Best ways to bring along labor and avoid induction...?

[mfannon]

Hi ladies,

I hope you all can give me some inspiration and advice...I am currently 37 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby. However, I have a blood clotting disorder that caused me to have recurrent miscarriage, which is now being treated with blood thinners. I desperately want to have as natural and peaceful a birth experience for me and the baby as possible. I have a midwife and a doula and they are both very supportive...BUT if I don't go into labor naturally before 40 weeks (3 weeks from today), I have to be induced..

Any suggestions for helpful ways to promote labor and avoid induction? I am already drinking red raspberry leaf tea, started taking evening primrose oil orally (midwife says only to take it orally, which seems strange given other advice online), and have been doing acupuncture throughout my pregnancy. My acupuncturist says she'll start treating me daily at 38 weeks and my midwife will sweep my membranes then as well... and my husband and I are making sure to have sex as much as possible...

This will be our first baby and I am really scared of pitocin....so I would really appreciate your help...

Thanks so much,

M

[ShwarmaQueen]

What does she have against using the EPO next to your cervix? I put a couple of the big capsules there every night before bed. Along with DTD every day, I think it helped move things along (I went into labor on my due date). Not certain though.

[Chuzzie]

m-

Just curious, did your midwife give you a reason as to why you couldn't use the evening primrose oil vaginally? 

[dayiscoming2006]

Why do you *have* to be induced @ 40 weeks? Average 1st pregnancy is around 41 weeks long if I remember right. It'd be safer to have a natural labor than an induction for sure. 

[Italiamom]

Originally Posted by Chuzzie 

m-

Just curious, did your midwife give you a reason as to why you couldn't use the evening primrose oil vaginally? 

I think there was a study a while back that "says" EPO inserted vaginally can cause bacterial vaginosis (or something similar)...  I had a good friend who was with a larger hospital based midwifery practice, and her midwife gave her the same line.

I did EPO vaginally, and the only problem I had was the oozing.  It's G-ROSS!  But I'm guessing that the man juice is probably a, ah, more effective topical treatment than the EPO anyway

[zensven42]

Just refuse induction. Is there some reason you can't?

[bird_verde]

accupressure worked for me and others that I know - also relaxing and just letting your body be ready (visualization)

mods - this is in the birth stories page- if it is moved to Homebirth or Birth and Beyond, it may get more responses...

[briannas auntie]

My sister found that having sex was great for inducing labor.  She told me the day after she gave birth to Brianna that she had sex with her boyfriend several hours before she went into labor, and she believes that having sex brought on the labor.

On the other hand, my friend told me that reflexology and meditation helped her with both of her kids, so I guess its a personal preference.

Jessie

[Chuzzie]

I definitely agree that meditation and visualization can go a long way! Sometimes people who are unaccustomed to doing that can find it a little difficult to focus and center. What better time to start learning, ay? 

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

I went to 42 weeks, and had I gone another day I would have been induced - I too struggled to do everything possible to naturally encourage labor. I did everything on your list and much more.  Lots of walking, eating very very spicy food, eating pineapple, eating eggplant parm, EPO inserted vaginally - anything inserted (including a hand to do a membrane sweep) can introduce bacteria, and I would be much more concerned about being induced than vaginosis.  The other biggie is castor oil.  I did not do this because I went into labor, but if I had not been in labor on the day it started, I was going to start this.   Best of luck to you!

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

Oop, just realized OP was from May - so hope it all worked out for you!