Have you ever wondered what herbal supplements you should take during pregnancy to help you stay strong and prep your body for a healthy delivery?
Maybe you’ve come across remedies for pregnancy-related ailments or a list of individual herbs to use to help strengthen your uterus.
Which of those are needed and which ones can you skip?
Today I want to make things a bit simpler and share my personal go-to herbal supplements for pregnancy with you.
These are my favorite herbal supplements that I’ve used over the course of four pregnancies, and they all contain safe herbs that are okay for preggo mamas to use. With that in mind, it’s always a good idea to run anything you’re planning on taking by your OB-GYN or midwife first, just to be on the safe side.
Are Supplements Really All That Necessary?
I’m not big on taking a ton of supplements… even if they’re natural and healthy. I really want to work at getting the most of my nutrition from a good diet.
Unfortunately, that’s not always as easy as it sounds. There are times in life, during busy seasons, times of illness, and times of physical change where supplementing my diet has been the right choice for me.
Pregnancy is one of those times.
Pregnancy can be a joyous time in a woman’s life, but it’s also a time of change, growth, and physical stress on a woman’s body.
I’ve heard it said by nutritionists that it’s impossible to get all the nutrition we need from our modern diets (even traditional real food diets) and that supplementation is a must. If that’s true when you aren’t pregnant, then supplements are a definite must when you are pregnant as extra nutrition is needed to help you grow a strong, healthy baby.
Enter, my favorite herbal supplements for pregnancy.
My Go-To Herbal Supplements For Pregnancy
Below you’ll find my favorite herbal supplements for pregnancy broken down into the following categories.
- Nutritional Supplements
- Tonic Supplements
- Ailment Supplements
- Labor Prep Supplements
Nutritional Supplements
The first thing I do before I start trying to get pregnant is to start taking a high-quality whole food prenatal vitamin to help me get extra nutrients I’ll need for conception and sustaining a pregnancy. Not only does it contain vitamins sourced from whole foods, but it has minerals, probiotics, herbs, and mushrooms added in too. It’s so healthy, and it always gives me the extra energy I need during this time of life.
I love Garden of Life’s Raw Prenatal. Not only does it contain vitamins sourced from whole foods, but it has minerals, probiotics, herbs, and mushrooms added in too. It’s so healthy, and it always gives me the extra energy I need during this time of life.
Once I find out I’m pregnant, after doing a happy dance and telling my hubbie, I add in their probiotic supplement called Primal Defense. Not only does it help support my gut health and immune system during this time, but it can help cut down on pregnancy related GI issues like gas and constipation.
The last nutritional supplement I use during pregnancy is a prenatal DHA capsule called Ocean’s Mom. Omega oils are good for your health, but they’re also good for your baby’s brain development, especially when taken during the first trimester.
Tonic Supplements
About 2-3 months into my pregnancy, I start supplementing with some form of red raspberry leaf.
Capsules, teas, tinctures… whatever. I just do my best to get it in.
Red raspberry leaf has been long known as a “woman’s herb” although it can be used for men too. It has a medically proven and trusted track record in helping strengthen the womb of a pregnant woman as well as restoring the womb after delivery.
My preferred red raspberry leaf supplement is Bulk Herb Store’s Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew. Not only does it contain red raspberry leaves, but it has nettle and alfalfa in it which are high in minerals and can help cut down on pregnancy-related ailments as well as a small amount of peppermint for flavor.
Ailment Supplements
Pregnancy can be a hard time for some mamas.
I’ve been lucky that I’ve never really had any major health issues during my pregnancies, but like most all mamas, I have had my fair share of common pregnancy-related issues like morning sickness, mild swelling, headaches, etc.
Below is a list of herbal remedies I like to use for many of these common pregnancy issues.
- Constipation – probiotic capsules and Resolution Fiber mix
- Headaches – lavender essential oil and chamomile tea
- Muscle Cramps – magnesium lotion (without the essential oils added)
- Nausea – ginger chews
- Swelling – add a teaspoon of cornsilk to my Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew
Labor Prep Supplements
The last thing I do in my pregnancy is to prepare for the actual birth of my baby.
About 5-6 weeks before my due date I begin using Moutain Meadow Herbs “Gentle Birth” labor prep supplement. It helps to get your body ready to have a quick, safe delivery, and it minimizes complications such as hemorrhage and things of that nature.
I didn’t take this supplement with my first pregnancy (I took a different one) and you all know how long that one was. I did take it with the last three and they all went much faster and much easier than the first. I’m certain there was more to Judah’s prolonged delivery than not taking this supplement, but I definitley think that having it would have helped.
You Can Have A Naturally Healthy Pregnancy
Herbs are such a gift, and I’m so grateful to have easy access to them.
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing what herbal supplements I like to use during my pregnancies. I hope that this empowers you to pursue having a naturally healthy pregnancy of your own.
This post was originally written on November 29, 2011 and has been updated for accuracy.
Do you have any brand suggestions for a all natural, whole food, pre-natal vitamin?
This is the brand I use at the beginning of pregnancy… I don’t always continue with them all the way through. It just depends. Anyway, I really like this company though. They seem straight up and honest about their products.
Meagan, do you have any recommendations for fighting colds while pregnant? Things to make or buy. I’m in the midst of a respiratory cold right now and am 24 weeks pregnant. I just made up an elderberry syrup, I’ve been taking a little extra Vit C (sodium ascorbate) and honey for my throat cough, but I’m definitely thinking I need something stronger. Any products/recipes that you have used or come to mind would be greatly appreciated! TIA!
Emalee
Well, there are lots of herbs for colds, but basically it depends on what kind of cold you have and what symptoms are accompanying it. Off the top of my head, elderberry and echinacea are great right at the beginning, but you’ll wanna double check and make sure anything you take is okay during pregnancy. Check with your OB or with a clinical herbalist. Those two herbs are the typical go-to herbs. There are some adaptogenic herbs as well like astragalus root, but I’m not sure about them during pregnancy. Vitamin C and extra Vitamin D3 should be good too. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, but hopefully that’s a start.
Meagan, I absolutely have fallen in love with your site. I hope we can begin an online connection. Not only is your site aesthetically beautiful, but you have wonderful holistic information! Well done, Mama!
Thanks Mandy! It’s nice to meet you too, and I’ll definitely check your blog out. I need all the whole food nutritional help I can get with these four boys of mine!
Hi! I just ordered the pre-natal vitamin you recommended. Is there anything else you would recommend to take along with these supplements? I am slowly learning about a more holistic approach to medicine. All my life I was raised to trust the doctors. Therefore, with my first two pregnancies I did what the doctor said, and used the prenatal vitamin he recommended. After just suffering a miscarriage, I am devoted to seeking out the best nutrition before starting to try again. It is overwhelming though because there is so much to learn. It’s not as easy as driving to the local drugstore and picking a prenatal vitamin off the shelf.
I want to make sure I give my body (and growing baby) everything it needs to be healthy. I do not believe that can be done by following the traditional medical path. So, as of now I will be taking the probiotic, the prenatal vitamin, and the cod liver oil you recommended. I will be honest and tell you my diet is not where it should be, although I am making an effort to improve it each day.
So, please give me you opinion whether or not the plan I stated above seems to be safe. I understand that you are not a doctor, and I should consult my medications/supplements with him, and I will. But I would like for you to give me a plan to present to him so I do not have to continue searching hours on end for a healthy supplement and vitamin plan for pregnancy.
Thank you so much for you blog. It is wonderful.
Hi Amanda! Congrats on your newest pregnancy! I totally understand wanting to do things differently this time. Let me assure you, you can have a totally natural pregnancy that is safe for you and your baby. I love Garden of Life products. Their probiotics, prenatal vitamins, and omega supplements are great. They’re a great company, and although I’m not big into taking supplements all the time, pregnancy is a time when I will take them… especially during the beginning. Pregnancy brain takes over towards the end, and I forget to take them! LOL! I’ve used them with all 4 of my pregnancies, and I’ve never had my doctors or midwife worry that they weren’t safe for me. I followed the recommended dosages on the bottle. I think I took 1 probiotic daily, 3 multivitamins daily, and 1 omega daily. I’d also highly recommend the red raspberry leaf… either drinking BHS Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew daily as a tea or tincturing it and taking that daily… especially with the history of a miscarriage. That blend is full of vitamins and minerals, it strengthens and tones the uterus, and it builds the blood. This is basically what I did for the entire length of my pregnancies up until the end when I added in the Gentle Birth around 35 weeks. If you have any other questions feel free to email me or ask here. Best of luck! I’ll be thinking about you!
Red raspberry and nettle were my favorites, and I also took labor prep herbs that made such a difference!
What did you take for labor prep herbs Jill?
I took black cohosh, squawvine, lobelia, penny royal, and red raspberry the last 5 weeks of pregnancy and it cut my labor in half!
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing Jill!
This truly answered my problem, many thanks!
I’m glad it helped Sandy! Thanks for your comment!
[…] Megan from growing Up Herbal has a great post about herbal supplements during pregnancy, check it out here. […]
I Haven’t searched your site that much so maybe you have a post somewhere about this, but What do you take while nursing? Or do you just try to eat a very good diet? Also is there a tincture recipe for calcium?
Basically, I eat healthily, continue my prenatal vitamins, use this blend to boost breastmilk supply and nutrition, and that’s it. BTW… the mama’s milk blend contains herbs that have calcium in them. I also have a post on some books that can help you during pregnancy and nursing that have some amazing recipes in them as well. Hope that helps.
Hi Meagan,
I just asked my midwives about Gentle Birth and they said in their experience there is extra bleeding at time of labor. Have you found the same to be true?
I have a clotting disorder and am on a mild blood thinner (baby aspirin) and they said that Gentle birth + baby aspirin may not be the best idea. If I take a milder dose of gentle birth for a shorter period of time would that lessen bleeding while having the same benefits?
Thanks! Lizzi
I would definitely do what your midwives suggest and skip it this time around, Lizzi. Are they okay with you taking red raspberry leaf tea? That can help strengthen and tone your uterus in preparation for labor, and it has been used safely for many years in pregnant mothers. I will say that when I took the Gentle Birth, I did bleed a bit at the start of labor, but I did that the time that I didn’t use the Gentle Birth too so I’m not sure it was related. I think it was simply signs of labor starting. And, I never bled excessively in any of my labors either. As far as Gentle Birth goes, my midwife did not express any concerns with it. In fact, she encouraged it, but she also said I would be totally fine without it. It’s certainly not necessary so don’t feel like you HAVE to have it, and I’m not sure that minimizing the dose would do you any good. I think you probably need the full dose and the full length of time for it to benefit you. Check with your midwives about the red raspberry leaf tea. If they are okay with that, I’d go that route alone. Best of luck, mama! I wish you a happy, beautiful L&D!
Thank You! One midwife said to take smaller doses and start later in pregnancy; another said that I have red hair so I’ll bleed more any way so DON’T take it. But, considering the blood thinner and the slightly higher risk I’ll stay away from it. (I don’t believe the red hair bit). I’ll check with them on the red raspberry leaf tea.
Thanks for the update, Lizzi, and I think you’re on the right track. There are herbs you can take that will do you some good, but you don’t have to do anything risky!
What are your opinions on the prenatal from Raise Them Well? I just noticed they had a prenatal after buying some Vitamin D from them.