When you are breastfeeding, everything that you eat or drink has some potential or another to be passed through your breast milk to your baby. The fact of the matter is that what a woman puts into her body when she is breastfeeding is almost as important as what she puts into her body when she is pregnant. When we think about herbal teas, then, we need to keep this in mind. The truth is that some herbal teas are indeed safe to drink while breastfeeding, while other types of herbal teas may be more questionable.

While breastfeeding, it is generally thought to be safe to drink herbal tea with certain types of ingredients. For example, herbal teas that contain ingredients like nettle leaf, red raspberry leaf, cinnamon, lemon balm, and lavender are all thought to be safe to drink while breastfeeding. IN some cases, these herbal teas may even be beneficial not only to you, but to your baby as well.

There are, of course, some herbal teas that are not safe to drink while breastfeeding. The herbs in these teas fall into a couple of different categories. There are herbs that can slow down a woman’s milk supply, such as sage, black walnut, spearmint, oregano, yarrow, periwinkle, thyme, sorrel, and chickweed. While these teas may not be unsafe to drink in themselves, they can create a risk that your baby will not be able to get enough breast milk, because your body will not produce enough.

The second type of herbal teas that may be unsafe to drink while breastfeeding are teas with herbs that may have actual harmful effects, either on you or on your baby. These herbs can include things like aloe vera, bugleweed, buckthorn, star anise, elecampane, and wormwood, although there are other herbs that can certainly cause problems while breastfeeding. Your health care provider or your herbal expert may have more information about specific sorts of herbs or herbal teas that may not be safe to use or drink while breastfeeding.

If you feel blue after you’ve had baby, even if you feel like you can’t go on and have begun to resent your baby, you’re not alone. Many new mothers go through postpartum depression. For your sake and your baby’s, learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression and, if you think you may be experiencing it, call your doctor or mental health professional. They can give you advice and help needed to get through this difficult time. Here are the major signs of postpartum depression:

• Loss of appetite: When you have just had a baby, your body needs more nourishment, not less. This is especially true if you are breast feeding. If you find that you just don’t want to eat much for several days, you have one of the major signs of postpartum depression.
• Can’t sleep: on some level, a lack of sleep comes with having a baby. Your baby will be up every couple of hours needing your attention. SO, when baby is asleep, you should be able to sleep, too. If you can’t sleep, even when you’re tired and baby is asleep, it presents a problem.
• Irritability and Anger: on some level, these come with lack of sleep, and everybody gets mad once in a while. But, if your irritability is extreme or constant, it could be a sign of a problem.
• Lack of happiness: this should be one of the happiest times of your life. If it isn’t, and you just have no joy at all, consider calling your doctor.
• No interest in sex: If your libido has gone out the window, it may be a symptom of PPD.
• Feeling guilty, ashamed, or unworthy: We all feel this way a little at times. Having a baby who needs us is a humbling experience. But, if it’s interfering with your day to day life, it’s time to get help.
• Severe Moodiness: Again, the key word is severe. Everyone gets moody, but if your moodiness is beginning to look bipolar, it could be time to seek help.
• Loss of interest or bonding with baby: A mother’s bond with her child is a very natural thing. If you’re just not feeling it, it could be PPD, and if so, there is help available.
• Thoughts of harming your baby or yourself: If you’re feeling this way, even a little bit, even for a little while, reach out and get some help, even if you’re not experiencing any other symptoms. These kinds of feelings are not something to take lightly.

With the exception of the desire to hurt yourself or the baby, these symptoms often show up in mild form for a few days at a time. Often called the “baby blues”, this isn’t usually anything to worry about. If it persists or becomes severe, call your doctor.

Some babies and toddlers develop an aversion to having anything placed in their mouths. This is especially common amongst babies who have received medication or ventilation through a tube, though it sometimes crops up without any obvious reason.

Oral defensiveness generally shows itself with a baby’s refusal to take the breast or bottle, and an aversion to having anything else in her mouth. It is believed that the reason many babies (especially those who have been treated with ventilators or Naso-gastric tubes) develop oral defensiveness is because they experience a sensation like choking when anything is placed inside their mouths.

If your baby shows signs of oral defensiveness, or refuses to take anything into her mouth for an extended period of time, missing more than one feeding, consult your doctor. There are several therapies she may suggest to help your baby start eating properly again.

One thing you can try yourself if your baby is refusing to take the bottle or the breast is to simply hold your baby close, preferably with skin to skin contact, and offer the breast or bottle. Don’t force the issue; the last thing you want to do is to compound the problem by making feeding more unpleasant for your baby than it already is. In most cases, your baby’s hunger will overcome her hesitance to put anything in her mouth and she will eat. When she does, do whatever you can to make it a pleasant experience for her.

When you do consult your doctor, she might recommend a feeding therapist. In most cases, these therapists will work with you and your baby to help your baby realize that the bottle or breast is not something to be afraid of, but something to receive nourishment from.

One of the things babies and toddlers with oral defensiveness often do is spit milk or formula out or vomit rather than swallowing. A therapist will work with you and your baby to help her figure out that if she swallows, she won’t have the unpleasant feelings she is experiencing from having something in her mouth. The goal is to help baby start to view oral feeding as pleasant again. In most cases, it doesn’t take long before your baby will gradually start feeding for longer periods of time again.