Herbal Tonics for Pregnancy

Following the amazing birth of Oskar, Dan thought I should write down everything I did while pregnant and spread the word, in the hope that it would help other women have beautiful birth experiences.

One thing that Dan helped me do throughout my pregnancy was to take herbal infusions of stinging nettle and red raspberry leaf often.

Stinging nettles infusions are great any time, and I had taken them for an overall boost to my stamina and to improve my sleep on the advice of my friend and fellow acupuncturist Therese.

Red raspberry leaf is a uterine tonic. Labor, as my midwife Kristen put it, is the process the uterus undertakes to organize itself for birth.

Here is how he made them:

We purchased them at Jean's Greens.

NETTLE LF (Urtica dioica) c/s (o)
1-8 oz. . . . $1.29/oz
9-15 oz. . . . $1.14/oz
1 lb. . . . $16.70/lb

RED RASPBERRY LEAF (Rubus ideaus) c/s (o)
1-8 oz. . . . $1.14/oz
9-15 oz. . . . $0.99/oz
1 lb. . . . $14.30/lb

Other things you need:

One Quart Glass Jar (we use a wide mouth mason jar)
Boiling Water

Steep one cup of dried herbs in a one quart jar filled with boiling water.
Cover and steep for 4-10 hours.
Strain.

Drink daily.

Refrigerate to store, and warm up to enjoy.

Here is a lovely instructional video from the magical Susun Weed: