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I had a slight panic moment the other day when I realized (while drinking my pregnancy tea) that I will have a newborn in a month or so (nesting is now in hyperdrive).
With a precious new little one comes baby coos and tiny clothes and… breastfeeding! I love the newborn phase but the early days of nursing are always a little tough for me and I feel that it is harder to get enough calories and nutrients when I’m nursing a baby.
This time, I’ve prepared ahead of time as I’ve mixed up a batch of nursing mom tea to have on hand when this little one makes an entrance. I’ve also been busy getting my birth kit in order, eating dates (I’ll keep you posted on that one!), obsessively cleaning (nesting for the win!), and optimizing all of these factors to help make labor easier!
Nursing Mom Tea
Having a baby is a couple years of wonderful exhaustion, and while it is easy to focus on the beautiful baby, it is also important for us as moms to nourish and support our own bodies during this physically taxing time. To the extent possible, it is important to get enough sleep during pregnancy and breastfeeding, eat a nutrient-dense diet, and nourish the body in other ways. I’ve found that this is often easier said than done, especially when you have other children too, but since breastfeeding is often done sitting down it is a great time to hydrate and replenish.
Enter… nursing tea!
Tea contains actual vitamins and minerals (really!) and a nursing tea blend also has herbs that may boost and protect milk supply. (More on that below.)
Pair with one of these lactation cookies (or a few… nursing hunger is real!) for a satisfying and nourishing treat.
The Nourishing Ingredients…
This tea has a combination of beneficial ingredients to help nourish the body and support adequate milk supply:
- Red raspberry leaf– High in vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. Raspberry leaf is also recommended to support hormone health.
- Nettle leaf– High in chlorophyll and trace minerals, it is said to support urinary health.
- Fenugreek– Used as a spice in many parts of the world and often added to curries. Contains potassium, vitamin C, and diosgenin which is the compound that is said to help breastfeeding and milk supply.
- Fennel– Source of iron, folate, and vitamin C and also helps improve digestion. Some midwives claim that adding fennel to a nursing tea can also help alleviate digestive struggles or colic in the baby as the benefits can pass through the milk.
- Alfalfa– Known as the “father of all foods” alfalfa is a nutrient dense plant high in vitamin K, vitamin C, and chlorophyll. It is often used in multivitamin blends.
- Chamomile– One of my favorite herbs and one I use often for children. It is a calming and relaxing herb and can support restful sleep for mom and baby.
- Dandelion– Good source of vitamins A, C, D, and B, as well as minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, manganese, copper, choline, calcium, boron, and silicon.
I order all the herbs in bulk (click links above to see the ones I use) so I can make big batches of these and other herbal teas very inexpensively. If you aren’t a DIYer and don’t want the initial expense of purchasing herbs in bulk, you can also find this tea pre-made in tea bags.
Some of these herbs are not recommended during pregnancy, so I only drink this tea after the baby is born. It is also important to check with your doctor or midwife before consuming any herb while breastfeeding.
Herbal Nursing Mom Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup red raspberry leaf
- ¼ cup alfalfa leaf
- ½ cup nettle leaf
- ¼ cup fenugreek seeds
- ¼ cup fennel seeds
- ¼ cup chamomile flowers
- ¼ cup dandelion leaf
Instructions
- Mix herbs and store in a glass jar. To brew, add 1 Tablespoon herb mix to 2 cups of boiling water and simmer on stove for 10-15 minutes.
- Strain and serve.
- Can also make by the gallon using ½ cup dried herb mix and store in refrigerator after straining.
Notes
Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!
I’m grateful to have been able to nurse my babies, but realize that there are many cases where breastfeeding is not possible. Though I have not personally tried it, I have many friends who used this homemade organic formula option with great results.
What helps you stay nourished during breastfeeding? Ever tried a nursing mom tea?
Benefits of Rooibos Tea
I love this tea! I miss wondering, however, if it could cause an oversupply or forceful letdown? I’ve experienced the forceful letdown for the first time (4th baby) and the tea is my only real change. Do you think I should continue drinking it? Thank you!
I might take a few days off of the tea and see if that makes a difference?
Which of these herbs are not recommended for pregnancy? I’ll be tandem nursing and am working to keep my supply up right now, and did not realize there were any contraindictions with any of the herbs mentioned in this recipe… Happy to eliminate particular questionable ones. Thanks in advance!
Hi, Katie! Thanks for all the wonderful information. How many cups of tea are recommended daily?
Hi Katie! I would also like to know how many cups we should be drinking per day of this tea.
Going to make this before baby comes. LOVE your page. Thanks for sharing all your insight
This tea sounds great, but how does it taste? Lol. Some of these can be so bitter that I end up not being able to drink it.
Hi wellness mama! I am nursing right now and hoping to get pregnant again here soon… I know you said you were pregnant and nursing at the same time… I had always heard that when your pregnant you don’t make very much milk. We’re you only nursing 1 or 2 times a day weening the little one off or did you eat or drink stuff to help you make more milk while pregnant? Also… Do you need to stop nursing before your delivery date so you start making colostrum for new baby? Thanks for any help!!!
It’s different for everyone, honestly. I did produce less milk when pregnant. It is hard to say if it was part of the natural weaning process (baby was nursing less and eating more food) or due to the pregnancy, though. I would ask your doctor about nursing right up to your due date… I know some women who have done so with no issues, and some women who had trouble with the nursing threatening to cause pre-term labor.
I *just* had a baby (12/28/15) and I nursed my 21-month-old during the whole time I was pregnant. My toddler is old enough that she really only nursed a couple of times during the day, like before bed, so my supply was pretty low anyway. I had no trouble with colostrum coming in correctly… my milk sort of switched over during the couple days before my son was born. My mom tells me that when she was nursing me and pregnant with my sister, she started having uterine contractions when nursing me, so apparently that can be a thing, though.
in Nepal people make soup with fenugreek and ajwain seeds for the lactating mothers and it is supposed to help increase the milk supply.
Hi! Just wondering if you can recommend any other prenatals other than the seeking health optimal prenatal? It’s a little out of my price range but I really want to take something that will not be harmful to me or baby!
Thanks so much
Hi Katie,
I think we are due around the same time…end of this month. I am hypothyroid and had much trouble with my milk supply with my first. The Motherlove tincture, MoreMilkPlus worked very well. It’s main ingredient is fenugreek. I’ll have to ask my midwife if this tea and the tincture might be too much.
Thanks for all you do!
Have you tried using Jnantik Mayan Mothers Tea for milk production?! It is the best and tastiest tea I have tried and is made with an ancient Mayan superfood called Mayan seed:)
I’ve noticed with the redesign of the site, links (or what I presume are links, they could also be a different font), don’t show up on my mobile browser. I’m using an iPhone 5 with the most recent iOS and Safari browser. I’ve been able to guess what is being posted, mainly because you’re describing each ingredient, so I’m able to guess the ingredient.
Well, apparently all I needed to do was submit a comment. They were in fact links, and I now can see them all.