Homemade pregnancy brew

image: www.openphoto.net
Adrian van Leen

This is a recipe for pregnancy tea that my doula, Karen Kelly (now a midwife!) shared with me.  I ordered the individual dried herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs and there were enough to last through my multiple pregnancies and several gifts to other expectant moms. It is much more cost effective than buying store bought pregnancy tea bags, you know that you have fresh organic ingredients, and you know that it is the right combination of herbs. This mineral rich tea is also a great tea for labor, after birth and lactation!


Pregnancy Brew

Ingredients

• 8 parts Red Raspberry leaf 
• 3 parts Alfalfa herb 
• 3 parts Peppermint leaf 
• 2 parts Nettle leaf

Simply add in 1 to 2 tsps of the premixed herbs to 1 cup of hot water. And let it steep for 5 to 10 mins. Sweeten with raw honey if you desire. Drink daily from 16 weeks on!


Red Raspberry leaf

• used as a basic herbal foundation for all female organs and problems.
• decreases profuse menstrual flow (when you are not pregnant!).
• strengthens wall of uterus and entire female reproductive system.
• good during all stages of pregnancy. It is used to relieve nausea, prevent nausea, prevents spotting, to tone the uterus in preparation for childbirth. Has been used as a preventative for hemorrhaging during labor. Assists labor, reduce the pain of childbirth, makes delivery easier and faster, and relieves after pains. Tones and regulates before, during and after childbirth. It is effective in restoring the womb after delivering.
• increases and enriches milk for lactation, can be combined with marshmallow tea.
• positive medicinal affects on men, like increase fertility.
• good for stomachaches, bowel problems, vomiting and flu in children. Fordiarrhea in babies.
• soothing to stomach and bowels and cankerous conditions of mucous membranes in the alimentary canal.
• high mineral and vitamin source. An excellent herb source of manganese.

Alfalfa

• means “Father of all Foods.” It has been called the King of plants because it is extremely rich in minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, potassium, silicon, and trace elements. And it is a good source of Vitamin C, niacin, Vitamin B-1, beta- carotene (Vitamin A, which strengthen the epithelial cells of the mucous membranes of the stomach) and Vitamin K (the blood clotting vitamin which has been known to help peptic ulcers).
• has eight of the essential amino acids and the highest chlorophyll content of any plant.
• contains natural fluorides, prevents tooth decay and helps rebuild decayed teeth.
• a folk medicine for all inflammations including arthritis and rheumatism.
• It is also thought to be hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic. It is most popular as a blood purifier.
• contains the digestive enzyme betaine, aid the process of digestion.
• a detoxifier of the blood. The high molecular weight alcohols (octacosanol) help to reduce cholesterol and serum lipids while the coumarin derivatives provide an antothrombotic effect.
• the flavonoids relax the smooth muscles and alkaloids reduce blood sugar levels. These systemic effects are accompanied by the regulating effects the saponins have on colonic flora.
• lower blood pressure and balance estrogenic hormones.
• used to treat debility, anorexia, arthritis, weak digestion, hypertension and gout.

Peppermint

• one of the oldest and most popular remedies for simple colic and minor bloat in children and adults. It promotes relaxation.
• good for all digestive problems, helps stomach pain caused by indigestion and is soothing to the stomach. It expels stomach and colon gas.
• excellent for fevers, flu, colds, diarrhea, ulcers, and colitis.
• strengthens nerves and heart muscles.
• cleanses and tones the body.
• can be used instead of aspirin for headaches. And it stimulates blood circulation.
• useful for relieving muscle cramps, menstrual cramps, nausea and loss of appetite.

Nettle leaf

• stimulate hair growth.
• a blood purifier.
• contains bitter compounds that increase the production of urine.
• has mild laxative effect
• increase the efficiency of liver and kidney function.
• treat imbalances of the mucous membranes.
• has traditionally been used to treat asthma, ulcers, bronchitis, jaundice, nephritis, hemorrhoids and spasmodic dysmenorrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory tract infections, inflammatory skin conditions, diarrhea.
• contains astringent compounds that shrink inflamed tissues and stop bleeding.
• a significant source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and minerals including calcium, silicon, and potassium chloride; protein, and dietary fiber.

Morning sickness cures

Some women get it and and some don't.  Some women get physically sick and others have nausea.  Some women have it all day and some just have it in the morning.  Here are some things that I learned to help morning sickness:

• Keep your toilet clean.  There is nothing worse than puking into a dirty toilet!
• Stay in bed for 10 minutes after you wake up without moving.  Eat a few saltines or other bland and simple crackers (depending on what your stomach allows) that you keep on your nightstand.  If I did this in the morning, I usually would not have to vomit and would have less nausea throughout the day. This was really hard for me this third time around because I often have older kids crying for me in the morning and they keep eating all of my crackers!
• Eat small simple meals.  Basic carbs worked best for me and I snuck in some hidden protein, fruit and veggies to make sure that I was staying balanced.  I never feel like cooking in the first trimester so I find easy foods that nourish and make me feel better. Homemade bone broth and quinoa felt very medicinal and healing for me and are traditional foods for pregnant women to eat since they are very nutrient dense and easy to digest.  Even if you are sick or don't feel like eating it is very important to get even a small amount of food based nutrition in your body to prevent later issues in your pregnancy and digestive, tooth decay, or developmental issues in your children after birth.
• Sip liquids.  Water may not feel good on your uneasy stomach so consider ginger tea or something else that feels good to you.  I recommend to stay away from ginger ale soda because it has high fructose corn syrup in it (or equally as bad artificial sweeteners if it is a diet soda) as well as carbonation that causes an acidic imbalance in your body.
• Acupuncture and acupressure are really great for helping nausea.  Professionals can do wonders or you can get a quick fix acupressure "motion sickness" wrist band at your local pharmacy.
• Although women with morning sickness feel like curling up in a hidden ball, exercise actually helps!  If you are tight on time, go for a walk around the block at lunch, walk somewhere that you would normally drive (or take the train), or get off the train (or park your car) a little farther away than usual.
• Some women get an acidic or metallic taste in their month during the first trimester.  This has happened to me and it is not nice!  It is believed to be caused when your body becomes too acidic from consuming a higher level of simple carbs and sugars than usual.  Since only simple carbs and bone broth taste good to me during the first trimester, I try to be mindful of keeping my diet as balanced as possible to avoid making it too acidic (which can later lead to more health issues).
• Find your sickness trigger.  It could be a smell or something that you ate the day before.  I gagged on post-nasal drip that seems to come from nowhere during my first trimesters.  Then I did some reading and experimenting to find that cutting out dairy (although I am much better with non-pasteurized/homogenized dairy or goats milk) and eggs made the drip dry out. This was very hard with this third baby because I had older kids eating dairy and I am the one who kept eating their extra pieces of cheese and mindlessly cooking with dairy. I also learned that my body is better able to absorb the calcium and vitamins in dark leafy greens so that was a better calcium option for me.
• There are two things that I don't leave home without in the first trimester: sour hard candy and a plastic bag.  Imagine standing on a train and you have to puke!  Thankfully throwing in a hard candy, makes that feeling almost always go away for me.  Try to get a hard candy that is minimally sweetened with a natural sweetener and no artificial dyes.  I tell my older kids that this is "mama medicine" so they don't demand candy all day.  Flush your mouth with water (or better yet brush your teeth) after the candy so the sugar does not hang out in your mouth and give you that acidic feeling or try to decay your teeth.
• Chills and dizziness also occur for some women in the first trimester.  Twice I was standing in an overpacked train and had to sit on the floor quickly with my head down and that instantly made me feel better.  I have no idea why but this time around, I got chills so I layered up and sipped tea.

The good news is that most (but not all) women feel completely different from 12 weeks onward! Did you  notice that my blog started when I was in the second trimester :)

What works for you?  How is your morning sickness?