Natural Ways to Induce Labor

As your pregnancy continues, you may wonder about natural ways to induce labor. Or, if you are past your due date, you might be facing an invasive medical induction and may wish to try to start labor naturally.

It is very important that you do not try to induce labor, even naturally, until you at least 38 weeks along. In addition, you must inform your caretaker that you are trying natural ways to induce labor.

Natural Ways to Induce Labor

First and Most Important—Relax!

Labor will not begin if you’re tense, worried or trying hard to start labor. Try a warm (not hot) bath in candlelight. Get a professional massage with the only goal being relaxation. Acupuncture and acupressure, because of the focus on key areas of the body, have also helped inspire labor. In addition, some women rely on aromatherapy, specifically the soothing scent of clary sage, to relax.

Try to do something special for yourself every day—especially if you’re past your due date. Get a manicure, try dinner out at a new restaurant, see a favorite movie or go out for ice cream with your partner.

You could also try visualization or meditation.

• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths-in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Get in touch with your body, starting with your toes and working your way up to your face.
• Imagine a flower opening slowly as you breathe in and out.
• Imagine what your baby looks like and imagine her being born, gently and peacefully.

Not only is this technique relaxing, but it uses the mind/body connection. A visual of being open and the baby being born might be the natural way to induce labor that you need.

What Gets the Baby In, Gets the Baby Out

Sex is the most well-known trick to begin labor. Semen has natural prostaglandins—-a hormone involved in the start of labor. If you use this technique, don’t get up right away and elevate your hips to help the semen stay on the cervix. This will help to thin and dilate it.

However, in late pregnancy, many women are not in the mood for intercourse. Simple loving activities that are part of your normal foreplay can help, too. Female orgasm has been known to open the cervix up to two centimeters. You can also ask your partner to gently stimulate your nipples, or heat up a towel in the dryer for a minute or two and place it over your breasts. This prompts the release of oxytocin. Do not do this constantly, however. For some women, contractions started within 20 minutes of doing this. If a half hour or so goes by, stop and maybe try it again another day.

”Bump” or “Swing” Your Way into Labor

There are also tricks that involve “bumping” or “swinging” the baby into the pelvis or into a better positing for birthing. These include finding a park with a swing and swinging on it. You can also try driving down a bumpy road. Make a date out of it with your partner or a friend. Take a picnic lunch and do some light hiking.

Walk the Baby Out

Taking a gentle walk or slowly pedaling a stationary bike might start contractions. Being upright puts pressure on the cervix, which may prompt it to dilate. Make sure to drink lots of fluids, maintain your body temperature below 100.5 degrees and listen to your body. If your body is tired or telling you stop—listen to it!

Talk to Your Baby

Recent studies have found that the baby begins the complex hormone cycle of labor. As silly as it might feel, talk to your baby and make sure she feels welcome. Tell her about her room, about her grandparents, about your hopes and dreams for her. If nothing else, it creates some wonderful memories and gives you a chance to bond with your baby while you are trying out natural ways to induce labor.

Diet Additions

There are also diet changes that will probably not start labor but will help tone the cervix. Toning the cervix can make early labor shorter and a little easier. Tropical fruits such as kiwi, mango and pineapple contain an enzyme that may cause mild contractions. Red raspberry leaf tea is also good at toning the cervix and wonderful for women at any stage of their reproductive cycle. You should be able to find it in the health food section of the grocery store. Remember to read the ingredients to make sure you’re not allergic to any of them.

Some women report that spicy food, a natural bowel stimulator, has also helped prompt contractions. If it doesn't give you indigestion, it might be a helfpul alternative.

Herbs and Oils

Castor oil, evening primrose oil, or blue and black cohosh can be used to begin labor, but proceed with caution. These supplements have side effects and possible complications.

• There are concerns about castor oil, which is primarily a strong laxative. While bowel spasms may cause contractions, they may also do nothing more than, well, stimulate the bowel of both you and baby.
• The most common application of evening primrose oil is directly on the cervix, not on the belly. Like other lotions and oils, there’s no telling what reaction your body will have externally, much less internally. Since pregnancy can cause adverse reactions to the most common things, this may not be the best choice.
• There are few medical studies to support the safe and guided use of blue and black cohash, and finding an herbal professional experienced in the application is rare.

If you’d like to integrate alternative therapy into your health care, it's advisable to check with your health care provider and an herbal professional before using these or any supplements to discuss pros and cons and determine the correct dosages.

Ask for Your Doctor’s Help

Doctors can induce labor as well, even without using pitocin, which is a synthetic oxytocin. A slightly painful but effective way is to ask the doctor to “scratch” your membranes by going into the cervix. The doctor can also insert prostaglandin-based gel packs into the vagina to stimulate the cervix. Labor often occurs within the next 24-48 hours.

Conclusions

Waiting for labor to begin can be harder than labor itself, especially if you’re having lots of Braxton Hicks or “warm-up” contractions, or feel like you’ve been pregnant forever!

While there are some risks associated with having the baby exceed 42 weeks of gestation, it’s important to note that the due date is determined based on the first day of the last menstrual cycle. If you can’t pinpoint that date, you may feel late, but you may be right on time.

Nevertheless, in the final weeks, it’s best to stay in close communication with your doctor so the baby’s progress can be closely monitored.

Meanwhile, have fun with safe, natural ways to induce labor. If nothing else, they’ll make the waiting time pass more pleasantly and create some wonderful memories for you and your family.

External Resources

• Natural Pregnancy: A Practical, Holistic Guide to Wellbeing from Conception to Birth is an in-depth view on the more natural ways to approach pregnancy and childbirth.
• The founder of the Midwives Alliance of North America wrote Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. It shares many methods and personal stories, and also imparts the importance of the mother’s positive mindset toward pregnancy and delivery.
• Discovery Health has a comprehensive pregnancy center to find more facts and resources.

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