Stuff I Use: [Pregnancy Edition] Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

There is a lot of information out there on the world wide web....and if it's one thing pregnant women like to do it's google the heck out of everything they experience. In my own pregnancy, I have found that googling something can find you pretty much anything. And why am I going on about all this? Becuase there are a lot of misconceptions about my friend Red Raspberry Leaf tea, which I am going ot talk about today.

First, let's get some myths out of the way....

I have read that this tea is used to "induce labor." THIS IS FALSE! You can't drink a cup of tea and POOF go into labor. Homeopathic anything is not an overnight cure or solution, so let's get that out the way. I've read it's not good for you....this is also false. A lot of people are cautious of teas during pregnancy, and I get it. The first thing you always have to do is trust your gut instincts and if you just aren't into this sort of thing, then you just aren't. Don't force it, okay?

Now, to some facts and red raspberry leaf tea love. This is a great tea for women's health, both pregnant and not pregnant, and specifically for uterine health. It can help ease cramps, from menstruation, and if you are pregnant, it can help prepare your uterus and help make it all strong and healthy and stuff. For pregnant women, you want to start drinking it in the third trimester...and you can drink a whole lot of it! Recommendation from my midwife was 3 cups a day. That's a ton of tea if you ask me!

I am a moderate in life as well as in food and apparently in tea as well. So I'm not chugging this stuff to the tune of 3 cups a day, but I am enjoying a cup a day. I have mixed it in with my other teas (right now it's Tulsi and Rose tea as well as peppermint), and it fits in quite nicely.

BUT, I want to also say that I had to do a little digging to find my tea. I will preface this by also adding that I live in a small town and so sometimes these products can be a bit challenging to find. When I went to the "regular" grocery store, I found a raspberry tea, but when I looked at the ingredients, there was no raspberry whatsoever to be found in that tea! Hmph! And that was the story with each and every raspberry tea I pulled from the shelf that day.

So, I took myself down to the healthy grocery store, and there is was: Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, plain and simple. Caffeine free, oragnic, and certified nonGMO. How could I not be in love with all of those things? If you have trouble finding this tea (because of location or whatever) you can also order it online. My point in all this? All tea is NOT created equal. This tea I got is high quality and it's delicious! It has a light, fruity taste and really I don't think it needs sugar or honey. Though, if I am feeling a bit under the weather (or even if I have a headache) I will put a dab of raw honey in any tea I am drinking.

Bottom line? I love this tea, I think it's a great healthy way to prepare your uterus for birth...and the rumor is that if you drink it consistently in the third trimester, you'll have a speedy delivery! I'll keep you posted on how that works out, but I will give this disclaimer as well: my mom had two speedy births with both my brother and I, so my odds going in are pretty good.