Shorter Labor

I've always heard second labors are faster, but I wanted to do what I could to improve my chances of having a much faster delivery the second time around.  I found one really interesting post on a mom forum that, while not medically proven, certainly seemed to produce results in the dozens of women involved in the conversation.

The suggestion was a simple one too, just drink raspberry leaf tea throughout the second and third trimesters and drink a VERY strong brew of the tea at the onset of labor.

Another method commonly suggested to speed up labor is to walk and remain upright during labor.  I did this during my first labor, so while I believe it is necessary and helpful, I felt it would not be a solution on its own, so I decided to focus on the raspberry leaf tea suggestion.

I went to my local healthfood store and bought myself several boxes of raspberry leaf tea*. Note that it is raspberry LEAF tea, not just raspberry flavored tea.  I faithfully drank 1-2 cups most days during the second trimester and in the third trimester I kicked it up a bit and drank 2-3 cups most days.  In the last month I drank tons of the stuff!  I was so anxious to have the baby, but it definitely didn't put me into labor!

Finally the night arrived when I felt my water break and my contractions start.  They were hard and strong right away - much stronger than in my first labor. A little over 5 hours later I held my newborn son in my arms.

Wow what a difference!  My first labor was over 19 hours and my second only 5.  I firmly believe that drinking so much raspberry leaf tea contributed to shortening my labor. I hope it can do the same for you!  

 *Be sure to consult a doctor before drinking raspberry leaf tea.

Laurie Mapp is a mom of 3 boys living in Alberta, Canada. She runs a VLA biz and loves to blog and work and her family!