Being Pregnant
Full Term and Tired Of Being Pregnant? Here Are 5 Safe Ways To Induce Labor Naturally
39 weeks pregnant and so ready to meet this baby!
As of yesterday, I’m officially 39 weeks pregnant. I’m also officially tired of being pregnant. I’m large. I’m uncomfortable. My hips ache and I’m getting pretty good at complaining to my husband about all the things I’m definitely not going to miss about being pregnant. Especially considering that two months ago I was convinced that this little man was coming early. Now, only a week from my due date, I’m ready to attempt things to help speed up his arrival, whether they be old wives’ tales or proven facts.
Here are 5 ways to naturally induce labor that I think are worth trying:
1. Walking. And lots of it! It’s been said that between gravity and the swaying of your hips, walking helps draw the baby further down into your pelvis. Now that the weather is finally looking up in Portland {the city of rain!} my husband and I have been walking as much as possible. I can’t help but think that the walking helped me go from 0% to 75% effaced in a week or that I’ve been feeling a ridiculous amount of pelvic pressure over the past 3 or 4 days. Want to take walking one step further? Try going up sets of stairs – two at a time.
2. Sex. Sperm contains prostaglandins which are hormones that can help dilate and thin the cervix. Plus, an orgasm releases the hormone oxytocin, which can trigger contractions. So if you’re up for it, sex can be a great way to help move things along. I suppose it’s all a matter of finding a comfortable position along with compensating for your giant belly.
3. Labor-Inducing Foods. Seems like this one is the one most often heard in movies or on TV. Imagine the scene where an overdue mama-to-be sits down to an uber spicy, sweat producing Indian meal and wham! She go into labor on the spot. Certain foods are thought to bring on labor late in pregnancy, specifically spicy food, pineapple, eggplant parmesan, and chocolate cake. I hate to admit but I’m a little skeptical of these foods’ ability to induce labor but I’m willing to try anything. Plus, I’ve developed quite an appetite for spicy food lately. Could it be a sign?
4. Bouncing on a birth ball. Rocking your hips in a circular motion and bouncing lightly on the ball is said to have a similar to the effect of walking. The movement of your hips and pelvis will encourage the baby to drop toward the cervix. Not to mention, it’s pretty comfortable and feels great on your back and hips to sit on the ball and rock back and forth.
5. Massage. Not only does massage seem like the perfect solution for our achy pregnant bodies but it is also said to raise levels of oxytocin. Put on some soothing music and ask your partner for their help out by massaging your back or feet. If you’re by yourself, cue up the relaxing music and simply meditate in a quiet room. Aside from assisting to get labor moving, massage provides some great relief for pre-baby stress.
Do these things really work to bring on labor? Of course, no one can really say for sure, but I certainly won’t be turning down the excuse for a walk on a sunny day or chocolate cake for dessert. Have any of these methods worked for you?
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4 Comments
Megan commented on May 10 11 at 12:56 pmI got curious and researched why spicy foods would induce labor. I found that spicy food can cause digestive upset and irritate the gastrointestinal tract causing diarrhea. Having diarrhea can cause dehydration which can bring on labor. Also, spicy food could increase prostaglandin production which causes smooth muscles to contract. I’m no expert, this is just where my research pointed me. I know diarrhea can be an early sign of labor starting, but if I’m going to already have one muscle contracting, I’d like to skip the intestinal cramping if possible!
christine commented on May 11 11 at 10:04 amI made myself so sick over the weekend from spicy food. I’ve given up on all this! It seems like waiting is the only thing that actually works :)
danielle commented on Oct 13 11 at 10:21 amim going on 38 wks pregnant and im trying to avoid another c section at 41 wks and honestly ive tried everything from bumpy car rides to sex to caster oil to walking to acupressure, and im still pregnant. i do advise the caster oil though it does bring on contractions and will help you dialate andive never had an issue with diareha when taking the caster oil. it all depends on how despirate you are… lol its all on the baby unfortionatly. i know you probably have heard that cause ive heard it for a couple days now but i had to accept the fact that this is one thing i dont have control over lol
Lacey commented on Dec 12 11 at 2:40 pmGot this tip from my mom, and it worked for both her babies…using your breast pump for nipple stimulation. After going overdue with my first I had tried everything. EVERYthing. So I thought it was worth a shot and tested out my pump one morning, woke up that night with contractions. If you’ve tried everything else, this isn’t that much of a stretch. Isn’t there research that breastfeeding causes contractions anyway?
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