Interview with Christina Casagrande: Bach flowers accompany you safely through pregnancy, birth and the first weeks

"Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are a very special phase in a woman's life, always accompanied by the desire for safety and health for the baby and for herself - but it is precisely during this phase that one is very susceptible to fears and worries, which in turn can trigger physical complaints. The gentle, side-effect-free flower essences according to Dr. Bach offer a wonderful opportunity to harmonize emotional imbalances, relieve physical complaints and give inner strength." The Bach flower therapist Christina Casagrande , author of the compact guide "Bach flowers in pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding" , has been able to determine in decades of practice what valuable help the Bach flower essences provide for the typical complaints and worries of expectant mothers.

Bach flowers have been a part of your therapeutic work for many years. Why do you trust so much in the healing effects of the flower essences?

Christina Casagrande: I trust it because I have been able to observe its healing power not only in people of all ages, including babies, but also in animals. This experience in particular impressed me. Because it was reproducible again and again, the placebo idea of ​​"You just have to believe in it and then..." has disappeared for me.

When many people hear the word “Bach flowers,” they first think of flowers that grow on or near bodies of water. Where does this term come from, and what exactly are Bach flowers?

Christina Casagrande: Dr. Edward Bach, a well-known London doctor in the 1920s, discovered the healing power of wild plants. He called them "healing herbs." They were later named Bach flowers after him. These are 38 wild plants, including leaves, flowers and buds from trees, whose power he could sense intuitively.

The prerequisite for successful Bach flower treatment is the ability to perceive the suffering person critically and at the same time benevolently. Can Bach flowers be used for self-treatment without any concerns?

Christina Casagrande: Yes, they can. However, it is strongly recommended not to take too many flowers at once. At first, many people feel that at least half of all the tinctures on offer are suitable. Then you need to be observant: "What is my most pressing concern at the moment? What is bothering me the most?" This mental imbalance should be considered first.

Bach flowers act on the body through the psyche and thus accelerate the healing process of physical complaints or alleviate mental suffering. How do you determine which flower essence is helpful in which situation?

Christina Casagrande: There are several ways to do this. For laypeople, it is helpful to start by reading the extensive literature on Bach flowers. You can follow the suggested recipes. But it is also advisable to try out the flowers that particularly appeal to you at the moment and ideally write down your personal observations. This creates a real empathy and at the same time a documentation of how the Bach flowers work individually.

Why are Bach flowers so suitable for treating the complaints and sensitivities of expectant mothers?

Christina Casagrande: Since Bach flowers do not have any side effects in the pharmacological sense, their use is recommended for expectant mothers, especially for their emotional support during a time of great change.

Bach flowers help to overcome hindering behavior and thereby create the freedom that new life needs. What life situations and constraints limit women today during pregnancy?

Christina Casagrande: From what I've observed, the main thing that limits women is the high expectations they have of their own performance. And I don't just mean performance at work. Women often have images of women who look and act perfectly in their heads in all areas of life, including the image of the perfect mother. These ideas often prove impossible to implement in everyday life. Many women then blame themselves. A very uncomfortable situation that is unsuitable for pregnancy.

What is the appropriate way to use Bach flowers? Aren't the preparations containing alcohol harmful to mother and child?

Christina Casagrande: It is recommended that you always dilute the Bach flowers with still, high-quality water. In this form, the alcohol content is so low that it has no harmful effects on the body. Nevertheless, I recommend massaging the Bach flowers around the belly button of newborns and babies in the first few months of life - or the mother takes them and "transfers" the effect through breast milk. The sense of taste in very young children is still very pronounced and sensitive.

Book tip:
Christina Casagrande: Bach flowers in pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. Gentle help and inner strength for expectant mothers. Compact guide. Mankau Verlag, 1st edition March 2018. Paperback, 11.5 x 16.5 cm, 127 pages, full color, 8.99 euros (D) / 9.20 euros (A), ISBN 978-3-86374-432-8.

Link recommendations:
More information about the compact guide "Bach flowers in pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding"
To the reading sample in PDF format
More about Christina Casagrande
To the Internet forum with Christina Casagrande
To the FlowBirthing portal for a new birth culture