Pregnancy with Herbs
As of this writing I am firmly in my 3rd trimester of my 7th baby. So as an herbalist and an experienced mom, I feel I have a lot to say on this topic. But I want to be transparent, I really really really don’t like pregnancy. These babies suck the life out of me. Which does mean I give birth to very healthy babies, praise God. I do pray you have easier pregnancies than I do. But the actual birthing I seem to be a rockstar at. The curse in Genesis 3:16 says we will have pain in childbearing, I believe that means pregnancy, birth and childrearing. So we all have our good points and bad points in this realm. I will now share my experiences and how herbally I help myself during pregnancy and delivery.
Prenatal: For goodness sakes, don’t take the prescription the doctor gives you. These prenatal vitamins are very insoluble and have been shown to cause calcium deposits on the placenta. Some women report they actually cause nausea. Instead turn to Magpie Apothecary’s Pregnancy Tincture or Tea. If you have a midwife, they may recommend a whole food supplement. Also, additionally to the 1-4 cups of Pregnancy Tea I drink daily while pregnant, I also take Dr. Christopher’s Vitalerbs supplement.
Iron: Again, for goodness sakes, don’t take iron pills prescribed by your doctor unless you want constipation! Just like the prenatals, these are hardly absorbable. They also interfere with Vitamin E uptake (more about Vitamin E later). You can tell how inefficient they are by how they turn your bowel movements black! Instead take Magpie Apothecary’s Herbal Iron Tincture. I have formulated the tincture with rose hips because we know the vitamin C helps the iron uptake in the body. I put this in my tea daily because I’ve always been prone to anemia, especially when my body is doubling my blood volume. Drinking alfalfa tea (which is in the pregnancy tea and tincture) makes sure that you are building healthy blood. Eating venison, dark leafy greens, blackstrap molasses, and beans are my go-to foods for iron health. Cooking on cast iron is helpful too. If you prefer, you can add your Herbal Iron Tincture and Love Lifted Me Greens Blend to a 4oz glass of fresh squeezed orange juice every morning.
Calcium: I like to take Herbal Calcium Tincture from the minute I know I’m pregnant, which sometimes the first symptom is my teeth hurting. I told you the babies suck everything from me! I never had a cavity until I was pregnant the first time. Along with sustaining teeth health during pregnancy, calcium helps several other common ailments; hemorrhoids, connective tissue strength, cysts, etc. Remember that the Herbal Calcium Tincture you are taking is also benefiting the knitting of bones of the baby you are growing too!
Methylated B Complex: The doctor’s office will recommend B6 and Unisom for nausea. I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to take Unisom while pregnant, I’m already tired enough! B6 does help with nausea, but there is not enough room here to talk about the benefits for mom and baby in taking all 8 B vitamins in a B-complex. I find taking this helps me feel like I can stay a bit more on top of my responsibilities. B-complex is great for overall health and well-being. I recommend a Methylated B-complex, and this is the best one I have found thus far https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CMK1YPQN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Vitamin D3 5000IU: This a is no brainer, and should be taken by everyone everyday except for perhaps in the height of summer. I am most pleased with this in pregnancy for its immune and bone strengthening properties.
Multizyme: 1st and 3rd trimester can bring the symptoms of bloating and constipation. Besides eating smaller more frequent meals, I have found this Standard Process supplement to be helpful. I take one with every meal as needed, but you can ask your chiropractor for appropriate dosage for yourself.
Probiotic: Another no-brainer. If you are not eating fermented foods daily, then take a probiotic daily. Make sure there are at least 2-3 different““kinds” of bacteria (like bifido and bacillus, etc). I like the bacteria count to be 10 billion or more. Make sure you are switching up your fermented foods and probiotics periodically. If you are not used to taking probiotics, take a more gentle one to start with as not to cause unwanted side effects from yeast or bad bacteria die off.
Magnesium: For all the things! Especially helpful with better sleep and restless legs. I also love Restless Leg Tea for restless legs during pregnancy. This formula is very close to the Pregnancy Tea formula. Do a little due diligence and research out the different kids of magnesium until you find the kind or blend that fits your needs. Epsom salt bath or foot soaks are also wonderfully beneficial, as are magnesium lotions.
White Willow Bark Tincture: For the more “wise” mamas. As we age in pregnancy, blood clots become more of a risk. Instead of taking a baby aspirin, take the original source of aspirin, White Willow Bark. Take a dropper a day in your favorite herbal tea, in juice, or straight.
Wheat Germ Oil (Vitamin E): Vitamin E is helpful for proper hormone function and also to help tissues stretch. Do not take synthetic Vitamin E, take natural (found in the Methylated B Complex I suggested), or better yet, take Wheat Germ Oil, I like the Standard Process brand. Also consider switching to grinding your own organic wheat berries for flour needs in the home. This process maintains the wheat germ, instead of it being processed out in store bought flour.
Cramp Tincture: Of course I take this Cramp Tincture for afterbirth pains. I put a couple droppers in every water glass I drink and take 3-5 drops straight when I start nursing for around the first 3 days until the afterbirth pains decrease.
Herbal Sitz Bath: Herbal Sitz Bath for pregnancy or after birth. In pregnancy herbal sitz baths can help with cysts that pop up, hemorrhoids, or just a nice relaxing weight free bath time. For after the birth, I recommend you take this bath with you baby making sure your bottom and the umbilical stump is submerged. What a beautiful bonding time!
I hope this list is a helpful reference that you can come back to time and time again. Please share with expecting mothers that you know. Thank you!