Simple Maternity / Pregnancy Tea

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I love a pot of this tea at night. It’s a wonderful way to wind down, hydrate, and nourish my body that is working so hard to grow a little human.

Man, I just can’t get over how cool that is!

I’ve got a little person inside me.

It’s important to take care of yourself especially during pregnancy and postpartum. More than anything, I want to nourish myself so that I can grow a healthy baby, and strengthen my body to handle the labor and birth.

I’ve reached out to my naturopath and midwife, and in addition to mindful healthy eating, they recommend drinking an infusion of red raspberry, nettle and a few other herbs daily during my pregnancy. I’ll also continue to drink this for awhile after baby is born.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncc_HU_jiKA

Maternity Tea

• 1 tsp nettle leaf
• 1 tsp red raspberry leaf
• 1/2 tsp alfalfa leaf
• 1 quart water
• 1 tsp either peppermint leaf or chamomile flowers (optional for taste)

Step one: Bring about a quart of water to a boil, pour it into a mason jar, scoop in your herbs, and stir to incorporate.

Step two: Cap the jar and let it steep overnight (about 8 hours).

This tea isn’t only an herbal tea – it’s actually an overnight infusion. Lighter in flavor, most herbal teas are steeped only for a short period of time. But when you’re after real nutrition from those herbs, you want to squeeze as much goodness from them as you can. Overnight infusions, in which herbs are steeped for hours as opposed to just a few minutes, do exactly that. The extended time allows the water to extract more nutrients from the herbs than a short steeping, as a result this pregnancy tea is stronger in flavor, and more nutrient-dense.

Step three: Strain out the herbs and enjoy your tea! You can reheat it if ya like, or drink as an iced tea. I personally like to reheat it and add some raw cream and honey. Yummo!

About 2 cups a day during your second trimester and a whole quart a day during your third is recommended. But talk to your own midwife or doctor to see what amount is right for you.

About The Herbs

Nettle Leaf

Nettle leaf is a tonic herb that strengthens and tones the entire system, and is particularly useful as a fertility support in both men and women. In traditional herbal medicine, nettles are thought to ease leg cramps, and possibly even ease the pain of childbirth. Nettle is particularly rich in carotene, vitamin C, manganese, iron, calcium, zinc and chromium. As the mother passes anything she eats to her baby both during pregnancy and breastfeeding, nettle will not only nourish her body, but also her little baby. Also, after birth, nettle is a great herb to promote a higher milk supply.

Red Raspberry Leaf

Raspberry Leaf has an important place in traditional and folk medicine for its use as an herb for women – specifically, during pregnancy. Herbalists have found that red raspberry leaf acts as a uterine tonic, and it is used in folk medicine to not only prepare the body for birth, but to shorten labors. Susun Weed (a renowned herbalist) notes that red raspberry leaf acts to tone the uterus so that, during labor, contractions work more effectively, making birth easier and faster. There was also another study done that found that women who consumed raspberry leaf tea during their pregnancy were less likely to receive interventions like C-sections, forceps or vacuum-extraction births than women who did not consume the tea.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa, like nettle, is a general restorative herb. In folk medicine, alfalfa is used to support thyroid health and it’s thought to ease morning sickness. Alfalfa, like nettle and red raspberry leaf and other green leafs, is also rich in vitamin K which supports healthy circulation and proper blood clotting. Low vitamin K levels is linked with bleeding and hemorrhage.

Herbs are truly amazing! I hope you enjoyed this recipe! This is a great way to supplement your own health in pregnancy or you can even make a few batches of this as a gift for another expecting mama!

And blessings.

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