[Rev1053]

What can/should I be taking to help things go nicely and help things stick? Maybe some teas?

After my last miscarriage my midwife recommended some things... But I cant remember what they are for the life of me.

Anyone here have any idea what I am talking about?

Oh and yes I am taking Rainbow Light prenatal. Have been taking prenatal for months.

 

[Flower of Bliss]

FWIW, I'm taking a Rainbow light prenatal, a B complex, Folic Acid, and a chewable Calcium supplement.

I haven't been drinking tea... I need to sit down and figure out which ones are safe/good while pregnant. I've been so focused on things that are safe while BF and suddenly DD is weaned and I'm pregnant again. I forgot what is safe for pregnancy

 

[wanderinggypsy]

I'm doing RRL... about a half cup loose herb in about 3 cups of water steeped for about a half hour. It keeps me feeling strong.

 

[mamadelbosque]

I've ben drinking a cup or two of red raspberry leaf tea everyday, but thats IT so far... I need to remember to stop and buy a thing of prenatal vitamins from the drug store, but I just haven't done it yet.

 

[Jilian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flower of Bliss FWIW, I'm taking a Rainbow light prenatal, a B complex, Folic Acid, and a chewable Calcium supplement.

Do we need more folic acid than rainbow light prenatals have? I thought they had the full 800? I'm all paranoid because the neural tube is developing this week and I'm scared of defects.

I'm taking rainbow light, one fish oil tab, and the occasional acidopholus to keep my lady friend free from infection

Last preg when I was dealing with PTL I added some magnesium and an omega 3,6,9 to the mix.

 

[stardust swallower]

I'm doing many similar things to previous mama posters -- rainbow prenatals and fish oil here. Since I also had m/c this summer, I'm also taking tinctures of cramp bark and chaste berry tree a few times a day. And several times a week, I drink this tea from The Natural Pregnancy Book (p. 91):

It's called Nourishment Tea and is supposed to be good throughout the entire pregnancy for all women. Additionally, it has a few herbs especially recommended for women with previous m/cs.

2 parts red raspberry leaf
2 parts nettle
1 part oatstraw
1/2 part alfalfa
1/2 part rose hips
1/4 part red clover
1/4 part spearmint leaf

It's not delicious unless you add a lot of mint and honey, but I have grown to like it.

 

[adoremybabe]

Thanks for the tea recipe Stardust I'm going to pick these ingreds. up ithe next time I am out.

Jilian- I usually take 1200 of folic acid when I'm pregnant. MY doc once said that it was a good amount. It just makes me feel better subconsiously I think.

 

[Rev1053]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stardust swallower I drink this tea from The Natural Pregnancy Book (p. 91): It's called Nourishment Tea and is supposed to be good throughout the entire pregnancy for all women. Additionally, it has a few herbs especially recommended for women with previous m/cs. 2 parts red raspberry leaf 2 parts nettle 1 part oatstraw 1/2 part alfalfa 1/2 part rose hips 1/4 part red clover 1/4 part spearmint leaf It's not delicious unless you add a lot of mint and honey, but I have grown to like it.

 

[wombatclay]

I always drink RRL (pregnant or not) so I'll keep doing that.

Every morning I take a prenatal (also regardless of pregnancy status since it's also for breastfeeding and I've been doing that for a while

), flax seed (I'm allergic to fish so the CLO is right out), a calcium/magnesium/zinc, and a probiotic.

I've added more calcium/magnesium/zinc to my evening routine, along with a cup of Pregnancy Tea (traditional medicinal blend... it's raspberry/strawberry/nettle leaves, spearamint, bitter fennel, rose hip, alfalfa, lemon verbena). The tea is yummy and the extra supplement is (hopefully) going to prevent the horrible charley horse leg cramps I had with dd1 (this routine worked pretty well when I was pregnant with dd2).

But it does mean I'm taking 6 different things every morning and two more capsules every evening. Which is a bit nutsy!

 

[Coconut Chronicles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wombatclay I've added more calcium/magnesium/zinc to my evening routine, along with a cup of Pregnancy Tea (traditional medicinal blend... it's raspberry/strawberry/nettle leaves, spearamint, bitter fennel, rose hip, alfalfa, lemon verbena).

That's the same one I've been drinking... I think it tastes pretty good also

. Are the calcium/magnesium/zinc that you're taking all in one pill or separate pills? I've been thinking about adding those....

 

[sunshynbaby]

I've been drinking cranberry tea, just because I've been feeling on the verge of a bladder infection.

 

[wombatclay]

It's a single pill, but to get the right amounts for pregnancy you have to take more than one a day. Right now I take one in the morning and two at night.

 

[Coconut Chronicles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wombatclay It's a single pill, but to get the right amounts for pregnancy you have to take more than one a day. Right now I take one in the morning and two at night.

I see what you mean... would you mind sharing with me the brand? Every time I walk into the supplement section in Whole Foods I get completely overwhelmed and I'm never sure which brand to go with.

 

[0hMyG0h]

RRL tea for me and prenatals. Although I'm thinking of picking ups ome of the Rainbow Light Prenatals. Right now I'm just taking an over the counter.

 

[wombatclay]

It's Nature Made, but it's also the least expensive cacium/magnesium/zinc blend at our local grocery store.

It's gotten a thumbs up from all my care providers (ranging from an OB to Midwives and incliding a Family Practice dr and a Naturopath) but I'm sure there are better supplements from an organic/food based perspective.

 

[stardust swallower]

Thought I'd add some more good stuff from TNPB (the Natural Pregnancy Book) in case anyone is into herbal tinctures. This one is specifically for women with a history of miscarriage.

She says to combine all these tinctures and take 1/2 - 1 tsp twice daily for preventative care. If symptoms such as cramping and spotting begin increase dose as needed up to 1 tsp every 15 minutes until cramps abate.

1 oz cramp bark or black haw
1 oz chasteberry
1 oz wild yam
1/2 oz. partridge berry
1/4 oz. lobelia
1/8 oz. ginger

Here's also a recipe for Miscarriage Prevention Tea -- this one for herbs:

1 oz. each partridge berry, cramp bark or black haw, false unicorn root, and wild yam as well as 1/4 oz. lobelia and 1/8 oz. dried ginger.

Take a total of 1 oz. of this mixture and place in quart size jar. Fill the jar with boiling water, cover, and let steep for 4 hours. Strain and drink between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup every 2 hours.

In general, I think her section on miscarriage is excellent, thorough and very sensitive -- much more so than many books.

I just drink the Nourishment Tea I posted earlier, mostly because all these herbs are kind of hard to find, but I thought I'd throw this up in case anyone was interested and feeling like they needed something more preventative.

I can post the info on what some of the herbs do if anyone wants to know...

positive energy and good stickiness to all!

 

[expat-mama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stardust swallower Here's also a recipe for Miscarriage Prevention Tea -- this one for herbs:

I'm new to a lot of this pregnancy stuff, but everything I've read says that there really is nothing one can do to prevent most miscarriages (besides the obvious of avoiding harmful substances). Everything I've read says that most miscarriages are due to genetic abnormalities or defects that happen when either the egg or sperm did not combine correctly or one of them did not contain the necessary material.
Anyway, I guess I'm a bit weary of anything that claims to prevent miscarriage and I think it might be harmful to suggest to women that they could have done something to prevent something generally regarded as unpreventable.
I generally consider myself a skeptic, so no offense intended.

 

[stardust swallower]

Hi expat-mama -- good points! I think skepticism is a good thing. And I am with you on the obvious truth that women are not responsible for their own miscarriages.

On the other hand, another truth is that we don't actually know what causes miscarriages. I know in my case our embryo had stopped growing weeks before we found out. We had no signs at all until I started spotting much later and there is nothing I could have done, no tea I could have drunk, no herbs I could have mixed to change the course my pregnancy took. Anyone who has been through it knows it's a terribly sad way to lose someone.

*sigh*

So, for anyone out there who starts to panic when they start spotting and cramping and feels like they want to try to *do* something, the tea is simply one idea from one book. It does not come with any guarantees or false hopes attached to it. It does not dispute the obvious fact that most miscarriages cannot be either predicted or prevented. There are loads of other ideas and options out there ranging from acupuncture to prayer for women who need to take action to cure their worries. As always, we all make our own informed choices.