Hi, all. Melissa asked a while ago (sorry I fell behind) about
herbs in general during BF. In general, I would be cautious.
There's that reference about chamomille (and in Israel, EVERYone
drinks chamomille tea), being related to ragweed, can sensitize a
baby to allergy problems later. You really have to be familiar
with actions of herbs, since some have very strong actions and
are powerful medicaments (is that really a word?). Also very big
here in Israel is fennel tea, especially as a tea for babies.
This drives me nuts, since fennel is a diuretic, will lower blood
pressure, may cause dehydration in certain conditions - say,
summer in the Israeli desert, where I live......Just last night,
a pediatrician who is also a new mom called because she is
anxious about her milk supply (baby is 6 days old). She was told
to drink a certain tea, but didn't feel that it was helping. I
asked her to read me the ingredients. When I told her that the
fennel that was in it was a diuretic, she said in a wondering
voice "Gee, maybe that's why I've been peeing so much!"
She wasn't by far my first mom who is a doctor, and again I was
struck by two almost-contrasting thoughts (and there's absolutely
no putdown anywhere here, guys): on the one hand, a woman doctor
is still a *woman* and needs support, and on the other hand,
because she's a *doctor*, she's liable to be even *more* anxious
than a mom who knows almost nothing about her body or babies! My
mind is wandering more than usual tonight, hmmmm? Judy Knopf in
Beer Sheva, Israel