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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

Raspberry Leaf Tea - Unnecessary Intervention?

57 replies

mears · 18/05/2003 11:46

I was thuinking about Mog as I was emptying the dishwasher this morning (don't know why but you know how us women's minds work?) and thought about birth experience. I might not actually have remembered properly reading this in relation to you mog, but I think you used raspberry leaf tea.
Now I know lots of women swear by it, but there has been evidence of women having side effects such as rapid labour or placental abruption.
I personally thought about it first time round but decided against it because I didn't know what a normal labour for me would be like. As it was my first labour was 8 hours and I enjoyed the experience. I therefore didn't use raspberry leaf tea with subsequent labours.
Raspberry leaf tea could be seen as an intervention like any other medication. What experiences has anyone had with it. Sorry mog if this is not realted to you in any way

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pie · 18/05/2003 15:49

I used raspberry leaf tea for the last 2 months of my pregnancy with DD. I was in labour for 36 hours, and DD ended up being a ventose delivery and I did tear...not sure I will bother this time round.

baboon · 18/05/2003 15:03

I used raspberry leaf tea and was in labour 9 hours, I didn't have intervention or stitches either

windmill · 18/05/2003 14:52

I used raspberry leaf tea three times a day for the last three months. I delivered the day I was due, in labour four hours, seemed to start right at the very end of the first stage, spent ages pushing, no tearing at all. Although I wanted a quick labour I think I would have rather had a slow one cos it was so painful, I had no break from the pain at all, the next contraction started as soon as the other ended.

karenj2000 · 18/05/2003 14:13

Hi Elliott and mears. I used Raspberry leaf tea with my last pregnancy but I don't think it had any effect. I had to be induced and ended up with an emergency C section two days later. Told my friend to try it she had a very rapid labour. Maybe it works for some and not others?

elliott · 18/05/2003 12:26

ok so who's going to fund our randomised trial of raspberry leaf tea and its effects in labour? Lets face it, if it IS an effective and safe way of making labour more efficient, the NHS should know about it!!

elliott · 18/05/2003 12:24

mears this is a very good point. I think we tend to be far too trusting of 'herbal' or 'natural' remedies, we tend to think that they can only have benign effects. Logically of course, if they are effective at all, there must be the potential for harmful effects as well. We forget that there is very little regulation or testing of herbal remedies, compared with 'mainstream' drugs.
For the record, I did drink raspberry leaf tea and had a fairly rapid straightforward labour, a few days early. I did wonder though about how it worked and whether it was really safe (though think I convinced myself that it probably wasn't having any effect...hmmm, not very logical).
I've certainly had side effects from other herbal remedies - once drank valerian tea to help me sleep and it made me feel very peculiar!!

Original poster
mears · 18/05/2003 12:22

Actually have just finished drying my hair and realised it was MONKEY who mentioned it - not mog. Women's brains eh?

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