Posted by Mels on July 11, 2003 at 09:57:25:
In Reply to: Anyone use herbs during Pregnancy? posted by AshleyP on July 10, 2003 at 20:02:06:
I was taking Vitex when I discovered I was pregnant, and I continued taking it until I was at my second trimester. I'm not sure why. It just seemed like a good thing to do. The Vitex regulated my cycle and made me feel like a million bucks. In fact, I need to start taking it again now that I'm post-partum and not breastfeeding and can expect my first period (ugh!) any time from 3 weeks from now on. I had read that the Vitex in early pregnancy (if already used...nobody should start it up after becoming pregnant) *could* help prevent miscarriage *if* the miscarriage would have been based on the mother's hormones alone. Now I definitely can not say that's the thing to do for everybody...none of the studies I read were particularly clear, nor did they involve a whole lot of subjects, so I'm not recommending it...just telling you that's what I did.
I also took DHA in one form or another throughout my pregnancy. I did this to help Colin's brain develop. At first I took it as flax seed oil capsules, but I spotted a lot and had a lot of cramps and then read that flax oil can cause this, so I switched to fish oil capsules (also DHA). Now I have a seaweed-based DHA capsule I take each day just for my own wellbeing. I wanted to add it to Colin's formula so I could be sure he was getting enough DHA, but it smelled so awful when I opened it that I couldn't bear to put it in his formula. I might pick up flax oil capsules for him and put half of one in a bottle each day for him.
I never did the evening primrose oil for "softening" the cervix or anything like that. I didn't trust herbs for starting/encouraging labor or the preparation of it. Nonetheless, my labor was only 6 hours long, and I wasn't late at all; in fact, one day before my due date. So I guess those herbs wouldn't have been necessary anyway.
Ashley, btw, are you pregnant??? I haven't read the boards "cover-to-cover" like I used to as I'm just too busy. If you are, then I am thrilled for you!
Mels
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