One of the things I loved most about having a midwife was her holistic and preventative approach to pregnancy and birth. For example, she recommended various supplements throughout my pregnancy to help build a solid foundation for the birth.

Here’s a list of what I did:

• Started drinking red raspberry leaf and nettle tea in the first trimester. I drank one cup a day in the first trimester, two in the second, and three in the third. My midwife says the tea strengthens the uterus and better prepares it for birth.
• Took alfalfa supplements starting in the third trimester. My midwife explained that in the 20 years since she started

Our family was interviewed on the KPFT Whole Mother radio show on Monday morning (at 6:30 am!) to chat about our hybrid home/hospital birth. If you’re interested in listening, you can search for the Whole Mother show on the archives page or play the show directly to your audio player.

I hope these little snippets of advice don’t seem like I’m trying to proclaim myself some sort of expert.

Ha!

I’m just trying my very best and jotting down my thoughts about it, in case it’s helpful to any of you out there.

I’ve been at this motherhood thing a little over a week now. I was taken off-guard by some things and well-prepared for other things.

Here are some of my thoughts about how to have the best possible first week at home with your infant (of course all of our babies are different in many ways, so take my advice for what it’s worth!):

1. Plan to Stay as