Bringing on labour: Your experiences

[PinkPalace]

Well girls here is my question!

Talking to my doctor he said that there are only 2 things that will shorten or bring on labour (natural types of remedies). 1/ semen 2/sweep.

Now i am wondering if anyone has used all the other options that you read about and if they worked or not?
I am wondering also if it is just coincidence and would you have gone into labour anyhow ifyou didnt (iykwim).

So heres a start of a list for comment: (feel free to add if you used anything else helpful!)

Raspberry leaf tea
Evening primose oil
Acupunture
Pineapple


ta

[Karina]

Wow not long to go now for you (but i bet you hear that all the time )
I used raspberry leaf tablets and evening primrose oil. I thought raspberry leaf doesnt bring on labour though? I used the EPO orally and 'up there' kwim.
We also had sex, and a few hours later I started to get contractions. Not sure if the sex helped it along or if it was going to happen anyway though. I had lost my plug by that time anyway.
sorry that was probably not much help.

[visitor1]

LOL.. nothing but telling my baby to HURRY UP seemed to work....even still i dont think my nagging bought on the labour 3 days early. Sex, pineappple and long walks didnt do anything to me!

Goodluck...

[Meluchja]

Hey,
I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but the morning of the night my waters broke I went on a really long walk. I had been taking RLT (tea version) for a couple of weeks too, and had sex the day before.
I don't think it will be long for you now though. Good luck.

[PinkPalace]

No Karina not long.... lol

I am so tempted to reprogram the answering machine to 'no we havent had the baby yet and yes we will let you know when we do...." and let every call divert! lol

I lost my plug 3 weeks ago so i am definately not taking that as an indication!

Its funny i just wonder if people do these things and they worked or like you said i probably was happening anyhow you know?

Kimbaz... if only nagging was the answer! :P

[Tobily]

Well I had a sweep and heaps of nookie before I had DS and neither worked so to your doc LOL.
The thing I tried that I really noticed was doing "something" was nipple stimulation. I used to do a few sessions on my breastpump a few times a day and that would get some pretty ouchy BH's/contractions happening. I started loosing plug when I started this as well - could've been coincidence but I was definitely getting contractions.
If you have a breastpump it can't hurt

[Meluchja]

Interesting flea, I will have to remember the breast pump trick when I get a little closer. Thanks

[Karina]

lol Princessmya I was lucky enough to give birth 10 days before my supposed EDD, so I hadnt had any of the annoying questions like "are you STILL pregnant?!" hopefully you dont have to wait too much longer to meet your little person.
I tried the nagging too. hehe

[August]

hi everyone!

Although I'm yet to know from experience myself I think that sex would have to be one very effective way, especially considering that it took alot of semen to make the baby, maybe it takes just as much to make it come out. might just be my wierd way of looking at the world too! I have also read too that drinking it is an even more effective way as the prostaglandins are more easily absorbed through the stomach.

Milkshake anyone?

i'm being induced at 37wks due to medical reasons so I have been looking at ways help myself along. I will try EPO which Alan suggested I could insert from 30wks but I'm a bit nervous starting it this early and am thinking of starting at 33wks instead, as the hospital I need to deliver at is 3 hours away. Although I understand this only works to thin the cervix.

I think too that exercising and being as active as you can would be beneficial. Long gentle walks,dancing, practicing daily stretches, and just getting out and about in general. Especially if its destined to happen when you least expect it!

Either way, it does not sound too long for you PrincessMya!

[Beach Mama]

Tried it all -EPO, raspberry tea leaf, lots of DtD!, had a sweep, nipple stimulation, walking, vacuuming, pineaple - didnt do acupuncutre though and i was induced at 10 days over
Good luck - you have lost your plug - could be a good sign =- my cervix was very unripe!!Check out this article too!

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/...uction-methods

[PinkPalace]

Well keeping active is definately not a problem... most people think i over do it as i walk the dogs everyday, play basketball with my husband etc and still nesting! lol
I might ask the midwife on wednesday to have a look and see what my cervix is doing ... i havent had any internals as yet - been trying to hold off.

[Charlyfrog]

Chatting with another pg friend today and she said for her first time around, she walked for ages around the shops (not intentionally trying to start labour) but it worked for her................so DH, DD & I are going to the shops tomorrow and I am not leaving there for a loooooooooooooooooooong time!!!

P.S. Been having a little nooky here and there but gosh! What an effort to manoeuvre this whale sized body!! Plus, tad hard to keep mind on the job when a little being is having play time!! Hehehe! Still, if it keeps DH relaxed, and maybe it might jiggle munchkin down a bit ........................ROFL!!!!

I'm a tad desperate ..................... can you tell?!?!?!?!

[TeganRheana]

I am quite sure that all forms of natural induction only work when the bub is ready to come anyway...but then, that's JMO

I agree that if your body isn't ready to have the baby then nothing will work. I tried everything apart from evening primrose oil last pregnancy, even had 2 stretch and sweeps and I still ended up being induced 11 days overdue.

This time I have started taking rasberry leaf tea (only 1/2 the recommended dosage up until I hit 32wks now I have the suggested dosage) and evening primrose oil (have only been taking 1 capsule orally daily but have just upped it to 2 capsules orally daily and will increase again once I hit 36weeks to 3 capsules - I wont be inserting) since 28weeks as I am determined not to go overdue again (although I find it extremely likely that I will) both of which have had no ill effects on me at all...as far as I knew they don't actually bring on labour, they just prepare and soften the ccervix ready for when labour starts...

[Rachel]

Hello....Raspberry leaf tea doesn't actually bring on labour it strengthens the uterus to make more effective contractions. I used Raspberry leaf tablets as I don't drink tea. I had a stretch and sweep done, we had sex and I went into labour a few hours after that - coincidence? No-one will ever know. We also walked a lot. I mowed the lawn (that was a collegues advice as it worked for his wife!). I did star jumps. Drove on bumpy dirt roads. All of those were mother's tales I'm sure! Best of luck with your attempts to bring on labour (they can be fun some of them!).

[AnyDream]

Well I tried nipple tweaking, lots of sex, many long long walks, moving furniture, etc and nothing worked. Cervix still clamped tightly shut at 42.5 weeks, had to be induced (got the works). But by the sounds of it, if you're body's ripe and ready then these things do work as many women swear by them!

Good luck!

[luua]

Ella was 7 days overdue. We tried all the suggestions, bumpy bus rides, long walks, hot curries and sex. Felt nothing the week she was due. Lots of BH though so i knew it was close.

The next week i had accupuncture and went to see my naturapath who gave me some drops. This made *something* happen as i got very strong pains. I stopped taking them (as she suggested) to see if my body would do the rest and then the pains stopped. She then asked me to start again and they started again...! (maybe a complete coincidence)

There is an acupressure point on your little toe that relates to your uterus. So i stimulated that point. After a few days i had an internal examination and the OB said i was already 3 cm dilated (and here i was crawling around cleaning the bathroom floor). I went into labour the next day.

Ann

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I tried everything. It doesn't work. If you like, you can check out the end of my pregnancy diary (link in sig) for what I tried, but I did everything to no avail.

[Roudysmum]

My Dh was looking over my sholder when i opened this post and read princessmya's question, The fisrt thing that caome out of his mouth was "you better start sweeping" he craks me up sometimes.

With my first i had an internal on my due date and they told me that i had a less than 5% chance of going into labour that week so i went to sydney for the week and went home on sat, hadnt seen DH all week so of course DTD at 5pm and waters broke at 8pm, I think it was coincidence though.

Trying rasbery leaf tea this time so will see how we go.