Herbs and supplements during pregnancy

Like I've mentioned before, I lean toward a holistic approach to wellness. This includes the way I've been preparing for childbirth/labor as well as caring for my baby along the way. Because preggo brain has taken over, I thought it'd be a good idea to document what I've been doing/taking during pregnancy to prepare for his arrival and to remember if, God willing, we are able to have another child.

I am no expert, but I research the heck out of whatever I'm going to commit to. With all things trial and error are a part of the experience, but you know, when you've got a winner, well, you've won!

During Pregnancy:

Prenatal Vitamin : I've been taking Garden of Life, Vitamin Code RAW Prenatal since day one. If this were a planned pregnancy, I would have been taking them earlier on. What I like about them is that they are untreated with no binders or fillers and the nutrients are coming from real foods. You can read up on them here.

DHA supplements: Garden of Life, Ocean's Mom Prenatal DHA. DHA is important for both mom and baby. It can help enhance mom's breast milk and aid in balancing mood and emotional well-being and it's extremely important for the baby especially during the third trimester when baby's brain is rapidly growing. You can read about it here.

Pregnancy Tea: I've been drinking Traditional Medicinals Pregnancy Tea starting late second trimester and throughout my third. The herbs in the tea help tone the uterus to prepare for childbirth. Not to mention, it's pleasant to drink. Since I'm not the expert on the matter, it's probably better that you read about it.

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea: This is what I meant to buy before buying Pregnancy Tea. I switch it up and drink this too. I first read about Red Raspberry Leaf tea here, and continued my research and found that it's recommended by midwifes and doulas. My doula wrote about it here.

Birth/ Postpartum:

I haven't had the baby yet (duh, you'd know by now!), but in preparation for a natural birth, I've been reading about a few things that could help. The Motherlove website had some good readings and products like the sitz bath spray I plan to buy. I was  gifted their nipple cream and I've heard great things! Maybe I'll do an "after birth" post on what I think of these products.

I've also been reading about:
- Shepherd purse tincture should there be some heavy bleeding
- Blue cohosh if I'm WAY late
- Witch Hazel pads to ease perineum discomfort after labor.