Tea & Mommies To Be!

Hello mamas-in-the-making!

So. I had my son exactly 3.5 years ago. I remember the sweet anticipation of his arrival: decorating nurseries, onesie shopping and stocking my freezer with enough food to last us (and the entire province) for at LEAST a year. I also remember the bloating, cramping, crankiness ....and the nervousness of not feeling entirely confident about what I could or couldn't eat/drink.

Nervousness be gone! Let me debunk stuff around tea, because I know a lot of information is out there and I think I can help.

THE 'DO THIS' LIST:

• Act in accordance with your health care practitioners' suggestions
• Drink Ginger Root tea to your heart's content: it truly does help with the nausea, ladies. You can drink it hot or cold - just get it in there!
• Watch your caffeine intake (1 tea a day is ok, other than that stick to caffeine-free options)
• Drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (in your LAST trimester ONLY) - it helps to tone and prepare the uterus for childbirth. There's a misconception that it helps to bring on labour - not true.
  
• DRINK ROOIBOS - I'd like to sing its praises from the rooftops!! Tra la la laaa!

The Top 10 Reasons Rooibos is a Pregnant Woman's Best Friend

1. Rooibos is 100% caffeine free (never had it to start with, so didn't go through any processing to rid it of it)

2. Rooibos is low in tannins (which block iron absorption) - safe for mama!

3. Rooibos is a source of iron, calcium, magnesium, fluoride and antioxidants

4. Rooibos helps ease constipation (Cosmo might talk about pregnancy 'glow' - I'm keepin' it real here and saying ya, we deal with constipation!)

5. Rooibos eases headaches naturally

6. Rooibos calms the central nervous system and supports a good night's sleep

7. Applied topically, rooibos helps soothe itchy skin

8. Applied topically, rooibos helps ease diaper rash!!

9. Rooibos is 100% safe for infants/toddlers and has been shown to ease COLIC (and I have seen first hand success with customers in this area - and with my OWN son)

10. Rooibos TASTES great (faves at our shop: After Seven Choco Mint, Spiced Chocolate, Pearls of the Nile, Honeybush Raspberry, Bourbon St. Vanilla, and moooore!)

11. BONUS: When YOU drink rooibos as a nursing mum, you are increasing your breastmilk production as well as the nutrition of your milk! Yay, rooibos!

THE 'DON'T DO THIS' LIST:

• Do not consume sleepy type tea blends or anything else for that matter without reading the ingredients and fully understanding what they mean - there are a LOT of herbs that can be VERY bad for pregnant women (some can induce premature labour!). Here's a quick checklist of herbs to steer clear of: black or blue cohosh, valerian root, licorice root, yarrow, goldenseal (also shouldn't be used if nursing), comfrey. Note: Black Cohosh is often prescribed by midwives when someone is past her due date - it helps to stimulate the uterus.
  
• Be careful drinking chamomile (as unassuming as it is) - it is a member of the ragweed family and there can be the potentiality for allergies
• Don't consume more than 250g-300g of caffeine a day (about 2 cups of black tea)

See? Fear be gone! There are many delicious things you can enjoy that not only taste great, but are good for you and baby, too! Best wishes for a future of firsts: smiling, crawling, walking, talking back - ha! ;) Motherhood is a beautiful thing. Thanks for stopping by.