Rasberry leaf....

[poshBecks]

Okay, so I am nearlly 36 wks preggers & am thinking of taking rasberry leaf tablets to hopefully bring on labour a smidge early & make labour a lot easier than 1st time around!!

What are everyone's thoughts....do you think it helped you?

[Sarie]

I tried it for both my pregnancies but it didn't really seem to work for me. But I think it's like anything else what works for some doesn't always work for others. I think it's also like the whole sex thing, your body has to be pretty much ready to go before it helps. But hey I was desperate and I tried pretty much everything in the book!!!
Good luck!

[wattle]

If you're going to give it a try, I'd recommend the tablets over the tea......... unless you like icky tasting tea. :p

It's pretty hard to say for sure how much difference they make, but I took the tablets and will do so next pregnancy too. I think they aid in preparation for delivery as well as many other things. I'm sure you'll get the whole rundown here though.

[JanetF]

It's more of a tonic to help your uterus work at peak efficiency in labour. Try these for lots of help :)
http://gentlebirth.org/Midwife/herbs.html

http://midwiferytoday.com/enews/enews0109.asp

Because red raspberry leaf provides dual qualities as mild stimulant and gentle relaxant, it has a regulating effect on the uterus. The leaves contain an alkaloid known as fragerine, which relaxes and strengthens the uterus and tones the pelvic muscles. Raspberry remains one of the safest and most effective herbs for use in the entire course of pregnancy. A recommended use of this tea is one cup three times daily in the first trimester, one to two cups three times daily in the second trimester, and two to three cups three times daily through the third trimester and postpartum. A few women have found they are especially sensitive to red raspberry's toning effect in the first trimester and tend to have too much uterine stimulation. If red raspberry is being used and uterine cramping is experienced in the first trimester, it is best to use less of it, or to stop using this herb altogether until later in the pregnancy. Raspberry can, however, have reasonable success in preventing miscarriage and hemorrhage, so careful history taking and evaluation on the part of the care provider is important. -Linda Lieberman in The Birthkit Issue No. 6 (a Midwifery Today publication)

[melfunction]

Ok, my advice is to think carefully. This is not to scare you. Just my experience.

I took the tablets and had a 2 hour labour with my first. Some say lucky you, but I don't agree.
I had an almost 9lb baby and got a grade 3 tear. My body went into shock and I shook uncontrollably for 3 weeks.
I didn't get time to get use to the pain, so I sucked on gas for an hour during birth.
I had flashbacks for a month and didn't get any milk at all. Still a bit confused about that one.

Sorry if this freaks you out :o

[poshBecks]

Thanks for the info JanetF...are you a doctor or something coz you seem to know an awful lot of info about baby's, birth & pregnancy!!
It's amazing!!

[poshBecks]

Ok, my advice is to think carefully. This is not to scare you. Just my experience.

I took the tablets and had a 2 hour labour with my first. Some say lucky you, but I don't agree.
I had an almost 9lb baby and got a grade 3 tear. My body went into shock and I shook uncontrollably for 3 weeks.
I didn't get time to get use to the pain, so I sucked on gas for an hour during birth.
I had flashbacks for a month and didn't get any milk at all. Still a bit confused about that one.

Sorry if this freaks you out :o
WOW!!
That's horrible, I'd be happy with a labour that is somewhat shorter than 23 hours!!! Not nessasarily THAT short though!! OUCH!!

[cosmic]

oooohhhh...

Janet - I was interested in your article because I asked about raspberry leaf ages ago and got fairly strong responses that indicated I should steer clear in early pregnancy. I'm almost 18 weeks.. do you think it would be ok to have a small amount now? (I guess the question is more would it be beneficial to start taking it early on).

And Kaidensmum.. :eek: is all I can say!!

[faery]

hi mama's

red respberry leaf tea is not used to bring on labour, it is used to strengthen the uterus.

the tea does not taste that bad. I mix it with earl grey and have a cup every morning.

I'm five months now and have been drinking it everyday for a month. when the third trimester comes, I'll be upping the intake to at least 2 -3 cups per day.

If you have other herbal queries, just ask. My partner is a qualified herbalist and is happy to pass on information, cause there is a lot of mis-info out there about the usage and safety of herbs.

happy drinking!

[poshBecks]

Uh huh!! So faery, I've heard of a lot of women going into labour prematurely when they've taken them too early, thats why i've been waiting until now!!!??? Is it true?

[cosmic]

Yay Faery! So I am (about) 4mths.. is it ok for me to start taking it?

[melfunction]

Cosmic, its not recommended before 36 weeks. I asked the Dr and Ob.

[cosmic]

See, this is what confuses me! Some say it's ok and others say it isn't... :confused:

Nice pic by the way Mel.. spunky! ;)

[faery]

cosmic,

I'll talk to my partner tonight and get his idea about it. I also work with a naturopathic doctor and i can check with her as well.
:D

[cosmic]

Thanks! :)

[Sarie]

Yay Faery! So I am (about) 4mths.. is it ok for me to start taking it?
On the bottle it suggests 3rd trimester. I guess if you're overly sensitive to that kind of medication it could start things off a bit early...

[cosmic]

Sarie, I actually was just saying to Kaidensmum that I think I might hold off until the 3rd trimester just to be safe - so that's good to know.. thanks. Since I've never taken it (or been pregnant) it's a bit hard to know how I might react to it.

3rd trimester should still give me plenty of time to get that uterus nice and tight so I can get back in my jeans! (see it's not about an easy labour at all.. just vanity. KIDDING!! :D)

[faery]

just a couple of things.....

most pregnancy books that mention herbs are generally referring to tinctures. ya know, the liquid extracts that come in brown bottles and are a 2ml dose, or whatever therapeutic dose. The reason these are not recommended during pregnancy is that it can be quite a high dose and a strong blast of herbs. Most importantly, they are extracted with ethanol and you would also be getting a hit of alcohol with every dose.

in most cases, herbal teas are completely safe.

for example, chamomile is "cautioned" in some pregnancy books. referring to therapeutic liquid extract doses and not having a cup of tea before bed.

also, not to slam doctors, but if you want advice on herbal medicines, or other natural therapies, see a qualified hebalist, or other practitoner. Doctors are generaly not trained in ANY therapy but orthodox medicine. There are some great naturopathic doctors out there if you'd rather see a "doctor".

www.nhaa.org.au is a good place to start for further research into herbs and qualified practitioners.

[poshBecks]

also, not to slam doctors, but if you want advice on herbal medicines, or other natural therapies, see a qualified hebalist, or other practitoner. Doctors are generaly not trained in ANY therapy but orthodox medicine.
.
that makes a lot of sense!!

[JanetF]

What faery said :D

[Sarie]

Sarie, I actually was just saying to Kaidensmum that I think I might hold off until the 3rd trimester just to be safe - so that's good to know.. thanks. Since I've never taken it (or been pregnant) it's a bit hard to know how I might react to it.

3rd trimester should still give me plenty of time to get that uterus nice and tight so I can get back in my jeans! (see it's not about an easy labour at all.. just vanity. KIDDING!! :D)

It didn't ever work for me (I was late both times!) but I gave pretty much everything ago both times! ;)

[lottiesmum]

as with life it seems that pregnancy and birth has one theme and endless variations. I took the tea from 36 weeks on the suggestion of my doc. after reading about it I decided to go for the tea - as I could space consumption throughout the day and have lower doses. I drank 3-4 cups a day. I should add that I have no theoretical basis for this decision! I had a long labour (16 hours) but DD was right on time (2 days prior to EDC) - not sure whether this was the tea or BD or baby herself. on the up side - no intervention, drugs or stitches :D again - no idea if the tea helped. but at late stage of pregnancy I liked DOING something which I thought might help.

in terms of those jeans, cosmic, how quickly you get back into them I think it has more to do with your genes! ;) oh and BF if you are lucky - doesn't seem to work for everyone though...but it got me back into shape really quickly - along with lovely long walks with DD in teh pram

[cosmic]

also, not to slam doctors, but if you want advice on herbal medicines, or other natural therapies, see a qualified hebalist, or other practitoner. Doctors are generaly not trained in ANY therapy but orthodox medicine.

Good point Faery. When I told my GP I was taking Vitex to improve my cycle and help me conceive, she'd never heard of it, even though every naturopathic type person or health food store knew all about it.

[jaydensmum]

I took raspberry leaf tea from 32 weeks and it did nothing for me. I was 10 days overdue! They say that it ripens your cervix and tones your uterus, i didnt see any results from taking it. One night i have to admit, i drank about 4 cups of the tea and i end up in the maternity unit with strong contractions at 5 mins apart at 35weeks!! :eek: When i told the nurses what i had taken they told me thats why you're supposed to take it in moderation. The contractions stopped the next morning and i wasnt dilating thank goodness.

jaydensmum

[ericacjkk]

Hi Faery
I have had 4 miscarriages and read your reply saying that drinking Raspberry leaf tea can help prevent miscarriage.
How many cups a day should i drink?

[kiah]

My friend swears by them...ive never used them personally...

[Becbabe]

It was my first baby so hard to tell if it helped but... although I had a fairly long labour my 2nd stage was only 45mins which I was happy about!

Also my "bits" healed very fast.

I started taking the tablets at 36wks.

[Becbabe]

oh yeah & I was 4 days early.