight! Can you imagine?? Granted this was in the 1950s, but still!
Michelle,
I echo what Rachel said. Complications can happen if you’re not getting enough nutrients like pre-eclampsia. Doctors act on what they know and have been taught, but there’s so much they don’t know it seems especially when it concerns nutrition. You have to do what’s right for you. I did Dr. Brewer’s diet for my 1st pregnancy. I gained about 35 pounds, but was almost back to pre-conception weight after I gave birth. I struggled with not producing enough milk it seemed, which could have been due to not eating enough, or DD not sleeping enough, but that’s a different topic. I found when I was I wasn’t eating enough protein, my blood pressure would start to rise but went back down when I was more delinquent. If you’re eating right, I wouldn’t pay much attention to the scale.
wish you had put this up a year ago. for a while drinking milk made me nauseas but if i knew it would have helped with the pain i would have figured out a way.
Sarah,
Historically, raw milk has been one of the BIGGEST causes of miscarriage due to contamination. Do you truly believe this is worth the risk?
Although I drank raw milk for years while not pregnant, now, during my pregnancy, I’ve chosen to stay away. Somehow, I feel a less comfortable delivery is better than a miscarriage.
Please elaborate on your research regarding this method, its safety, etc.
Thanks.
The actual CDC data about the safety of raw milk is linked to in the article. If you drink dirty raw milk then what you suggest (listeria) is a concern. I’m not talking about drinking raw milk from confined, sick factory cows standing on concrete 24/7 in their own excrement and shot up with antibiotics. That milk is disgusting and must be pasteurized.
I’m talking about clean, grassfed milk … readily available from a local farm of your choice in many parts of the country. I know HUNDREDS of women who have consumed raw dairy while pregnant and have NEVER heard of a single miscarriage from listeria.
If you are concerned about raw milk during pregnancy (you shouldn’t be) you can always eat aged raw cheese instead but this is harder to find in my experience as the “raw” cheeses at the store really aren’t truly raw in most cases.
” but this is harder to find in my experience as the “raw” cheeses at the store really aren’t truly raw in most cases.” Would you mind elaborating on this? I’ve been eating raw milk cheddar for a while now, but now I’m concerned it may not actually be raw.
See Sarah’s previous post about this:
“Raw” Cheese from the Store is NOT RAW!
Sep 21, 2010 … In yet another case of labeling tricks and deception where store bought food is concerned, cheese produced in the United States and labeled …
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/raw-cheese-from-store-is-not-raw/
Thanks! I hadn’t seen that. I think the cheese I get is most likely actually raw as it is from a small local dairy and sold at the co-op but i will check with them.
Well I am due in a month and wish I had access to raw milk!
I can personally attest to eating a traditional diet preconception, during and after pregnancy. The only thing that hurt was the one push that resulted in my almost 9#er coming into the world. My recovery was rapid and I lost the baby weight within a couple of months. I felt like a rockstar the entire time I was pregnant and lifted weights until the day before she was born. Traditional all the way!
I am so glad that I came across your blog and absolutely ecstatic about this article!!! I have not been blessed with babies yet, but my partner and I are dreaming of our first! I am an herbalist and soon to be doctor of Naturopathy, so I just LOVE hearing of other people’s holistic experiences! I am also a huge advocate of traditional diets and I drink RAW MILK every day! 🙂 It has helped my teeth grow stronger and my gingivitis has disappeared since I started eating meat and drinking raw milk (after being vegetarian for 9 years). Were you drinking raw COW or GOAT milk during this pregnancy? Just curious. 🙂 I drink cow milk myself.