At the rate info is changing who knows how valid it is if it came from an issue of Today's Parent Winter '04... on page 22 it says that Health Canada has reported that Chamomile Tea may have harmful effects on the uterus and should not be consumed at any point during a pregnancy...no further explanation is given. The jury is still out on the raspberry leaf tea.... Tea's that made the list of "safe to consume 2-3 cups/ day" were ginger, lemon balm, orange peel, rosehip, citrus peel and linden flower (not recommended for those with heart conditions) After reading some of the postings it's very clear that there's confusion as to what is and is not healthy for a pregnant woman to ingest. I'm an orange pekoe fan and drink 1-2 cups/day...any thoughts? ↑
hi, all. i will jump in here again since reading a few posts since i last was here.
i see some concern about red raspberry leaf tea tht is uninfirmed. the FDA (and any organization that is not designed to be informed about herbal use) is not a good source of information about these issues...they post warnings regarding any substance about which they have not funded a study, which is appropriate. the mechanism of red raspberry leaf is not well understood by whomever posted that it is not OK in pregnancy. it is not a uterine stimulant. it does tone uterine muscle, which improves it's efficiency in labor, but labor must be present for this mechanism to work. red raspberry leaf is not capable of stimulating contraction in any amount. the receptors in the uterus that respond to contractile forces (and to oxytocin, the hormone that enables uterine contratility) are not present yet before term in normal pregnancy. the only amount studied in an organized manner has been 2-3 cups daily, and no evidence is present of any ill effects. i have used it daily since early pregnancy myself. several herbal prenatal vitamin compounds contain it as well. it is appropriate.
as far as the concern over green tea, the evidence is clear that there is a minor interference with folate metabolism when it is consumed in large amounts. this is a new study (11/04), so all the info is not in yet. it would be wise to limit until more is known, but it is clear that occasional tea does not produce this effect. taking an additional 400 mcg of folate will also resolve this problem. remember, folate is crucial for the proper closing and binding of the baby's neural tube, which is complete by 6 weeks gestation. after that, floate provides real but minimal roles in fetal development. red (rooibos) and white teas do contain the wonderful antioxidant benefitss of green tea, without the caffeine and the folate metabolism issue, so drink up! and remember to consult someone knowledgeable in herbal medicine to make such decisions, not necessarily the FDA or this board. searh the writings of susan weed, aviva jill romm, and links through the American College of Nurse Midwives at www.midwife.org.
haqppy tea drinking and healthy pregnancies to all! ↑
dear donna,
first, please remember that 38-42 weeks is NORMAL term. you are not "overdue" until you are 2 weeks beyond your due date. i wish more practitioners would be honest with women about the 40 week date. the AVERAGE time a first baby is born is about 41 and a half weeks, or 9-10 days after the due date. (and trust me, i understand, as i'm getting close myself...:) so don't buy into any induction talk unless there is another good reason. there are risks to that--incresing fetal distress, post partum hemorrhage, increased # of C-sections, and the list goes on. but there are things you CAN do-- drinking 2-3 cups of red raspberry tea a day when the uterus is term and ready has been shown to make labor more efficient, and taking evening primrose oil caplets (1-2 a day) is studied to be safe and effective and ripening the cervix in preparation for labor. always let your provider know if you are going to take any supplement. i recommend it to my patients regularly. try not to get too hung up on the due date, as it will only stress you out. your baby knows best when to come and letting him/her decide will make for the pleasantest, healthiest and safest labor experience. good luck!! ↑
i breastfeed,can i drink honey,lemon,garlic tea for colds? I know that you can't give honey to your baby so I want to check to see if I can drink it for a cold. ↑
aimee,
jasmine tea is just a variety of black tea. it does have some caffeine, and is therefore OK in moderation but not too much. i generally counsel my patients to avoid caffeine in the first trimester (the only research that links caffeine with pregnancy problems links it with first trimester miscarriage) and again in the final few weeks, to avoid a cranky baby who is addicted to caffeine. makes quite a difference in personality those early days. in between, a little here and there is really fine. ↑
peppermint tea is safe and wonderful in pregnancy. a lot of women find it even more effective for nausea than ginger. it is purely mint, an herb, and not tea at all. enjoy! ↑
dear kashia,
orange pekoe is just a common type of black tea. honey and lemon are great, but the tea does contain caffeine. depending on where you are in pregnancy, some caffeine in moderation is considered OK, but you can get orange pekoe tea in decaf as well, so if you love it and want it daily i'd recommend that. this kind of tea contains no herbs. ↑
For all you women who are getting close to/past their due date and getting quite anxious about it, I can understand, am going throug that too. I have been reading the discussions on the herbals to induce labour etc and another way to try to "ripen" the cervix is simply walking and sex!!! But to tell you the truth, the drinking tea idea sounds better then my grandmother who has advised me to drink some Castor Oil, eeewwww!! Hope all have a safe and healthy delivery. ↑
hi!
back to report good news about red rasp. tea, as i've been talking from the perspectgive of a midwife but now i can tell you about my experience. my labor started at 41 weeks and 1 day, and within 3 hours i was 6 cm. rapid first birth, and a 9 lb 8 oz boy. labor was always effective and regular, and this is truly what this tea brags of. NOT inducing labor--making it effective when it begins. thus it is safe throughout pregnancy and with breastfeeding and postpartum. as it helps tone the uterus for labor, it helps it return to it's original size and tone. PS, rooibos tea (or red tea) is a wonderful caffeinless tea full of antioxidants like green tea, healthy for all times in life. can be enjoyed in pregnancy and breastfeeding as well. happy pregnancies and births to all!
For a great list of herbal teas that are safe, and for a list of herbs to stay away from please check out Susan Weeds website. Susan is a well known herbalist for many many years specializing in herbs for women. Here is a good site :http://www.storknet.com/cubbie-s/pregnancy/herbalallies.htm
I- hope this helps with all the confusion.
There is also Susan Weeds personal website:http://www.herbshealing.com/
Then go to "links for you", there are several informative links for childbearing years and after. She also has an area to ask questions.
I would suggest to any pregnant woman to get her book on herbal childbearing, it was a god send during my two pregnancies. If you do not feel that any of these suggestions have answered your question, I would just do a google search. There are lots of midwife links, any of them would have the info you are searching for.
Good luck to all of you, and may your births be wonderful experiences! ↑
I have been told that chamomile is NOT safe during pregnancy -- it is important to check with you healthcare provider to confirm which particular herbs are safe ↑
Chamomile, ginger and mint tea were all recomended by my physician in the beginning of my pregnancy to help relax and ease some nausea symptoms. I was advised to avoid raspberry leaf tea until the last trimester because I have a high risk for miscarraige and uterine problems (I'm on my 14th pregnancy with only one living child so far) . Now that I am 39 weeks along I have the go ahead to take evening primrose oil twice a day to help soften the cervix and drink raspberry leaf tea in moderation to help tone my uterus and possibly ease things along a little. (we were told in childbirth class that too much of the tea can actually cause the placenta to seperate too early during labor, so no more than one cup every three hours) I would say always check with your doctor/midwife before taking or drinking anything. Your particular health situation (like my tendency toward miscarraige) could change the answer. ↑
hi im rachael mum of 5 6th baby due soon im 34 weeks and always draink rasberry tea with all pregnancies about this time and never go past 37 weeks this time ive tried the leaf rather then tea bags and its always made me have contractions but every 1s diffrent good luck all ↑
I am currently just over 1 month pregnant and am experiencing mild morning sickness. I too wanted to know if I could drink tea. After researching the net, I found that Rooibos tea is supposed to be one of the safest teas for pregnant women to drink since it is low in tannin (it won't cause uterine contractions like some other herbal teas) and is prefered in South Africa by pregnant women to help reduce morning sickness. As long as it does not contain Rosemary or other herbs linked to early labor, uterine contractions, etc., it is recommended for pregnant women. Check out the internet. It is great. I personally prefer the Celestial Seasons Vanilla Red Rooibos tea. I am going to ask my doctor about it to make sure. Please do the same! Don't take my word for it alone! Hope this helps all of you looking into drinking tea! ↑
Chai would not be a good idea, but Mint and Chamomile are fine. Raspberry leaf is excellent through out pregnancy and is also recommended to general woman's health daily or when preparing to become pregnant.
WARNING: I've seen people say Ginger is fine and great to use. This is a dangerous misconception. Ginger is an emmenagogue. Emmenagogues are substances which have the ability to provoke menstruation. In very VERY small amounts, ginger can relieve morning sickness, but in larger doses, Ginger Root can bring on a period in pregnant women that can endanger the baby. This is especially true early on in the pregnancy. Unfortunately, I am speaking from personal experience and had no idea the Ginger would cause my pregnancy to fail.
Other Emmenagogues to be aware of is Parsley, Yarrow, Feverfew, Rosemary, Sage, Mugwort, Juniper, Pennyroyal, Angelica, Rue, Savin, Tansy, Blue Cohosh, Celery Seed, and Birthwort. ↑
