why do some women want to bring on labour?

[Cyathea]

Some women really do have a tough time during pregnancy, and I guess trying something which seems benign to help labour come gives the feeling of being in control of the process somewhat, and can be quite comforting.

I have come to believe that no induction method will work if your baby is not ready, and if someone reports success with some remedy or other it is simply coincidence, that baby was coming on its own anyway.

It is the baby which signals the beginning of labour, not anything you do to your own body.

So I am completely content to simply sit and wait, I completely trust my body and baby to know the exact right time to labour, based on the baby being physiologically ready to be born into this world.

As a homebirther, I have consciously removed myself from the pressure of induction, and going over 42 weeks would not phase me in the least, all gestations are different, just as all labours are different, and all babies are different.

There is too much in this life that we seek to control, and I actually love the fact that I have to consciously surrender to the process, simply let go and trust, it is quite a ride.

[MamaPan]

Hi Mbear - I hope it isnt me who has you worried (LOL!!).
For me I am not using any of them to bring on labour, more to prepare body for what is ahead and get in optimal 'shape' for labour and recovery. I have specifically asked my acupuncturist not to induce me but to work on relaxing me and preparing my body for labour and healing. It is kind of the same reason why I still make an extra effort to exercise daily, to keep my body in top shape for what is ahead of it. I personally dont want my baby to come til s/he is ready (but I must admit I'd like him/her to be ready soonish!!!) but I do want to do all I can to help my body to relax into the process that nature intends.
I think it comes down to each of us individually doing what is best for us. You have been through this before so you perhaps know your body can cope well. For me it is my first time and one of my fears is recovery etc, so this is why I am hedging bets and trying lots of things to prepare physically... Dont feel uninformed, I think you are just more confident in your ability and your body perhaps that I am.

[goldilocks]

That's a great question mbear, and good on you for enjoying your pregnancy so much!

As some of the other girls said, none of these natural methods will bring on labour unless your baby is well and truly ready to be born!
Babies will still come when they are good and ready, but a little preparation ie. RLT, EPO, etc certainly won't go astray in getting your body ready for the big day. That's my reasoning for using them, anyway

Enjoy your last few weeks!

[Myboy1806]

Hi there,

i posted earlier this week about wanting to be induced, and my reasons still stand , i dont love being pregnant and i dont love the pain i am experiencing now.

I would rather not be induced and come on my own , but as in my post i have a 19 month old and no help at hope , my Husband is great be he is a mamanger in the mining industry and works long hours and is very much needed in his role so for me i need that time with my mum here to help out so I can get into a routine and he happy so when she leaves it will benefit my whole family.

these are my feelings.

[becmc]

I had a really awful induction experience with ds, ending in emergency c/s and I will do anything I can to avoid that again. Especially with the way doctors push induction on women. And also having had a previous c/s it can actually increase the risk of my scar rupturing if I get chemically induced.
As some others have said, herbs etc. won't induce labour if your body is not ready. They just help to prepare you. Personally I don't see any difference between taking evening primrose oil, or having sex with my dh and going for a walk to bring on labour. They are all trying to stimulate and prepare the cervix.

[Julie Doula]

Yes, it's a whole different emphasis when it's about nurturing and preparing your body for birth rather than trying to force your body to abandon its own rhythms to fit someone's artificial timetables or charts. Babies don't know about the roman calendar and the 24 hour clock! Natural rhythms such as the cycles of the moon, the seasons, darkness and daylight, feeling energetic and feeling tired (they pick up on your bio-rhythms), the waves on the shore - are more reflective of the rhythms of birthing women and their babies.

I think that's why some pregnant women (me included - I had this convo with a client this week!) feel drawn to the ocean during the last weeks of pregnancy. Staring out to sea and feeling, on some elemental level, the power and the rhythm of the waves, has got to be a great meditative exercise as you muse .... "what will labour be like??"

You understand things that by-pass your intellect & analytical mind and settle into your soul - and that's the ancient place from which you draw wisdom and confidence to birth.

You'll never believe that I'm not a sandal-wearing, arm-pit-plaiting hippy after this (love and kisses to all the real hippies out there! - you rock!) - Im actually a hard-nosed pragmatist and I do have scientific backing for this - honest! I hereby cite the erudite Dr. Sarah J. Buckley!

[ella79]

hi mbear!

i am planning on using EPO capsules to try and "ripen" the cervix... not sure that it really works - doesn't seem to be much hard evidence, but thought "why not give it a go?!"... seems like everyone else is doing lots of things, and i'm not doing anything...

it's true that i WOULD like to meet my baby sooner rather than later, but i don't really "believe" in alternative medicine, so guess that i don't really think that these "natural" things will actually bring on labour in any case unless the baby and my body is good and ready for it...

i am a very impatient person and always want things to come sooner, but when it boils down to it, i don't want my baby to come until he/she is "fully cooked", and therefore won't consider an induction for convenience, and won't let my OB come anywhere near me with a Syntocinin drip until i reach 42 weeks (unless some unforeseen complication develops between now and then)... i guess what i'm saying is that i would be against THIS type of intervention because it's medical and proven to work, and therefore would be interfering with nature. but because i don't really believe that the "natural" methods would be strong enough to have a significant effect, i am happy to give them a go (more to do with the ritual i think, and to keep me occupied while i wait!!)...
i think that by the time i move onto baby #2 or #3 i'll be in no hurry for the baby to arrive - it's just because i have nothing better to do with my time at the moment other than "wait" for my DD to arrive and change my world forever!!

Also, i'm struggling with body image issues (with huge weight gain and stretch marks), and i think that the sooner the baby comes out, the less irreversible damage i will be doing to my body. once again, i'm sure with subsequent pregnancies it won't bother me as much - i'll know the joy that children bring first-hand by then, and will see that weight gain and stretch marks are insignificant in the scheme of things!!

i envy you being so relaxed about your baby's arrival date - i hope i can be more patient too! i think even reading your question has changed my attitude a little - i guess i shouldn't be in any great hurry for her to come out until she's good and ready... i planted a whole pile of Tulips in the garden a few months ago - all on the same day. they have received the same care (not much!!), yet some have already flowered and some are only short little sprouts... i'm not out there with a tweezers trying to pry the closed buds open, so why would i wish it upon my poor cervix?!

[reneenay]

I am loving every second of being pregnant (except the ouchy rib pain) but I just dont want to be induced. Its my #1 fear...eeK!

[mbear]

i planted a whole pile of Tulips in the garden a few months ago - all on the same day. they have received the same care (not much!!), yet some have already flowered and some are only short little sprouts... i'm not out there with a tweezers trying to pry the closed buds open, so why would i wish it upon my poor cervix?!

fantastic analogy Ella...bit how im feeling. Bubs will come when she wants to. If i go over and need to be induced, then thats just how its supposed to be. In the meantime, im just relishing this wonderful time......

[johT]

no WAY will i be induced. (or cut up!)
(it would need to be a dam good reason likes bubs safety and id need to be sure that it was correct..)
im not doing anything to prepare or try to hurry things along
my body knows what to do and when
never took any thing for my previous pregs either...1st was 9 days 'overdue' (they had me booked in for an induction the next day!) and 2nd was about 7 days 'overdue'...