Top 5 Postpartum Teas to Nourish Yourself After Birth
We talk a lot here on the Holistic Pregnancy blog about nourishing yourself postpartum. Taking care of yourself after birth is essential for your well-being and recovery. One way to enhance self-care and promote healing is by incorporating tea into your daily routine. My favourite postpartum teas are those that include nourishing herbs that can help to promote recovery and rejuvination by supporting hormonal balance, replenishing depleted nutrient stores, reducing stress and fatigue, and promoting calm and relaxation.
In this blog post, we'll explore my favourite postpartum teas, their benefits, and how they can aid in your postpartum healing journey. So, grab a cup of tea, find a cozy spot, and let's delve into the world of nurturing yourself after birth with the best postpartum teas for self-care and rejuvination.
The Importance of Nourishing Yourself Postpartum
The postpartum period is a time of immense adjustment and change, both physically and emotionally. You’ve just grown a human and expended the equivalent energy of running a marathon birthing your baby. There is a ton of work going on inside your body to repair and readjust, from healing wounds and tissue to replenishing lost blood stores and shifting organs back into their original place. On top of all of that, you’re also adjusting to your new role as mom and all of the overwhelming work required to take care of your new baby.
This is why postpartum nourishment is so crucial: taking care of yourself is not a luxury but a necessity, as it allows you to be the best version of yourself for your baby and family. Nourishment and self-care after birth involves not just physical recovery and filling depleted nutrient stores, but also relaxing, recharging, and regaining your strength. Postpartum teas can be a valuable addition to your self-care routine, offering a range of benefits that support your physical and emotional recovery.
Benefits of Postpartum Teas
There are a few key reasons why I love recommending postpartum teas to new mamas.
First, they are hydrating. Staying hydrated is essential for postpartum recovery. Getting ample fluids is vital to your body’s healing process, helps to keep your energy levels up, can prevent constipation, and is key for milk production if you’re breastfeeding. Sometimes, drinking copious amounts of water can get boring. Teas offer an alternative way to get those fluids in.
Second, there is something so soothing about a steaming cup of tea. Maybe it’s the ritual of turning the kettle on, getting out your favourite mug, selecting the type of tea that feels just right for that moment, and slowly pouring steaming water over the tea leaves. Or maybe it’s the simple act of sitting down with a warm cup of tea, feeling the warm steam on your face as you lean in for your first sip. In the hustle of bustle of life with a new baby, postpartum teas offer a quick and easy way for you to slow down for a few minutes.
Third, postpartum teas can be very nourishing and can play a role in helping to refill depleted nutrient stores. As a herbalist apprentice, it often amazes me how simple leaves and flowers can pack a serious nutrient punch. Many of us come into the postpartum period with depleted nutrient stores, and incorporating postpartum teas into your daily routine is a simple way to help replenish those stores.
My Top 5 Postpartum Teas
There are a ton of products out there labelled as “postpartum tea” that promise to rejuvinate you in all kinds of ways with a lengthy list of unfamiliar ingredients. While these products are convenient, it can be hard to decipher the benefits of all those ingredients and if they are specifically right to you.
To help sort through that confusion and overwhelm, I prefer to recommend teas with only one or two ingredients so that you can easily understand what it is you’re digesting and how it may affect you.
Here is my list of my top 5 postpartum teas. These are teas that I personally drink on a regular basis and often recommend to my postpartum clients. These postpartum teas can be consumed on their own or in combination. They are all considered safe for regular use and for breastfeeding, and in many cases are even beneficial for breastmilk production.
If you have any concerns or questions about incorporating postpartum tea into your routine and whether or not a specific product is right for you, please check with your primary healthcare provider.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile is a beautiful, small flower. It is well-known for its calming and relaxing propterties. It creates a calming state of peace, can soothe nerves and reduce anxiety, and supports overall emotional well-being. It also is known to help ease tension and achiness in the body, lift the spirits, and reduce inflammation. If you’re breastfeeding, drinking chamomile tea can help to relax both you and your baby and may even help to reduce baby’s colic symptoms.
Nettle Tea
Nettle leaf is something we often tend to avoid when we encounter it in nature, due to its stinging properties. But as a postpartum tea, nettle is a wonderfully nourishing drink. Nettles are rich in vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, vitamin A, and trace minerals. Nettle tea is known to be invigorating and energizing, and may also reduce inflammation and enrich breastmilk and enhance breastmilk production. It makes such a great postpartum tea that Aviva Romm, one of my favourite pregnancy and postpartum experts, recommends drinking it daily.
Raspberry Leaf Tea
Raspberry leaf is literally the leaves of the raspberry plant. You may have heard of or even taking raspberry leaf during your pregnancy to help tone your uterus, but raspberry leaf is often also included in postpartum teas to support the healing process and promote overall uterine health. As with nettle tea, raspberry leaf tea is rich in vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, iron, potassium, B vitamins, and vitamin C. It has also been known to curb excessive bleeding and assist with wound healing.
Matcha Tea
Matcha is a high quality type of concentrated green tea that uses whole leaves that are ground into powdered form. Though traditionally used in Japan, it has become a super trendy health product worldwide due to its high concentration of antioxidants and the amino acid l-theanine which promotes both relaxation and clarity. As a postpartum tea, I recommend matcha as a healthier alternative to my postpartum mamas who are craving the coffee caffeine hit. While matcha does contain caffeine (approximately 50-150mg per cup, depending on brand and serving size), the caffeine in matcha reacts differently than caffeine from coffee so that it is released more slowly and doesn’t spike adrenaline or glucose levels. As a result, you get a sustained feeling of relaxed alertness rather than coffee jitters. Note that matcha may intefere with iron absorption, something to consider if iron is an issue for you. Note as well that caffeine can affect your baby if you’re breastfeeding, and health experts generally recommend not exceeding 300mg of caffeine daily while breastfeeding.
Bone Broth
Okay, I know that this is technically not a tea, but a steaming mug of bone broth is just as nourishing as a cup of tea. Bone broth is a clear liquid made from cooking meat bones for long periods of time, allowing for the release of the nutrients from the bones into the liquid. There are so many amazing benefits to consuming bone broth postpartum that I’ve written an entire blog post on this topic (read it here). But to recap: bone broth is packed with key minerals to replenish your nutrient reserves. It is also a rich source of collagen for tissue repair, and amino acids that support your immune system. It also contains nutrients that can promote hormone regulation and support your mental health and well-being.
Tips for Incorporating Postpartum Teas Into Your Self-Care Routine
To make the most of your postpartum tea experience, here are some tips for incorporating teas into your self-care routine:
1. Create a Ritual: Set aside a specific time each day to enjoy a cup of postpartum tea. Choose a favourite mug and set it aside specifically for your postpartum tea. Create a calming ritual by preparing your tea with the intention of nourishing yourself, and then find a cosy, quiet spot to sit while sipping your tea.
2. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body responds to different teas. Everyone's body is unique and responds differently; what works for one person may not work for another. Experiment to figure out what works best for your body. If you notice any adverse reactions or discomfort, discontinue use and consult with a healthcare professional.
3. Mix and Match: Don't be afraid to experiment with different flavors and blends. Try mixing different teas together or adding natural sweeteners like honey or stevia to enhance the taste. Chamoile and honey go particularly well together. Peppermint is also a great addition: my personal favourite blend of the moment is nettle, raspberry leaf, and peppermint.
4. Share your Tea with Others: Brew a pot of tea and share your favourite tea with friends and family. There’s something so bonding about sitting at the table with a close friend and a couple cups of tea. And kids like tea too! Avoid caffeinated teas with younger ones, and instead try chamomile (with honey for a sweet drink), mint, or fruity blends.
5. Prioritize Rest and Self-care: While postpartum tea can be a valuable addition to your self-care routine, it's important to remember that it is just one piece of the puzzle. Prioritize rest, nourishing meals with nutrient-dense food, gentle movement, and emotional support to ensure a holistic approach to your postpartum healing journey.
A Few Final Words on Postpartum Teas
The postpartum period is a time of immense change and adjustment. Nurturing yourself after birth is crucial for your well-being, recovery, and ability to care for your newborn. Postpartum teas offer a natural and comforting way to support your healing journey. While postpartum teas on their own are not a magical tool that will suddenly restore you, incorporating my favourite postpartum teas into your daily routine is a relatively easy way to nourish yourself both physically and mentally.