Today we continue our series–“After Baby Comes: Postpartum Recovery Tips & Blessings for New Moms.” I’m blessed to have a full line-up of very talented guest posters, so I can recover and enjoy my new sweet baby! Today, Paula is educating us about the benefits of red raspberry leaf tea in both pregnancy and the postpartum season! Please pay her site a visit!
Guest Post by Paula of Whole Intentions
I wouldn’t say I have high pain tolerance. In fact, I kinda shy away from anything that might cause pain or imminent death – like really tall buildings. In the past, there wasn’t much I could say about each of my deliveries except that they hurt a whole lot – and boy was I glad when it was over!
And while you have those tiny toes to distract you soon afterward, there’s always the after pains to bring you out of your baby-kissed delirium and back to the present.
A series of life-changing events over several years – a stillborn baby, Lymes disease, food allergies, and candida – lead our family to learn about alternative medicine, whole foods, and herbs. I didn’t realize the impact that would have on the “pregnant me” until I was expecting our sixth baby.
A friend told me about a simple herb once used to ease labor pain: red raspberry leaves. My thought? Bring it on. I read every blog, article, and forum I could find and was amazed at the encouraging testimonials.
I found that red raspberry leaves:
- strengthen and tone the wall of the uterus (and the entire female reproductive system)
- decrease profuse menstrual flow
- help relieve cramps
- support the adrenal glands during menopause
I started drinking it cold, like iced tea, and couldn’t get enough. To save on cost I ordered ½ lb. bags of Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew, a delicious mix of red raspberry leaves and other beneficial herbs, from The Bulk Herb Store. I started drinking two cups a day at the beginning of my second trimester. When I hit the third trimester I was drinking 32-48 oz. a day and eventually drank it by the quart.
How did it affect my delivery?
The Braxton Hicks which typically started around 5 months began at 37 weeks. My labor – from when I “thought” it might be the real thing to the actual delivery of our daughter, lasted just over 5 hours.
What surprised me the most is that after nearly 5 hours of labor, my contractions were hardly worse than the ones that made us go into the hospital, “just in case.” In fact, I was disappointed they were so light – I wanted to get the show on the road!
Finally the contractions became strong enough that I asked to sit in the bathtub. However, that seemed to make them intensify, so suddenly that I decided to get out and walk. (Our hospital didn’t allow birthing in the tub.)
I barely made it to the bed where she was born about 3 minutes later. My labor lasted a total of 5 1/2 hours. I was amazed at how the contractions stayed “do-able” for so long – and then the last 10 minutes went amazingly fast (I pushed three times).
I won’t lie and say the tea made the after pains non-existent, but I certainly noticed a difference. By the third day the pains were nearly gone and my husband couldn’t stop commenting on my energy.
So how do you make this wonder elixir? Glad you asked. . .
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
8 parts red raspberry leaves
3 parts alfalfa
3 parts peppermint (if you’re nursing, replace this with fenugreek as peppermint can decrease your milk supply)
2 parts nettlesDirections:
1. Combine herbs and store in air tight jar or container.2. To make hot tea, pour boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of the tea mix. Let it steep for about 5 min. Remove the leaves and sweeten with stevia or another natural sweetener.
3. To make a gallon of cold tea (my favorite), pour about 4 cups of water over ½ c. of leaves and let steep for about 4 hours.
We do this step by pouring water into our coffee maker (there are no coffee grounds or filter in it). Then we put the leaves inside our coffee pot. When we turn the coffee maker on, the water comes out hot and fills up the pot. We let the leaves steep until the water has cooled to room temperature and then we strain them out.
4. Sweeten with stevia or another natural sweetener and fill the gallon the rest of the way with water. This is great on a hot day!
I hope you give Red Raspberry Tea a try. Me? I’ll never leave home without it!
Paula Miller is a child of God, wife to Travis, homeschooling mom of five, Christian children’s author, lover of coconut oil, and Lilla Rose consultant. She and her family live on a small hobby farm in the Midwest. Several years of family health problems led her to learn about whole foods, candida, food allergies, and healthy alternatives to modern medicine. She chats about whole food, whole living, and whole faith on her blog, Whole Intentions. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.
Come check out our other “After Baby Comes: Postpartum Recovery Tips & Blessings for New Moms” posts all month long!
- Bless a Friend with Freezer Meals
- 5 Ways to Beat Postpartum Depression, Naturally
- Top 10 Reasons to Use Your Crock Pot
- Exiting the Darkness of Postpartum Depression
- Making a New Mama Basket
*Disclaimer: Neither Paula nor I are healthcare professionals. This blog is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult your trusted healthcare professional before taking any actions concerning your health.*
Sabrina
Thank you for this detailed post! I have a question re caffeine. I have an sensitivity to tea, the caffeine in particular. Does this brand contain caffeine? Also, did it affect your baby while nursing? Thanks for any advice.
Kristen @ Smithspirations
Hi Sabrina! Red raspberry leaf tea does not contain any caffeine. It is made from the leaves of red raspberry bushes. It is a great choice for nursing moms, as well!
Orianna
Sorry I didn’t know how to post my own comment! I was wondering if this will still work if you just drink red raspberry tea without all the other stuff like alfalfa…just thought it would be less expensive and easier to make that way but wanted to know if it would work the same? Thanks!
Jami Leigh
I have had this recommended to me before…but I’m just not the biggest herbal flavored tea fan. I may need to give it a try though 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Leigh Ann @ Intentional By Grace
Oh I love this! We just started drinking more herbal teas and I’ve been concocting home remedies like crazy! I am pinning this for later reference. I drank Red Raspberry Tea with my son, and my labor was only 5.5 hours too! Great info! I’m a believer in herbs…since well, God did create them. 🙂
Anjanette
Yes, I love RRL tea! I don’t like herbal teas and this is one that is do-able for me!
Amanda @Natural Living Mamma
Thanks for sharing this! I love red raspberry leaf tea. Your tea recipe also sounds delicious. I am going to make some now! Thanks so much for sharing your story.
I would love it if you could link this up to my new blog hop Natural Living Monday and I know my readers would too!
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Jill
I can testify! My July period lasted a full 30 DAYS!!! A doctors exam revealed that my uturs was almost three times as thick as it should be. I started guzzling a 50/50 brew of red raspberry leaves and my favorite flavored herbal tea. My August cycle returned to normal and in September I became pregnant. With the success I had after the July menstrual cycle debacle, I plan to continue my tea regimin throughout my pregnancy.
Wendy @ ABCs and Garden Peas
Thanks so much for this great post. I swear by RRL tea as I really do believe it’s what helped me conceive this time around after my cycle was so irregular from nursing for 2 years, and I’d love to keep drinking it. I wasn’t sure if I should while I was actually pregnant. I’m glad to know I can! Anything I can do to keep those labor pains manageable is a huge plus!
Erin
Congrats on your pregnancy! Please consult your midwife before making any health decisions!
Whitney
Sounds good however DO NOT take or drink Fenugreek while pregnant. Fenugreek is counter indicated for pregnancy. I am pregnant and nursing right now, though I don’t have much milk so I’m pretty much just comfort nursing my 2yo. If you don’t want to do peppermint, spearmint works great for the minty flavor or you can add some sweetness with hibiscus.
Erin
Thanks so much for the input! Congrats on your baby!!
Ashy
You cannot do hibiscus while pregnant it can make you sick!
Erica
Thank you for sharing this! Is the recipe you listed the same as the one you orders online from the herb store or different?
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I can attest to red raspberry tea working. I didn’t make it fresh though. I purchased the Yogi tea brand in bulk. I started in my second trimester with 1 cup a day and then upped it to 2 cups a day in my third trimester. This was my first pregnancy so I was weary when they said my labor would last 12+ hours or more so I thought what the heck the tea won’t hurt may as well drink it. I also walked at least a mile a day b/c of the job I had the campus was large and I did pregnancy aerobic classes on the weekend. I took evening primrose capsules once a day and applied it topically to my vagina. My labor lasted about 5 hours. The contractions were “do-able” the entire time, in fact at first my doula thought it was Braxton Hicks. I kept thinking it would get worse but by the time I got the hospital they told me I was fully dilated and it was time to push! They told me I pushed for like 15 mins. It wen’t by so fast and I would not describe it as painful at all. I think my first contraction started around 9 or 10pm and my daughter was born around 3:30am. It was amazing and I was so shocked I kept waiting for the other shoe to fall and the contractions to get worse but they started long and not painful and then were short and more frequent and more intense but it was fine because they were shorter. As I was timing them I remember thinking this can’t be right..they are getting shorter anyways the whole thing was amazing and I never describe it as painful it all happened so quick.
Erin
Wow! What a wonderful experience!