Red Raspberry Leaf Tea During Pregnancy

I am already half way through this pregnancy. Hard to believe. This is by far the fastest pregnancy I have had, and I know the holidays are just going to make it go faster!

There are a few things I am doing differently this pregnancy. Even though I am only in my second trimester I am starting to prepare myself for labor. By that I mean I am studying and reading things on labor and natural birth like crazy. My first two labors were both hospital births were I was induced. Neither was that great of an experience, and recovery from each birth was extremely difficult! Because of my difficult recoveries, (I will spare you the gory details) I have searched for a better way for me.

God thankfully put a wonderful friend in my life who has had all three of her babies at home and speaks about labor and birth as such a beautiful thing. Hard work, but a wonderful thing. Her mentality was so refreshing to me. The idea of not being afraid of labor and understanding how and why your body works the way it does really peeked my interest in the whole idea of natural birth. She sent me the book "The Official Lamaze Guide Giving Birth With Confidence" by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries. I began reading and studying and came to the conclusion that a natural birth is exactly what I wanted. So this little one will be born in a Birthing Center. I could not be more excited. Weird to say, I know. But I am!

During my research of Natural Birth I came upon a guest post by Bambi of In The Nursery Of The Nation on the benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea in Pregnancy. I had read briefly about red raspberry leaf during my second pregnancy but did not really get a chance to really research it. Here is what I found...

BENEFITS:

Excerpt from The Bulk Herb Store about the benefits...

"Red Raspberry is the best single herb that we can take for total uterine health. There is a long list of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that the uterus needs to work efficiently. Red Raspberry Leaf has virtually all of them. The most popular use for Red Raspberry Leaf Tea is for mama and baby’s health throughout pregnancy. It provides your uterus with a nourishing source of vitamins and minerals that are vital for a healthy pregnancy. Red Raspberry is also an excellent source of an alkaloid called fragrine, which tones the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. This really helps to lower and sometimes eliminate cramps from the menstrual cycle and also makes for an easier birth."

- less post-partum bleeding
-tones the uterus and can make for an easier birth
-can help reduce pain during labor
-contains vitamins and minerals...C,E,A,B, calcium and iron.
-can help stop/prevent false labor

Umm ya...did you catch all that...possible less post partum bleeding, possible easier birth. To me that is at least worth a try! If it works, then awesome! If not, I haven't lost anything.  

I purchased my Red Raspberry leaf from the Bulk Herb store and have already began to drink at least a cup a day.  When I am farther along I will increase how many cups I am drinking, till I am drinking 3-4 a day. Now keep in mind, this is something you do need to drink daily to reap the benefits. Drinking it a handful of times during pregnancy is still good for you, but you probably won't experience all of the benefits of the tea. My favorite way so far to drink it has been hot tea with a teaspoon of raw honey, and a squeeze of lemon. It really is so relaxing to sip on after a long day. You can drink it hot or cold, whatever your personal preference is. Now if you really hate tea, you can find this in a pill form as well.

Even if you are not pregnant drinking this as a tea is still very beneficial for any woman! It can help increase fertility in both women and men. It can also help with an irregular and heavy menstrual cycle. My sister who struggles with irregular and difficult cycles has decided to start drinking this tea for that very reason. It would be a wonderful alternative to using the pill to regulate a young girls menstrual cycle.

Still curious about Red Raspberry Leaf...check out these articles/blog posts...

Woman's Place- Benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf
Deep Roots At Home- Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for Women and Pregnancy
The Birthing Site- Benefits and Use of Red Raspberry Leaf
The Bulk Herb Store-Red Raspberry Leaf


I will definitely do a follow up in January after this little babe makes her appearance and let you know my personal experience with Red Raspberry Leaf. Have you ever tried it? I would love to hear your experience below in the comments section!