does rasberry leaf tea really work??

[trish12]

Does the rasberry leaf tea theory really work, coz im starting to wonder now after reading a thread on here. Im 37wks and have started drinking it, only to be told i could be wasting my time. Has anyone got any real experience from drinking it??

anecdotally, yes it does. it does not induce labour, but it is a uterine tonic, theoretically making labour shorter by strengthening the uterus, so contractions are stronger and more effective. i drank it from 37 weeks, had a 3 1/4 hour established labour with strong, regular contractions which did not stop at all from when they started... ( i had a 15 hours latent phase due to baby being OP !!)

it cannot do you any harm

it is better than drinking caffeinated drinks, and keeps you hydrated. you can add honey to it and drink it during labour as an energy boost.

Worked fab for me. one hour labour. I certainly reccomend.

Didn't do anything for me. Fresh pineapple though......mind you ds was born at home (unplanned) as a result, so perhaps eat with caution

well seems its been misinterpreted, but its good to know it does have its benefits, cheers

which bit has been misinterpreted?

I basically agree with lulu, who does after all know what she is talking about here!

BUT

I am not sure if it is always a good thing to have your uterus strengthened

I have had two very short active stages (1 hour). Both times were also very, very painful, which I think was partly because I really had no time at all to acclimatise to increasing contractions. I also had to transfer from a homebirth due to blood loss, which the mw put down in part to the tea (am not sure about this really, have not found much to back this theory up).

I also had, both times, long painful passive (?) stages.

I know this might just be me and how I give birth, but I have done a bit of research and this time, for me, I am inclined to give it a miss.

Am absolutely not trying to put you off, or scaremonger . I think its a tricky one. From doing a fair bit of reading, I think I probably am inclined towards quick labours anyway, and this just tips it too far IYSWIM. The other side to it is that I have done NCT stuff and I know a lot of women take it and swear by it.

I think if I were a first timer, I might try it and see how it went. Part of my problem may have been that I rather liked it and so may have o/d a bit

Consultant's talk at the hospital said that yes it does work - therefore don't take it before you're ready to have the baby ie. only take after 36 weeks. I personally think it tastes vile so I took tablets. I had two long labours so not sure it did any good

latent phase?

i think that is a really good point, if you have short sharp labours or very painful BH or irritable uterus might be good to give RLT a miss

OH my god, seems nobody understands what im talking about! basically, ive have heard thru word of mouth that rasberry leaf tea can bring labour on and had heard nothing on toning your uterus etc etc..and i was just curious on weather or not it worked, E.G does it start contractions like i originally thought, and it seems youve answered my question, so thanks LULU & CALM

yes thats it lulu. Lol at how ANY part of labour could be considered passive.

yes I don't think it does start contractions especially. I took it both previous times from 37 weeks and I was a week overdue with one and one the due date with the other.

I'm afraid babies come when they are ready!

(if its any consolation, I'm at 37 weeks too and jesus, i want it over...)

i think maybe i will just stick to one cup a day then, as i do tend to have really strong BH, especially now, so maybe i will just stick to the old wives tales, plenty of walking etc..

It definatley works.
DS1 13 hours from 1st contraction to birth.
DS2 drank Raspberry Leaf tea from 36 weeks. Braxton Hicks contractions were very, very strong and leading up to his birth date his head very litterally felt like it was gonna fall out, so much so I twice requested the MW do an internal and she confirmed yep he was low but you're not in labour and you're not dilated.
Anyway, one day over due date labour started and progressed very well, the contractions were very intense but never waned, 3 pushes and DS2 was out. 3 hours from 1st contraction to birth, without pain relief, not even gas and air.
Drink up, drink up!

yes - so does the tablets, took with both dc's and they were both 2days before due date with 3 hour labours will be taking it with this one as well. It wont make you go into labour but it will help the process once its underway.

didnt work for me

Anecdotal evidence from me:

Ds: took it from 37 weeks but took the extra strong dose in tablets - so 6 a day.
Regular 5/6 min contractions from Friday teatime. Going on and on and on....
Ds eventually born by emergency section Sunday linchtime.

Dd: didn't take it at all. Regular 5 min contractions from teatime Saturday (in the middle of DrWho much to dh's disgust ). Dd born normally Sunday lunchtime.

Dc3: Not sure what to do, but have SPD, so a nice early birth at 38 weeks would be good

DS born at 38 weeks btw.

I started drinking the tea and taking the tablets at 36wks. DS was 1 week late but the contractions were VERY strong!!! A million times stronger than with DD, midwife asked if I had been drinking RLT by any chance when i said yes she said 'that explains it!'. RLT doesn't drink on labour it stregthens teh uterus making each contraction stronger and more effective. My MW recommended drinking for about 4 weeks after the birth as it really helps tome the uterus and make it shrink back quicker. I drank it for 6 weeks after the birth. Not sure if worked but my tummy did go down quickly.

HTH x

sorry 'BRING on lobour' not drink