8 Ways to Induce Labor Naturally, and the Lengths I'm Willing to Take.
Me, 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant
Yesterday was my “official” due date.
For what it’s worth, I’m not surprised at all to by sitting here at my kitchen table, plucking out an “overdue” post.
In fact, I’ve given birth 3 times in the past, and never have one of them come before the morning of 40 weeks.
This is my fourth pregnancy, and here I am, officially past that magical date that has been circled in the calendar for months now, twiddling my thumbs instead of holding a baby.
So what’s a girl to do? Or more specifically, what am I willing to do, to get labor started?
8 ways to naturally start labor (and my willingness to try them):
1. Have sex: Sex gives off prostaglandins that are hormones that help in inducing labor. While I’m not opposed, I’m really not in the “mood” either.
2. Eating Curry and Pineapple. Specific foods have been known to stimulate the uterus, spicy foods and fruits like pineapple. Although I don’t hold much faith that this would work for me, it sounds tasty, so bring it on!
3. Acupuncture. Acupuncture involves the insertion of needles into specific points of your body that stimulate energy. If I’m still pregnant this time next week, I will be getting acupuncture.
4. Long Walks. Long walks can aid in getting your baby’s head nice and low in your cervix. The baby’s head pressing down on your cervix could stimulate the release of oxytocin, a hormone which causes contractions. I think this is a great idea, and I’ve been trying to stay as active as my body tells me to be.
5. Nipple Stimulation. Nipple stimulation is meant to mimic the suckling of a newborn, therefore releases oxytocin, a hormone which causes contractions to start. I’m about as excited about this one as I am about having sex. I’m not opposed, just not really in the mood.
6. Castor Oil. I’m not sure how castor oil works, but it stimulates something in your gut that can kick-start labor. It also can give you the poops and make you nauseous. I will not be using castor oil to start labor.
7. Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. Drinking this tea is known to ripen the cervix, therefore preparing it for labor. I’ve actually been drinking raspberry leaf tea since week 38.
8. Membrane Sweeping. Membrane sweeping is when a medical professional physically separates the bag of water from the uterus. Hormones released may soften the cervix and prepare the uterus to contract. I had this done with my daughter, and while I’m not opposed to having it done this time, it will be one of my last resorts.
So what lengths will you go to get the party started in your uterus? Any tips or tricks I’ve missed?
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Find more of Emily on her blog, twitter and facebook.
Also babbled by Emily:
Why I’m hiring a doula.
My 38 week maternity photo shoot.
Music banned from my labor playlist.
Time Out Q & A: Inducing labor at 41 weeks– is it necessary?
My mom made me do #5 when my water broke and I was trying to get my contractions more regular so I didn’t have to be induced with my second. It was a trick she had learned while working in L&D. And, as uncomfortable as I was, a warm washcloth and #5 a bit later, and I was in FULL labor. You could just try the warm washcloth first and see if that starts things up.
I heard from a friend that her midwife recommend she use her breast pump regularly. Her mild hadn’t come in yet, obviously, but it didn’t hurt her or the baby. After the second time, her water broke within a 1/2 hour and she had a very speedy labor.
Good luck Emily !! I’ve also heard that Evening Primrose oil (comes in gel capsules – break capsules for oil ) massaged into cervix can also act as a prostaglandin. Ask your Doula what she thinks.
I’m 35 wks today w #3 and I had membrane sweeps w both that worked great. Always watched my due date come and go as well. Expecting the same here! Best of luck to you!!!
raspberry leaf tea is great for toning the uterus and evening primrose oil has prostaglandins for cervix ripening-taken orally and inserted ! good luck!
Don’t forget the pressure points… Acupressure, I think it was called? The night before DS was born, I ate spicy food, my DH massaged the pressure points, and we had sex. Labour started a few hours later!
With my second born I did the castor oil trick. The first time I was unsuccessful and visiting te bathroom quite frequently. The second time I tried it I did so on a fairly empty stomach before bed at about 8 or 9pm and started havng some pretty consistent contractions around 4 am.I went in 2 hours later and was induced bc I was 4cm dilated and the contractions were not regular but frequent enough that they could initiate labor..and all went well! Didn’t even have any embarressing moments during pushing! I made sure to visit the bathroom a coupl eof times before receiving my epidural to make sure of that though! LOL!
Why is everyone in such a rush to get their babies out when they hit 40 weeks? Especially if you’ve gone ‘over’with previous children- wouldn’t that indicate to you that your body’s normal gestation is a bit longer than the average (which after all is compiled from many, many women who have had longer and shorter pregnancies)?
My understanding is that babies initiate their own births when they are ready, (through a process that we don’t even understand) so there is really no need to try and force them out before then. The idea that over 42 weeks gestation greatly increases the risk of stillbirth is based on one study from the 1950s, yet this statistic has led to millions of babies being evicted from their mothers as early as 38-39 weeks when there is no medical indication from it, often resulting in premature babies.
Obviously you are not planning a medical induction, which is great, but why have a ‘natural’ induction? Surely it is worth a few more days or a week of late-pregnancy discomfort in order to let you child choose his/her own birthday? Not to mention your body being fully ready for the birth process, having received the natural signal.
If it were a situation of “I must give birth by X date or my obstetrician will induce me” I would understand the need for natural induction, but if that’s not the case, I really don’t get it.
Ariela,
. I am really crossing my fingers and hoping for my baby to come on his own but i feel like once i hit forty weeks and he needs alittle help i dont mind doing safe methods that only start labor if your body is ready
I can definently see what you are saying! My doctor induced me at 38 weeks with my daughter because they thought she broke a rib but because she or my body wasnt ready, i ended up getting a c section, which by the way was the worst experience of my life! I am now pregnant with my 3rd child 34 weeks and i am really hoping he’ll come on his own. Unfortunetly for me though, if he decides to be stubborn, i may havve to find natural induction methods. My doctor says that if i need help getting him to come that they arent even considering medical induction because its too dangerous, they are going to send me straight to the OR for a c section! I really want to avoid that at all costs so i think if it happens to come down to it, i will try the rasberry leaf tea ( even if just for the other health benefits, i heard it wont start labor, just help with shortening labor) and possibly the primrose and of course sex with hubby is bonus
@ ariela In my case my second child was a VBAC and having one OB in my practice who wanted to schedule my Csection on our FIRST prenatal visit, I was willing to do anything to ‘push’ the envelope to have the baby without intervention. I couldn’t be induced w/ pitocin, so if I were what they deemed as ‘late’, they would have certainly ‘cut me open’ again to deliver.. I had a membrane sweep at 40 wks and 2 days and SOOO grateful I did.. I began contractions about 24-48 hrs later and ended up having my VBAC…In my case it was pure fear of another csection. This time around, Im going w/ midwives and I know they will do everything in their power to make sure there is no Csection. Im going to let nature take its own course this time….
I had an induction scheduled for when I hit 41 weeks 5 days, but my water (finally!) broke when i was 41W1D. 5 hours later my cervix was the same size so I was induced with pitocen. 10 hours later later-out came my little boo! It wasn’t bad at all. I only pushed for 21 minutes.
@ariela have you ever been pregnant?
My Aunt is an OB nurse and she told me about a nice little natural starter as well that is not listed. In many cases it has been successful enough that the docs and nurses will not mention it to those they know until 39 weeks or later as not to have women going too early. It is called Clary Sage. It is an essential oil. I rubbed it right on my belly (just a few drops maybe two or three times a day) or put it in some sweet almond oil to mask a little bit of the scent. I have read of some women putting it on their feet too. It can really help to jump start things (I now sort of equate it with a more natural and softer form of pitocin).
One thing to remember for all ladies (and something my daughter showed me): all of these natural remedies will not work if the baby truly is not ready to come out on their own. all of the RRL tea and Clary Sage and sex in the world will not ring on labor if your body and baby are not ready.
ACUPRESSURE! It works and you can do it yourself. I googled some info when I went overdue and it seemed to help. It takes a while but it does work to dilate and soften, starts some contractions…. HTH
I was induced at 42 weeks. I really didn’t want to get induced, but the space they were measuring in my placenta was shrinking, and at some point they fear infection, so I went ahead with the induction. I’m glad they did because at 42 weeks they weren’t even sure if the babies head would fit through my canal. Luckily she did, but after 34 hours of unmedicated labor, she finally showed up at 36. They said the induction process could make labor alot longer….they weren’t kidding. If I do have anymore kids, I’d really like to try and let it happen naturally, as long as the circumstances allow.
I was browsing the net for days, and tried just about every one of those things up there and not a one of them worked for me! Lol, she was not coming out until she was good and ready, on her own time! I was scheduled to be induced on sunday, 6 days after my duedate, and wouldn’t you know it I went in to labor the night before
16 grusome hours we finally welcomed our little bundle in to the world! Sometimes, you just gotta wait it out, as much as it sucks, lol. Good luck, and congratulations! 
I have been pregnant, and I feel the same as Ariela. Because “due dates” are only estimates (except in cases of IVF and such), a baby who’s “overdue” may in fact be right on time! Also, babies aren’t clones that all develop at the exact same time. The growth timeline is based on what generally happens in that time frame, but there isn’t some timer that alarms exactly at whatever stage the baby is at so that certain things happen right then, it’s all a process. And even if you’re afraid of another c-section, all you have to tell your doctor is no! It’s very simple! They cannot force you into the OR without your consent, so don’t give it! It’s the same with the doctor scheduling an induction: tell them no! There’s no law saying you have to do what the doctor says. Grow a spine!
I am pregnant with my 3rd and due in June. My babies always come early. My first baby came 3 weeks early weighing a healthy 8lbs 1oz. and my second baby came about 3 weeks early as well weighing 7lbs 9oz. Sex has ALWAYS put me into labor. Infact with my second baby, I went into preterm labor (32 weeks) due to having sex. Luckly, they were able to stop the contractions but I had to be on bedrest and pelvic rest the duration of the pregnancy. So my doctor is cutting me off from having sex this pregnancy at 28 weeks. But, I know IF I would like to go early again, all the hubz and I have to do is get it on. lol
I have tried ALL of them and none of then worked for me.. But doesn’t mean it wont work for you. Best bets would be the walking, sex and membrane stripping. (Although that is uncomfortable.) I had to be induced with all 3the since they were stubborn and didn’t want to come out. Lol Good luck
I had sex a LOT (ok, so my fiance and I have always had sex a lot.. anywhere from every day to every other day; explains why I’m preggo again), and towards the end of my first pregnancy we did it maybe every 2-3 days. So for 2 1/2 weeks before I had my son, I’d get major “false contractions” all because of the sex (usually they’d start up stronger than ever after the deed). What this did was ripen and dilate my cervix so well, that when my dr decided I should be induced to get the baby out at 39 weeks (medical reasons), all he did was break my waters. I was having “real” contractions within a couple of minutes. They gave me pitocin (sp?) to make them a lil stonger, gave me an epi later on, and within 6 hours I had my first baby. Was so easy! In other words, regularly having sex is a very good thing for pregnancy (unless otherwise instructed by your doctor for high risk pregnancies). I def plan on continuing it again while preg with this 2nd lil miracle
It actually has lots of good benefits besides just the prostagladins helping your cervix!
What about a massage?
Being a mom of three, I fully understand the frustrations of late pregnancy. My youngest was 3 weeks overdue! But, I have to say that there are reasons why a baby is late. Perhaps the dates are wrong, or the lungs aren’t fully developed. Inducing labor can cause complications that range from mild (mild jaundice) to severe (brain injury or death). It is ALWAYS better to let Mother Nature take her course and let the labor come naturally unless there is a problem with the pregnancy. A friend of mine allowed her doctor to induce her right at 36 weeks so that he could go on vacation. When her daughter was born, she developed pneumonia caused by immature lung development and severe liver damage. She died at 4 months of age. Ten years later, my friend is still wracked with guilt. I’m not saying that it would happen to anyone else, just something to consider. Best of luck to all new moms!
I think that everyone when they are pregnant they get to that time of the pregnancy where you get tired of being pregnant, not that you don’t like the baby inside you but for 9 months you have been swollen and tired and crabby. Now I don’t mind when it’s safe for you to try natural ways to induce labor to go for it. But I also agree with people checking with their doctor’s before they do anything like that. Just go with your body. If your body is tryign to go into labor but it needs alittle help then go for it.
To answer Ariela and others about why you’d want to induce labor, it’s because unless you have a doctor that’s willing to take the risks, no one is going to let you go past 42 weeks and i’ve heard of some drawing the line at 41. With my first, I was a few days short of being two weeks overdue. It was a friday and they told me if i didn’t go into labor over the weekend, they’d induce me on monday. This was a midwife, not even an OB. When I told them I didn’t want to be induced, they said they’d make me sign a waiver saying that I was making this choice against medical advice. It scared the crap out of me so I took the castor oil. It worked for me but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. The most painful diarrhea I’ve ever had. EVER.
When I was pregnant I was never uncomfortable until the day before I went into labour 4 days before my due date. I started feeling really uncomfortable after I did my pregnancy yoga and started feeling it when I went into a seated squat position, bend your legs as if sitting on a chair and rock from side to side. It wasnt until after I gave birth and I was thinking abokut how uncomfortable I was the night before and remeber the yoga I did and when I watched the dvd again it says that pose helps the babys head move down. Good luck (“,)