Using Herbal Medicine to Support Your Body & Mind in the Postpartum Period
Editorial Note
This piece uses gender neutral language whenever possible, referring to “parent(s)” or “birther(s)” rather than “woman” or “mother(s)”.
Disclaimer: Always consult your healthcare provider prior to taking any botanical or herbal supplements or medicine while breastfeeding. The following herbs mentioned in this piece are suggestions that should only be used under the guidance of a doctor or experienced provider.
When my daughter was born in 2017 I was prepared. I had been pregnant for almost 42 weeks and labored for three days at home. My midwife broke my amniotic sac, I ingested a castor oil and salted caramel ice cream smoothie (which ruined salted caramel ice cream for me forever), and then I pushed her out in less than twenty minutes.
I had waited for almost an entire year for my baby and read every book and blog that was relevant to our birth experience, but in hindsight, nothing prepared me for the journey that was to come. I assumed that breastfeeding would be simple—that she would just latch onto my nipple and we would be in heaven—and that we would nurse day and night in our cozy little nest of a home. Instead, we went through a multi-week ordeal of cracked, sore and chapped nipples, ultimately culminating in mastitis (caused by bacteria entering a cut on my nipple).
The first year was far more difficult than I had ever imagined. We struggled constantly with sleep. But at the same time she brought a kind of love to my life that I had never experienced before.
Still, my daughter faced minor health challenges, like severe diaper rash, digestive discomfort and acid reflux. In dealing with a whole host of bodily ailments for the first time, I started to turn to herbal medicine, making my daughter’s diaper cream from calendula flowers and olive oil and giving her watered down herbal tea for her reflux. These simple solutions were so much more effective than anything recommended by western medicine, that I started to become seriously interested in herbalism as a career path. Clinical herbalism has since turned into a business for me, I work with clients and support folks through chronic health challenges of various kinds. But it has also turned into a venue for me to support my family; as my daughter grew older and I had my second child in 2021, herbs have become our first approach to most common ailments.
I have outlined three distinctive categories for effective herbal medicine usage following the birth of a baby(s): postpartum healing, breastfeeding and postpartum depression and anxiety. I hope that these solutions will be helpful and educational and the start of an exciting journey into modern herbal medicine.
I. Healing Your Body in Postpartum
The postpartum period is a cherished time, and allowing a parent’s body to heal from the physical strife of carrying and delivering a new human into the world is of utmost importance. Postpartum is considered the 6 weeks following the birth of your baby, when your organs and material physiology return to their normal state (Romm, 461) following pregnancy. Your organs have undergone a dramatic dance around your body, and you have experienced serious physical trauma regardless of how you delivered your baby. There are a few key topical herbs to use to help your body mend itself.
Whatever your birth experience, sitz bath herbs can bring relief and healing for both vaginal and c-section parents. The term sitz bath comes from the German word Sitzbad, “a bath in which one sits.” Sitz bath herbs work in combination with each other. Traditionally, a sitz bath herb bundle will include plants like calendula (Calendula officinalis), uva ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Uva ursi, witch hazel and yarrow all support topical wound healing. Yarrow is a hemostatic herb, meaning that it speeds up clotting, while witch hazel soothes inflammation and can bring relief to stubborn hemorrhoids. In a sitz bath, each plant plays an important role in your body’s path to repair itself.
Preparation and usage: Soaking sitz bath herbs in very hot water produces a concentrated tea which can then be used in a bath or on a maternity pad. For a parent who has undergone a c-section, the same concentrated tea can be used on a piece of cloth across the healing incision. Additionally, topical herbs like calendula, chamomile and comfrey are all potent healing plants for wounds and scar tissue.
II. Using Herbs to Support Breastfeeding
Milk Supply
For a new parent, it can be stressful when milk supply lags behind your baby’s appetite. Fortunately, there are reliable herbs we can turn to to help increase lactation and breast milk supply.
Herbs that increase milk production are called galactagogues, meaning a food or medicine that increases the flow of milk. While there have been few formal studies on herbal galactagogues, there have been pilot studies (Romm 488) on milk supply with Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum). In Swafford, S Berns B. study from 2000, fenugreek was shown to increase milk production for parents who pumped breast milk and breastfed. It is an herb commonly used by experienced lactation consultants. One notable report by Kathleen Huggins shared that to date, her use of Fenugreek “has helped over 1200 women who have taken the herb” (Huggins).
One of my favorite plants to increase a low milk supply is Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle). When I work with clients who are struggling with milk production, I recommend freeze-dried capsules made from a fresh nettle plant. If this is not available, a tea made from dried nettles can also help. When it comes to a true low milk supply, herbal support is often recommended by western doctors and alternative medicine practitioners alike. It’s always best to work with a certified lactation consultant prior to taking any botanical medicine, as there can be underlying issues that don’t qualify for herbal support.
Breast & Body Discomfort
When it comes to the extreme discomfort that can often accompany the first few weeks or even months of breastfeeding, salves or creams with herbal infusions of plants like calendula, and plantain can be very helpful. It is best not to use any topicals with sulfates and parabens as those harsh chemicals can transfer to your baby. Any product with minimal ingredients and names you can pronounce is usually a safe bet. As a parent, I always recommend having a few plant-based salves and creams in your medicine cabinet for you and your children.
III. Postpartum Depression & Anxiety
With the birth of my son in 2021, I experienced postpartum depression and anxiety for the first time. Because we co-slept in two separate bedrooms with our children so that everyone could get enough sleep, night became a lonely time for me. I dreaded saying good night to my partner and turning off the light. I was awake for most of the night breastfeeding my son and my mind would easily get the best of me. For me, postpartum anxiety manifested in very dark thoughts where I would circle endlessly until I finally calmed down and fell asleep. Though I have experience working with other parents who suffer from postpartum depression in my clinical practice, I truly did not know that postpartum anxiety was as prevalent as it is.
Roughly 70% of all parents go through the “baby blues,” whether clinically diagnosed as postpartum depression (PPD) or not. Postpartum depression and anxiety are usually discussed in terms that single out individual parents as unique, when in fact, one in five parents experience postpartum anxiety of some kind, ranging from mild to severe (Collier). Parents with a history of depression, anxiety or mood disorders are 35% more likely to experience some form of PPD. It is best to remember that you are not alone in your experience, becoming a new parent will change you in ways you can’t expect. Embracing that change while also caring for your mental health will make you a better parent, partner and individual.
While there are conventional treatments for PPD, including SSRIs and cognitive behavioral therapies, we can also make lifestyle changes and turn to plants to help us navigate this time. Ultimately what has worked the best for me and my anxiety has been a mix of therapy as well as herbs and exercise. The following are a few safe and helpful plants that can you can turn to in your postpartum period.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
Ashwagandha is one herb we recommend most to support new parents through postpartum anxiety. Ashwagandha is effective for both PPD and anxiety, and can also be used to increase milk supply and is considered safe while breastfeeding (“Withania - Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed)”). Ashwagandha has little to no toxicity, though it can create digestive upset if used in high concentrations. It is a reliable adaptogen, meaning it can help counter and relieve anxiety by restoring low energy levels while calming an overactive mind. Taking it throughout the day is recommended, as it is non-sedative.
Preparation & Usage: The best way to take Ashwagandha is in powder form, which can be combined with a milk of your choice (cow, oat, almond, etc.), sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Capsules are also an effective way to take Ashwagandha if you can’t find the time to make a warm beverage.
German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
Chamomile is a wonderful tool to have in your herbal medicine chest. It is one of the most widely recognized and commonly used plants for babies, children and parents during pregnancy and postpartum due to its safety, availability, and effectiveness. Chamomile is a bitter herb with a unique floral flavor profile that is drying in the mouth. It is most effective for calming upset stomachs, reflux, and colic.
Preparation & Usage: Nursing parents can consume chamomile tea while nursing to effectively transfer relief for symptoms of colic and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) to their nursing baby. For direct relief, a diluted chamomile tea can also be squirted into a baby’s mouth via a dropper or syringe, please see recommended dosages for ages based on Young or Cowling’s rules. When my daughter experienced mild symptoms of reflux, we would make a diluted chamomile tea and put it into her mouth via a graduated dropper. It worked wonders for us and helped all of us get a little more sleep.
As an indirect effect, managing colic and GERD can significantly reduce the stress on new parents as they try to navigate their baby’s responses to breastfeeding.
The ritual for new parents of brewing a hot cup of chamomile tea with honey can also be soothing for nerves and anxiety.
The time following the birth of a new baby is rich with memories and emotional highs and lows. Using herbs responsibly and correctly with the proper knowledge can help a new parent tremendously. There are many resources that parents can look to for guidance on using botanical medicine in the postpartum period such as online articles and blogs, but I always recommend working with an experienced herbalist, naturopathic MD or doctor.
The postpartum periods I experienced with both of my children and my partner are some of my sweetest memories. Eating delicious and nourishing meals in bed, snuggling with my newborn, I see the postpartum time as sacred. Reminding myself to simply enjoy my baby and our time together helped me to be present and sensitive with my mental health. Enjoying the rituals of using herbal medicine, finding the ebb and flow with your baby’s rhythms–there are so many gentle ways to relax into the stress of becoming a parent. Allow yourself to be doted upon and cared for while taking the time and freedom to learn slowly with your baby in partnership.
Sources
Collier, Stephanie. “Postpartum anxiety is invisible, but common and treatable.” Harvard Health, 30 July 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/postpartum-anxiety-an-invisible-disorder-that-can-affect-new-mothers-202107302558. Accessed 10 February 2022.
Huggins, Kathleen E. “Breastfeeding Online.” Fenugreek: One Remedy for Low Milk Production, http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/fenuhugg.shtml#sthash.dJ8i0UNS.dpbs. Accessed 10 February 2022.
Romm, Aviva. Botanical Medicine for Women's Health E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2017.
“Withania - Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed).” NCBI, 17 March 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501905/. Accessed 10 February 2022.
About the Author
Halley Strongwater is a certified clinical herbalist trained at Millagro School of Herbal Medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Through Loam, she provides herbalist-formulated bio-regional products to cultivate wellness and joy. By sharing her own knowledge of plants, she hopes to empower others to consider their connection to the earth. She is a lifelong gardener, self-trained botanist and has spent countless hours with her hands in the dirt, plants and trees. She can be found on Instagram here.
