Herbs And Pregnancy: My Top 3 Herbs

What you see below is an infusion of red raspberry leaf and nettle leaf herbs, and it's delicious.

I have become more interested and slightly more knowledgeable about herbs in the last year and decided that I wanted them to be a part of my pregnancy. I have said this before and I'm sure I'll say it again, but I am not a doctor of any sort. If you are interested in herbs and how to use them please read on and I will mention a few trusted herbalists who have books that might be of interest to you. As usual, if you are pregnant you should speak with your physician before starting anything new (though don't be surprised if he/she isn't on board with your ideas).

Here are the herbs I use on an almost daily basis. I change it up each day to make sure I get a balance of the nutrients and also keep the flavors interesting.

NETTLES - Ah-mazing. I wish I could cleverly explain just how great this herb is, but I'm afraid the following will have to do. Nettles are considered a tonic and can aid in the treatment of nearly any disease or discomfort due to it's high nutrient content and gentle action. This is the type of herb you could use every day and only see good effects (this is not true of all herbs considering that most have very strong actions and can take a toll on the systems of the body). Here's just a sampling of what this herb has to offer.

- Can be used as a tonic during pregnancy
- Has been historically used to enrich and aid in milk production of breast feeding mothers
- Contains a good amount of vitamin K which is particularly difficult to kind in the modern diet.
- According to Rosemary Gladstar in her book Herbal Healing For Women, "It is one of the best sources of digestible plant iron and is rich in calcium, vitamin A, and chlorophyll.
- Is an antihistamine and good for dealing with allergies (I learned of this trait too late to utilize it for my Husband's Spring allergies, but will definitely be using on my own when the Fall comes around).

This is a bare-bones list of the offerings of nettles, but you can learn a great more from Rosemary Gladstar and Susun Weed. These women have decades of experience not only studying these herbs, but using them in their homes and with their families and friends. There are so many herbalists I could recommend to you, but these two specifically speak and write about herbalism and women, so they might be of more direct use to you.

RED RASPBERRY LEAF - Also ah-mazing. This herb has some confusion floating around it, so make the decision to use it or not for yourself once you are fully aware of the information (which means doing more research than just reading this post).

- Used as a uterine tonic, this herb helps to tone the uterus and prime it for pre, during, and post- pregnancy.
- Rich in vitamins B, C, and E. Also rich in Calcium (one of the most easily assimilated forms of calcium), iron, potassium, and phosphorous.
- Useful in increasing milk flow

This is also a nutritive and tonic herb that does not build up in the system and is therefore non-toxic. Yes, you can have too much of a good thing so don't go crazy.

RED CLOVER - I think you've caught on by now... ah-mazing.
- When paired with raspberry leaf, this herb helps the body assimilate the goodness in it's partner herb (while also imparting it's own).
- Often used in the treatment of infertility

There is so much more to this herb that I just have not studied, so I would suggest reading into it further.


Well, those are my top three herbs. You might be interested to know that I had taken a liking to nettles long before I was pregnant or considering becoming pregnant. It just made sense to have an herb that would give me nutrients that I was probably missing in my daily diet (which is almost completely paleo, so very nutritious indeed). I began incorporating red raspberry and red clover once I learned about the calcium benefits and the fact that women begin to lose bone density around age 30...I'm only 3 years from that mark so I'm chugging the stuff like it's going out of style. I hope this helps, and as I mentioned before go check out Rosemary and Susun because they are a wealth of knowledge and so easy to read. Thanks for dropping by!

Preggo Dreams: China?

I finally remember a different dream than the assassin one! Here it goes...

The Setting - My Mother and I are in an apartment in a high rise in China. The walls are white and everything is clean and bright and you can tell that the space has been lived in. There is a lady there, but I cannot remember her features at all.

The second setting is in America. I got the feeling that this large house in the suburbs (a place I have never lived, even in adult life) was my home. It is night time and the colors outside the house (i.e. the lawn and evening sky are vibrant).

The third setting is hard to figure out if it's a plane or airport...I know that doesn't make sense because those are easy to distinguish from one another, but I have details from both types of spaces all in the same moment.

The Plot - In the first setting my Mother and I are speaking with a lady about my trip to China. This seems a bit backwards to me seeing as we are already there... but whatever, she tells me things to pack and places to avoid and then suddenly we are outside walking around. The area is beautiful and tree lined, with white, puffy clouds and clear, blue skies.

Then we cut to the second setting back in America and it's obvious I'm packing, but have left it to the absolute last minute. I know I have tons of stuff missing and that it's necessary stuff, but it's just too late. Everything is closed and I'm up a creek without a paddle. I know for sure I'm missing clothing and some personal products, but I'm not breaking out in a panicked sweat just yet. The dream is from my point of view, so I never actually see myself, just my legs and arms really. I get the feeling I went to a party instead of packing which is why I'm in a problem state right now.

Cut to the third setting of airport/air plane and I am unsure whether I have my documents with me. But next thing I know I'm in a business class seat getting settled and about to order a drink, so I think things turned out ok?

That's all I remember, it was a busier dream than the last with all of the different settings and all the hurried movements, but at least it seemed to end well. Sometimes that's all you can ask for.

Coconut And Flea Market Adventures

Yesterday we went out to the Brooklyn Flea at its Williamsburg location and had a walk around. When we arrived it was spitting rain droplets and the sky was a dull gray, but it soon cleared up and became quite sunny and warm. I wish I had taken my good camera so that I could have shown you how lovely the sky was, but alas I am already carrying around an extra 6-ish pounds and couldn't be bothered with the extra weight.


We didn't find anything too interesting in the stalls (only about half the vendors turned up due to rain), but there was a stand selling fresh, cold coconuts! It takes a lot for me to drink the packaged coconut water because it's just not that tasty. I often go for the one with mango or pineapple in so that the odd flavor is slightly masked. However, when a fresh coconut is involved, I'm game. They had a very tall man with a machete fishing the coconuts out of an ice water bath and cutting away at the exterior to reveal the water and white flesh on the inside...and man was it delicious! I've read that coconut water is one of the most effective ways to hydrate, so not only did I enjoy my treat, but Violet got a little something from it too.

Below is a picture of my coconut. I think showing it with my belly just makes both look a lot more round.

The closeup

After we left we ate BBQ at a place called Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Gowanus, Brooklyn. That was also delicious and I don't have pictures of my food because I basically inhaled it on arrival. I am not ashamed.

I have noticed that it's hard enough to carry this belly around on its own, but the addition of a full belly makes it very difficult and kind of painful to walk around at all. I waddled all the way home just trying to keep my belly from splitting open. It was worth it though.

Well, that seems to be it for now. Just a post full of coconut and an impending belly burst due to overfilling. You are welcome.

Awesome Sauce: Preggo Body Pillow

Oh man, you guys, this pillow is amazing. I started having hip pain not too long into this journey and thought I could manage without spending extra money...but wow, what a difference!

PROBLEM - I had extreme soreness in my right hip while laying down, sitting, and (you guessed it) standing. I'm normally a back and stomach sleeper and you aren't allowed to use either position while pregnant, just left (preferably) or right side. TORTURE! Absolute torture. Not only was my hip sore ALL. THE. TIME. but my hip joint was pinching some nerve that runs down my legs and caused me serious pain while doing pretty much anything. Add in the fact that my shoulders felt like they were being crunched and my neck was sore every morning and I had myself a real mess of a situation.

SOLUTION #1 - I tried using the extra pillows we had around the house to put between my knees and then another to have as back support (which also helped train me to stay on my side during the night). There were a few flaws with this setup, one is that the pillows are older and all went flat within minutes. Any relief I got was soon lost due to inferior stuffing. The second problem was that any time I moved I had to take the pillows with me. This made for a serious scene and woke me up to the point of no return and also woke my husband up which is no good either. Something needed to change.

RESEARCH - Typically before I buy anything, and I do mean anything, I research it to find the best one for the money and the best one all around. This time I decided to consult my other "mommy" and "mommy-to-be" friends on Facebook about what they used to help with this whole side sleeping problem. The responses I got included the following, massage and chiropractic alignment, one of those c-shaped snoogles, and two normal sized pillows joined at the long sides by fabric so that both your back and belly are supported. These are all valid options, but not what I was looking for. Them, one friend told me she had tried several pillows and finally broke down and bought the expensive one because the others just didn't cut it. That's when I realized that I could try cheaper options knowing I'd probably be disappointed, or I could just go for what I really wanted. So I did.

SOLUTION #2 - I bought a huge U-shaped body pillow that is as long as I am (I'm 5'6") and it is HEAVEN! After three nights my hip was no longer sore and even my shoulders were improving. That is the best $99 I have ever spent, seriously. I can't imagine the state I'd be in now if I had not addressed this problem early on. My husband calls it my "nest" which is not totally wrong. It is my own space that helped me reclaim my half of the bed and kept my skeleton from falling apart.

PHOTOS - Here's how the pillow arrived. So small!

And after. It looks like it takes over most of the bed, but once you are in it and have it tucked around you it really isn't a bed hog. Some people in the reviews for this pillow were complaining about how much room it takes up, but I don't find that it does. It's my sanctuary and I love it.

I've had this pillow for a few weeks now and I'm happy to report that the stuffing is holding up well. I am optimistic that it will last me past this pregnancy which is nice. You do have to fluff the pillow each day though, otherwise you will notice it all condensing. It's a small price to pay for something so useful. In case you are in the market, I got this one on Amazon and it's called the Comfort U MATERNITY Pillow. It is sold by a bunch of different companies on Amazon, so it's up to you to choose the one that's right for you.

There you have it, my two cents on maternity body pillows and a stellar recommendation. I hope this helps some of you make a decision about what you'd like to use. Sweet dreams!

Preggo Dreams: The Assassin

I've always heard that pregnant women have strange and vivid dreams throughout their pregnancies, but I thought (misguidedly) they were mostly good or at least interesting. Last night I had a nightmare that seemed to last for hours, though I don't think dreams last for more than a minute or so in real time. Here are the basics...

The Setting - A mansion on a huge plot of land with manicured lawn and plenty of large, old trees. The sun is setting, but just in that it's getting darker there are no beautiful sunset colors in the sky. The weather is fine, much like the same time of day in the Berkshires. There's a long path and then a second mansion, smaller than the first, and much older. The windows are dark and it's altogether uninviting.

The Plot - I'm outside looking at the first mansion, when I hear footsteps. These footsteps prompt me to start running down the path towards the second mansion and I burst through the doors. My immediate goal is to find a place to hide. My heart is racing in a calm panic. I run quietly from room to room looking for a hiding place that isn't under a bed or in a closet, I have to be far more clever than that. I get the sense that the one who is after me is a top notch hunter and I can't afford to be caught. The stakes are high, there can be no mistakes.

Every place I see or think of is too small or too dangerous to hide in, after all I am 22 weeks pregnant. My belly is much smaller than in real life, but the need to protect it is strong. Everywhere I go I hear those footsteps not far behind. Sometimes I duck behind a piece of furniture just fast enough to avoid being noticed, though I get the sense that he knows I'm there and allows me to continue to search for safety more for his enjoyment and thrill.

This game of near hits seems to last for hours. The mansion is endless and I grow more and more tired with each panicked step...

I woke up from this dream about two times and both times I managed to fall back into it. Usually wakening will bring on a new dream, but not this morning.

Back into it again, I get a whole backstory of the assassin flooding into my mind. This man is a well known movie star!?? What?! In this dream he is a movie star with a secret life as an assassin for a very wealthy family. I don't know what I did to deserve to be hunted, perhaps it was just for sport, but I will never know. What I do know is that I am completely worn out. We went to bed early and got to sleep in an hour later, but it makes no difference when you spend your night running in fear.

I don't know what all this means, I cannot interpret dreams so if you have any ideas please feel free to leave them in the comments. I should mention that this theme of being hunted has been recurring since I became pregnant. I wish I could leave it behind, but there's obviously something bothering me.

I wish I had a picture that could convey the mood of this dream to you, but it seems that I only take pictures of lovely places and sunsets. Thanks for reading through and I hope your dreams are nicer than mine.

Week 22 Day 3

According to many sources my baby is now the size of a spaghetti squash! The second most mind blowing development is that I only have 17 weeks and 4 days left until my due date...what?!?! I'm not freaked out or anything, just constantly amazed at how fast this is blowing by. It seems like yesterday my little babe (who is a girl and is named Violet) was the size of a poppy seed.

I know it's been a few weeks since I last wrote, but I'm going to just dive right in.

HEADACHES are gone! Hallelujah! I finally broke out of the constant headache situation with nothing but the aid of peppermint essential oil and it feels so GOOD! (I should note that I am not a doctor, and you should speak with your healthcare practitioner before starting any new remedies. Also, if you are planning to use peppermint oil, avoid it in the last trimester if you are planning to breastfeed as it might dry up your impending milk supply).

NAUSEA is also gone! Woot! I left that badness behind around week 15 and what a blessing that has been. I never had truly horrible nausea, but as we all know, being sick is never fun no matter what degree or length. I've heard personal stories from women I know about having nausea all through the pregnancy and with each child...ouch.

FEET are swollen *insert super frowny face here* This Brooklyn heat has started to make my feet swell ever so slightly and I'm am not happy about it. I'm mostly concerned because it will slow me down and eventually swallow up my ankles. I have nice ankles and I'd like to keep them. It also makes me wonder if my feet will get bigger. I'd rather that did not happen either.

BELLY is gigantic for real! I still have people telling me that my belly is "so tiny" (not really a compliment btw) and it's annoying because they obviously don't realize that this thing is causing everything to be completely turned on its head! I can't lean forward like I used to, can't sit up like I used to, and my jeans no longer zip even one centimeter. This is huge! Oh, and the fact that it protrudes past my boobs is enough to make me think some people are blind.

BOOBS also gigantic (by my standards). I've always had 34Bs and they are very full Bs at the moment which is disconcerting. I've never wanted bigger boobs, and still don't, but it's a part of this whole experience so I'm allowing myself to be ok with this change. I'm still holding out hope they will return to normal after all this business is done.

EXCITEMENT 10/10 I am not just saying that for fear of being judged, I am actually super excited about the whole ordeal. I am gathering all the things I can find for my little one, making plans, and nesting a bit. It helps that my sister is due two months(ish) before me because that will be my reality check. This is going to really happen and you better get ready!

This picture was taken around 21 weeks. Don't mind the shoes in the background.