Does Raspberry Leaf tea work?

[delilah88]

I have been drinking 3 or 4 cups of it per day (am 39 weeks). But does anyone know if it actually does anything?!

Doesn't do anything as far as I know.

bugger!

My first labour was 4 hours and the second about an hour and I also drank gallons...who knows.....can't hurt?

Yes ok, good point!

Urgh - I hardly know what that means yet, but it sounds v stressful. Good luck for the second time!

did nothing for me either, sorry.

Yes! I had 4 cups a day from 32 weeks and involuntarily pushed ds out without noticing I was actually pushing. 52 second 2nd stage my notes says.

Well, I fell for it with dc1. Was told it would 'soften the cervix'.
I had a long and stressful labour with him unfortunately, but, during an internal, the midwife did (unprovokedly) say "Yyou've got a really soft cervix"
So, I'd say - yes, it works to soften the cervix, but that is absolutely no help whatsoever if the little darling decides he doesn't want to be born

Well, anecdotally you'll get lots of conflicting answers. I don't think it's been scientifically proved but I am a believer and drank loads of tea in the run up to both my previous labours and am drinking it again this time too.

45 minute second stage with DD1 - though I think this would have been MUCH quicker if various other things hadn't happened once we got to the hospital.

8 min second stage with DD2 (at home as planned).

Drinking the tea or taking the tablets won't harm you or the baby - so why not try it? It's meant to make contractions more effective from what I've researched and I believe it does. And, remember, the placebo effect is powerful and scientifically proven, so maybe you just need to believe.

I drank bucketloads of it, hoping to shift DS early -
went 4 days overdue, was induced due to low amniotic fluid - took 22 hours to emerge (2 hours of pushing).

And not one single person mentioned the softness (or otherwise!) of my cervix. Damnit! :)

( I quite liked the taste of it, after a while, though. It was v. hot that month so I drank it iced with a teeny but of honey. So it wasn't exactly a hardship!

Didn't drink it with DC1 one hour pushing. Drank it with DC2 who was out in 2 pushes..... could just be luck of the draw or bucket fanjo courtesy of DC1

How would anyone know really?
But it is a lovely drink regardless

If its about the pushing stage dd1 flew out with one push while dd2 took about 4. So thumbs up from me.

Yes I believe it works and drank gallons with both my pregnancies & plan to drink it with this one! It doesn't bring labour on, it just softens your cervics so for all the women who said it didn't work then I dread to think what it would have been like if they hadn't taken it
My mum is a midwife & she swears by it and when I was having my twins the consultant said he could tell I'd been drinking it! My first was an hour & half and my twins were 5 hours, both with only gas & air
Good luck what ever u decide

Ooops cervix not cervics

I drank it for DS1 and had a 15min pushing stage. No idea if it was because of the RLT but I'd drink it again!

Ok I am continuing with it! Fingers crossed for an experience like HipHopOpotomus!

It would be really helpful if those of you who have used it (whether you thought it worked or not) could say how much you drank.

I'm 33 weeks and having 1 cup a day of pure raspberry leaf (not a blended tea like the Heath and Heather or Twinings ones), and I plan to increase to a max of 4 or 5 cups a day towards the end. Is this about what others have had?

It tastes nice....

I drank buckets of it and in the end I went 12 days over. I was dilating away though and was nearly 2cms on 10 days over.
Long story short I ended up having an emergency section so I don't know if it helped at all.

It's impossible to do a control experiment!

However, to add to the anecdotal evidence:
DS1 (no RLT): 12 hours from first twinge to birth (tens then pool)
DS2 (RLT): 3 hours from first twinge to birth (tens only)
BUT they say 2nd ones generally quicker anyway. As others have said, it won't do any harm and it tastes nice.