How to get labor started?

[hapahaolegirl]

Hi,

I tried doing a search but I can't seem to find any threads on ways to get labor going. Can anyone point me to threads or tell me what *could* help get things going? I've started up walking and my midwife suggests lots of sex. Is there anything else?

Thanks!

[SheSpeeds]

Spicy foods, walks, pineapple, epo, sex, (constant hard coughing with a cold IMO), mental visualization, massage, accupuncture, chiropractics, reflexology, nipple stimulation, jump rope...basically I get the impression that any kind of light stress or stimulation to your senses has the potential to provoke labor. Sex actually has the hormonal aspect from the semen, and nipple stimulation (a LOT of it) helps release hormones involved in labor.

[MrsTC]

Play Murphy's Law and...

...Start a big project that would totally disrupt your life if you were to go into labor and have the baby before the project was finished.

...Send your dp or labor support people out of state with no return plane ticket available.

...Plan something really really fun and exciting and expensive to do with nonrefundable tickets for two days from now.

I'm being cheeky, I know, but the good, viable options already got listed.

Drinking some castor oil is one way my midwife starts induction if a pregnancy goes way-way over. She says if your body's primed and ready to go, it can nudge it to start, but if it's not, it won't hurt you. But be prepared to spend some time by a toilet shortly after taking it.

[kerikadi]

Wait until your baby and body are ready? Is there a medical reason this isn't an option? Seems that would be the easiest route

Keri

[hapahaolegirl]

Originally Posted by kerikadi

Wait until your baby and body are ready? Is there a medical reason this isn't an option? Seems that would be the easiest route

Keri

My midwife has just scared me a bit since she started talking about induction and stripping my membranes yet again even though I've told her I do not want anyone stripping my membranes. I'll also need to go in for a NST if I pass my due date and another one a week later along with an ultrasound. If I don't go into labor after 41 weeks and 6/7th days I will be induced. I do not want to be induced!
With DD I took nice long walks with DH a few days before my due date and DD arrived on her due date.
So if I can help things along naturally it can't hurt!

[mamafish9]

Kristen, I was in the same boat with my last pg (I needed to deliver by two weeks past my due date, or I risked out of midwife care). My midwife was very reassuring though - she said that most low risk mamas go past their due date - and very few go two weeks past. Also, the things you can do to help encourage labor work a lot better if you wait until at least a week past your due date (when your baby is more likely to be pretty cooked). Again from my midwife, she said getting a healthy baby who planned on coming out at 41 weeks (the AVERAGE for healthy full term first babies who aren't induced) to come out at 38 weeks is pretty much hopeless, LOL...

[tika]

Originally Posted by hapahaolegirl

So if I can [help] things along naturally it can't hurt!

It can't? Some "natural induction" methods CAN hurt.

How is trying to get labor going before your body is truly ready "natural"?

You can always refuse any test or procedure that you don't want. Speak up and tell your midwife that you're not comfortable with the interventions that she's proposing for absolutely no reason other than being based on an arbitrary date.

[hapahaolegirl]

Originally Posted by tika

It can't? Some "natural induction" methods CAN hurt.

How is trying to get labor going before your body is truly ready "natural"?

You can always refuse any test or procedure that you don't want. Speak up and tell your midwife that you're not comfortable with the interventions that she's proposing for absolutely no reason other than being based on an arbitrary date.

We all decide for ourselves what we are comfortable doing and everyone is entitled to their thoughts and opinions. I visit this board for support and to read the experiences and opinions of others. What may be natural to one person may not be to another. Just because someone says to do something doesn't mean everyone is going to go and do it.

[augustgirl69]

Well, I have always delivered at 38 weeks- 1st one, my water broke, 2nd I went in for an NST and whoops! I was in labor and dilated to 4 cm (too bad I had to have a c/s b/c she was frank breech ) 3rd, my OB stripped my membranes at 10 AM ( I was dilated to 3+ cm , dh and I dtd and we went out for mexican and I had a maragrita at noon, full labor at 2 PM.

So there are my thoughts... not sure what will happen this time.

[kerikadi]

I am sorry your midwife is pressuring you I cannot imagine the stress that causes. My MW regularly has clients go to 42 weeks without insisting on any testing as long as everyone looks good.

Have you been taking EPO? If not you may want to start taking it orally and vaginally - same thing goes for semen, both will soften your cervix both ways.

However, I am a big believer that using induction techniques will only bring baby if baby is ready and forcing the issue is more likely to end in a long & painful high intervention birth.

Think positive and know that your body and your baby know what to do and everything will happen when it is ready. When is your edd? Is there any wiggle room with the MW?

Keri

[hapahaolegirl]

Originally Posted by kerikadi

When is your edd? Is there any wiggle room with the MW?

Keri

My edd is March 3rd and from what I can tell the midwives play things by the book. I almost think they over comensate for not being doctors. There are a total of six midwives I see and of course each one is different. I just happen to keep seeing the same one for most of my appointments. Some seem to be much more into taking the natural approach (letting my body dictate what's going to happen) and others seem to think intervention such as stripping my membranes is the way to go. Of course I feel much more confident after an appointment with a midwife who tells me I know what's best for my body then an appointment with a midwife who tells me I need to have all these things done that I am not comfortable with. I have had to speak up many times at my appointments and refuse things I did not feel comfortable with. One of the midwives though acts like she doesn't know how to use a fetoscope and always makes me feel like I'm putting my baby at risk if she can't use the doppler to get a proper listen to the baby's heartbeat so with her she always ends up using a doppler. The other midwives have no problem finding the baby's heartbeat with a fetoscope though.

[kerikadi]

Sorry you have to deal with that one MW

At this point in the game I would keep drinking your RRL (strong) do EPO (orally and vaginally), plenty of sex (orally and vaginally), getting adjusted would probably be a good idea - it's not going to bring on labor but being out of alignment can prevent labor from starting or can stall it.
If you get to 41 weeks you might want to consider accupuncture.
I like these options because they are all good for you and non-invasive.

Keri

[hapahaolegirl]

Thank you Keri for your help! I truly appreciate it

[Mavournin]

Well if your due date isn't until March 3, they shouldn't be pressuring you now anyway. Technically, by the 42 wk rule that would give you until the 17th to go into labor.

Try EPO and sex. And maybe try insisting that your next few appointments are with other midwives. That happened to me with my first, it seemed like all of my appointments were with a particular midwife who seemed very interventionist. I finally just made it a point to force the receptionists to book me with other CNMs. It was worth raising a stink to get people who I was more comfortable with for my appointments. Things went much smoother after that.

And my first was born at 41w6d - so I remember the pressure of labor or induction really well. When you get down to the knitty gritty, castor oil is something to try. It's gross, but it worked for me!

[Mizelenius]

I am so disappointed in those MWs! Can you PM me and tell me which one is pressuring you? That shouldn't be!

Honestly, with all 3 of my babes they came out when everything was really ready. The 1st waited until I was done with work (born a week later), the 2nd waited until I finished my master's (went into labor the day after I was done, when I told her "now you can come") and this one waited until many things were set . . .no blizzard, DH was recovered (he'd been sick), and my mom was free to help (she had wait until after Wed. to be healed from surgery to help; DD was born on Thursday). What is REALLY weird is that with this last one, I kept 8:00 p.m. as my magic time, told DD that would be good-- and she was born at 7:56 p.m.

I am not saying we can control everything by any means, but IME, I felt some deep connection to when those babies picked their birth days!

[Full Heart]

Will you risk out of their care if you go beyond 42 weeks? Will you risk out if you refuse their interventions? I have faced transfer of care many times since I have gone to 42 weeks (and over) so many times. (Having btdt) I would refuse anything I was not comfortable with and I would refuse to see the 1 midwife that is being difficult. She sounds like she is trying to take control and thats wrong. This is your pg!


If you think you might be on the verge of labor and just need something to push you over the edge you might consider just sitting down and having a really good cry. Or if you are comfortable with it do some clitoral stimulation (orgasming would be great). And orgasm is basically the same thing as a contraction so if you can get them started and keep them going with some nipple stimulation you might be able to go into labor.

Constipation can sometimes be a big problem at the end, seems to resolve than the next day back where you started again. So if thats the case for you maybe make sure you are getting lots of good stuff in your diet. Some prunes every day or something that works for you. Sometimes constipation can keep a woman from laboring so if you are maybe an enema is all you need to get everything moving (pun intended) in the right direction. I know alot of women who had success just doing that with no herbs or anything.

[grapejuicemama]

With my first, I had read somewhere that women who began nipple stimulation at 39 (or was it 38?) weeks are less likely to go past their EDD.

Not knowing that it could actually trigger labor, I started doing the nip stim while just lying around the house, reading. I had plenty of time back then, since I had no other kids running around!

So, I was doing it one morning and my water broke while I was lying in bed with a book in one hand and nipple in the other! She was born about 12 hrs later, a wonderful birth.

This was five days before my EDD. She was a glowing 8 lbs.

Oh, I had also gone on a nice, long walk the night before and climb the steps to the top floor of a seven story building.

[Mizelenius]

Originally Posted by Full Heart

I would refuse to see the 1 midwife that is being difficult. She sounds like she is trying to take control and thats wrong. This is your pg!

This is an excellent idea! My only concern would be that if she is the one on call when you are going to give birth, that could get tricky.

[Yo Becca]

First, try to relax - there's no evidence you will go to 42 weeks - you aren't even at 40 yet. Try to relax and trust your body

2nd - start some of the gentle things suggested - EPO, RRL, sex, pineapple, staying active, cat stretches, pelvic rocks, etc.

3rd - don't start getting aggressive until you actually have a need to - once you round the corner of 41 weeks. Then, if I were in your position, I would increase everything you were already doing, and add accupressure/accupuncture, homeopathy, and eventually even an enema.

It's easy to say to be patient - harder when you are facing an induction. But you AREN"T there yet, so try to relax while you can. Don't assume you'll be put in that position. I delivered at 42 weeks - The day my induction was scheduled. But I was able to go into labor naturally at midnight before the morning I was to report to the hopsital (after a week of homeoathy, accupressure, sex, and finally an enema - not "natural", but much more so than cervadil or pitocin ). I begged, pleaded, bargained with the MW's. I will say that regardless of their "policy", you can make the case that if your NST and biophysical profiles all show that mom and baby are fine, you should be given "one more day." I ended up having a significant fluid drop - if it weren't for that, my MW's were willing to let me go another day or so.

Personally, if I had it to do again, I would miss an appointment or 2 there at the end - buy myself a bit more time and avoid some stress. they schedule NST's every other day after 41 weeks - I should have skipped one and rescheduled for the next day, etc. And if you know (from your NST/BPP) that the baby is healthy and you don't want to be induced, you don't have to report to the hospital. It may mean they kick you out - but it's your right. Whe you go into labor, you can always tell the hosp. that they are your providers and let the hosp call - see what happens. The worst case is you get some random OB, the best is you get one of your MW/s

[deuxceleste]

Originally Posted by tika

It can't? Some "natural induction" methods CAN hurt.

How is trying to get labor going before your body is truly ready "natural"?

You can always refuse any test or procedure that you don't want. Speak up and tell your midwife that you're not comfortable with the interventions that she's proposing for absolutely no reason other than being based on an arbitrary date.

I, personally, see nothing wrong with eating some pineapple to see if that gets baby going. It's definitely more natural than medical induction!