Natural ways to induce labour

Here's a chance to discuss ways to bring on labour naturally - have you had any success, or do you have any ideas?

First off, there's an excellent article by our own Kelly which about has the topic covered!

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

You know, I don't think any method is going to be successful if your body just plain ain't ready. Nature just is ornery about being rushed or forced. Even medical induction doesn't work well when your body is not ready. So .... I know it's hard to hang in there when you are just so OVER being pregnant - but "Have A Little Patience" might just be the theme song for this situation - and the best way to "induce labour".

I think in the context of helping your body get ripe, ready and primed for labour, these things may be helpful. But your body just can't be rushed, and often if we mess with nature, we cause complications.

You're not going to be pregnant forever ... your body is going to go into labour and you are going to give birth to this baby. Yay!

Here's a few things I can think of anyway ...

1. Posterior babies seem to be more likely to go overdue (any studies on this??? I don't know!) because the head my not be so well applied to the cervix. So, some Optimal Foetal Postioning and a trip to the Chiro might be in order

2. Evening Primrose Oil (oral tablets and gels inserted vaginally) help your body produce GLAs which are the precursors of natural prostaglandins - which help the cervix "ripen"

3. Raspberry Leaf Tea nourishes the uterine muscle and is believed to trigger contractions and cause stronger, effective contractions

4. Walking increases blood flow to your pelvic regions, which carries oxygen and hormones too! And gravity helps the baby's head press on the cervix.

5. Relaxation and visualisation/prayer help you get in the mood ... what helped this baby get conceived will help this baby get birthed. You chill, hormones travel and stuff happens. Tension does not seem to be conducive to either venture .... Spell it R-E-S-P-E-C-T or R-E-L-A-X.

6. I recommend a trip to the sea. Strange, I know. But for me (and other women I've known) there is something about waves that helps us *know* something about labour ... I was happy to read about this in Gaby Targett's book, A Labour of Love. I was like, great, I'm not the only one! When i was overdue with babe #3, I walked for miles along a wild beach and did OFP in the waves (labout began 24 hours later).

7. Sex. In moderation. Do it for joy, not for the mechanics, right? If you're ripe and ready, it might be just the gentle *nudge* you need.

8. Basil. (???) Some people seem to think Basil helps kick-start labour. Well, i thought, it can't hurt - so I made some of Nan Koehler's favourite Birthing Tea: Raspberry Leaf, Lavendar, Basil and grated nutmeg. (I added lemon & honey for taste).

9. I decided if I wanted to get into labour, I would start doing things like I was already in labour, and then eventually it would happen - right? So, I did the exercises, walking, massage, relaxation, baths etc - and drank "labour ade": home-made rehydration drink (I found it in The Birth Book by Sear & Sears) - lemon juice, honey, pinch of salt, pinch of baking soda, 1-2 dissolveable calcium tablets. Calcium is supposed to help with pain tolerance!

10. A tea with blue cohosh might help - but get advice from a Naturopath.

I rocked up to a friend's house with RLT, EPO, pineapple, basil, massage oil, labour-ade ... she had 48 hours left before a ceasarian that she really wanted to avoid. Boy was she cranky after she tried everything and nothing worked!

You know how some people have days, even weeks of pre-labour? This woman went from *nothing* (despite 2 or 3 stretch and sweeps and being told she had an "unripe" cervix), to rip-snorting labour. Had the baby about 2 hours before the booked ceasarian. I guess when you're ready, you're ready.

Thanks Julie for posting in my other thread and posting these little tips.
I have decided not to try any of these at the moment and see what my body is capable of doing on it's own. Mind you the walk along the beach is something I usually enjoy, but not in this Melbourne weather ATM!

Yep, much as I love the sea, it's just tooooooo cold atm!

Your body is capable of awesome things! Just nurture it and you. Savour this time.

I agree ur body will tell u when its ready but ive discussed on here before that for me the idea of getting my body ready was really good MENTAL preperation for me....
Throughout my whole pregnancy i was so excited about having this baby, not fearful but really really looking fwd to it....i had a few rituals that i liked to do... these involved EPO inserted and swallowed.... RRL tea... big walks....
i found towards the end if i did a combination of things i noticed a massive increase in Braxton Hicks right up to the moment i actually started early labour...
For example- a couple of cups of tea, spicy dinner with a glass of red, hubby giving brilliant massage, DTD, Big walk then yummy shower and EPO and massaging my tummy....
when it was safe- i think i started at 38 weeks.. i made up a lovely concoction of essential oils that hubby rubbed on my back and shoulders and that i rubbed on my tummy- it was lavender, Rose geranium and Clary Sage... Clary Sage shouldnt be used any earlier than 38 weeks tho.
All these things also helped me stay busy as time felt it was dragging.
Another thing i would do- not inducing at all- but, most nites i would go thru a series of stretches/ positions for labour... while doing this imagining when i would be using them for real... this was also a great time for my brain to go on a little holiday away to prepare itself....

That's a good point Gill, keeping busy and the mental preparation. I didn't really think of the mental side of things, although I have been trying to visualise holding my baby, feeding bubs and labour, but it is a difficult thing for me to do.

well they say if you try hard enough it may help release some of that glorious Oxytocin... can u go into bubs room- if u have one set up... and do a bit of pottering around in there... or rewash and fold some of bubs clothes/blankets etc...
Just even some quiet time lying down and rubbing ur belly and thinking of all the hopes and dreams and adventures that lie ahead for you and ur babe can give you big surges...
Such an exciting time I know... but relaxing and listening to your body is great for you both and this point.
I'll be watching for your birth announcement.:bellyrubs:

o yeh, and of course NIPPLE STIMULATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prolly the most effective of them all

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the idea of getting my body ready was really good MENTAL preperation for me.... really really looking fwd to it....i had a few rituals that i liked to do... these involved EPO inserted and swallowed.... RRL tea... big walks....
i found towards the end if i did a combination of things i noticed a massive increase in Braxton Hicks right up to the moment i actually started early labour...

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I love this, Edensmumma. I can relate. Doing all these little 'rituals' and self-nurture helped get me 'in the mood', too. It seemed to help get them hormones happening. I think birth must be a *romantic*, if we woo her, she smiles shyly and comes to us. In her own sweet time, of course!;)

This isn't something you can change, but my mum is a midwife, and she and all the other nurses say they see it all the time.

Whenever there are thunderstorms, it causes women to go into labour.. Something about the change in baromic pressure? I know for me (i was overdue anyway), that there were thunderstorms Sat night and Sunday day, but Sunday night i started having contractions... And the hospital was so full when we got there we had the spare labour room.

I mentioned it to the midwife on duty also, and she also says that they see heaps more women after thunderstorms.

Someone should do a study on that - weather and labour. It's the same over here. My sister went into labour just before a big winter storm, and by the time she left the hospital, the maternity ward was hopping! I wonder if it is a mental thing, or something to do with air pressure, or if it's some unexplainable phenomenon. Very curious.

Hey Cricket, were you anywhere near the tornado in Canada? Imagine if you were due and that was going on, yikes!!

I was due really close to christmas and not keen to be in the hospital over xmas. I had been drinking my Raspberry leaf tea. I had heaps of spicy food, walked everywhere and tried cleaning things. I pestered Dh for so much sex he begged for mercy. None of it worked. Eventually i rocked up to the natropath for some blue cohosh. I took it at about midnight. Not a good plan as you have to take it every few hours but i thought if anything started i could just sleep. I didn't wait too long. My waters broke at 2am. I'm not sure if the blue cohosh brought it on but it still took a while for contractions. I'm not sure if that's because my little boy was posterior.

Cool, Roo! You're the first person in Australia I know of who's used Blue Cohosh. I know the USA homebirth midwives seem to use it regularly but didn't know of anyone over this way who had. How long was it from your waters breaking till when contractions started?

yeh ive read heaps about it in all the "American" baby books, how interesting... I figured it was just something i'd always just read about... how much was it? was it tea form? did the natropath have any other information about it? did he/she agree with you using it for the purposes you were?

I also used Cimicifuga and Caullophyllum (blue cohosh) to induce labour, as did my SIL who was being pressured for a hospital induction. My labour did start off on the med's but stalled due to other reason's. SIL's got well and truely under way, she took the med's, had an acupuncture session and a S&S, so if not one, all of them send her into labour.

You've got me intrigued now - I'm going to check with our local naturopath!

They say a full moon often causes more women to go into labour.

Totally agree with the trip to the sea - the day before I went into labour with my last bub, my mum and I took the older kids to the beach and I spend a lovely relaxing time watching the sea and taking photos of the kids playing on the sand, and I just knew that something was going to happen very soon. I just felt so different and centred after being there. It was the perfect way to spend my last day before giving birth.

Thanks Julie for your post. I really wonder whether though these things actually work or you were going to go into labour anyway??? Like you say, the body won't go into labour if it is not ready. Perhaps none of these things work. I am actually thinking aloud. For the record, I was given an induction date which I REALLY did not want but didn't know at the time just to not attend the appointment. So all week I tried: lots of DTD, lots of pineapple (not recommended as its acidity burnt out my poor mouth) and a dose of castor oil (not recommended by me given the horror efects). So closer to the date I went and got homepathic remedies from my homeo- I swear one was caullophyllum which Trish says is blue cohosh and then a few hours later I had an accupuncture session. Well I went into labour a few hours later but didn't give birth until 41 hours later by which time I was so tired that it didn't go the way I wanted it to. I wonder whether I brought it on too early or whether the homeo and accupuncture didn't have any effect and I would have started contractions anyway? This time, in November I don't think that I would try to induce labour myself and I am staying away from any hospital inductions!!

I just DTD. It was always the perfect excuse to do it before you have an unknown amount of time before you are ready again... Other than that, I just waited for baby to be ready - they can't stay in there forever!

In the past I have tried long walks, spicy food and prune juice. All the walking did was make me tired, and all the spicy food and prune juice did was cause abdominal cramps and give me the runs. Which I suppose is the point, because apparently irritating the bowel can help start labour, but I won't be trying it again. Didn't work anyway. This time I am going to do nothing, except drink raspberry leaf tea and maybe spend time at the beach again. Just nice, relaxing things - nothing exerting like long walks - the last thing I need right before going into labour is to be exhausted from walking for miles. DTD is always the last thing I want to do when hugely pg - its just not going to happen!