Healthy Mama Products Review by a Doula Mami

Hello again! It’s been a LONG week at my home with four sick kiddos, and a sniffling hubby that has tissues stuck up his nose so he can try and get some work done without “Nose Vesuvius” erupting over his computer. My three year old also refused to wear clothing and would only wear her Ariel costume. My response, “Whatever makes the yuckies go away faster, kiddo.” It was also my leverage for constant raw nose wipes I had to administer every five minutes on this poor child. Pretty picture, I know, I just wanted you all to share in my life!

I have somehow managed to escape this sickness (knock on wood), and am here to review for you a cool line of health products for pregnant/breastfeeding mamas.

The company is Healthy Mama and the founder is Rachel Katz-Galatt. Her story is like many of ours, though pregnancy and parenthood is a blessing, there are…bumps along the way. Exhaustion, nausea, constipation, aches, pains, and did I mention exhaustion? Yes?  Well, it bears mentioning twice. Their products are OB/GYN approved and they try to stay free of dyes, gluten, artificial sweeteners, and other junk. They are a one stop shop for pregnant mama’s looking for a safe fix to their common ailments.

They asked me to review their product line, to which I gladly said, “Um YES!”.   Now it’s show and tell time! The pretty box arrived at my casa and the first thing I saw when I open it is pink tissue paper folded delicately around my goodies with a sticker and a hand written note. Healthy Mama cares enough about its’ products to ship it out as if it were a pampering gift. That extra effort makes me feel like they get the pregnant mama’s out there and know we’ll take all the pampering we can get!

Nip the Nausea: First up is their Nausea treatment. With this latest pregnancy I have had gravidarum hyperemesis, which is a fancy way of saying I needed medical help with ongoing, crippling morning sickness. I could not get out of bed. I had my mother in law fly down to Florida for three weeks to help me because I literally couldn’t be a person. All this to say, I am FAMILIAR with morning sickness and the need to get over it quickly. Healthy Mama has a line of defense for this: Their line called “Nip the Nausea”. In it they have morning sickness drops, tea (noted later in this post) and a supplement.

Now I have to say I am thankfully past my nausea, however I know a thing or two about remedies, this stuff could be worth a shot. The nausea candy drops are three ingredients: organic evaporated cane juice, organic rice syrup, and ginger oil. That’s it! Music to my crunchy ears. BUT, they taste VERY gingery, so if you’re prone to hating ginger I would shy away, though if you’re a ginger nut you’ll definitely want to try them. They taste akin to the GinGin soft candies, only stronger.

SIDE NOTE: My 2 year old LOVED their Ginger Drops. He literally asked for them hourly. I swapped out his usual potty treat for potty training for the ginger drops. He may or may not have eaten the entire bag 🙂 I was totally ok with him having that treat over chocolate candies as I knew they were healthier for him.

They have a pill supplement which has ginger as well as the recommended dose of B6 for fighting nausea. I think taking them both together will give you a fighting chance. I have to reiterate, the drops are VERY strong. I needed strength with my severe nausea, but I can see not liking these after a while due to the strong nature of them.

Boost It Up!: Next up is their energy and protein drinks. “Boost it Up” come in two flavors, Mango with Ginger and Pom Cherry. These drinks have no gluten, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or high fructose corn syrup. They taste very light kind of like a sports drink, only without the sugary aftertaste. They are fruity without being overwhelming for the pregnant palate. Though being a protein drink they do have a mouth feel that is a bit odd. It’s not terrible, but it feels slightly dry. My eldest kid got a hold and tried the Pom Cherry and said, “Hhmmm, I like it!”, which is high praise to a kid that turns his nose up at Mac and Cheese.

I normally take a nap in the afternoon (yes be very jealous) but after drinking their drink I genuinely didn’t feel tired, WHICH IS A BIG DEAL for me. I am a mother of four soon to be five kids after all and with pregnancy AND toddlers I am regularly running on empty. I highly recommend these. It’s not a caffeine jittery energy, just a natural “skip-in-your-step” kind. The added protein is great for growing baby and constantly hungry preggo mama too.

Tea: They offer two teas, “Calm the Crazy” Pregnancy tea, and “Make the Milk” lactation tea. I am a tea lover so I instantly gravitated towards these. Being a doula I always recommend my mama’s to drink Raspberry Leaf tea for its uterine benefits. It helps to tone and tighten the uterus, making contractions easier and more effective, so bonus for Healthy Mama that it’s a main ingredient for the pregnancy tea! It also has spearmint, peppermint, and ginger to soothe tummy aches.

While I was in the throes of morning sickness the slight minty flavor of this one would have done me good in the morning as I was trying to get anything in my stomach. I feel that this tea would have helped me even more if my morning sickness was less severe.

“Make The Milk” lactation tea has anise, fennel, and fenugreek for lactation as well as raspberry leaf for uterine tone. Lactation consultants around the world will say there is no empirical data for these ingredients showing improved lactation. Though there hasn’t been many trials either. Midwives and nutritionists though swear by these ingredients. I personally lean towards the more helpful camp.

Fenugreek has been used for many many years to help lactating mothers  .I am eager to put this tea to work for me once my next lil blessing arrives. Plus, after guzzling tons of lactation teas I actually like the slightly licorice flavor of the anise and fennel. It’s sweet and mild, not as overpowering as you’d think.

Multivitamin: Digging further in the goody box is a supplement for pregnant mothers. “Be Well Rounded” contains separate DHA/EPA gel caps which are mercury free, gluten free, and are non-fishy.

The multi vitamin is dye free, gluten free, and has ferrochel iron which is kinder to the constipated mothers out there.

I like the fact that they are wise to the need of mothers and babies, but I have to say I wish they had a more natural food based way of introducing these vitamins into our diet. Thus far Healthy Mama has been great about food dyes, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners, but to me the multivitamin is kind of where the buck stops. I prefer my multi to come in as natural a way so my body can easily break it down and use it. Often mama’s that take multivitamins that are your basic generic version aren’t able to reap the benefits because it’s too difficult to digest and the body can’t readily absorb it all. On the plus side they have all the nutritional bases covered that any OB/GYN would ask for. This product is a “meh, take it or leave it” for me in their impressive line. It isn’t the best I have seen, but it’s far better that a lot of others I have witnessed being pedaled as “prenatal vitamins” too. I do appreciate the DHA/EPA capsules and can say they are well balanced in their multivitamin regimen.

My least favorite of the supplements they gave me to try were their “Taming the Flame”  heart burn relief and “Move it Along” constipation relief.

“Taming the Flame” is basically TUMS equivalent using the same active ingredient as TUMS. Which is fine, but as a frequent pregnancy heartburn sufferer I was really hoping for more. Same goes with their constipation relief; it’s simply a pregnancy safe stool softener. In their defense their line is totally safe for pregnant mamas. They are all OB/GYN approved and safe to use while pregnant, on the other hand, so is TUMS and other stool softeners too. Their product line does take the guess work out when at the stores though. You know if you grab one of Healthy Mama’s products it’ll be OG/GYN approved safe for pregnancy. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been at the drug store muttering, “Now, is it Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen that is safe during pregnancy…?” Hint: It’s acetaminophen.

That all being said, I like Healthy Mama’s products.  I think they are very smart in what they leave out (gross preservatives and the like) and I appreciate that they are safe across the board for moms.

Side note to mention, Rachel sent me a hand written note thanking me for reviewing their product. Who has time for that!? I was honestly very appreciative that she cares enough about her product to take that time.

Alright peeps, that’s about as much time as I can squeeze into this review.  After all, I do have some yummy bone broth stew to make for my sick family and warm bread. Poor family, nourishing their colds with food is like speaking comfort to their souls. Now to get the 2 and 3 year olds to actually eat the food is an entirely other subject.

Healthy Mama products are available at major retailers nationwide like Target, Walmart and CVS.  Learn more infomation about Healthy Mama on their website: healthymamabrand.com
Facebook: facebook.com/healthymamabrand
Twitter: @healthymama

Warmly,
Crystal

Disclosure: As a regular contributor, I received these products complimentary in order to facilitate a media review. All thoughts and opinions stated here are clearly my own.