Inside Meghan Markle's bizarre births: From Ayurvedic doctors to 'super woo-woo' lattes and a picture of Princess Diana on the bedside table

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

Both Diana and Catherine faced a mass photo call outside of St Mary's Hospital hours after they welcomed their children into the world.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, by contrast, took the 'personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private,' adding that they looked forward to sharing the news after they'd had time to celebrate as a new family.
But now the Duchess of Sussex, 43, has chosen to share unexpected details about her pregnancies on her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder - much to the delight of royal watchers everywhere.
'During my pregnancies, I had an Ayurvedic doctor, and so much of it was about seeing food as medicine,' the former actress revealed on Tuesday.
Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old ancient medical system originating in India that uses a holistic approach to physical, mental and emotional health.
The former actress also revealed that during her pregnancy with her second child Lilibet she drank 'Golden SuperLattes' made with turmeric and 'upgraded with mood-boosting, stress-soothing adaptogens' from the brand Clevr Blends.
Adaptogens, which Meghan admits are perceived as 'super woo-woo', can be traced back to Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. They are active ingredients in certain plants and mushrooms that are believed to impact how the body deals with stress, anxiety and fatigue.
However, it is stated widely online that if you are pregnant you should avoid the use of adaptogens as the effects on the child and mother are under researched. You should also speak to your GP before using any adaptogens.
Discussing the taboo subject of adaptogens on her podcast with Hannah Mendoza, founder of Clevr Blends, the Duchess said: 'I think a lot of people when they hear mushrooms, they go "OK, she's talking about being hippie-dippy, grounded in all these things".
'If you aren't familiar with adaptogens, you can go to this place of "Oh, it's feeling a little psychedelic and super woo-woo" but what we are talking about is food trends in which you are ahead of the curve on.
'There are these items and ingredients that have been part of our natural ecosystem and dietary system for a long time, whether acknowledged or not, that somehow you say mushrooms, and now people have a connotation attached to it.'
The Duchess of Sussex is an investor in Clevr Blends - a Los Angeles-based company that adds adaptogens and probiotics to matcha, coffee and even hot cocoa.
The female-led wellness company has also been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey who was initially sent a 'Golden SuperLatte' by her neighbour Meghan.
As well as using an Ayurvedic doctor and drinking adaptogen-enhanced lattes, the American actress is believed to have initially wanted a home birth while pregnant with Archie.
Both she and Harry had studied hypnobirthing techniques and were hopeful of having an all-female, midwife-led delivery in the privacy of Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate.
But after she reached her due date, a home birth began to look increasingly unlikely.
Indeed, experts had long warned that as a first-time mother and one who, at 37, had experienced what was classed, in medical terms, as a 'geriatric pregnancy', there would be a strong chance that the Duchess would require some sort of medical intervention.
More than a week overdue, Meghan was eventually taken to The Portland Hospital in London, where she gave birth to Archie on May 6, 2019.
Standing outside the stables at Windsor, Harry reassured the public that both mother and baby were 'doing incredibly well', calling it 'the most amazing experience'.
In his bombshell memoir Spare, Harry went into more detail about the birth experience, confirming that Meghan was induced in a private room.
According to Harry, his wife settled into a bath and immersed herself in the calming sounds of Deva Premal's Sanskrit mantras, which had been remixed into hymns.
Sanskrit mantras are believed to possess spiritual or magical power and help 'mama and her partner find strength, positivity and focus' through labour, according to the Hummingbird Doula.
When the doctor finally decided it was time to induce labour, Meghan was given a canister of laughing gas to help ease the process.
Meanwhile, Harry, who had ordered Nando's via his bodyguards, took a hit from the gas meant for his wife.
Harry pictured with Meghan in a photobooth during their Netflix documentary
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's oldest child Archie was born at The Portland Hospital in London on May 6, 2019
'I took several slow, penetrating hits. Meg, bouncing on a giant purple ball, a proven way of giving nature a push, laughed and rolled her eyes.
'I took several more hits and now I was bouncing too,' Harry reveals.
'When her contractions began to quicken and deepen, a nurse came and tried to give some laughing gas to Meg. There was none left. The nurse looked at the tank, looked at me, and I could see the thought slowly dawning: Gracious, the husband's had it all.'
Fortunately, the nurse saw the humour in the situation and replaced the canister for Meghan.
The Duke was also given the important task of setting the ambience by arranging electric candles - the same ones he had used during his proposal to Meghan - around the private hospital room.
Among the items in her overnight bag was a framed photograph of Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, which he propped up on a small table. He noted in his memoir that this touching tribute was Meghan's idea.
But, despite the ambience, Meghan's efforts to breathe through the discomfort became overwhelming and she ultimately had to receive two epidurals.
'The anaesthetist hurried in. Off went the music, on went the lights,' Harry wrote.
There was a brief moment of concern when the umbilical cord was discovered to be wrapped around the baby during delivery but, soon after, their healthy son Archie was born.
'A nurse swept the baby into a towel and placed him on Meg's chest and we both cried to see him, meet him,' the Duke penned.
'Our ayurvedic doctor had advised us that, in the first minute of life, a baby absorbs everything said to them. So whisper to the baby, tell the baby your wish for him, your love. Tell.