Our lovely friend Kheyla at Mother Natures Recipes, has kindly prepared a blog post on her Postnatal Boost Tea and how it's ingredients can help support your postpartum recovery.
Postpartum health can mean so many things, from drawing a nice hot bath to taking postnatal supplements to try and feel a little more restored. But in truly supporting the wellbeing of new mothers, physical and mental health should be considered alongside one another, as both are so intrinsically key to healing and aiding women in settling in to their life changing roles as mothers.
When I originally began working on the postnatal blend, I drew upon my own personal experiences of childbirth and those of the wonderful mothers I have in my life. We discussed how different our bodies felt after giving birth and acknowledged that they would most likely never feel the same again, we discussed the power in that, that our new bodies were to be celebrated for all they had accomplished in the amazing feat of bringing life into the world.
A common theme that often arrived during these conversations was the need for strength, for our bodies to feel empowered and healthy. This truly resonated with me and I wanted to find a way to incorporate these aspects of vitality into the blend. To support the bodies of women, whether from a vaginal delivery or a c-section, to simply highlight the fact that mother’s wellbeing is intrinsically linked to baby’s, which is why making time for self-care is so essential.
I named the blend Postnatal Boost, as that is exactly what I wanted to provide new mums with. To lift them up, remind them of their own importance and nourish their bodies from the inside out.
I chose an old favourite when talking about labour and the postpartum stage. Raspberry leaf has been used throughout history to help bring on contractions, it contains an alkaloid called fragrine which is said to strengthen the uterus and pelvic floor both in preparation for labour and during the postpartum period. It is high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and has immune boosting properties making it the perfect herb for aiding pain relief and building the body back up at a time when its vulnerable. It also has a wonderful earthy taste and paired with its thick herbaceous texture, it represents the strengthening properties that go hand in hand with the overall blend.
The blend also contains Tulsi (Holy Basil) which is an adaptogenic herb, meaning it works to counteract the effects of stress within the body. Whilst life with a newborn is a wonderous and magical time, it can also be quite a difficult transitional period, so a herb that battles the effects of stress was a key addition for me. It’s truly a wonderful herb that supports the body in so many ways, from balancing hormones to traditionally being used to support wound healing, it’s perfect for c-section incisions and vaginal deliveries.
I added in stinging nettle as I wanted a herb that focused on building up a healthy blood supply for overall wellbeing of the body. Nettle is full of iron, a mineral a lot of mums can find themselves depleted of throughout pregnancy, it can also aid breastmilk production as well as help to fight postpartum fatigue.
Lastly, we have hibiscus sabdariffa (sorrel) a beautiful herb that creates the most perfect aromatic red cup. I was particularly drawn to this herb as the deep red colour it produces is representative of life and vitality, everything that the postpartum blend stands for. It’s also high in vitamin C and antioxidants that work to detoxify the body, support the immune system and aid healing.
Postnatal Boost has specifically been designed from top to bottom to provide postpartum bodies with the goodness they need to achieve optimum wellbeing. All the herbs used are 100% organic to ensure the utmost quality and potency and the loose leaf nature of the blend ensures that with every cup, some much needed time is taken out of your day to pull the focus back to you and your overall health.
1 comment
Very impressed with the article clear concise informative and well researched.
Shaun Buchanan