Can you really reduce your labour duration?
Feeling nervous about giving birth? Let’s face it; no-one likes the thought of a long and drawn out labour.
Everyone’s body is different and unless you book a cesarean you can’t know for sure when your labour will begin and how long it will last. However, you can improve your chances of a shorter labour with some natural remedies.
How to reduce your labour duration
Many women swear by an ingredient which has been used for hundreds of years by different cultures, including by indigenous Australians. This ingredient is red raspberry leaf, and is most commonly consumed after being dried and turned into tea.
Made from the leaves of the red raspberry bush, red raspberry leaf tea is recommended to pregnant women as a way of promoting a shorter labour. It is known for helping tone your pelvic floor and strengthening your uterine muscles, which prepares your body for childbirth.
The belief behind the widespread promotion of red raspberry leaf tea is that a stronger uterus means shorter and more efficient contractions, which means less time spent in labour. A 2001 study had “clinically significant findings of a shortening of the second stage of labour”, plus “a lower rate of forceps deliveries” amongst women who took red raspberry leaf in the leadup to birth.
In addition to helping your uterus get ‘in shape’, red raspberry leaf tea has the benefit of easing nausea, while providing essential vitamins and immune system support.
How and when to drink raspberry leaf tea
Red raspberry leaf tea is not recommended for women to drink during their first trimester.
Experts suggest you start drinking the tea in your third trimester. From 27 weeks, brew and enjoy one cup a day. From 35 weeks; you can start drinking 2-3 cups a day to prepare yourself for childbirth.
Drink your red raspberry leaf tea hot or cold; it will be effective either way and is a refreshing alternative to soft drinks, juice or caffeinated beverages.
CapaciTea: Red raspberry leaf tea from MaterniTea
You have nothing to lose by adding red raspberry leaf tea to your routine from week 27 of your pregnancy.
To provide pregnant mums with a delicious red raspberry leaf tea to take during pregnancy, MaterniTea has created CapaciTea. This special blend contains red raspberry leaf, nettle leaf, peppermint leaf and spearmint leaf.
The ingredients in CapaciTea act to promote a shorter labour, optimise your hormone levels, relieve stress and provide immune system support. This sugar-free elixir is perfect for mums in the third trimester and is also available as part of MaterinTea’s Third Trimester Package.
