Will raspberry leaf tea help me go into labour?

Does raspberry leaf tea help to start your labour?

It's a commonly held belief that drinking raspberry leaf tea or taking raspberry leaf tablets will help to bring on labour.

In fact, although it's often recommended by other mums and mums-to-be as a way to get pregnant, raspberry leaf tea doesn't actually help bring on labour. Check out natural ways that are supposed to help labour. What it is thought to do, however, is to tone the muscles of your uterus (womb) to help it work better during labour, rather than actually starting labour. It's thought that drinking raspberry leaf tea during the weeks prior to giving birth helps shorten the second stage of labour by making contractions more effective. 

Sipping raspberry leaf tea during and after the birth is also said to help your uterus contract back down to size, reduce any bleeding you might have after giving birth. 

The general consensus is that, if you want to drink raspberry leaf tea during your pregnancy, that you don't start until week 34. And even then, don't go mad with it. A couple of cups a day tops is enough.

While there are no guarantees that it will actually do anything, if you like the taste it might be worth giving it a go.

Read more on:

• Natural ways to bring on labour
• Pre-labour. What is it and how do you know you're there?
• The three stages of labour and how to manage them