raspberry leaf

[pinkcowprint]

hi all,im 30 weeks pregnant with my first and my sister in law has bought me some raspberry leaf tablets to take,she swears it helps soften things,if thats the right word!,and prevents stitches,has anyone taken this or any advice on it?thankyou!

[redcrx]

dont start them yet!

advice is from about 36 weeks usually, start with low dose 1 tablet twice a day and gradually build up to 2 tablets 3 times a day at 39 weeks.

They help tone the uterus and thus apparently make for a quicker pushing stage of labour.

to prvent the possibility of stitches then youre best trying perineum massage, the RLT tablets wont help there

for info i had a 6 hour labour from start to finish but my pushing stage was 1.5 hours and Id followed this advice with my first

[pinkcowprint]

thanks,yeah ive been told not to take them yet!!ive heard about the massage,do you use any oils?i hope my labours as quick as yours then,im going to try and have a water birth if the pools are free by the time i get there,they are supposed to help with the pain etc so im keen to try everything to help as i dont really want any pain relief,dont mark my words because ill probably be screaming for an epidural when i get there,according to friends anyway!thanks for your help ill start them in a few weeks then.x

[Psychick]

I dont know whether it was due to the raspberry leaf tablets I had taken or whether it was just a coincidence, but the 2nd stage of labour for was timed as being just four minutes! Baby came out with five pushes lol

As red has said, it strengthens the uterus making contractions more productive. With my first pregnancy, I didnt know about the tablets and my labour, although still reasonably quick, was a lot longer in comparison to this one. Therefore I am inclined to think it was the tablets that helped.

[pixie_woo]

Hi pinkcowprint

For the pereneal massage you can just use olive oil. Make sure you're relaxed and in a comfy position (or as comfy as you can be). My mw suggested my hubby do it but neither of us really fancied that, LOL!

I drank RLT from 36 weeks and I was in active labour (over 5cm dilated) for 5.5 hours and pushing for 25 mins. I'm not sure if it was the tea. I also used Clary Sage oil from 38 weeks which is also said to help strengthen (sp?) contractions.

Good luck x

[warpig3]

LOL @ pixie woos mw suggestion!