Have you taken raspberry leaf tea and has it helped?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

I'm now 34 weeks PG and I'm armed with a bottle of RLT tablets. I took these last time from about 36 weeks I think (went into labour at 37+4 weeks) but had 3 days of contractions! My second stage of labour was only 15 minutes so not sure if this was down to the RLT or not?

So I'm not sure whether to take them again or not, ad if so when from. What have your experiences been of RLT? Thanks

yes i did. don't think it helped!

Yes I took it, and no it didn't help!

I took them and was in slow labour for a few days but went from 5 cms to 10, pushed baby out too in 40 mins!

I used the tea. Had a lot of braxton hicks in the run up to going into labour. DD arrived the day before due date (PFB, so a good result there) & labour was around a reasonable 12hrs. Don't know if you could attribute this to RLT but if I were pregnant I'd use it again just in case

Used RLT religiously and went two weeks over. Also ate a whole fresh pineapple every day as that's supposed to get things going. Didn't work, although I'm a dab hand at peeling and coring them now .

having sex is the only one that works, i've heard. not tried it myself..

I tried it twice a day with 1st pregnancy with pineapple, hot curry and sex. (the tea was twice a day, not the other stuff!)Was 10 days late and induced! Although I was very quick when I got going, I don't think it worked at all!

I drank the tea (3 a day) from when I started maternity leave (so 35 weeks or thereabouts).

DS arrived 3 days early - labour was 10 hours (waters broke when I went for a wee at 9am, he arrived at 7pm), and second stage was less than 10 minutes (4 pushes maybe?).

So I think it helped!

RLT strengthens the uterus, it doesn't bring on labour.

I'm guessing there isn't a way to prove whether it works or not. I still took it anyway.

You can take RLT throughout pg as long as it's prescribed by a qualified herbalist. The tea is much more effective than the tablets. I noticed a dramatic increase in braxton hicks as soon as I started on the tea at 20 weeks. This is my second pg and I think it helped my first altho it's hard to say as I had an epidural.

1st labour no rasperry leaf tea- 14 hours
2nd labour gallons of the stuff for the last few weeks of pregnancy 1 1/2 hours. So maybe it helped- I did take castor oil as well so maybe that did it.

Snort - drank gallons, and took tablets too. (also did all other things supposed to help - pineapple, walking, breathing techniques/cd's, sitting on a poxy exercise ball bouncing while watching tele for weeks refusing to sit on sofa). Ended up 2 weeks over, induced, 2 days of labour and emcs. Il still be taking it to cover my back next time, but dont really have much faith in it. Il also be lounging on the sofa.

I took RLT tablets in my first pregnancy - was 3 hours in total. It was very intense and fast. I didn't take them in my 2nd pregnancy and had a 4 hour labour but a much more controlled experince.

I took RLT with DD and will start them this week with DC2 (I'm 36 weeks).

I don't feel they did anything to help get labour going but I was told that my uterus shrank back very well and I didn't have loads of bleeding afterwards which I know RLT can also help with. It is also reported to be good at helping milk supply at the beginning if you plan to bf

I have just been a medical herbalist and got some loose leaf raspberry leaf tea.
The advice on using the loose leaf tea is that you can start taking it from 28 weeks as follows

28-32 weeks one cup a day (made with one teaspoon of tea)
33-36 weeks two cups a day (made with one teaspoon of tea)
37 weeks on at least 3 cups a day and can be made stronger than one teaspoon.

also drink as much as you like during labor.

I don't know from experience if it works but I am 26 weeks and will start taking it in a couple of weeks.