Raspberry Leaf Tea

[Anonymous]

Hi there--
Interested in the use of raspberry leaf tea, taken daily for uterus strengthening and for making labor easier.
For those of you that have already been through one birth and who have tried this---
Does it work?
How much did you take?
Is there danger of drinking too much of it and causing miscarriage?
Thanks as always!

[Anonymous]

No Idea if it works. My doula recommended, and I drink one (20oz, one teabag) cup per day. Takes the place of my
Coffee.

[Anonymous]

I did it for my second birth, a VBAC. Drank the tea really strong, then switched to capsules once I got tired of the tea. (The flavor isn't objectionable -- it's actually quite pleasant. But I was third-tri cranky and very, very over drinking the stuff day in and day out.)

Anecdotal I know, but I think it made a difference. I had Brax-Hicks, which I never had for my first. And my labor was relatively easy and moved fast once my body got warmed up. I put this in the "can't hurt, probably helps" category.

[Anonymous]

Where can I buy raspberry leaf tea? The kind I have to brew from tea leaves. Thanks !

[Anonymous]

Whole foods or (for me) the TPSS Co-Op. Traditional Medicinals is the brand.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that this can bring on pre-term labor and should only be taken after 35 weeks. But then I've also heard midwives recommend it beginning in the 2nd trimester. Not sure where the truth lies. I think if you have any concerns abt PTL, don't use it until wk 35.

[Anonymous]

I got a big bag of red raspberry tea leaves from my acupuncturist. Starting at 35 weeks, I drank about 16 oz per day. My labor was just under 6 hours and I pushed for about 15 minutes. First baby. Dunno how much the tea helped, but it certainly doesn't hurt. I added honey to it and it was a nice drink.

[Anonymous]

I drank it nonstop the day my water broke (and at least once or twice a day for a few weeks leading up to labor).

Real contractions started around midnight, left for hospital at 4:30, delivered baby at 5 after three pushes. It very easily could have been birth on the roadside! First birth.

I know it's probably not related, but I always, always recommend red raspberry leaf tea for ladies who are hoping to speed things up a bit.

[Anonymous]

Red raspberry leaf tea is meant to tone the uterus, or something like that. I don't think it does anything to speed up labor, or anything to harm a pregnancy earlier than the third tri. I started drinking it a little over halfway through, when my bradley method teacher recommended it to us. Don't think it changed my birth experience in any way though!

I drank it iced, mainly, as it was summer.

[Anonymous]

I started at 36 weeks with the RL tea - I think I drank three a day (please look up the recommended dosage from a midwife or doula). Although I was induced (with pitocin), I had an epidural free delivery in 8 hours with 30 minutes of pushing. GL!

[Anonymous]

Is 10 weeks way too early to start?

[joncephine]

Can't imagine it would be.