Raspberry Leaf Tea - Unnecessary Intervention?

Itried RLT and it did absolutley nothing went tinto normal labour and spent 26 hours pushing and panting!!

I gave my best friend's sister some Red Bush Tea though and she went into labour a couple of hours after drinking it - this may have something to do with the fact that she had laughed so much at us trying to convince her to go for a ride down a bumpy country road, have sex once she got down there closely followed by a vindaloo that she should have ready and waiting in the boot!! She was in labour for 12 hours and the baby got stuck though so she had to have a C Section so am sure that whatever you take or do the little monsters are gonna decide when and how they enter the world!!

I have three children and with my first two,i delivered early and didn't have time to sit and think about what kind of labour i would like,or when it would happen.But with my third child everything went by the book and i got so big i was finding it difficult to sleep and night or get comfy during the day. By the time i was 8 month or so i was praying for the big day to arrive,which is when i decided to try raspberry leaf tea.I wasn't convinced that it would work but was willing to try anything.Within 3 days of using it i went into labour and believe me it was rapid within 3 hours of my first niggles of pain i had a second beautiful daughter. Although the tea may have brought my labour on and made it rather quick i'm convinced if you use it right and are near the end of your pregnancy or overdue,and you know the your unborn baby is healthy then raspberry leaf tea may be the answer.

Hi Cori

My sister had a similar 1st birth to yours and was adamant that she wanted to give birth to her next baby 'naturally'. Doctors advised her against it because of the risks of rupture but she went ahead and gave it a go. DS2 was born as a result of a 10 hour trial of scar/VBAC labour, her scar did begin to separate in the final minutes but DS2 was delivered and she was rushed to theatre to have it sorted out. Both she and DS are getting along great and she has no regrets about trying it, though she does say that any further kids would be elective c-sections.

I love RLT and still drink it now , 5 months after birth. It's supposed to aid muscle contraction. I drank up to 3 cups a day from week 34ish and labour (2nd) only took 3.5 hrs. I don't see it as an intervention and if it is does it matter, I drink it because I like it.

I drank it for about a month before EDD. Ended up delivering 12 days overdue with every intervention there is....... i.e pessary( 3 attempts), having waters broken artifically, oxytocin drip, epidural, and ceaseran after 14 hours and only 3 cm dilated.
Is there anyone with similar experience who delivered naturally in subsquent pregnancies?

I used the H&B version too - no idea if it accelerated my labour although it was pretty quick - I had been booked into hospital but ended up having my son on the bathroom floor...

I used the Holland & Barrett version.

Can someone advise me where to buy the best raspberry leaf tea? Thanks

I drank it too... Lots! I actually quite liked it! Had a fairly straightforward labour, 2 small stiches, but that's only cause they had to pull DD out by her shoulders, cause she didn't turn properly on her way out (and still annoyed that in my drug induced state, I didn't tell them to get lost, and not bother stitching).

Yes - it's supposed to soften the cervix, making dilation easier. NO idea whether it worked. Still took the textbook time 1hr per cm to dilate...

I took RLT, in leaf form-not capsules from about week 20, starting with 1 cup a day increasing to 2/3 cups in last 6 weeks. I had a long labour, but I don't know if that had anything to do with the tea. DD was 12 days 'late', but needed no other medical intervention.

Isn't it supposed to tone your cervix, thus making contractions more effective in preparation for stage 3?
My sister recently gave birth to a baby girl, (I was right!)and she took RLT from about week 30, I think. She laboured for 17 hours (I think that's quite 'quick', last few hours in a birthing pool. Neither of experienced any side-effects from the tea.
I found it tasted quite sweet, didn't need to add any sugar/honey. I'd definately take it next time.

I took the low dosage capsules (holland & Barratt - health food shops) from 34 weeks as per instructions on bottle. then when bottle finished I took the stronger dose in tablet form for approx 3 days and went in to labour at just over 37 weeks.
Regular contractions started Thursday night, ds born by em c-section Sunday afternoon - not really lightning speed labour IMO.
Different midwife (not my own) later said ds came early because of the raspberry leaf tea.

As for arnica, a recent university study (will have to search for that one) found it to be as effective as taking sugar (allegedly). Certainly did nothing for me and I took it religiously.

I drank 3 cups at 39 weeks. 4 hrs later my waters broke. Probably just a coincidence though.

I took RL tablets for my last month or so. DD was 14 days late, induction also failed and ended up with a cs. Don't think I'll bother next time!!!

Thanks windmill

Colette, youi can do a three or four year BSc degree at one of the universities, can't remember which one though. Do you get Here's Health magazine? They have an extensive course list.

Herbalists prescribe it to help the birth go more quickly and smoothly and minimise the risk of tearing. It is also said to reduce the risk of haemorrhage, help with after pains and promote recovery after the birth. It is also prescribed by some in a very small dose, in the first trimester for morning sickness but I wouldn't use it that early.

Windmill
What do herbalist's prescribe it for ?
Sorry to divert from main issue but I am quite interested in training to be a herbalist,but have wondered how long it takes to train and if it is easy to find work after completing training? Where is the best place to find this info?

LucieB when I was training to be a herbalist we were told it can be used for the last three months. However if there is a risk of premature labour, for instance if you've already had a premature birth then we were told not to prescribe it until much later

I used RLT tablets from 6 weeks before my EDD (I think) and gave birth a week after my EDD by c-section after 67 hours of contractions, being induced and still only getting to 6cm dilated.

I used RLT and had DD after a 2.5 hour labour with a tiny tear (no stitches) and no drugs or intervention. I haven't got a clue whether any of that was down to RLT but I can't rule it out!

I drank it once a day from about 33 weeks - they tell you not to try it earlier, don't they??? I agree with Mouli, it tastes foul! I had a 20 hour labour, epidural but delivered ds without any stitches/tearing. Contractions came on thick and fast, very painful and was exhausted by the time I had the epidural. Won't be drinking it next time although may consider the tablets, depending on what the outcome of this survey is!!!
A friend of mine saw a natural birth expert in North London and went on a dairy free, gluten free diet, and took some sort of herbal tea supplement thingy each day. She had no intervention but had a small baby...wonder if there is any correlation?

mears, good question. I drank RLT by the vatful during both my pregnancies - first one was induced at 41 weeks for a very pathetic reason and was extremely reluctant to come out (took 2 days for labour to start), the second one was a precipitous birth at 39 weeks, hand delivered by my good self in the bathroom. Maybe I should keep off it this time round?

I tried it, but no success, laboured for DAYS and then hours in hospital before epidural forceps etc. Think it is luck of the draw, I know a friend who swears by it.
By the way it tastes foul!

I drank it for my first pregnancy and had a 24hour OP labour... delivered vaginally with the drip and an episio.
Didn't drink it the 2nd time around.