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Labor Induction

I remember the last several weeks of my pregnancy. They seemed to take FOREVER!  I was carrying a 9-1/2 pound baby and was SO incredibly uncomfortable! Any fear of labor was gone - I just wanted this baby OUT. As hard as it is to wait though, it is so worth it.

Fertility & Hormones

This has always mystified me.  I've talked to A LOT of women who are working on fertility - trying to become pregnant - who have worked with fertility clinics.  Frequently, they say the doctors don't check for hormone imbalance!  This is a huge factor in whether a woman can become pregnant or not!  If there is hormone imbalance, perhaps she may not be ovulating, or her luteal phase (second half of the menstrual cycle, which comes after ovulation) isn't long enough.  These things can definitely hamper conception!

Is it worth even TRYING to breastfeed your second baby?

Didn't make enough breastmilk for your first baby?  Now you're pregnant with your next one, or considering getting pregnant again?  Are you wondering if you should even try to breastfeed this next baby, considering how difficult or perhaps even impossible it was with your first one?  Let me give you some excellent news ...  

Anti-Histimines and breast milk production

Spring is the time of allergies for many, breastfeeding moms included. The common approach is to take an anti-histimine to help alleviate your suffering. You may not know, however, that these antihistimines can also decrease or dry up breastmilk!  These medications are made to dry up secretions and fluids - it will not differentiate between the different body fluids and will commonly decrease breastmilk production.  So keep this in mind if you're thinking of resorting to those anti-histimines!

Postpartum Emotions (and a Note about Postpartum Depression)

As I was writing my blog about herbs for increasing breastmilk production, I felt guided to address how normal, natural and common it is for women to feel very emotional and feel the need to cry after they've given birth, or at any time postpartum.  It became clear that it needed to be a blog post all of its own.  

Best Herbs to Increase Breastmilk Production

 

There are several herbs that work well to increase milk production.  You may be wondering which one is best for you!  Here is a brief summary - there is MUCH more information under Articles & Information and a more detailed and comprehensive one in the Premium Article section.  Here is a brief summary though:

Itching During Pregnancy (PUPPS)

We frequently get clients who are pregnant and are experiencing itchiness.  This is more than just your average itchiness from stretching or dry skin – it can be extreme and really awful to experience.  It’s called PUPPS or cholestasis.  Along with the terrible itching, symptoms can also include brown/dark yellow urine (like beer), light-colored stool, bloodwork showing high liver enzymes, and high bile acid.  We have had tremendous success with our clients using liver herbs. (I have created a product specifically for this called

Mastitis & Plugged Ducts

These were two unexpected and VERY unpleasant issues that began to creep up on me just 3 weeks after the birth of my daughter.  Actually it didn’t creep up at all - it actually happened very fast – one minute I was feeling fine and within a ½ hour, I was feeling horrible.  Like I had the worst flu of my life.  Fever, achiness - it seemed like there was pain everywhere.  And I had to take care of my new baby while I was feeling more horrible than I could ever remember feeling.  Finally we figured out that I had a breast infection.  I did the usual route of a round of antibiotics, which made

Fenugreek: A great herb for increasing milk production, but you need to know how to use it correctly!

Fenugreek Seed is one of the most well-known and effective herbs used to increase breastmilk production, BUT there are some things you need to know when using it.

The Importance of Herb Freshness

I love to cook with herbs.  They give such amazing flavor and add to the health benefits of the foods being cooked.  I’m sure you like to use herbs for cooking too!  Have you ever used an old herb, something that’s been in your kitchen cupboard maybe a little too long?  How did it taste?  Probably ok, but not that great.  And maybe you couldn’t even taste it at all!  And now, have you used a fresh herb with your cooking?  Maybe something you’ve gotten fresh at the store or even picked out of your own garden?  It’s a HUGE difference in taste, isn’t it?  Well, this principle applies to medicinal herbs just like it does with culinary herbs – simply put, fresher herbs will give you MUCH better results. 

Testimonial

I just want to tell you the latest news about my 19 month old son’s iron levels. After only one month of giving him your non-alcohol Iron Tonic Tincture, his hemoglobin rose almost 2 points and his ferritin level rose 6 points!  His level was 4 and now it is 10!  Thank you so much for this wonderful product!  A.D.