Pregnancy is a life-changing journey for any woman, and if you’re expecting, this can be spectacular but also challenging time in your life. Challenging in a sense, that you have to be conscious about your diet and alter your consumption habits in time for the little ones arrival.
Especially beverages, one stimulant that you should not consume at all is caffeine. There’s even research which suggests that there’s no safe level of consumption of caffeine as it can have adverse outcomes for your baby. Although the NHS advises you can have up to 200mg we suggest to keep it as low as possible otherwise none.
If you’re a tea drinker, this means you have to switch to caffeine-free alternative teas.
Which probably leaves you asking the question what tea I can drink while pregnant?
Raspberry leaf tea for pregnant women contains zero caffeine and can support a range of health benefits. Find out about this refreshing herbal tea for pregnancy here.
Raspberry leaf tea for pregnant women- what is it?
Out of many of the teas to drink while pregnant raspberry tea constantly comes up in our recommendations.
Why?
Raspberry leaves iare linked to those nutritious and juicy red berries you see in your supermarket.
You’re not drinking the fruit but the leaves that grow the berry. These leaves are packed with nutrients and have been used for centuries across Europe and Asia for their medicinal properties.
It’s also thought that pregnancy tea, which includes raspberry leaf, can help aid labour, support uterine health, and improve the immune system. Let’s dive into more detail about tea with raspberry leaf below.
5 benefits of tea with raspberry leaf
So let’s get this straight, this is not a tea that alleviates every symptom linked to pregnancy, however it may support and ease a few of them. Some of the primary health benefits associated with raspberry leaf tea for pregnant women are:
1. It’s high in antioxidants
You’re probably no stranger to knowing about antioxidants, powerful compounds that help neutralise free radicals, unstable atoms that damage cells and contribute to illness. Well, red raspberry leaves are known for their antioxidants, especially compounds such as hydroxybenzoic acids, ellagitannins and anthocyanins.
While this might sound like a bunch of scientific jargon, antioxidants like these can be transformative in your pregnancy. They may help reduce inflammation linked to oxidative stress from free radicals, control your immune response and reduce the risk of any inflammatory complications that could occur from fetal/maternal health.
2. May reduce nausea
Midwives and healthcare professionals sometimes advise women to drink tea with raspberry leaves to help with morning sickness. However, this experience is subjective, and more scientific research is needed to support it.
3. Strengthens the uterus
The compounds in raspberry leaves can help tone and relax your pelvic and uterine muscles. These compounds can help alleviate cramps and make your pregnancy smoother. This benefit isn’t just specific to pregnant women; it can also help alleviate premenstrual cramps.
4. It could help shorten labour
As raspberry leaves for tea can help tone your uterine and pelvic muscles, it’s thought that it can help reduce your time spent in labour. A small study was conducted on less than 200 women, which found that raspberry tea can help reduce the second stage of labour by up to 10 minutes. However, more research is needed to support this.
5. It may help reduce complications of childbirth
There’s been one study that has shown women who drink red raspberry leaf tea later in their pregnancy may help reduce complications. This study showed those who consumed this herbal tea were less likely to have foreceps for their delivery.
6. Help with lactation
While it’s more of a post-pregnancy benefit, this leaf tea raspberry has been used as a traditional remedy to help increase milk production in lactating women. However, no scientific research has yet proved this.
NutraTea- Raspberry leaf tea for pregnant women
If you’re pregnant and want a flavourful, hydrating herbal tea to support your pregnancy, try our NutraTea Raspberry Leaf & Peppermint tea. This is an ideal herbal tea for pregnancy as it contains zero caffeine and is great from the third trimester onward.
Containing a blend of 70% Raspberry Leaf and 30% Peppermint, it is linked to an abundance of health benefits such as:
- Can support your entire pre and post-pregnancy
- High in antioxidants
- It can help maintain energy
- Aids digestion
- It can help with relaxation
This tea is also suitable for all dietary types; it’s vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free.
Final thoughts
Overall, raspberry leaf tea for pregnant women is often a safe and healthy drink to consume while you’re pregnant. If you’re expecting and taking any medication, please consult with your doctor first before drinking – to make sure there are no interactions.
The benefits of this tea aren’t limited to pregnant women; it’s also a nutritious and tasty drink for everyone.
If you are pregnant and want to know about other herbal teas that can help with pregnancy, then why don’t you try our NutraPreg?
Another caffeine-free tea contains a healthy herbal blend of digestive and relaxing ingredients, such as ginger, peppermint, oat, chamomile, and nettle.