Walking to induce labor?

haliepell · October 2013

Will you or when will you start walking to induce labor? I'm wanting to start walking the neighborhood around week 36 ish-37 ish just to start things going on its own to stay away from going past due with medical inducing

mavgirl_73 · October 2013

You can walk till you've walked across America but if baby isnt ready it's not going to do anything but make you uncomfortable and tired. I walked with both my girls and both were "overdue" technically. Walking is much more effective once you're in labor to help with moving baby down.

haliepell · October 2013

Well I figured if I started walking if I was already starting to dialate it would somewhat help to at least try to get things started, I'm getting checked every time I go now s

haliepell · October 2013

Continued- I'm getting checked every time I go now so I figured it wouldn't hurt if I tried, so I was wondering if anyone else tried it or will try to help getting things started

mavgirl_73 · October 2013

I totally get where you're coming from. I should probably know this but is this your first? All people will be able to give you is past experience. I was dialated to 2.5cm and 60% effaced for about 4 weeks before birth with our first and I literally walked my ass off. Labor started with her when I was 40w and a couple days. It's normal for first time moms to efface and dilate weeks before labor starts. Walking cant hurt just dont over do it, labor is hard work. Rest, hard as it is to be comfy, is what you need before labor starts. If you are a STM sorry for any redundancy.

haliepell · October 2013

No this is my second, I started to dialate around week 35, but wound up getting induced at 2cm 80% effaced at 39 weeks, I didn't try to walk my butt off to put myself into labor, but this time around I would like to experience going into labor on my own being this will most likely be my last baby, I want to experience my water breaking and the whole nine yards without pitocin if my body allows that to happen with a healthy baby

lifesaverz · October 2013

I was going to try this, but I'm gonna wait til December (due on the 2nd) because I really want her to be a December baby! If I start in Nov I'm worried she'll come before, lol.

mavgirl_73 · October 2013

haliepell said:

No this is my second, I started to dialate around week 35, but wound up getting induced at 2cm 80% effaced at 39 weeks, I didn't try to walk my butt off to put myself into labor, but this time around I would like to experience going into labor on my own being this will most likely be my last baby, I want to experience my water breaking and the whole nine yards without pitocin if my body allows that to happen with a healthy baby

Hmmmm well like I said, walking might help but only if your body is ready. As far as water breaking, mine never did with our previous two and midwife has prepared me that likely it'll have to be broken again. If you can safely do it (of course a discussion with your doctor) maybe ask your doctor if you can go past 39 weeks. My midwife will let me go up to 42 weeks but every practioner is different. Of course a healthy baby is the number one goal but in a low risk pregnancy without complications babies can stay in past 40 weeks. I hope you get the experience you want.

haliepell · October 2013

Thanks so much!

mh89 · October 2013

Walking is great exercise and good for you, so go for it. But I personally don't think you should be trying anything else to induce labor at 36 weeks. Just let baby come when he or she is ready.

haliepell · October 2013

Oh I won't be doing anything but walking to get things started, I walked the neighborhood today with my daughter so she could ride her bike and was thinking I could do this more often in a few weeks when it starts to get cooler, I live in south Louisiana and it was almost 90 degrees this afternoon so I'm not trying to walk and wear myself out now until the weather changes, I'm not gonna go crazy and try weird things to induce I just think that's crazy with the whole pressure points and castor oil stories

samiaf · October 2013

I think it can get baby in a good position. I have started labor 3 times after walking around stores for at least 4 hours. Could be it was just a final nesting urge to pick up a few final items and would have went into labor anyway.

KFiori1 · October 2013

Eh I don't think it matters unless your body is ready anyway. I walked all the time with my 1st and he was late. With my 2nd I ran 22 miles a week til 35 weeks. Then she was on my sciatic nerve so I had to stop running and switched to 70 min of other cardio 5x a week. I either walked, did the elliptical, or the bike. I was 2cm at 36w. She finally came on her own at 40w6d. I worked out up til birth.

cboink · October 2013

I walked all over the place trying to induce labor with my first. It didnt do a damn bit of good. My boy was stubborn and I had to be induced at 41 weeks. I suppose the plus side was I got lots of exercise.

Edited for spelling

FutureMrsCaesar · October 2013

I was walking 5 mi/day with DS2 and he didn't come until he was ripe and ready on his due date. It can't hurt getting yourself in shape for delivery and stuff though!

I think if you are already having early labor walking might help keep it moving along, but I don't think it will start labor from nothing.

esf60 · October 2013

I've been exercising this whole time. Not sure it's going to do much for me as far as helping bring labor along.

backoffunicorn · October 2013

I walk my dog everyday for 30-45 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes on weekday afternoons. It's my form of exercise. I haven't even gotten BH to my knowledge and doctors recommend walking for normal exercise. You can start now if your doctors okay with it.

esf60 · October 2013

@lorlor681 said:

I walk my dog everyday for 30-45 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes on weekday afternoons. It's my form of exercise. I haven't even gotten BH to my knowledge and doctors recommend walking for normal exercise. You can start now if your doctors okay with it.

I'm jealous, mostly because my dog is a bag of lazy bones and barely wants to leave the driveway. I wish she'd let me walk her for 30 minutes!

Aycul18 · October 2013

And I'm just sitting here curious where you're from that walking for the next 4 weeks seems like a possibility. LOL. It's already freezing in Chicago! Below 40 when I leave for work and when I come home haha

haliepell · October 2013

Aycul18 said:
And I'm just sitting here curious where you're from that walking for the next 4 weeks seems like a possibility. LOL. It's already freezing in Chicago! Below 40 when I leave for work and when I come home haha

I live in south Louisiana, we lucky if we get to wear a heavy jacket for mid winter here, it was around 90 degrees yesterday afternoon, it does get cold here sometimes it's just always late December early January but we never get cold enough to get snow

amberpro · October 2013

With DS, I had field day on a Friday. Didn't sit down more than 10 minutes all stinkin day from 8:30-4. Baby was in my arms Saturday morning. HOWEVER, I don't think that walking would have sped up anything if he wasn't already primed and ready to go.

Oh... there was also sex that night so maybe that added to it :P.

MEP923 · October 2013

I walked with my first. It didn't help. He came at 40 weeks 2 days. This time I haven't been walking at all because we've been so busy. I don't want to start exercise at the end that I haven't been doing the whole time. I personally just wouldn't be comfortable with that. This time around I am going with the attitude of letting him stay put until he is ready.

jamrosj · October 2013

I had a crazy moment last pregnancy where I walked a mile round trip to the grocery store, bought a pineapple, ate half of it and still didn't go into real labor (BH were awful though)

HerbanMom · October 2013

Walking really won't induce, but from what my OB told me with DS2 it certainly helps move the baby down into position and can help put more pressure on your cervix.

thetheisens · October 2013

Last pregnancy I was having contraction for weeks and they got worse while walking, so I probably walked 1,000 miles trying to get them more consistent at 39 weeks. My water finally just broke. We went to hospital and my labor slowed, I walked another 1,000 miles at the hospital to get my labor going again to avoid getting pitocin. I ended up with pit. If it's not going to happen, walking won't help, but I don't think it can hurt.

insertclevername · October 2013

I walk 15 minutes to work and 15 minutes from work to my car five days a week. As others have said, exercise is not going to induce labor, your body has to be ready to labor.

JillSandm · October 2013

I walk 45 minutes every day for general exercise and turn into a sweaty beast. Can't imagine it will put me in labor, but once I'm in labor I'll be climbing stairs.

swirl25 · October 2013

I walked a ton with DD (was working and commuting to NYC when I was full-term, plus I would go to the gym with DH and just walk on the treadmill or go to the mall and walk around). She was still 3 days late. I agree...the exercise is good, but they're going to come when they are good and ready, no matter how many tricks you try.

Keenanshell · October 2013

Just back from a hospital apt and I've been told that you can try and get your cervix ready by harvesting your breast milk (and freeze it). Also really good for the baby to have this after birth. I know very little about this but you can check it out on the net and or ask your bf contact at your hospital x

[Deleted User] · October 2013

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notkateanymore · October 2013

So I think it's safe to say the majority of people will NOT be walking to induce labor.

backoffunicorn · October 2013

esf60 said:

@lorlor681 said:

I walk my dog everyday for 30-45 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes on weekday afternoons. It's my form of exercise. I haven't even gotten BH to my knowledge and doctors recommend walking for normal exercise. You can start now if your doctors okay with it.

I'm jealous, mostly because my dog is a bag of lazy bones and barely wants to leave the driveway. I wish she'd let me walk her for 30 minutes!

We live in a high rise so if he wants to go to the bathroom, we're going on a walk. We were quite adventurous pre-pregnancy when on the weekends we'd sometimes go on a walk for over an hour.

insertclevername · October 2013

Keenanshell said:

Just back from a hospital apt and I've been told that you can try and get your cervix ready by harvesting your breast milk (and freeze it). Also really good for the baby to have this after birth. I know very little about this but you can check it out on the net and or ask your bf contact at your hospital x

@keenanshell were they talking about hand expressing colostrum prior to going into labor? I have heard of doing this and storing it in syringes in the freezer so that you have the extra colostrum to provide to your child once they are born. Usually it is advised to wait until 36 or 38 weeks before trying to do this though. It doesn't ripen your cervix to hand express but it can cause contractions which may help things along.

ladameperdue · October 2013

yeah I'm not sure how walking would do anything anyway, unless you were on bed rest or very sedentary. Don't most people walk quite a bit daily just living?

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