23 October 2009

To all you nursing mamas

I just finished reading The Birth House, by Ami Mckay (thanks Ilene for the recommendation), which was a good read except for the fact that I think it diverged a bit too much from the birth stories that it promised to tell. The few birth stories it shared were fascinating and I love, loved all the references to the natural remedies used in the older days.

In the story, Miss B is the resident midwife and healer of sorts in the small Nova Scotia village who has a vast knowledge of herbal tinctures for use by women in every stage of their "courses". Her willow book is an encyclopedia of remedies like:
  • rubbing dill seed oil on a colicky child's belly
  • sage to help with afterbirth pains, but careful! it dries up milk. brew sage tea when weaning a babe
  • brew mother's heart with babyberry bark to make a tea to stop excessive bleeding
Being a nursing mama myself right now, I was most interested with the references to the galactagogues: natural agents which promote the secretion and flow of breast milk. I discovered this tea which includes a combination of three galactagogues--fennel, anise and coriander, and have been drinking it daily. It is surprisingly delicious, soothing and promoting healthy lactation for this little chubster:


5 comments:

Lizzy said...

Interesting. I'll have to check that out. I've been having serious low milk problems with this second baby. Some friends recommended a herb called fenugreek, which is helping a lot, and my doctor gave me a anti-nausea (of all things) prescription which is suppose to help with lactation. But I need all the help I can get! I'll have to read that book. Thanks for sharing.

JessBK said...

That is such a great picture! He looks so sweet and handsome.

Ilene said...

I would like to say that I too was enlightened by that book. But, really, I'm not as smart as you.

I was just exasperated at the girl (can't remember her name) decided to have a life-long affair with her dead husband's brother. What a literary cop-out.

Kate said...

Cool! I would love to check that out...I love birth stories and I'm also a lactation counselor. Little by little I've been learning more about herbal remedies. You're little man is adorable, by the way.

Aimee & Brennen Fuller said...

That picture is adorable. Those eyes are gorgeous! And I'm loving the extra chub he's sportin'!