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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Do any of these work?

61 replies

Mousesmummy · 29/04/2010 22:37

Just wanted a general consensus please ladies (if that is ever possible??) - what are the thoughts on things that bring labour on (raspberry leaf tea, pineapple etc) Do they work or not?

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rhf · 01/05/2010 15:52

I think its important to separate evidence based medicine from old wifes tales, raspberry leaf tea, homeopathy and coincidence.

sweetkitty · 01/05/2010 17:40

I have been on 6 capsules a day since 33 weeks (am 39+3 today)

Don't think they bring labour at all, I believe nothing really does, I think some things can tip the scales slightly but think you actually have to be ready to go.

I have been 15 days early, 12 days late and 5 days late before so no pattern and took RLs with all of them. With the 12 days late one tried everything, curry, pineapple, sex twice in one day, reflexology, clary sage oil, bouncing on the ball and nothing worked.

I am being induced next week or would probably be overdue and desperate again.

angel886 · 01/05/2010 18:46

I had raspberry leaf tea only once a day for 2 weeks then forgot to get some more for 2 weeks. DD was 2 weeks early and labour was only 4 hours in total.

Having said that, I don't think the tea had anythign to do with it. Although it's quite nice and healthy so doesn't hurt to give it a try.

Bechka · 01/05/2010 20:21

I tried everything, raspberry leaf tea (from 32 weeks, huge amounts of the stuff), sex, walking to encourage gravity take its course, pineapple, sweeps, hundreds of pounds worth of acupuncture (I still get cross even thinking about that!!!), the lot. Nothing worked, I never went into labour. I never had so much as a Braxton Hicks contraction.

In the end, the consultant advised that there was no way this baby was going to come naturally, and advised me to have an elective c section. Which I did!

CagedBird · 01/05/2010 20:26

Well I think there's something to the curry method, tried all the rest (I drank like a box of raspberry leaf tea in 3 days nada). Probably tmi but I had the hottest curry I could get, and it made me go to the toilet contractions started when I was on the toilet!

DinahRod · 01/05/2010 21:20

I took raspberry tea leaf with my first. Was 10 days late so no help on being early, but it's meant to help tone the womb and "help" with contractions: mine were far too intense very quickly (dilated fully in less than 2 hours) and ended up with a traumatic delivery that has impacted on subsequent ones. Not sure it can all be laid at raspberry tea-leaf's door but not convinced it helps!

Debs75 · 01/05/2010 21:20

I went on a huge walk with dc2. walked for a few miles pushing dc1 and was very warm in February. Once I got home and settled back down my waters broke and had a quick and easy labour.

Not sure if the walking helped but when I was getting induced with dc3 she told me to go for a walk as gravity would help open my cervix.

Babies do come when they are ready and most of the time the methods work because you are ready. I have heard of the speed of labour starting after an injury but don't think trapping my hand in a car door is a good idea. Hope it didn't hurt too much

PartialToACupOfMilo · 01/05/2010 21:29

I quite liked the raspberry tea, but don't think it really helped as she arrived two weeks early and I had been paranoid it was too early to drink much of it - only managed one cup a day for about three days...

The night before she arrived though I had taken all the books from a bookcase we'd moved to LO's room from the table, where they had been "pending" for a few days, and stacked them in the corner of the dining room. I complained to my friend (who was her way down from Cumbria on a last pre-baby visit) that I'd hurt my back doing it and she said I hope it's just that and not the start of labour. We had a good laugh about it, then I went into labour at 6 the next morning... LO must have decided that if I had hard graft in mind, she'd be better off out of me!!

Poor friend arrived around 11pm for her weekend visit and left the following evening around 7pm; shortly after a wonderful home birth (location was planned) - not quite the weekend we'd had in mind

disclaimer I'm not recommending hard graft in the final stages of pregnancy

NancysGarden · 01/05/2010 21:38

I used raspberry leaf extract (a strong capsule from H&B) which did not bring on labour (6 days late) but did contract nicely without the use of assistance. It was the 2nd stage that I struggled with, no help from raspberry leaf there.

Ninjacat · 01/05/2010 21:47

Clary Sage, a couple of drops mixed in a base oil then rub on tummy. Worth a try.

DwayneDibbley · 01/05/2010 22:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

warthog · 01/05/2010 22:28

SheWillBeLoved · 01/05/2010 22:45

Feck all worked for me. Curry, pineapple, clary sage baths and oil, long walks up and down the beach and over sand dunes the most uncomfortable sex I have ever experienced, nothing. Gave in at 10 days overdue and accepted a sweep... which I couldn't even have as my cervix was too far back! Ended up getting induced that day any way due to zero fluid around DD.

luciemule · 01/05/2010 23:00

As long as you are over 36 wks, don't laugh but I would highly recommend a lot of nipple stimulation. Google it and you'll see that there's a very good scientific reason why it works (oxytocin production).

With DS, it worked within a few hours!

rachaelsara · 01/05/2010 23:09

Acupncture was the only thing that might have worked for me. DD1 40+7, DD2 40+11, DD3 40+13, DD4 40+5 after 2 sessions of acupuncture. Tried absolutely everything else with all of them, it's a very long and tedious time in your life waiting for a baby to arrive and change your life for ever!

spiderlight · 01/05/2010 23:22

I drank lots of raspberry leaf tea - it also helps a lot with period pains, incidentally. I also bought (going to get laughed at for this!!) a bottle of Findhorn 'Birthing' essence. You're supposed to take it from two weeks before your due date: I took the first dose and went into labour 6 hours later. Coincidence, probably, except that when I then had a retained placenta, paramedics in the hall and midwives telling me to prepare myself for a surgical removal because it had been over an hour and they'd tried everything else, I took another dose and my placenta was out within literally a minute. Maybe it was just a placebo effect, maybe it gave me back a sense of control, but either way I'm glad I had it!

gillybean2 · 01/05/2010 23:57

I took raspberry leaf tea, but it tasted so awful I only took the minimum amount recommended for the minimum number of weeks suggested.

My labout was very fast, 2 hours from phoning the midwife coz i had a show to warn it may be today to baby actually arriving! Was a planned home birth and midwife had to be called again in a hurry as she was dawdling expecting first time mum to be a slow labour. Second midwife arrived as baby did.

Was also relatively paid free, only used a tens unit, wouldn't have had time for gas and air anyhow!

My sister also took raspberry leaf tea with her first and also had a fast labour but her baby took longer to arrive. This was only because baby's head was too big and she refused to let them cut her for several hours. Soon as they cut her the baby arrived.

Raspberry tea helps with faster labour, it doesn't bring labour on that i'm aware of. Read up carefully if you intend to use it, you don't want to be taking too much!

MinkyBorage · 02/05/2010 00:15

if you really are looking for something to get the baby out, then seriously, google castor oil! I reckon it does work, but it isn't advised!

Trafficcone · 02/05/2010 00:23

And as others have said...... FFS people, raspberry leaf tea never has been and never will be for inducing labour. I'm so sick of seeing on forums "raspberry leaf tea didn't send me into labour" "raspberry leaf tea doesn't work, I was 10 days late"

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. end rant

warthog · 02/05/2010 08:25

gillybean2, i had a 2 hour labour and i DIDN'T have raspberry leaf tea.

belgina · 02/05/2010 09:07

I read an article in the Practicing MW about a year ago on the subject and I came away with the following message(s):

1- RLT tones your uterus ready for labour, might make your braxton hicks contractions stronger
2- RLT makes labour shorter (due to the toned uterus)
3- however, it does not induce labour and there is in fact some evidence that it prolongues pregnancy
4- Never take it if you had a previous preterm baby or precipitate (2h or less) labour.
5- If you start taking it from 38 weeks it's actually too late. It should be taken from around 32-34 weeks to let it's effects build up.

To this I'd like to add my experiences with the stuff: ds went into labour after taking it for 2 days
dd1: didn't take it
dd2: took it for many many weeks, dd2 ended up coming 5 days late and I had a precipitate labour. In hindsight I think I shouldn't have taken it, because I had previous fairly quick labours (5h) and I think the RLT caused me to have such a rapid delivery, which really isn't as wonderful as everyone thinks it is.

belgina · 02/05/2010 09:11

Oh and I'd like to add:
DC1&2 arrived withing 12h of having sex. With dc3 I had sex daily from 38 weeks, but she wouldn't budge. So up until she arrived I was convinced sex would get them out, but dcs showed me that even that doesn't always work. However she did come after a hobble around the Roaches in the Peak District (on crutches due to SPD )

cerealqueen · 02/05/2010 10:44

We did everything, curries, sex, three sweeps, pineapple, raspberry leaf tea. I reckon she only budged after a hilly walk the afternoon before I was due to be induced.

IWishIWasAFrog · 02/05/2010 14:30

Nope. Took it for 4 weeks before labour and I went 12 days over. Nothing worked. Had SROM at home, ended up with an induction and the full works. Once it got going, it did go quickly though, but that was with the pessary and syntocin drip. But I did have LOADS of milk, proper engorged breasts for about 6 months, DS has never emptied a breast and always only nursed on one side because there was so much milk, no need tos witch, only starting to go soft now, he is 5 days shy of 7 mo, could be due to RLT?

Picklepaints · 02/05/2010 17:36

I did everything (pineapple, Raspberry leaf tea from 37 weeks) Evening primrose oil, hot curry, LOTS of sex 4 sweeps... Our little one was 18 days late (yes, 18!) so no, I don't think anything works unless your body is ready!

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