Just can't be bothered to drink RRL tea...will I regret it?

[amitymama]

Is it really that good/useful? Some people swear by it but then I've heard of others who drank it religiously and still had long, slow, difficult births. I want to drink it but I just can't seem to remember or else just don't fancy drinking any when I do remember.

you can take tablets instead

I drank gallons of it with dd1 and despite waters breaking never went into labour (was induced eventually) so won't be bothering this time around. Also the proper stuff tastes horrible, though if you're determined to stick with it I found adding a fruit teabag to it made it marginally more palatable.

Generations of women have managed without.

I took it for my first and wished I hadn't.

I also think if it actually did anything, you wouldn't be able to just pick up a packet in your local nuts 'n' lentils shop.

I found it really hard to drink it as a hot drink because I'd rather have proper tea instead! So now every other day I make a huge pot, leave it to brew/cool overnight, and then decant it into a jug in the morning. It's actually pretty quick/easy to knock back a couple of glasses of cold drink during the day.

Though I did go looking for tablets in Tesco the other day

Yes, maybe the tablets would be the answer. I can take a tablet I just can't drink 2-3 cups of bland tea per day. I don't think I'll actually worry about it though.

I took the tablets religiously (supposed to be better than the tea) and still had a horrendously slow labour with pathetic contractions. Of course it might have been even worse without...

Not bothering this time round

I've been drinking it since 33 weeks, am now 40+3 and the only noticeable effect so far has been scorching heartburn I shall let you know what my contractions are like once (if) they start

don't do it yet - wait until september and then darlilng lo will be the eldest in the school year, not the youngest which a recent report has just shown to be a disadvantage esp if you have a boy

I didn't bother with it in either pg and both DSs arrived a day early!

I drank lots of it from 36 weeks in booth of my PG's on advice of a rind.

Both labours were relatively quick, natural and only took gas and air. So maybe it did help...but I'll never know!

Like LittlePushka I drank it from 36 weeks. Fairly short labour only used TENS....but you never know what it would be like without!