Top tips for a cup of ‘Materni-Tea’
Bethan Thomas is the founder of HotTea Mama. After graduating from Oxford University she worked in the tea trade for over a decade and became the first non-Chinese person to be awarded a degree in tea science from Fujian Agricultural University. This officially make her a professional tea obsessive!
A cup of tea is not only comforting and refreshing but can also bring many health benefits for pregnant women and new mums. HotTea Mama’s teas can be brewed in the time it takes to change a nappy and come in biodegradable whole leaf tea bags.
Here are Bethan’s hottest tips:
1) Don’t have too much caffeine in one day because it can pass through breast milk and can also increase anxiety in some people. The NHS recommends 300mg a day for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. This level shouldn’t affect any feelings of stress, but should also stop any withdrawal symptoms. To work out how much caffeine you are drinking in a day, use the Tommy’s caffeine calculator.
2) Don’t squash your tea bag. Trust me, you’ll get a much better brew if you leave it to sit for 2-3 minutes and then add milk. Squashing the tea bag pushes the tannins and bitter flavour compounds out of the tea, whereas if you leave it to sit, it’ll be smoother and cleaner. Well worth the wait!
3) If you’re pregnant, avoid any tea that contains raspberry leaf until you are at least 32 weeks. From this point it is safe to have three cups a day - it makes the muscles of you uterus contract slightly and over time build up strength. Studies have shown that this can lead to a shorter second stage labour and fewer interventions in birth. There is no real evidence to suggest it can induce labour so just treat it as part of your birth prep instead.
4) If you are breastfeeding consider drinking a support tea like our Milk’s Up which has natural galactagogues in it. These are herbs which help support milk supply - fenugreek and fennel are both shown in research to increase the fat content in breast milk, and increase supply in trials. These are key ingredients in our blend and can be hard to include elsewhere in your diet.
5) Stay hydrated. A 1% drop in hydration can lead to a 10% drop in your concentration. This is extremely hard if you are functioning on little sleep and caring for a newborn or juggling work and childcare. Tea will not dehydrate you. You would need to drink more than six cups of caffeinated tea a day for this to be an issue. However, herbal teas will hydrate you more than caffeinated teas so increase your consumption of these to get the best results.
:: HotTea Mama stocks award-winning teas which can help with anything from morning sickness to boosting your milk supply and energy levels. Find out more at www.hotteamama.com
