I am officially one week away from “full term” in my pregnancy, and it’s the strangest phenomenon. Sometimes I wake up and forget I’m pregnant. It’s not until I try to hoist myself out of bed that I remember- oh, yes, I’m carrying an extra 36 pounds and another human inside of me.
Speaking of 36 lbs, that’s also something I forget until I see a photograph someone has take of me and then I realize once again that I am indeed great, GREAT with child.

So since I am on the home stretch, I have added an additional supplement to my daily regime of prenatal vitamins, red raspberry leaf tea, fish oil and chia seeds:

Evening Primrose Oil

Evening Primrose is native to North America, has beautiful yellow flowers that bloom in the evening, and its oil contains gamma linoleic acid.  GLA is used medicinally in the treatment of inflammation, eczema, arthritis, and PMS.

Evening Primrose Oil is also recommended by midwives for use during the last month of pregnancy to soften and thin the cervix in preparation for labor.  I used this with my last pregnancy and was 100% effaced and by 37 weeks.  Effacement, which is also called cervical ripening, is the process of the cervix as it softens, shortens and becomes thinner.  I must believe that the Evening Primrose Oil helped, as I was a first time mom!

The essential fatty acids the oil provides are also beneficial for this stage of pregnancy, since they are anti-inflammatory and nobody wants cankles!

As with everything I write about, this is something I’ve done with success but you must consult your doctor or midwife before adding any supplement to your diet during pregnancy.  If she gives you the go-ahead, let me know how it worked for you!