Raspberry Leaf Tea vs. Capsules

[BradyAm]

so i've read that raspberry leaf tea/capsules can help with labor and delivery and was wondering if any of you ladies have used it and how it helped you. how much did you drink or take and do you reccomend the capsules or the teas? im 38 weeks on friday will it even be worth starting to use them this far along? any advice would be greatly appreciated! thanks! :)

[AuroraSage]

MmMm Red Raspberry Leaf tea is my morning ritual!  I buy it loose in bulk from an organic grocer.. it's super cheap that way and is the freshest.. plus it lets me choose how much to use on a daily basis.
My naturopath/herbalist (best friends husband) told me about it right at the start of my pregnancy and I've been taking it daily ever since.  It's safe to start taking it at any point in the pregnancy.. and I'll second everything JoyRenee said up there!  :D

Also, I steep the tea overnight and drink it cold in the morning after straining.. if I'm having hot tea during the day/evening I'll also add in another pinch of the RRL..

[JoyRenee]

P.S. Evening Primrose Oil is used to soften the cervix. It does not put you into early labor; just helps ripen things and to help them along to make conditions more favorable, I guess is a good way of putting it? It is recommended you wait until the late 3rd trimester to use EPO and even then I'd ask your doctor/midwife about how much to take. Most doctors do frown upon herbal supplementation.

[JoyRenee]

My midwife informed me that she has her patients start taking it throughout their pregnancy. I was 37 weeks when I switched to them so that's when I started drinking the tea. I also started taking Evening Primrose Oil (that is a capsule and is inserted vaginally though some women take it orally or do both).

I bought my tea from a vitamin store. You want Raspberry Leaf Tea, not raspberry flavored tea.

[Brittny27]

I was wondering about this too. How early can you start to drink the tea. Are you suppose to wait till your a certain stage befor you can start drinking it?

Is there a certain brand that's better than others?

[JoyRenee]

Raspberry Leaf Tea is known for helping your uterus to contract more efficiently and for reducing the risks of hemorrhaging after delivery. I drank the tea for a few weeks before delivery and was in labor for 5 hours. Post Partum bleeding lasted 4-5 weeks.

I don't know if it helped or not. But it doesn't hurt to do it. I would drink the tea, not use capsules. It's a good tea.