Raspberry Leaf Tea - using it to help labour

I have seen quite a bew questions about this lately so I thought I would share my knowledge and hopefully help a few people. I have trained in Natural Medicine and Aromatherapy and since leaving work have been looking for a way to use my knowledge - so here you go!

Raspberry Leaf Tea can be used from 32 weeks gestation - or 7 months. You can get this from Health Food stores or Herbal Suppliers. To make it you mix 25g/1oz of the dried leaves with 600ml/1 pint of boiling water - or 1 teaspoon with 1 cup. You can also take it in tablet form, which can be found at Pharmacies and Health Food stores. You should start off having 1 cup of tea or 1 tablet per day and slowly build up to 4 cups of tea or 4 tablets per day. You can also sip the tea during labour as some people say it helps with the pain.

It is said to make the second stage of labour shorter and lessen the need for forcep delivery. There have been random trials done to help proove this but nothing has been made official as yet. It also helps tone and strengthen the uterus which can also aid your recovery. It is also recommended if you are wanting to try a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) as it strengthens the uterus after being cut.

Raspberry Leaf is not actually proven to bring on labour -  but it can assist it once it starts. There are other herbs you can take to bring on labour, but they are dangerous if taken too early in the pregnancy. Homeopathic remedies are much safer as they are not as strong as herbal ones. As with the Raspberry leaf tea these are not scientifically proven.