If your baby is fully-baked and you want to help nature take its course, there are some home remedies for kicking labor into gear that folks are talking about.*
I’m not telling you which of these I tried with Holden-to-be, but I will say that last year we were gunning awfully hard for a 05/05/05 birthdate:
- Sex - what got ‘em in will get ‘em out
- Nipple stimulation - trust me, whatever you do is nothing compared to nursing a real baby
- Spicy food - Ruen Pair’s medium spicy makes my head sweat!
- Ride on a tractor - my grandma said it worked for her
- Jumping jacks - as recommended by my own doctor
- Pizza - eating a fully loaded Prego Pizza at Skipolini’s in Walnut Creek or a big meaty Zachary’s
- Castor oil omelette - blech
- Long walks - up hills or on the beach is even better
- Chocolate - I believe my mom recommended a full pound in one sitting
- Aggressive pedicure where they hit all the acupressure hotspots
Kendra from ShoppingForTwo.com has shared what she calls her “Jump Start Your Labor Cookies” recipe.
I will also say that once labor really started and we got our precious baby home, I wondered why I was in such a hurry… does anyone else have any unusual labor-inducing ideas?
* you KNOW we’re not doctors, call your doc about your own situation if any of these ideas thrill and concern you.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
sex, spicy food (they might be wives tails). I made my husband sleep with me when I was 40+ weeks and he wasn’t too happy about it. I also took a run the day before my son was born. Seemed to work as my water broke that night.
also try mothers blend tincture (available at scarlet sage)
There are some acupressure points on your foot and ankle that are supposed to help induce labor.
Black cohosh tea worked for me when I was 10 days past my due date and nothing else (walks uphill, spicy foods, sex) worked. Two cups with two tea bags in each cup and I was in labor 3 hours later.
acupuncture really helped me - but we did a protocol from week 26 or so. My daughter came on her due date!
the long hike i took the evening before also helped - i think
Red Raspberry Leaf tea. Supposed to help “tone” your uterine muscles and bring on contractions. Might be coincidence, but as soon as I started drinking the tea in my last week, I started getting contractions and had a nice, quick labor and delivery.
Spicy food, sex, excercise…tried them all, and still we were two weeks overdue. Finally, the night before they were finally going to induce, I did the castor oil in OJ…oh so gross…but I was in labor by 1am, so it was worth it!
When I visited my midwife several weeks before my due date she asked what I was doing to ripen my cervix. She suggested sex and nipple stimulation and using evening primrose oil capsules as vaginal suppositories (which you should stop immediately if your water breaks). You can also take evening primrose oil orally, but apparently the suppository method is more effective. Also, my midwives recommended drinking red raspberry leaf tea beginning several weeks before the due date. I was willing to try anything (including spicy food, walking) because I was afraid of natural childbirth with a big baby…so I didn’t want to be overdue. Nick was born four days past his due date after a very long labor (34 hours of natural childbirth) and was 9 pounds 7 ounces. [My friend who recently had her baby at an area hospital had her OB/GYN discourage the evening primrose oil - so obviously you'd want to check with your doctor.]
My husband somehow convinced me to take castor oil-blech is right! Disgusting. I went into labor that night, but I’m still not sure if that’s what did it.
Cleaning the house and mopping the floor - that’s what work for me with both my boys. I don’t know if it was “hey this dump is finally clean, I can get out now” or just all the bending and squating, but it worked. And they were both born before their due date, so I was saved the last agonizing weeks of pregnancy. (only to get quicker to the first delirious weeks of having a newborn…)
My childbirth class instructor said that she sanded the deck before her third child was born. Her husband thought about reminding her that the chemicals were not so good for her, but instead, just enjoyed the last burst of energy toward the house.
I’m currently 39 weeks and i’ve been trying everything for the past few days. Drinking rasberry red leaf tea, taking primrose evening oil pills, sex, and walking nothing seems to be working hopefully something soon.
I tried the castor oil with my first and i would never do it again, i was on the toilet for 3 days but i did have him at the end of it..
i do not want to do it with my second i have been drinking the rasberry tea but nothing yet
Labor acupressure is what worked for me, and there are some pressure points that also help with pain relief during labor.
My friend is a midwife, and after hearing from the doc that if I didn’t go into labor within the next few days, they were going to induce me…she suggested 2 oz. of castor oil with orange juice (I was 3 days overdue)…and after about 4 hours, it kicked in and I was on the toilet for about 45 mins…but 3 hours later, my daughter was born!!! Definitely jump started me!
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