Raspberry Leaf Tea Capsules

[4blue2pink]

has anyone had any experience with Raspberry Leaf Tea Capsules?

ive never taken them (or the tea) but im considering it this time as i keep hearing about them and also its my 8th baby and apparently they help reduce the risk of haemorrhage? is this true? (i should add i have never had a haemorrhage, minimal blood loss each time) i am also slightly wary of herbal meds especially during ttc and pregnancy.

whats recommended is to start with 1 capsule per day at 32 weeks and work up to 6 per day by 38 weeks, dosage is 375mg of raspberry leaf extract per 2 tablets, this seems like a huge amount, are there any "side effects" i should be aware of? all i can find online is some professionals say they reduce haemorrhage risk while others say too much raspberry leaf tea can cause you to bleed out..

i know they are also said to shorten labour time but that isnt really a concern for me as like i said 8th baby.. and ive always been pretty quick, last 2 were both less than 2 hours so im not worried about that side of things.

is it worth taking them purely for the haemorrhage/uterine toning side of things? if anyone is willing to share their own experiences who has taken them or even just had advice from their midwife/doctor regarding them id be very grateful :)

[ksmom]

I have not taken the capsules but I drank the tea throughout my pregnancies with DS2 and DS3. What RRL does is it helps tone the uterus. It basically makes contractions more effective and can shorten labor. I don't know if it helped with that as I had fast labors with all three (DS3 was just an hour). I also don't know if it helps with bleeding either as I bled quite a bit with all three, however that could just be from having quick labors. I do know that RRL tea has lots of nutrients in it so it's good to drink during pregnancy. My midwives only ever recommended the tea and from what I've read the tea tends to be more effective than the capsules. I think the capsules are more for those that don't like the taste of the tea. Having said all that, there's not a lot of science to back it up. There was a study done that showed RRL reduced the need for interventions like forceps and artificial membrane rupture (my water broke on its own at the start of labor with DS2 and DS3 so maybe the RRL helped?). I think without enough studies to back it up, the "benefits" of RRL become anecdotal. There's a lot of women saying it worked (no way to tell if it did or not since we don't know how things would have played out had they not taken it) and there's women that say it did nothing at all. Having said all that, I really enjoyed drinking it during my pregnancies and would drink it again in another pregnancy because I figure why not. Even if it doesn't help tone the uterus, it at least has lots of nutrients. Whether you take the capsules or tea, just make sure there are no other added herbs (unless your midwife says they're fine).

[4blue2pink]

Thankyou ksmom :) over here they seem to recommend the capsules over the tea saying they are more effective and also because the tea tastes vile? can i ask how much of the tea you were drinking per day? its the sheer amount of the dosage that worries me a bit..

definatly wouldnt touch if there were other herbs mixed in! thats the thing so many women seem to swear by it! but i cant work out how much it really would help towards reducing bleeding (if at all..)

[ksmom]

I started out just drinking a cup or two of tea per day in the second trimester then increased to three in the third trimester. Once I was closer to my due date, I started doubling the potency by brewing two bags for each cup of tea. It's gross (to me) to drink it hot so I always had it over ice. You can always add some frozen raspberries to it for a little extra flavor.

As for bleeding, I think that *IF* it helps at all with that, it's only because the RRL helps the uterus contract more effectively.

[Throwaway_panther]

Idk about capsules, but I do swear by the tea in general in the third trimester for toning. I know it was only my first baby, but the nurses were amazed at how quickly my uterus shrunk back after DD's birth. It was unfeelable by the time I left the hospital, and I stopped bleeding pretty quickly postpartum.

I did not have a fast labor though... :hair:

[4blue2pink]

yes i imagine that would be why it would help ksmom, if it contracts more effectively then it should also contract more effectively after delivery and help prevent haemorrhage at least in theory!!

TP when did you start drinking it? and do you mind me asking how much? to be honest im not sure i buy the whole "it speeds up labor" thing especially with first babies as they do tend to take their time!! do you think it did anything for blood loss at all? im assuming you'd say it would be wise to do it with it being my 8th baby for the toning effect since a lack of tone is what leads to hemorrhage in the vast majority of cases?

[Throwaway_panther]

yes i imagine that would be why it would help ksmom, if it contracts more effectively then it should also contract more effectively after delivery and help prevent haemorrhage at least in theory!!

TP when did you start drinking it? and do you mind me asking how much? to be honest im not sure i buy the whole "it speeds up labor" thing especially with first babies as they do tend to take their time!! do you think it did anything for blood loss at all? im assuming you'd say it would be wise to do it with it being my 8th baby for the toning effect since a lack of tone is what leads to hemorrhage in the vast majority of cases?

I started at the beginning of my third trimester. I read the trick with it was to have it steeped long, so I'd put several bags in a pitcher and cold brew it overnight. I'd drink a glass or two everyday, sometimes mixing with lemonade like an Arnold Palmer! I had a TON of blood -- like literally hypotensive, pulsing cord for so long I was able to delay clamping AND donate cord blood and they still had to go, "It's been a half hour, we're goimg to need to clamp." No hemorrhage, bleedimg stopped postpartum at maybe 4/4.5 weeks. Not sure if any of that can ve creduted to RRL, but I didn't look pregnant anymore within a few days.

ETA: I meant THIRD trimester!!

[XXforhubby]

I do the same thing TP, and I've had super quick labors (1st was 6 hours start to finish and the rest were 2-3 hours start to finish). My uterus has always shrunk super fast and postpartum bleeding is usually done in 6days-2 weeks for me. I start at week 35 and increase tea bags at 37 weeks and increase tea bags even more at 39 weeks. I was told to start off with only 1 tea bag at 32 weeks and increase at 35 weeks on. I think this is more to cover their butts more than anything. I still follow their directions though.


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[4blue2pink]

thankyou TP and XX

TP im liking the lemonade idea :D

XX when you say increase tea bags how many are we talking? with the capsules your up to 6 per day by 38 weeks, is it a similar story with the tea bags, brew only 1 bag from 32 weeks to drink over the day then gradually brew more bags till there's 6 in there by 38/39 weeks? thats sounds so excessive when i think about brewing 6 tea bags!!

[XXforhubby]

That's the ratio I do. I brew about 14 cups, which last me a week with drinking 2 cups a day. I start with 8 tea bags at 35 weeks, then 10 tea bags at 37, and then end with 12 tea bags at 39. Keep in mind, I make a pitchers worth that lasts me 1 full week with drinking 2 cups a day. My midwives at the hospital I go to created this ratio for me using the mg of red raspberry leaf in the Yogi tea. I swear by this! I mean, my milk came in before I was discharged from the hospital with my DS3!

Mine is more concentrated because I steep it for 6 hours and then put it in the fridge with the bags in it overnight before taking them out in the morning. This makes a much stronger tea.

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[4blue2pink]

TP i guessed you meant third and not first! :) all the advice ive seen has said its a complete no-no before the third trimester

XX thankyou :) this seems a silly question but do you put them into boiling water then allow to cool? or do you just leave them in cold water overnight?

the fact you can make a weeks worth in one go sounds good, i was thinking id end up forgetting otherwise :) i was bad enough with remembering the coffee for swaying!!

XX can i also ask what your midwives say about it? do they recommend it to all their women? alot of midwives here seem very keen on it though none of the ones ive seen have ever mentioned it.

[XXforhubby]

I boil about 48oz of water first either in the microwave or by kettle, put in the bags and steep until it cools to room temp. I usually forget about it until way later, haha! I then poor it into my pitcher, fill with additional water while keeping the bag in. I put this into the fridge and take out the bags if I have some at night or the next morning.

My midwives don't mention it unless someone asks. I asked about it, and they educated me on it. They think it helps with uterine tone and milk production, but they don't push it. They are really laid back here. I mean, I'll be 38 before she is born, and they aren't pushing scans, non-stress tests, etc. My pregnancy has been uneventful so far, and they are fine not pushing me to do this and that as long as it's not warranted.


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[4blue2pink]

sounds like you have really good midwives XX :)

[atomic sagebrush]

I personally didn't think the capsules worked the way the tea did. I was disappointed in the results with the capsules but that may have just been coincidence. I also like how the tea is fairly standardized because you'll taste what is in there (they can't get by with putting a bunch of fillers or other herbs in there) while that isn't always the case with capsules, unfortunately.

I am pretty sure RRLT does something positive based on patterns of BH contractions when using them (definitely different) and also seemingly had different patterns of postpartum bleeding when using it vs. not. But I seriously doubt that it is necessary to anyone to "prevent hemmorhage" and sometimes it's better if you just let your body do its thing.

[atomic sagebrush]

RE first/third trimester - with my 3rd I had heard some bad info about starting it early and I will tell you I had massively strong Braxton Hicks with him, so alarming that I very quickly stopped using it. Now, many people do use it but that's one of the reasons why I know firsthand it really does do something to your uterus!! It was really dramatic, before, during, and after the RRLT.

[XXforhubby]

RE first/third trimester - with my 3rd I had heard some bad info about starting it early and I will tell you I had massively strong Braxton Hicks with him, so alarming that I very quickly stopped using it. Now, many people do use it but that's one of the reasons why I know firsthand it really does do something to your uterus!! It was really dramatic, before, during, and after the RRLT.

So just to make sure I understand what you said (pregnancy brain!!), the RRLT made your BH contractions stronger in the 3rd trimester or earlier? How did it effect you postpartum?


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[atomic sagebrush]

So just to make sure I understand what you said (pregnancy brain!!), the RRLT made your BH contractions stronger in the 3rd trimester or earlier? How did it effect you postpartum?


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Both. I was told to start RRLT during the first trimester (this was before I got into all of this stuff and was just a regular person then LOL) and then stop it during the second trimester and then resume it during the third. So when I tried that during the 1st trimester I immediately got very strong BH contractions and was told it was "normal" so I continued it for a couple weeks at which point I decided that it could not possibly be normal, stopped it, and the contractions immediately stopped.

I had already noticed in my 2nd and then again with subsequent pg that it does make BH contractions in 3rd tri but they were a lot less painful, dramatic, and alarming than those first trimester ones were.

So, my point was that I can testify that in my experience, the RRLT is doing something. Now is it something good, IDK, I believe it helped me (my first labor was a b--- and then my 4th labor was too, and those were the two I did not use RRLT with, since I had placenta previa with my 4th and couldn't chance it) and my other 3 were much easier. But I would still possibly chalk that up to coincidence if not for the krazy kontractions with my third. :)

[4blue2pink]

thankyou Atomic, that is a very good point about the capsules possibly being mixed with other herbs, i definitely wouldnt touch it before around 34 weeks anyway, 32 weeks is the absolute earliest its advised over here.

for the tea did you use it in a similar way to TP and XX brew up a weeks worth for a couple of cups per day with gradually increasing amounts of tea bags?

"sometimes it's better if you just let your body do its thing."

^^ yes, thats the thing, i worry that id be messing with things and like you said its maybe better to just let my body do its thing..

but then on the other hand it does appear to do something, those bh contractions it triggers must be a workout of sorts and a lack of tone is the biggest cause of hemorrhage particularly in women who have had lots of babies

can i ask what differences you noticed in post partum bleeding? most women who use it seem to experience bleeding for a much shorter length of time, which makes me think it has to be doing something to help your uterus return back to normal size quickly etc which again would mean it was well toned.

am i right in thinking there are no negatives to using it? worst case scenario is that it makes no difference at all?

sorry for all the questions i just have no idea what im doing when it comes to these things and it makes me slightly nervous.

[atomic sagebrush]

Nope, I like the taste of it and just made a few hot teas over the course of the day. I'm never that organized LOL! :)

I"m not totally convinced on the postpartum bleeding angle. With my first son I bled a lot for a long time (I bleed and bruise easily) and then I took it with my second son and bled only 6 weeks instead of 8+ and I thought "oh this is doing something. With my 3rd I bled for 6 weeks again. The weird thing was, with my 4th son (with whom I couldn't take the RRLT due to my previa and then some fainting issues I had after I had given birth) I only bled for like 2 weeks with him!! And then my 5th pg, I did use it during pregnancy, nowhere near as much as with #3 and #4, however - and not only was her labor the easiest by far, I ran out of tea right away and even though I didn't buy more, only bled about 2 weeks again with her. So this was not a very strong pattern for me.

[atomic sagebrush]

The straight truth is, wisdom is great but most of these things are not super tested (and honestly, even the things that ARE super tested invariably turn out to have some kind of downside)

I can imagine a possibility in which intense cramping could cause some sort of problem (like placental abruption or tearing of an old C section scar, that kind of thing) or some other side effect we don't have any clue about. I no longer can buy into the idea that any herb is always 100% safe since I've seen so many people on herbs they were given by medical professionals that had serious downsides to them. it doesn't mean that RRLT is bad or that you shouldn't use it, just that I can envision a downside to it.

To my way of thinking this is another reason to do the tea instead of capsules. At least you can control the amount - dilute it down more, use fewer bags per day, etc.

[4blue2pink]

thankyou Atomic, this might sound silly but herbs make me nervous especially with pregnancy/birth as you can probably tell from my million questions!! there also seems to be a huge amount of disagreement among doctors and midwives about rrlt, some say 100% take it from 32 weeks, others say dont touch till 37 weeks minimum, others say dont touch at all..

that is a good point about the cramps possibly triggering a problem, i dont have a c-section scar but wouldnt want to cause myself a potentially dangerous problem while trying to make odds "better" for something else.

im leaning towards not taking it, why mess around and meddle when things have worked perfectly well without it, if that makes sense?
for me blood loss has been between 100-150mls at delivery with each baby except my DS2 who was less than 100mls and PP bleeding has usually started being that annoying on/off/on/off pattern by the second week, but none of that seems to matter because once you go above baby #3 bleeding to death is all anyone medical ever talks about :-/ causes me to worry every single time!!

[XXforhubby]

I hear ya! I am weary of supplements too! I seem to be sensitive to anything medicinal/herbal! I'm taking it because I took it with all of my other kids without any issue. I don't take near as much as what is recommended though. Taking a lot of something has never made sense to me. I think listening to your body and letting it do its thing (with some help sometimes [emoji6]) is definitely the way to go!


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[atomic sagebrush]

Additionally, just to put your mind at ease - they DO have medicine for that, that works very well. One of the nicest things about them gloomily scaring the he-- out of you saying "your risk of postpartum hemorrhage is on the increase" is that at the least they're aware of it and they'll be on the lookout. The people who tend to get into trouble are those with complications you probably don't/won't have and then those whose doctors are asleep at the wheel - if they know of a potential problem, they can better be able to avoid it.

[4blue2pink]

XX the recommended doses are scary high, i agree why drink huge amounts each day it just seems an abnormal idea to me, i know a lady who was recommended 2 litres per day by her midwife, i didnt say anything but thought it sounded slightly crazy.. i wouldnt want to drink any type of tea in that quantity.

Atomic your right the statistics for PPH are skewed because they include women with bleeding/clotting disorders and also all deliveries are lumped in together so the increased risk for c-section or assisted delivery isnt accounted for, my midwife did tell me last time that the research they use here (UK) for PPH is called level 3 which means its very poor quality, most of the data was gathered in studies done in the third world where a general lack of health care and maternal malnutrition play big roles, which isnt the case here. i think they always go on about it to me because i have homebirths and they have to say it to cover their own backs, make you aware of the risks so you can make an informed decision etc.

RRLT does seem to have suddenly become hugely popular almost fad-like and im wondering if its due to certain celebs using it and claiming its the sole reason for their perfect less than 4 hour completely pain-free natural births :think:

[atomic sagebrush]

You and me are thinking along the same lines on this. I think reasonable amounts are safe and may do a little something, just use your gut instinct and good sense!!

[4blue2pink]

Thankyou Atomic im so grateful for all the replies on this thread and everyone who has taken time out to write them :heart: im glad you feel we are on the same page i was worried i was coming across completely neurotic and wasting everyones time!!

i may end up trying a couple of cups per day for the last few weeks but thats my limit i think :)

[XXforhubby]

Me too!


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