As you approach the end of your pregnancy, it's natural to feel anxious about going into labor and getting to meet your baby. Many women find that their increasing discomfort and desire to have the baby in their arms leads them to look for natural ways to induce labor. Red raspberry leaf tea is one common natural induction method.
Labor Induction
Though late pregnancy can be very uncomfortable, it's risky to consider trying to induce labor yourself. This is because due dates are always approximations, explain Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book "You: Having A Baby." As such, your baby may not be as far along as you think. Further, the "Wall Street Journal" notes in a January 2011 article that the last weeks of pregnancy are critical for development. As such, you shouldn't consider any induction -- natural or otherwise -- until you've reached at least 39 weeks.
Raspberry Tea
If you've reached the end of your pregnancy and want to try to get labor going, you may have heard that red raspberry tea will cause contractions. There's actually very little evidence to support this, because there aren't many studies on the effects of red raspberry leaf tea on pregnant women. Limited studies suggest that the tea is probably safe, explains AmericanPregnancy.org, but you should talk to your doctor before trying it.
Effect
Whether red raspberry leaf tea can actually induce labor hasn't been proved scientifically. A 2001 study in the "Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health" by M. Simpson and colleagues suggests that consumption of the tea doesn't affect the length of the dilation stage of labor, but may shorten the length of the pushing stage by a very small percentage of time. The study showed no ability of red raspberry leaf tea to induce labor, however.
Alternatives
If you have your doctor's permission to try to get labor going naturally and you've reached the last week of pregnancy, there are some methods of home induction that have a more proven track record than red raspberry leaf tea. GivingBirthNaturally.com, a website with information on gentle and natural birth, suggests sex and nipple stimulation as effective techniques. They note, however, that you should discuss anything you want to try with your obstetrician to make sure your doctor is comfortable with your choice.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- AmericanPregnancy.org: Raspberry Tea
- "Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health"; Raspberry leaf in pregnancy: Its safety and efficacy in labor; M Simpson et al; March 2001
- GivingBirthNaturally.org: Induction
- Wall Street Journal: Early Induction
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