Pregnancy Tea

I used Traditional Medicinal's Pregnancy Tea the whole time I was pregnant, it helped immensely with nausea and I just enjoyed it.
My Natal Masseuse said that peppermint is not a pregnancy friendly herb, so I stayed away from it.

[ASIDE: Just because the FDA approves something doesn't make it safe, if a doctor told me not to take something solely based that the FDA hadn't approved it, I'd probably laugh. Herbs have been used since dawn of humanity for all sorts of reasons, I actually feel safer with herbal remedies than with some of the OTC "remedies" that Big Pharma produces. ;) ]

I am a midwife and I recommend pregnancy tea. I use it myself as well and it is really good for morning sickness. Another one I loved during my last pregnancy was peppermint tea, it was so yummy it setteled my tummy, I even drank it during labor.
S.
www.buenavistamidwife.com

Mint tea (made from the leaves) is perfectly fine, and ginger tea (made from ground ginger root) is another very good tea for nausea.

You want to be careful about a lot of herbal teas because many have medicinal uses that could interfere with the pregnancy or cause birth defects. Some, like raspberry leaf tea, are okay to use during the last few weeks because they help get ready for labor, but you want to avoid them carefully before then so you don't trigger a miscarriage.

I also see you are a massage therapist, which means you want to be careful of exposure to essential oils if you use them. There are some herbs that are fine to use as spices, but can cause major problems as essential oils. Your mint is an example - peppermint tea is fine, but exposure to peppermint oil can stimulate contractions.

This is a list of some herbs to watch out for: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/isitsafeto/herb&amp...

Most docs and midwives are wary of herbal teas and supplements because they aren't tested by the FDA and not taught in American medical & nursing schools. Since they don't have experience with them and can't back advice up with FDA testing, they generally tell you to avoid them just to be extra precautious.

Most herbal teas you will find in a grocery store are perfectly harmless and safe. Mint tea, camomile, raspberry, etc. Totally fine. I drank Yogi brand "pregnancy tea" during both of my pregnancies and LOVED it. It has mint & raspberry and some other blended herbal teas. It's really yummy, caffiene free, and organic. I didn't notice that it "did" anything for me other than helping with an upset stomach a bit. The raspberry leaf is supposed to strengthen your uterus or something, but I think you have to drink about a gallon a day for noticable results.

I would really recommend looking for an organic tea while pregnant because tea leaves are sprayed directly with pesticides. You are then soaking those pesticide covered leaves in hot water and drinking it. Yuck. That's probably way more harmful than any of the herbs in the tea.

Yes, it is nutritive and supportive and safe. Agree with Genesa's reply. Western medical doctors are woefully ignorant about herbs and other 'nontraditional' therapies, so they usually just give a blanket warning to simply stay away, in order to be 'safe'. It's too bad, because herbs like these can provide really important, helpful nutritive support during pregnancy.

I'm a medical writer now, and I've found VERY few doctors who are openminded enough to learn about therapies other than what they learned in med school. But herbs have been used far longer than western meds - and many western meds are derived directly from plant sources.

There are many sources of info about the use of herbs during pregnancy. Here is a quick summary/ intro I just found on quick search: http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/pregnancy/her...

I have used herbs for many years, and used to work at the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder (no longer exists, unfortunately). I would recommend some books including:
Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Healing for Women
and
Susun Weed's Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year. You may find this one a little 'out there' in terms of style, but she's got good info.

I have a reference book called the Natural Pharmacy, which is a good source that includes info about research that has been done on each herb or condition. There are many good herbal books though, if you want to check them out even at a library or peruse at a bookstore.

Take care, and enjoy this time! Best regards.

Yes, Yes, Yes. It is a must for uterine health & tone. I have drank it with all of my babies except my first (before I knew about it). Most "conventional" doctors will tell you to steer away from anything herbal. But midwives use time-tested, safe herbs to keep you & baby happy & healthy.

There are herbs that are contradictory during pregnancy due to inducing labor or miscarriage, etc. But none of these are in Pregnancy tea. A great book to have on hand is:The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva jill Romm.

***Just a note while Ginger is good for nausea beware it has bad effect in large quantities. Also Rasberry leaf, rose hips & nettle tea is meant to tone the uterine muscles, provide nourishment & prepare the womb for childbirth. I have never heard that it will cause a miscarriage. I have taken it at least 3x a day with 5 of my children. Just keep in mind people have their own opinions but what you really need to focus on is your health, your babies health & facts.

Your midwife is a great resource. ;0) Have a great day!

The only herbal tea that I drank was raspberry tea. My midwife recommended it because it's supposed to be a good uterine tonic and supposedly makes for a quicker, easier delivery. I believe that it helped - I delivered my first son after 20 minutes of pushing!! I also drank lemon balm tea (again, at my midwifes recommendation) because it helps with anxiety and sleep!

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I raided vitamin cottage and the only tea considered "safe" was called pregnancy tea. Traditional Medicines had a good one. Also, I've heard from a lot of sources that ginger is bad for pregnancy. I'd be wary of it and do your own research.

I did the same research when I was pregnant a couple years ago. Almost everyone (family, friends, doctors, nurses, etc.) gave me the same message: moderation. Although there are certain things you want to avoid completely (raw egg as an ingredient), questionable foods such as herbal teas and coffee won't harm your baby in low levels. For example, I've always been addicted to coffee. I was told as long as I could keep it to one cup per day no harm could be done. I took a more cautious approach and still satisfied my urge with one cup on Monday mornings only. My, how I looked forward to that Monday morning coffee! :P I would keep the herbal tea down to a cup a day and I know that the "pregnancy teas" don't include the herbs most likely to be harmful, so feel better about that!

I think pretty much any herbal tea you buy in a grocery store is totally fine. Raspberry tea is also great for nausea. Some herbal teas in specialty health food stores may be questionable if they have more uncommon added ingredients to treat special conditions. I think you can use good judgement. But most teas out there are just fine.

I loved drinking herbal teas during my four pregnancies. Definitely try the raspberry tea. I actually also made my own hot cocoa concoction and added ginger powder. I thought the ginger helped my nausea. I don't eat sugar, so I just add straight cacao powder to water with ginger (sounds gross?) and heat it up- you get used to it after going off of sugar for a long time! :)

Good luck!

There are a few things to look out for. Echinacea, ginsing, and ginko are risky during pregnancy. But things like peppermint, raspberry, etc are pretty safe, in moderation.

Just don't drink a tea made from Black & Blue Cohosh herbs!

That is what my midwife gave me to drink that started my labor strong. It had been coming & going all day when I had my twins, and it was definitely time! :)

Hi H., I did Raspberry Leave tea while I was pg with my third. It did not taste good but it was supposed to hasten my labor along. I had him in three hours! I might have had him in three hours without the tea who knows??? I would think if it settles you stomach it would be better for you and the pregnancy than bad. My vote is: go for it! K. K.

There are a few herbs that could possibly cause problems during pregnancy, but none of them are very good tasting and aren't found in your standard herbal teas. There are plenty of other herbs that are extremely nourishing and have been used by pregnant women for ages because they do help the moms to have healthy pregnancies and births. The main one is red raspberry leaf, but there are several other that are quite high in calcium, magnesium and other nutrients. These are the things you will find in your standard pregnancy teas, but there common in other herbal blends too. I particularly like the Traditional Medicinals pregnancy tea, but I also like to just buy red raspberry leaf in bulk, from the health food store, it is tasty that way!

Good pregnancy to you!

Doctors are ignorant about herbs and so they just warn to stay away from all herbs in order to be safe. There are herbs you don't want to take during pregnancy, but some are wonderfully beneficial.

I really like the Pregnancy Tea from Traditional Medicinals, but I found it to be too expensive to drink in the quantities that I wanted. So I buy red raspberry leaf and nettle leaf in bulk from a discount supplment supply company (vitaglo.com) and brew my own tea. It doesn't taste as good, but it's way cheaper and that way I can control the dosage.

http://www.herballegacy.com/Pregnancy.html

Here is a ton of info I wish I had when I was pregnant. Give yourself some time to work through it, and good luck!

I took the approach of better safe than sorry. My Dr. told me to stay away from them because they need more research with so many aspects of herbs unknown. I certainly didn't want to put my pregnancy at potential risk with something that is not universally accepted.