ABOUT
Herbal Doula
Herbal Doula is the resource I needed when I was pregnant for this first time, and it's the resource I still need every day as a mom, holistic doula, birthkeeper, medical writer, and natural pharmacist.
I had three healthy pregnancies, supported by nutritious diets and safe herbs. Each pregnancy and birth was unique, but I never felt lost. I believe every woman deserves the same.
My births were inspirational and tranformative. Right now, I'm happily navigating postpartum life, breastfeeding, and mothering four littles (including twins!).
I strongly believe that I had such life-changing experiences throughout my births and postpartums because I relentlessly sought the exact resources, support, and community I needed. I spent thousands of hours questioning and researching everything.
But guess what? It doesn't have to be that hard. I want you to easily find the resources you need so that you can spend more time nourishing yourself and your baby.
Herbal Doula aims to be the first comprehensive and woman-centered database to classify natural remedies based on their safety in pregnancy, labor, and breastfeeding.
+ your go-to resource on everything related to holistic and natural pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, postpartum life, baby care, women's health, and DIY herbal recipes.
ABOUT
Me
I got my MSc in Pharmacy at the University of Belgrade. Afterward, I dedicated several years to a PhD program in neuropharmacology at the University of British Columbia. I coordinated clinical research and worked with people suffering from mental health disorders like depression and schizophrenia. During this time, I also co-authored scientific studies and book chapters in professional handbooks. My work focused on the side effects of psychiatric medications, the genetics of mood disorders, non-invasive brain stimulation, and brain imaging.
I never felt right in academia, though. The corporate world was far from what I wanted. I didn't want to follow the path of conventional medicine and pharmacy either.
So, I started listening to my intuition. I decided to follow my dreams and dedicate my career to natural medicine--or what I thought was "natural medicine" at the time. Several jobs and cities later, I went on to become an experienced natural health advisor and medical writer.
I spent 2+ years working as the Chief Scientist and Editor of a large health and biohacking website.
I've written 400+ articles and edited 1000+ articles spanning the health effects of herbs, medicinal mushrooms, foods, nutrients, hormones, neurotransmitters, other natural compounds, as well as common genetic mutations and epigenetics. Some of my articles reached over 1 million people.
I also spent 5+ years consulting people with various chronic problems. My approach relied on helping people reach their health goals by integrating what I know about natural medicine and traditional herbalism with the latest science.
But, something was still missing. I felt like I needed to distance myself from the system altogether to find freedom and authenticity.
That's when Herbal Doula was born, along with my first baby and transition from maiden to mother. I couldn't find everything I wanted to know in one place, so I ended up slowly creating exactly what I needed. Now it is here for you as well.
I'm applying all that I've learned so far to natural remedies in birth work. That's why I call myself a "natural pharmacist." I'm also doing consults with autonomous women through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Over time, my focus has shifted from conventional doula support to birthkeeping. I mostly work with women who desire to experience pregnancy and birth outside the system (especially freebirth/unassisted birth). I also support women who desire to go through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in a sovereign way, wherever they decide to be.
I continue leaning every day by hearing the voices and stories of strong, amazing, and inspirational women around the world.
Are Natural Remedies Safe During Pregnancy?
I personally struggled to find this information when I needed it most. I was usually simply told that it's better not to take anything while pregnant or breastfeeding to avoid any potential risks.
However, research suggests that most women around the world use herbs in pregnancy. In the UK, 58% of pregnant women use herbs, 40% in Norway, 34% in Australia, 48% in Italy, 47% in Asian countries, and 6–9 % in the US and Canada (reference 1, reference 2).
I was trained as a pharmacist, so I had a lot of unlearning to do. I consulted my provider during my first pregnancy and played the "good patient." I had a list of herbs I researched and wanted to use to support my health. And I didn't get any answers.
The issue is that most conventional health care providers also don't have much information on this topic.
In a study from Norway, most physicians rated their knowledge of herbal drugs as poor. Yet, four out of five physicians felt that they would benefit from more education about complementary and alternative therapies to better inform their patients (reference).
The majority of providers know about a handful of herbs and about the standard prenatals that are considered safe, while everything else tends to be thrown into the "potentially unsafe" or even "dangerous" bucket.
At the same time, pregnant and laboring women are recommended to undergo many routine tests and interventions the safety of which is often unknown or questionable.
Research shows that most herbal medicines women use in pregnancy are not harmful, but that they require some caution (reference). These remedies can be used under the supervision of an experienced care provider or only for a limited time or specific indication.
It's always a good idea to let your care provider know about any herbs or supplements you want to use. You can also refer your provider to this database and to the scientific resources cited in each article.
Does your care provider have to be a physician? No. They could also be a naturopath, herbalist, or midwife.
Herbal Doula has a growing database. It is meant for birth workers, care providers, and women in any phase of their life.
The database far from complete at the moment, but I hope that you will still find it useful. One day, I believe this database will contain all natural remedies and compounds you could possibly be curious about.
Going Deeper...
Why Don’t We Have More Evidence on Safe Plant Use in Birth Work?
Let's acknowledge a glaring gap in the research.
People have used plants throughout various phases of life since ancient times. Pregnancy and childbirth were viewed as an integral part of life, and they were no exception.
Unfortunately, scientific studies on the use of plants and other natural remedies through pregnancy and postpartum are sparse. The evidence that does exist hasn't yet been fully systematized.
Yet, medicinal plants and mushrooms are all around us. Many grow wild, various others are easy to grow. A number are used as culinary herbs and spices.
So, let's take a step back.
Why is there's not more research on natural remedies for pregnancy and birth?
For one, it's difficult and ethically challenging to do clinical studies in pregnant and breastfeeding women. It's even more complicated to do studies on laboring women.
Secondly, clinical studies are expensive. In the case of natural remedies, these studies are usually conducted by companies selling the product.
Third, clinical studies take time and it may be decades before a product reaches the market.
Last, there's no financial incentive for best type of research--unbiased, independent, unpatented. Few people go into it.
Researchers agree that the study of ANY therapeutic agents in pregnant women has been virtually nonexistent for decades. Most neglect it altogether because it's so challenging (reference).
At the same time, routine procedures, interventions, and synthetic drugs are often recommended to pregnant, laboring, and breastfeeding women. The safety and efficacy of many of them hasn't been adequately researched. Some might be harmful. Yet, most have become (or were for a long time) the standard of obstetric care.
Take antenatal and intrapartum CTG monitoring, frequent ultrasounds, frequent vaginal exams before and during labor, routine inductions and Pitocin augmentation of labor, episiotomies, immediate cord clamping, unnecessary C-sections, routine antibiotics for GBS, and newborn vitamin K shots as examples. There are many more.
Does this sound upside down? To me it does, and I think it's time for a change.
It's time to empower women with resources about safe holistic and herbal remedies and their rights to make informed decisions.
We as a society should start to understand and acknowledge the safety and efficacy of natural compounds in birth work.
Practitioners, birth workers, and women around the world need this data.
Have questions or simply want to chat?
Email me at support@herbaldoula.com
