Ways To Induce Labor

Are the natural ways to induce labor really safe? Some are – So let’s have a look and see if we can get this baby moving!

A lot of mums know how you feel! You get to 40 weeks… Your due date, and you wait with fingers crossed and baited breath, and still nothing.

An appointment with your midwife reveals no real activity, your baby is happy inside, and has no intention of coming out, whether you like it or not!

Most midwives won’t recommend induction until 42 weeks, but that really doesn’t help you at all. And when you are ready for medical intervention, it’s really not that pretty! You could have membrane sweep, where your midwife will sweep her finger over your cervix. Your midwife or consultant may break your waters (out comes the huge crochet hook) This method can cause your labor to be particularly painful. You may be given a drip or a pessary to try and stimulate labor.

I’m sure you would much rather get labor started yourself!

You feel bulky, slow and sluggish. You have a constant need to pee, you can’t get comfy to get a decent nights sleep. Even walking down the stairs in the morning is about as much as you can manage for the whole day! Above all you just want your baby out! Not that you haven’t enjoyed the last 9 months. But your body is exactly that… Yours! And after sharing it for 40 weeks, you need a rest.

So what can you try to get things moving, what natural ways are there of self inducing labor?

Some are highly recommended, others are murky waters that not many women will really want to try. One method is having rave results (We’ll save that one till last!) And looking at the other side of the coin, one method in particular you would have to be mad to try (never mind desperate) We’ll get to that one later.

Let’s start with some easy ones:

Self inducing labour

• Walking, and no – you are not competing in the marathon. Just a nice steady walk.
• Spicy food. As hot as you can manage, but watch out for heartburn and diarrhoea after this one!
• Sex… Oh yes ladies! This may be the last thing that you fancy, but the Oxytocin released from having sex can help to contract your uterus. Prostaglandins found in sperm can also help by softening the cervix ready for labor.

I think most women may have already heard of the above tips, but here are some you may not have heard of. You should also check with your midwife before trying these next methods.

• Nipple stimulation, You have to simulate the suckling motion of a baby. This has to be carried out for quite a while, not a quick 5 minute fix! This method can cause very strong contractions and should be used with care.
• Red raspberry leaf tea. This is believed to stimulate the uterus, and should not be used until the last 3 months of pregnancy.
• Black Cohosh, a herb believed to kick start labor. Although no concrete evidence that this works. Do check with your medical practitioner first.
• Homoeopathy, you should contact a qualified specialist if you decide to try this method.

So you have now armed yourself with a few things to try. The one that you should definitely avoid is…

Castor oil – Although some women will swear that this will induce labor, it will more than likely make you vomit and cause a bad case of diarrhoea. This in turn can cause dehydration – A very bad thing to happen if you are pregnant. Basic advice, give this one a miss!

Here’s an up & coming ‘star’ method of self inducing labor

Women are starting to rave about this method of natural labor induction. Visit me: Julie at – http://www.new-baby-and-beyond.com/acupressure-to-induce-labor.html

To see more on acupressure to induce labor. And then prepare to meet your baby!

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Gardner

im 37 weeks pregnant and have gained 40 lbs baby's perfectly healthy.this is my 3rd…..im getting desperate…ive tried evening primrose oil vaginally for 2 weeks now,i drink raspberry leaf tea every day,walk my pitbull,jumped on the bed and bounced on a ball,eaten spicy food and pizza w loads or basil and oregano,jogged…

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