How to Go into Labour (or Labor if you're getting picky)
I would like to start this post by saying I tried some of these when I was 41 weeks pregnant with a 10lb baby (which put me in the same scientific classification as an elephant seal) and they did sweet bugger all.
However, I didn't try all of them and, hey, just because they didn't work for me doesn't mean they won't work for you, so let's get to it.
I found that most suggestions fell into three categories:
- things that have to do with gravity
- things that have to do with hormones
- and things that make your uterus contract with herbs and/or pressure.
So here goes:
Walking: I had to laugh at this one because it kind of implies that you haven't been upright until this point. It may be worth a try to waddle around the block a couple times maybe you could go for ice cream. Just don't walk so far that you have to give birth squatting in a far off field somewhere, you know, unless that's what you were going for.
Dancing: Nothing says "Work it, Hooker!" like a desperate, overdue pregnant woman busting a move on the dance floor. I didn't try this one but I totally would have cleared a bar top Coyote Ugly style and done the worm if I had been told it would kick start my labour. I also would have also slit the throat of a one-eyed goat when the moon was full if someone had told me that would work too, so this may not be the best thing to base your decisions on.
Going up stairs two at a time: Yes, because I can remember what a specimen of fine cardiovascular health I was at 41 weeks pregnant. I wasn't great at climbing stairs before I was pregnant so unless the idea was for me to collapse from exhaustion then "bounce" the baby out of me while I tumbled down the stairs, then I doubt it would have worked for me but you may be in better shape.
Bounce on an exercise ball: Well, at least it's not climbing stairs and you can watch t.v. while doing it. You're supposed sit on the ball with your legs apart so your pelvis is open. I suggest you do this one when people are over and you want them to leave.
Sex: Sex makes you release a hormone called oxytocin which causes the uterus to contract. Now, from what I'm gathering, you kind of have to be keen on the sex to get this stuff going so if you're coming at it from a "I'd rather gargle glass than do this right now but I want this baby out of me" kind of place, it might not work. Although, semen is also supposed to soften your cervix so this may the time to get that wicked looking guy that works at the mechanic's to help you out. (I suppose your husband could help out too but how boring is that?)
Nipple Stimulation: I don't know if it's just me, but this one makes me go "bleech" because it always sounds like some skeezy guy sitting at the end of a bar came up with it "Yeah, that's right hot pregnant lady...just like that". It is supposed to have the same effect as sex in that it's supposed to release oxtocin to get things started. I supposed it's worth a shot but, for the love of God, close your curtains.
Pineapple: Pineapple, papaya and mango, all contain an enzyme called bromelain which might help soften your cervix. Bromelain breaks down during the canning process so eat the fresh stuff. Although, it seems these fruits don't contain very large amounts of bromelain so you'd have to consume more than half-a-dozen of them to make a dent. It's not like eating six pineapples wouldn't do anything weird to your digestive system or anything.
Evening primrose oil: Evening primrose oil is a source of prostaglandins which is supposed to soften up your cervix for labour. You can take it orally (3-4, 500mg capsules daily) or apply it directly to your cervix by inserting an entire capsule into your vagina before bed so it works its magic over night. Personally, I'm not sure if this kind of tinkering should be done at home but it's mentioned a number of times online so I've included it here. By the way, don't be foolin' around with sticking stuff in your vagina if you've been diagnosed with placenta previa but hopefully, whoever diagnosed you with it has already given you a heads up on that one.
Red raspberry leaf tea: It sounds like red raspberry leaf tea doesn't kick start labour as much as it tones your uterus for it. I also found when I was researching herbal tea, the people that seemed to know what they were talking about recommended it throughout pregnancy and it was the conservative, mainstream sites that told you to stay away from it because it can induce labour.
I drank a swimming pool worth of this stuff when I was trying to go into labour with my first son and it didn't work. Although, I had a really fast recovery which one of the things this stuff is supposed to help with so maybe it did do the job.
Black and Blue Cohosh: Blue cohosh (papoose root) and black cohosh (snakeroot) are roots from two separate plants. It's recommended that cohosh only be used with the assistance of a trained health care provider like a midwife or a doula. I mean it's called "snakeroot" for christssake, you just know this shit isn't playing around.
Castor oil: Let's see, the theory behind this one is that consuming castor oil causes diarrhea and the cramps from the diarrhea cause sympathetic cramping in your uterus. You know, because labour isn't challenging enough without adding an assplosion to it.
Eating Certain Foods: There's no science behind this one but I can certainly get behind this one more than castor oil (at least if you end up on the toilet, you had a good time getting there). There are pizzas, eggplant parmesans and pasta sauces that all claim to start labour. Most of them contain basil and oregano, both of which have properties that are thought to start labour although, they don't sound like no snakeroot.
Spicy foods and licorice are also thought to be a bit of a bowel irritant which, not unlike castor oil, might cause sympathy cramping from your uterus. Just remember that whatever you are eating, somebody is going to be on the receiving end of this labour so unless you're going to do a field squat after your long walk (see "walking"), be considerate of your baby catcher. Just sayin'.
Accupressure: This is based on the same ideas as acupuncture but uses finger pressure instead of needles. Ideally you get somebody that knows where all the "buttons" are but I did find a ton of stuff where they showed you how to do it yourself. It's non-invasive and there are a lot of people that swear by it so I've included just one of the gabillion youtube videos that show you what accupressure is all about.
There you have it. Almost all of these remedies have people that swear they work but let me know if you've heard of anything else that worked for you or someone you know.
My suggestion is to stand at a corner of a busy intersection and scream "get this fucking kid out of me!" until somebody helps you out. You're bound to come across somebody that knows what they are doing and/or possibly has a pocket full of snakeroot. Hissssssss.
Pregnant Chicken
Someone passed along this fab video of a woman that danced her twins out of her when she was 40 week/ 3 days. It seems she went into labour two days after making this video. I like her style. I like it a lot.
Reader Comments (33)
With less than six weeks to go until this baby is due, I will definitely be trying some of these. I'm hoping since it's babe number 3, all just goes well and quick. But, if not, then the sex option sounds a lot more feasible (although not much more) than walking up two stairs at a time. That said, I'm not sure how sex will occur at an arms length away. Hmmm...
I have 5 weeks to go and will be doing none of the above... I am scared to go into labour because I am in QLD, Aus and can't get to hopspital due to the floods. Stay in little babyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!
You had me at "assplosion"
Just a word of caution. A) Doulas are not trained medical personnel. (I was a doula x 10yrs) B) Blue/Black Cohosh are both serious stuff & shouldn't be managed by anyone who is not highly experienced/trained in herbal medicine. I'm a smart cookie, but I know I wouldn't be qualified to do so--even as a board certified Nurse-Midwife in the U.S.
I did a lot of those things and none of them worked for me either!
I was 42 weeks over due and didnt want to pay for all extra ultrasound and all the other test they want you to do when your that over due, so I decided that even though I am a procrastinator by nature and could of put off having the baby FOREVER, I posted my goal on Facebook...of course!
I was given all kinds of useless and what they thought was "whitty" advise but one friend told me to take two evening primrose capsules ( which I had been puttin in my vag. for a month now!) and poke a hole in them and then apply to my hubbys penis and have sex! She promised it would be the LAST time we did that for a while, and she was right! I started those tollerable contractions that make you think " oh, I got this!" in less than 8 hours!
After that I had 32 hours of long hard labor, so do fool yourself into thinking that this method will make labor "tolerable"...it wont, it will just get it going.
DONT DO THIS IF YOUR LESS THAN 40 WEEK....PSYCHO! You may be sick of it but your baby needs all its time in your tummy.
Just remember that whatever you are eating, somebody is going to be on the receiving end of this labour so unless you're going to do a field squat after your long walk (see "walking"), be considerate of your baby catcher. Just sayin'.
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That's the best advice I've heard all year :)
Oh my gosh, my daughter is 13 months old now, but I remember this stage of pregnancy so well. I did so much walking and I drank castor oil, which is the worst tasting thing in the world and it just stays with you for the longest time. Nothing worked - my daughter came in her own sweet time 10 days late.
At 35 weeks I'm really super ready to be done, its not that I don't love being an apartment for another little person...its just that I think he's been partying pretty hard and its going to be a long clean up process.
I'll be keeping some of these in mind. :)
I think I'll start gently at week 38... like with pineapple... lol, then maybe I'll be the only woman in my family not to hang on to lil' raver til week 42... Hope springs eternal!
My favorite suggestion--from a father of 8--was Jack and Coke. I tried that numerous times with no success. Finally, I decided it was mental because when my husband said, "But are you really going to have a the baby because I don't want to have to come back tomorrow and tell people if you didn't?" my labor stopped. And when I walked into L and D 2 weeks later for a routine NST at 41 and 1 and my wonderful midwife was sitting there grinning at me, I had the baby in 50 min. You have to WANT it!
Ahhh, and I swore that eating half a pineapple cake is what brought on my labor 8 days early!!!
Thanks for the hilarious read, needed a good laugh and it was fun to reminisce about those days!
OMG I think I just peed my pants, laughing at this (or maybe my water just broke, IDK). Thank you for the giggles! I'm 39 wks tomorrow -- COME ON, CHILD, LET'S DO THIS ALREADY. I've tried a couple things here or there, but know in the back of my mind that he needs to be in there as long as possible so I haven't been too aggressive. But you know, if my walking around happens to jumpstart him, well, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. :D
Stairs two at a time? Are you kidding?! I just checked the mail and was winded!
S-E-X ladies. My water broke less than 10 minutes after my husband and I attempted this method, so I definitely recommend it. A bit of a logistical challenge at 40 weeks, yes. But slightly more appealing than castor oil. Of course now my husband thinks his penis has magical labor inducing qualities, but that's another story.
I spent a couple of hours shopping for groceries one day when 38 weeks pregnant. After I got home, I decided to take a nap. One hour or so later, I started to get up out of bed and !whoosh! I thought I pee'd my pants, but it turned out to be my water breaking. Walking for a couple of hours seemed to have done the trick!
Hmm...I'm a little worried now about my ridiculous pineapple cravings. I have sat down and eaten 1/2 a fresh pineapple...a couple of times already this pregnancy. Fortunately, seeing as I'm only 21 weeks, it didn't send me into labor!
Alright, I did all of these with the exception of castor oil and accupressure. My results were mixed. Did I go into labor? No. Did I dilate to four and a half and stay that way for nearly a week before labor started? Yes. One thing I will say, is that I think the evening primrose oil did indeed help me get loose down below and in the end, my midwife said that was a good thing. I am not sure if it was or not, because let's face it, I was in labor at that point and didn't care! Now that I am preggo with my second bundle, I think I will just let nature decide when the baby is due and not exert myself doing silly things like bouncing on a ball for hours while shoveling in the pineapple and drinking gallons of tea at a time!
My mom drank castor oil when she was pregnant with me and was at the hospital an hour and a half later in full on labour.
She did say it was the most disgusting thing ever and she kept burping up the most horendous fish taste in her mouth.
I didn't do the castor oil or the herbs, but I tried all of the rest with 3 of 4 my pregnancies... nothing! Not a bit of help!! Those 3 babies all had to be medically induced. (The other baby came on his own at 36 weeks... for none of the reasons above!)
Oh, Lord, this was funny. I think reading this post should be added to the list... At 38.5 over here so I'll file this away.
Laughing my ass off over here. Honestly, I didnt try any of these, but I do have a tip. I went into labor 2 and a half weeks early and had a really easy 5 hr labor with no tears/no problems. My trick? My doctor swept my membranes. Went from 1cm dilated to holding my daughter in my arms within 5 hours. He was just doing my typical exam, and said, "Take a deep breath." I did, and it was pretty uncomfortable, but it worked like a charm! Trying to convince him to do it again this time. :)
Tears...rolling.down.my.face... cant.breathe....
I think this post may make me go into labor from laughing so hard. Remind me to re-read it in 3.5mo!!
After a bad chest infection, I thought about taking Fenugreek to help loosen up the mucous. I did some research and found out it's not to be used early in pregnancy as Fenugreek is meant to stimulate uterine contractions. Now there's an idea for much later down the track!
I'm now 40.5 weeks and so far I've eated 2 pineapple (since "friends" keep bringing them on as a joke) walked at least one hour a day, had sex every day and used the song "jump around" as my morning starter. None has worked...
You know what would be lovely? Being able to start your labour laughing your ass off, like with this blog, which is the way I use it. That's right: I'm reaserching for proof of a new method by laugh inducement. Might help the universe and tons of nervous over-due women :)
Keep provide material! I'm pretty close by now!
Gen
Castor oil works (at least it worked for me at 41 1/2 weeks)! But be sure to drink a lot of water so you don't dehydrate yourself and the baby.
Okay, I needed to share this with my favorite Chicken. I hope you get it.
My due date was yesterday...
My mother in law posted on a thread of comments on my page some advice to jump-start labor. Because apparently its very important to her the baby is born on Valentines day...
Her advice:
White Wine
A long walk
Fresh fruit (wait for it...)
Mineral oil
Laxatives,
then Sex.
This is on my facebook page. From my mother in law. I really don't know how to process this. I can also say how sexy doin' it after all those laxatives sounds...
This really just needs to be shared. Haha