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Maryland Babies
*Myths* to induce labor
Okay, so I know that most of the ways to "induce' labor on your own are myths, but I still want to hear 'em 
Who has good suggestions on how to help him get moving south when it's time! I don't want to go past my due date, ha!
Who has good suggestions on how to help him get moving south when it's time! I don't want to go past my due date, ha! 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: *Myths* to induce labor
Sex - semen contains a hormone that beings w/a p (can't think of the name right now) that helps to thin out your cervix
Nipple stimulation - will help w/contractions
Walking
There are a few others that I can't think of right now but just remember that they won't really work unless your baby/body is ready to go into labor. And try not to get too caught up w/due dates they aren't an exact science and can be off.
Go to Tevana in Towson Town Center and order a Red Raspberry tea then walk laps! Red Raspberry is a known labor inducer. It is one of the reasons people are told to avoid "herbal teas" while pregnant.
Good Luck!!
Think I'll have to make a trip tomorrow! (Although all these trips to go "walking" at the malls and The Avenue are going to put us in the poor house
OP: this has been a big topic for me lately. I asked my OB yesterday how we could help move things along (I have been 50% effaced with no dilation and no progress for the past 2 weeks) and her #1 recommendation is sex because of it's effect on helping the cervix along. She said walking helps some people but does nothing for others (but definitely couldn't hurt). I've been trying some other OWT just because I figure why not- pineapple, black licorice, stairs, nipple stimulation, etc. Doc said we could give castor oil a shot but I'm not at that point yet. If I haven't made any progress by next week, I might feel differently though! G/L!
I just wanted to say to try and make you feel better that dilation/effacement have no bearing whatsoever of when you will go into labor. Some people will walk around 3 cm dilated for weeks and others will be at 0cm/0% and go into labor the same day. (This is the main reason why I personally declined cervix checks as I didn't want to drive myself nuts). :hugs:
I know they have tons of ideas on the VBAC board because many of those ladies can't go past their due date or they will have to have a repeat c section. I know they have mentioned Red Raspberry Tea, nipple stimulation, walking, sex, etc. They also have mentioned acupuncture/acupressure. There are some other ideas I can't think of right now, but if you head over to that board it's talked about often.
Thanks!! The sensible, rational side of me tries to remember that unfortunately the uncomfortable, hormonal side of me wants to see progress at every appointment and baby to come this Saturday on her due date (HA!). I wish I had the strength to decline the internals but I'm weak
I went 11 days post-date w/ DD & then my OB made me do pitocin induction for scheduling, not medical purposes (baby was fine & I was contracting regularly, just not strong enough to do anything.) Oh, I had been sitting on a yoga ball, eating spicy food, drank over 30 cups (a whole box of tea bags) of red raspberry leaf tea in the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy. Oh, and I ate pineapple, had a Sexican night on the full moon, ran around the block after my dog at 38 weeks, etc. etc. The only thing I didn't do was the nasty.
I went 4 days late w/ DS (my uterus is a fabulous place and my babies never want to leave, apparently I have plasma flat screens and high thread count sheets in there!) I had an appt w/ my midwife the day after his EDD (it was a Friday) and I told her I had the castor oil ready to go and asked who was on call that weekend because I was thinking about taking it on Sunday. She then said that she would do an internal if I wanted, but that I shouldn't take the *castor oil if I am not dilated. Sure enough I was not dilated at all. She told me sex and walking were the only things that really worked. So I walked and walked. We went to a party on Saturday night and I had a glass of wine and attacked DH. More than once.
Sex actually works 2 ways- 1) the semen has hormones in it (prostaglandins) that help dilate the cervix. 3 "doses" actually = a dose of cervadil, which is what they sometimes use to start an induction. 2) a good orgasm can help jump start contractions. I know it's not easy to get in the mood or be enthusiastic about getting it on at 40+ weeks (or I guess 38 weeks for that matter) but I went into labor on my on that Monday morning.
*Castor oil is a smooth muscle stimulant- so it can start contractions, but if you aren't dilated it will just make you seriously uncomfortable as you will get crazy diarrhea.
Spicy food may help get contractions going- but the enzyme that causes the heat, capsaicin, also blocks your body's natural endorphins (pain killers) so if you eat a lot of spicy food your labor may be more painful.
Good luck and hang in there!
Trust me, we've all been there and remember what it was like to be hugely pregnant and ready to have an outside baby! Anon is right, though - you can be majorly dilated and not go before your EDD, and you can have no progress at all and deliver before your EDD. It's really one of those things that you just can't figure out. I steadily progressed through my last few weeks (37w - 2cm/50%, 38w - 3cm/60%, and when I went into the hospital at 39w1d - 4 cm/80% effaced... DS was born 16 hours later), but I can vividly recall my mom cautioning me against getting too excited over progress, b/c she'd walked around at 4 cm dilated w/my brother for three weeks... kid just didn't want to show his face, apparently.
As for OWT, PPs have listed all of the ones I've heard. Hang in there and good luck - you'll be meeting your LO soon!
... every single day of forever.
I don't think that makes you weak at all. And I completely understand. (Even though I declined them and I know that it isn't an indication of when you will go into labor, I distinctly remember sitting at home going I wonder how dilated I am....)
I think sex and walking are the only things that truly work.
{{TMI ALERT}} I told DH we were doing the deed when I was like 2 days past my due date and he kind of looked at me in fear but he did man up. It was actually really horrible and I almost cried.
As for the red raspberry leaf tea, my understanding is that is does not jump start labor. It tones the muscles in your uterus so it makes your pushes more effective. I drank it during the last month of my pregnancy and attribute it to pushing a 9 lb 4 oz baby out in less than 45 minutes.
i ate a mango. ittt did not work but lo is in love with mango now.
@mrs.remy. i laughed out loud with the tmi because i was forty one weeks and my husband gave me the fear look too.
I remembered another one that I heard... massaging the feet. (I think this has to do with the acupuncture/accupressure stuff.)
And, it can't hurt right? I mean a foot massage is always nice and relaxing even if it doesn't end up working!
Please don't drink castor oil, it can be very dangerous! I know many people suggest it, but it really isn't a safe option, IMO.
I think our bodies go into labor when they are ready. I was 1cm, 90% effaced at 36wks losing my MP, 36wks3days we had sex, 36wks4days i was 95% effaced and still about 1cm, all through the 36th week i was losing my MP and i finally lost it all on 37wks exact and my water broke literally minutes later. My contractions were seriously 5min apart, then 6 min apart, then 7 min apart, then 8 min apart, and when the 9th minute came is when my water broke. I was writing them down since I was having them regularly and it was so odd they went up. I even drove myself to the hospital.
From my understanding, first timers often efface first then dilate and second and so on dilate then efface. Not sure if it is true but it was for me.
I was always on my feet, always doing things, I was always doing things I should be doing: pulling carpet up, shovelling, painting and standing on ladders, moving furniture (and dropping it on the newly painted door...sorry DH...i thought he was going to kill me when I told him).
My sister decided she was having her baby on her birthday (my sisters that is) and so they stopped and my sister got a pedicure, my BIL got his hair cut and they went to dinner. She left dinner and went to the hospital and had the baby 3hrs later. I hear pressure points are great for inducing labor, but again, some may disagree.
Ditto PPs - my OB said sex and walking were the only things that would bring on labor! I walked and walked and walked and jumped DH. :P
GL!
Happy Birthday, little man. We love you so much!
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