Red raspberry leaf tea?

katiebepres

I'm 35+3 and just started drinking red raspberry leaf tea, about two cups a day. Not sure how many I should really be drinking! But I've read it's full of nutrients and helps tone the uterus. Has anyone ever tried it? Hoping it will make my labor a tiny bit easier i would love to hear about your experience with it.

MamaHolland

I don't have any info on results. But I plan to start drinking it at 36 weeks. My midwife told me to wait until around 36 weeks. I did drink it in the months leading up to trying to get pregnant which happened the first month we tried.

leap_frog

I drank it last pregnancy to help tone my uterus, since I was trying for a vbac. I had to be induced (I was effacing and thinning out but just not dialating). Once we got the show on the road, my labor was quick and the pushing minimal.

It was my only vaginal birth, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I will be starting to drink it later on this month.

hannahduff3

I've never heard of this. Is it supposed to make your contractions more effective or something?

mg137

I started last week and I'm just over 35 weeks now. I read to work up to 3 cups a day. Also there's some evidence to suggest eating dates in the last month of pregnancy has a small but statistically significant positive effect on labor, shortening it, reducing the need to induce or augment, and some other benefits, with no apparent negative effects. The study I saw was based on 6 dates a day which is more than all the sugar you should eat in a day, so be aware of that.

maureenmce

I'm considering doing this too, starting at 35 weeks, just because there don't seem to be any downsides, so why not?  

Oh, and @mg137 - I saw the dates study too and was psyched cause I love dates anyway, so I may try it out.  

Here's the study and then it being referenced in a Fit Pregnancy article, if anyone else is curious:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280989

https://www.fitpregnancy.com/pregnancy/labor-delivery/three-surprising-tips-easier-labor

LIly436

What type do you use and where do you buy it?

I drank tea with raspberry leaves to increase milk production with my first baby, worked pretty well

kksyd

This is from the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. "Raspberry leaf is one of the most common natural medicines used for this purpose. Raspberry leaf might have some effects on uterine smooth muscle. Low doses are thought to stimulate contractions, whereas higher doses are thought to have spasmolytic effects.^1096,1122 Very little clinical research has evaluated the use of raspberry leaf for facilitating or inducing labor. One clinical trial shows that raspberry leaf does not reduce time in labor or decrease the need for analgesics in the perinatal time.^9796" 

So basically, drinking a little may be helpful but drinking too much may actually have the reverse effect and stop your uterine muscle from contracting. I really have no opinion, to each her own but just good to consider. 

Smoochie789

I actually just asked my doctor about drinking this tea yesterday at my appointment! He said there really weren't any medical journals that proved its effectiveness and told me he didn't really think it would do anything (he didn't say not to drink it though...). I was more interested in it because I've stayed away from tea my whole pregnancy and really am just craving some now. I bought some pregnancy tea yesterday but maybe I should have just gotten the raspberry tea instead?? Couldn't hurt, right?

fishsticks-n-custard

Smoochie789 said:

I actually just asked my doctor about drinking this tea yesterday at my appointment! He said there really weren't any medical journals that proved its effectiveness and told me he didn't really think it would do anything (he didn't say not to drink it though...). I was more interested in it because I've stayed away from tea my whole pregnancy and really am just craving some now. I bought some pregnancy tea yesterday but maybe I should have just gotten the raspberry tea instead?? Couldn't hurt, right?

I drink it all the time and part of that is I just really enjoy the taste. Keep some in the fridge just to drink throughout the day.

12jg34

Be careful. It could have been a coincidence but I had some painful contractions the same few days I drank the tea. I stopped drinking and haven't felt contractions since. Save for week 36 like other users suggested. Just in case.