Question for Midwife (Allen) or anyone who knows

My SIL took rasberry leaf tablets from 32 weeks and has just gone full term. She is good friends with a midwife who suggested this to her.

Now I was going to do the same, but then someone said to me that the bleeding that I had early in pregnancy I would be high risk of premature labour anyway. Is this right. I mentioned it to my gyno and he forgot, but wants me to have a scan at 34 weeks to check things out.

So do u suggest I don't start taking these tablets until I have the scan at least???

Who knows I mighten be high risk and if I am not would like to start taking these tablets if you think it is safe????

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Oh and just to explain the bleeding, I discharged brown from 5-8.5 weeks with a couple of days of red (appeared it was a sub-chorionic haemorraghe), then all was well until 11.5 weeks where I woke in a pool of red blood and passed a clot the size of my palm and cramped. Doctor suspected I had an early placental abruption??? So I then discharged brown up till 14 weeks and haven't seen anything since.
Thanks in advance.

Hi Sheree, for people with low risk, RLT is ok to take even in first trimester, however any risk it's advised not to take it. I was low risk but was STILL advised by midwives not to take it until 36 weeks, incase it brought labour on. However my natropath said different so I took it from 32. I would say you're better waiting until 36/37 weeks when its' safe to have the bub anyway,. Maybe stick with 37 weeks, you wouldn't want a premmie if it can be avoided. xo

Hi Sheree

I agree with Meg. I would wait until 37 weeks and even then I would be a little reluctant to advise you to take it without knowing a little more about your history. It does sound like you had a placental abruption at 11.5 weeks, and this can lead to an early birth.

Thanks Meg and Allen, I appreciate your feedback and yes I have been thinking about it alot and really don't want to go any earlier then 37 weeks if I can help it and that means not trying to force it along with the rasberry leaf tablets. Even though my SIL took them from 32 weeks and went fullterm, it doesn't mean that I will.

Yes Allen they suspected it was an early placental abruption which is strange seeing as I haven't had any problems since. Not that I want any either though. My gyno wants me to have a scan at 34 weeks in a couple of weeks, so I guess that will indicate if I am high risk of going early or not. I will be kicking myself if I go fullterm and didn't give the tablets a go, but I guess thems are the breaks. I woud rather it that way then to go between 32 and 37 weeks. In other 5 weeks I may give them ago.

Thanks again I appreciate your help.

Sheree

tagging onto this one - when do people with low risk (ie no issues throughout pregnancy) start taking it??? Just looking for opinions since Meg had two different ones above.

32 weeks apparently is a normal pregnancy, no complications.

Well I had my scan and all is well except now bubs is breach, another dilema but guess we have time on our side.

But just wanted to ask again about the rasberry leaf tablets. After getting my scan results I went and had a chat with my gyno and I said so is it ok if I start taking these rasberry leaf tablets and he said no way, don't take them, they have some bad ingredients in them and can cause m/c. I don't know what he meant by this as I am past m/c, but was he trying to indicate something else re: still birth or something. Am I better off giving these a complete miss this pregnancy and trust my gyno?

Does anyone know? I am confused!

Hi shereejoy

Rasberry leaf has been taken by many pregnant women without any harmful effects. Your OB may be concerned about your bleeding and the possability of it happening again if you start taking the rasberry tea. Personally I would also advise you not to take it.

To help your baby turn spend 20 mins a day on your hands/elbows and knees.
also put a radio low down on your tummy and play music to your baby.

Sheree out of interest my midwife doesn't want me to take the tablets until we've got baby turned, as she thinks having the uterus more toned might make it harder to turn (just her theory though).

I was dissapointed as was hoping to start from 34 weeks, but oh well.

Im not a midwife, but I started taking RL tea with my son from about 32-34wks along. Tasted gross (added lemon and honey). I was already having strong BH (as I had from about 12wks on).......and RLT is supposed to tone the uterus to make it work more efficiently.

No one told me I shouldnt take it, yet I had been regularly bleeding from 5wks - 6mths pregnant. I was seeing a midwife, and told her about my 6mths of bleeding, yet she never referred me for a scan, and never did an internal. I think she brushed me off as a nervous 1st time mum. But hello, I was bleeding!

Anyway, took the RL tea as I said, and I ended up delivering Declan on his due date........so, even though I had been bleeding for 6mths, it never made me go into PTL. (Btw, he was posterior also.....made for a long 42hr labour.....yet I wonder if I didnt take the RLT, how long it might've been!).

Perhaps start taking it at around 37wks if you're worried. I even drank mine during labour!

Luv, Amanda

I was seeing a natropath when I got pregnant, and she made me a tonic at 8 weeks which I discovered had raspberry leaf in it. I stopped taking it as soon as I found out as I thought it wasnt' safe. That's when i did some research and asked some questions and was told that alot of women have rasp leaf from early pregnancy. However it is not recommended if there is a risk of miscarriage.
I then started taking it again at 32 weeks (just didn't feel safe taking it throughout) and at 35 weeks my midwife told me I shouldn't have started at 32 weeks, it's too early, but I think that's just to cover themselves if something happened. I took it from then and had bub 8 days early and a 1 hour 54 min labour. I would not put this down to RLT though! I think Coco was just ready!
So to be on the safe side, midwives recommended 36 weeks. I however was quite happy starting at 32 weeks and I actually felt so good as there's quite a bit of iron in RLT. xo