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...

[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.


8/2010 6/2013 11/2015
Baby Girl EDD 9/30/2017

[4blue2pink]

thankyou TP and XX

TP im liking the lemonade idea

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.

8/2010 6/2013 11/2015
Baby Girl EDD 9/30/2017