What day it is hardly matters when you have a newborn. But to help mark the passing of the days, today (Saturday) is designated as a day to let the past week go, and turn inward to focus on yourself. Sipping soothing, herbal tea is a great way to slow down, nourish yourself, and consciously focus on yourself, even for just 5 minutes. Red Raspberry leaf is a common tea for pregnancy, postpartum, and female health in general as it tones the uterus, among other benefits. Ginger tea is beneficial for its warming nature, and it soothes and aids digestion. For custom herbal formulas to promote your postpartum healing and/or address specific issues, schedule an herbal consultation via telehealth here.  As we’ve seen more than once, all things warm are key for postpartum healing. Even drinking warm or hot water is beneficial. Ideally something with no caffeine. While there may be differing opinions about the consumption of caffeine when breastfeeding newborns, the reason to avoid or reduce it for you is that avoiding anything that stimulates your sympathetic nervous system is both advantageous to your emotional health, therefore your newborns emotional health, and also your healing. Meditating, conscious breathing, sitting quietly engages the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), where as caffeine, stressful news, loud music and noises stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Being in a state of “rest and digest” is more advantageous for healing, producing breastmilk, and giving your baby a sense of security and stability, so they can build their own healthy nervous system and emotional security. Whatever you prefer to drink, take time to enjoy, sip, breathe, smile. Take time to feel the warmth of the cup between your hands, notice the soothing sensation as the warm fluid passes down your throat and travels through your esophagus to your stomach, warming you from the center. See if you can let go of any ideas of what should happen today and just focus on nourishing yourself, checking in with how you’re feeling. Perhaps practicing the 3-part breath, or the 3-Dimensional breathing practices we did during the fist live session. (That’s - 1. Inhaling for a count of 3, holding for 2, and exhaling for 3. - 2. placing your hands first one on each side of your ribs, then front and back, and finally one hand on the top of your chest above your breast, and the other below, and consciously moving your hands out and up with each inhalation, respectively. Catch the replay in the FB group for more guidance.) Or perhaps listen again to either the Meditation for Safety and Protection from Day 5 or the Circle of Motherhood Meditation from Day 6 if you have time. Whatever you do, I encourage you to focus on yourself, your baby, and taking care of you.

Here are 2 simple, postpartum healing herbal teas.

Enjoy!