Red Raspberry Leaf Tea tribe - Page 4

[AppleCrisp]

I'm joining!

I'm a little late, at 30 weeks, but finally getting around to it! Ordered loose leaf today, and starting Traditional Medicinals blend today as well.

Question: is there a difference between red raspberry and plain raspberry?

[Birth Junky]

Originally Posted by kittyhead

hi, ive been reading this thread for a while, and while i like the idea of rasberry leaf tea, i cant drink the stuff. i am in second trimester, just starting to feel less pukey, and every time i take so much as a sip of RRL tea i get sick within a few minutes. its supposed to be good for me, but my body does not want it. what gives?

to you--I feel your pain. I was nauseated all day, every day until about 20 weeks, but it did eventually get better . . . hopefully it will for you, as well. I second what hairpin said about giving it some time; with any luck, what bothers you right now won't bother you at all in a few weeks.

[Mom'n it]

Originally Posted by ahwuko

I'm a little late, at 30 weeks, but finally getting around to it! Ordered loose leaf today, and starting Traditional Medicinals blend today as well.

Question: is there a difference between red raspberry and plain raspberry?

you'll want to get the red raspberry LEAF not the berries... as they are yummy, all the benefits talked about here are from the leaves. hope that helps!

[Brookesmom]

I found that having the tea iced and sweetened with some wild honey is the only way I can drink it. It really helps with the palatibility though for me. Recently I read about nettles and oatstraw and my health food store had them in bulk too so I started adding those to the brew too. They don't seem to have a strong flavor, at least any stronger than the RRL.

-Kelly

[LuckyMommaToo]

Thanks for this reminder -- I just ordered Mama's Red Raspberry Brew:
http://www.bulkherbstore.com/MRRB

I'm already 20 weeks, so when it gets here I'll start with two glasses a day. I hated pushing last time (mostly tiredness, probably), so I'm hopeful!

Thanks,
Erin

[3 Little Monkeys]

I am fly by posting here - I haven't read all of the responses but plan to catch myself up tonight or tomorrow.

I've only been drinking RRL tea for about a week now, 3 cups a day if I can remember to do it. I'm at 33 weeks almost.

I'm curious - someone on my ddc posted that they weren't drinking RRL tea, but were drinking lots of caffeine - is there some sort of correlation between the two? I don't know the whole RRL tea story (again, planning to catch up later when the kiddos will let me) but love the tea.

[NattylockedMama]

Hello mamas I have not been around alot latley but have missed you all Well our new lilltle one is finaly here Haile Inarah Israel born 12-16-05 she is sooooooo sweet we are soooooo in love with her!!!!!! Mama givin Haile her first bath! so many helpers!!!
So I'm here to say that I totaly think that rrl tea works wonders!! I started drinking A few cups a days at about 18 weeks and then drank the strong brew when labor began and it was a wonderfull birth!!! Fast, pain free, Natural !!! I only had to push about 4 or 5 times and she was out labor all togther was only 3.5 hours!!! Oh ya and I lost alot less blood this time to!! With my preveious deliverys I was way eniemic and lost alot of blood. This time I could totaly tell a difference Haile is only 2 weeks old and I am already done bleeding It is great!!!!! The labor was so easy thanks so much mamas for fillin me in on rrl tea mamas!!!!!

[Peppamint]

Congrats Jori!

I too had a wonderful pain-free 4hr labor (well, his roaring out of my womb did hurt LOL) after drinking RRL regularly... and I only bled until the day before his 3 week birthday. I had attributed that to a healthy pregnancy and no cord traction after the birth- but I bet the RRL helped too. Enjoy your babymoon!

[Tofu the Geek]

Originally Posted by yvonnemlv

I actually did try it once during the first trimester with my son (who is now almost 2.5yrs) and even after a very weak, half a glass of tea, i started bleeding... GYN couldn't find a reason for it. It was new blood and a lot.!

I just spent a total of 6.5 hours at the hospital getting blood test and ultrasounds because I have been bleeding. I am 6 weeks and I have been taking a pre-natal vitamin with red raspberry leaf in it. I have no idea if the RRL has ANYTHING to do with the bleeding, does anyone think it could? Maybe because I am experiencing bleeding I should switch vitamins until the 2nd trimester?

I wouldn't normally be worried about RRL but during my 1st pregnancy my doctor went on maternity leave and the replacement doctor found out I was interested in natural health and proceeded to tell me not to be stupid and ever take RRL because she knew women who it had caused a miscarriage in. I ignored her advice and drank RRL/nettle tea starting my 3rd trimester. But this time I started it with the pre-natal vitamins (which I was taking before I got pregnant) and that stupid doctor's words are ringing in my head as I sit and wait to see if the bleeding is a miscarriage or not. :

[chalynm]

I don't know if there's any documented connection between rrl and bleeding. In all the reading I've done, the places that recommend restricting its use to a particular trimester never say why. But a couple of other mamas in this group have reported bleeding when using it early on, so maybe there is a connection. My m/w said too much in the 1st tri can cause uterine stilumation, so if there's a correlation, maybe the stimulation causes the bleeding? Who knows? I'm just sort of guessing here. Don't know if that helps at all...

[yvonnemlv]

I looked it over 3 years ago when this happened.. but now I cannot remember. I think mostly I found other ancedotal accounts from other women in first tri this happened to and decided that htis was most likely it.

RRL helps me the most in the 2nd tri when I am getting over nausea and babe is pretty well planted in there.

I guess you could switch prenatals and see what happens. But then it could just be coincidental in your case, ya know? So hard to know because so many different reasons can cause things. I hope it's not m/c and is just some unexplained bleeding. s Definitely no fun to go through all that.

[Peppamint]

Hmm, I've used RRL in my 1st trimester twice with no probs... but I did only drink 1 cup a day then. I would hold off awhile on drinking RRL, for your peace of mind if nothing else!

I haven't gotten into my RRL habit yet this pg and I'm already 22 weeks, having actual m/s and not just nausea really threw me off this time!

[sunshinestarr]

count me in!

hi! okay, as a first time poster here, you can see that i spent waaay too much time on my sig, lol! anyway...
this is my second pregnancy (first was ended up as a stillbirth) - i drank a ton of rrl in my first pregnancy and it made me sick each time - so not fun. i tried different brands and only organic and everything i could think of. when i say sick, i mean headaches and just awful stomach aches. so when we got preggers again, i was a bit scared. we have also since moved out of the u.s. to israel and i wasn't sure if it would be so easy to find. well, there is a great health food store which is about a 1.5 minute walk from me, and they have really fresh rrl - i've proceeded with caution, one cup a day, (i usually mean to drink hot, but i never actually get to drink hot tea, lol) and this baby is taking to it much better. i am really excited to drink the stronger infusion when labor starts!
good to meet everyone!

[Peppamint]

Welcome Sunshinestarr! I too always spend time creating a siggie before I post on a new website- that way I don't seem quite such a stranger.

[chalynm]

Originally Posted by 3 Little Monkeys

I'm curious - someone on my ddc posted that they weren't drinking RRL tea, but were drinking lots of caffeine - is there some sort of correlation between the two? I don't know the whole RRL tea story (again, planning to catch up later when the kiddos will let me) but love the tea.

I don't know if rrl has caffeine in it or not, but I just read that large amounts of caffeine might be linked to preterm labor and "loss of the fetus." (miscarriage, stillbirth?)

Here's the page where I saw this. The last paragraph is where it talks about caffeine.

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pre...svitamins.html

[3 Little Monkeys]

Thanks for the info - I've asked that question in 3 different places and haven't had anyone answer me.

I finally did read the RRL story - now I'll have to remember to make the stronger dose to take to the hospital with me

[mollyeilis]

Question so I'll de-lurk.

Background: not pregnant but planning to be ASAP. With first pregnancy I'd heard, everywhere it seemed, that RLL was not to be taken in first tri. So I avoided it. Then at some point during second tri, late in second, I think, I tried to dirnk it. Well, as was proven with other things during labor, I'm a bit sensitive to herbs, and it caused REAL contractions. Not B-H, I was having those, but real, true contractions, FAR too early to be doing that. It would happen within minutes of beginning to drink the tea...

So I stopped drinking it...(and had a funky long weird labor that freaked out everyone but me, and very long story short had Eamon by nonsensical c/s for no reason but everyone's freakout and my own stupidity in signing that piece of paper ugh).

I'm really hoping that a future pregnancy will be entirely different! I know what to do with cravings for sweets now (eat protein!), I'm going to continue with my life rather than just sit and wait (the pregnancy was after 2 years of active wedding planning and I was EXHAUSTED), exercise, and so on...am hoping the third trimester doesn't bring as much nausea and heartburn as it did with Eamon (have since learned one can SWALLOW papaya enzymes rather than having to chew them, which I wish for my nausea's sake I'd realized before)....

And though I'm scared of RRL tea b/c of those contractions, I wonder if starting it earlier would allow my body time to get used to it?

What do you experienced RRL people think of that idea?

But my main question....

I've seen mention here of 1 ounce per quart of water, and I've seen mention of 1 tsp per cup. Are those both right? I know that one ounce is going to be a LOT of dried herbs!

THanks in advance!

[Peppamint]

Originally Posted by chalynm

I don't know if rrl has caffeine in it or not, but I just read that large amounts of caffeine might be linked to preterm labor and "loss of the fetus." (miscarriage, stillbirth?)

Here's the page where I saw this. The last paragraph is where it talks about caffeine.

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pre...svitamins.html

RRL is exactly that, leaves harvested from the red raspberry leaf bush and dried. No caffeine.

Molly- I'm not sure about the ration of herbs: water, I'm still working that out myself since I used to just drink the Traditional Medicals Pregnancy teabags.

[~*max*~]

What a great thread! I'd love to join. I am 21 weeks pregnant w/baby #4. I have been drinking RRL tea off & on, but am now going to start consistently. I've been using Traditional Medicines tea, but would like to try the bulk herbs mixed w/nettle (for my varicose veins). I have a question for you wise herbal mamas, is the bagged tea less strong/effective than tea made w/bulk herbs?Traditional Medicines recommends drinking 3 cups/day, which is too much for me. (Of course their recommendation could be to boost sales too.)

Looking forward to getting to know you all and learning from you.

[Birth Junky]

Molly:

Personally, I have no problems with contractions--Braxton-Hicks OR real ones--when I drink the tea. However, given that some of the moms here have had problems with contractions/bleeding when drinking the tea early in labor, and since it caused contractions for you when you started it in second tri, I would probably stay away from it until third tri just to be on the safe side. Obviously, though, this is something that should be discussed with your midwife or an herbalist who is knowledgeable about pregnancy.

As for the measurements of tea to water . . . yes, one ounce of herbs is a LOT. But so is one quart of water! Personally, I have been tossing in a small handful of herbs into my little teapot (accomodates about 2-2.5 cups of water) and drinking it from there; it makes a decently strong infusion, but like I said--no contractions for me, no matter how much I drink!