Raspberry leaf tea/tablets

[Nellysgirl]

Is anyone drinking or taking raspberry leaf? I'm 32w and wondering if this is something I should be doing?

At 32weeks you shouldnt be taking it. Its only advised to be used once you are 37+ weeks. It is an old wives tale that it will help start labour but i wouldnt recommend taking it early just in case. It helps your uterine muscles contract so i am lead to believe (someone please correct me if i'm wrong) that it helps make your contractions more effective.

I heard that the tea was horrible tasting so i took the tablets, i think from Holland & Barretts. I started taking them at 37 weeks exactly & my waters broke at 38+1 with DS arriving at 38+4 so dont know if it really does help.

Ooh thanks I'm pleased to have asked now. For some reason I was under the impression that you drink tea from 30 weeks to soften cervix
Pleased I didn't go ahead and start! Though may order some tablets for when the time is right - anything to help on the big day will be a bonus. Xx

I drank the tea from about 35 weeks I think it tasted fine to me just like herbal fruit tea. No idea if it genuinely helped me however. My labour was a relatively quick and easy 5 hours and I will be drinking it again thus time in case it was magical juice !

The tea is lovely, and I'm not usually a fan of herbal/fruit teas. So try it before you decide to go to capsules. I drank it for the last few weeks in my last pregnancy and had a very quick pushing stage of labour. Can't wait to drink the tea again this time round.

You can drink it from around 32 weeks. Although research has found it can help prevent misscarriage so I really wouldn't worry about it bringing on labour.

I started drinking it this time at 31 weeks - started with one a day and have built it up to 2 (am 34 weeks now) by my due date I'll be drinking 3 cups a day maybe more.

It strengthens the uterus and helps it contract efficiently. It is also meant to help speed up the pushing stage.

I drank it last time and pushed a 9 pound 7 baby out in 45 minutes which seems like a long time but I've since heard that's pretty fast for such a big baby, so maybe the rasberry tea helped. It's also meant to help the uterus contract back down to normal size after the birth.

I drank the tea (get the proper stuff not the stuff from holland and Barrett which in only a small amount of raspberry leaf) both times from about 34weeks, had 2 quick labours (2.5hrs & 45min) and was back in my Pre-preg clothes by 1 month first time and 2months second time - no idea whethe the raspberry leaf helped with either the speed or the contracting of the uterus afterwards but if I was to ever have a 3rd I'd def be doing it again just in case.

Where did you get the proper stuff littleoak?
I asked my midwife about the tea and evening primrose the other day OP and she said they make contractions stronger - she never heard of the benefit of evening primrose.
What she said was when baby is ready, they are ready and she didn't think tea made a difference.

What she did advise was lots of activity - gym ball, walking, swimming. She felt that would make a big difference - but gym ball must be full.

Might try the tea though.