Welcome to Pregnancy Story Time, Episode 2

Pregnancy Story Time, Episode 2!

My pregnancy with Milo was such a transformational time in so many ways. Besides getting my a$$ kicked by asthma and my life saved by homeopathy, as I detailed in a previous post, I was also training as an herbalist.

It was, appropriately, a nine-month apprenticeship, in which we learned about the herbs through study as well as direct, hands-on experience: working with them, taking them into our bodies, and making salves, balms, tinctures, and medicines.

I became pregnant pretty early on in the apprenticeship, so my herbal study was almost completely through the lens of pregnancy, birth, and post partum. Through necessity, I quickly became an expert in knowing which herbs are safe and unsafe for each of these stages, and which herbs could be harnessed for particular effects for each of these stages as well.

At the end of the apprenticeship, we were encouraged to do a capstone project. For me, this was the creation of a product line, under the brand name Mama Bear Botanicals, for which I crafted herbal care products for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

I'll be honest -- researching and pouring myself into making the products was a way for me to manage my anxiety before stepping into the unknown portals of birth and motherhood. But it turned into something bigger, and Mama Bear Botanicals became a thriving venture that continued through the first few years of Milo's life.

Now that we're living somewhere with more space, I am leaning back in to crafting some of these products again and reviving the Mama Bear Botanicals product line. Stay tuned for my storefront, coming soon, and also feel free to reach out with any product requests! 

Recently, a pregnant friend reached out to ask me about the safety of various herbs and essential oils during pregnancy. I made up a doc for her with a comprehensive list of safe/not safe essential oils, that I'm going to build out into an article, but if you want the quick-and-dirty info, reach out to me and I'll send it over.

I also told her about nutritive herbs that can provide nutrition for mama and developing baby, as well as strategies for post-partum mood management. Again, let me know if you're interested and I can pass these resources along.

My herbal library is second only to my homeopathy library (which is downright beastly!). I have done an immense amount of study and have an incredible amount of resources to share around herbs and plant medicine.

If you're interested in learning more how herbs and homeopathy can help support you through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, let's set up a time to chat!