The last few weeks of pregnancy can feel like an eternity! The five weeks of “wiggle room” between 37 to 42 weeks can feel like they last five hundred years! If it feels like you will never go into labor and you’re not going to schedule a medical induction, don’t worry! There are several natural things you can try to get things moving.
In todays post, we will go over things you can try at home to get labor started. There will be a part 2 of this post, giving the “more natural” medical methods of induction for if you have to be medically induced.
“If I am full-term, why isn’t the baby coming?”
There can be many answers to this question: there can be so many reasons why you may be full term, but aren’t going into labor.
The first may be that your baby is not ready. Every baby is different, and every baby has different needs and different growth rates. You may be full-term, but your baby may not be ready to come.
The last things that develop in your baby are their brain and their lungs. When the lungs are completely finished forming, they send signals to your body to let your body know that it’s time for labor to begin. So if you’re not going into labor but you’re past your due date, don’t worry. There could be a great reason for the delay!
Your due date may be off a little bit. When you receive your due date from your doctor, keep in mind that the date may be off a little bit. Your real due date depends on the length of your cycle, your actual date of fertilization, and the date of implantation. Your medical provider gives you a due date based off of an average menstrual cycle length and the date of your last period. Sometimes, the due date you receive can be over a week off. So don’t fret if you go past your due date and have no signs of natural labor beginning. You may not have even reached the 40 week mark yet.
Your body just isn’t ready. Your body is a machine, and it ultimately knows what it needs. Sometimes, in times of stress or exhaustion, a full term pregnant body will refuse to begin labor. An exhausted body is not a prepared body. Try to trust the process and not get discouraged if you feel prepared, but you are stressed out and labor seems 100 years away. No one has ever been pregnant forever, this baby will come eventually.
Natural things to try
Always talk with your Dr. Midwife before trying any type of natural induction method. If your doctor or midwife has cleared you to try and get labor started, there are a few natural things that you can try at home to get things moving.
- Light exercise Physical activity can help move your baby’s head down lower into your pelvis, this can encourage dilation as your babies head puts pressure on your cervix. Light exercise provides many benefits in pregnancy, as well as encouraging labor to start when you’re ready. Try walking for 30 minutes every day, walking up and down stairs, and doing squats. Try rocking forward and back in between exercises as well. This can help baby move down even more. Curb walking (walking with 1 foot on the curb and the other on the street ) can create an uneven gait that opens the pelvis and encourages babies to descend further. Try this for 10 minutes at a time when you go out for a walk with your partner. Don’t curb walk alone as its easy to trip when walking on a curb. Be careful not to wear yourself out, if you’re too tired it can be counterproductive and cause labor to delay.
- Herbal Teas and Oils
- Red raspberry leaf tea is a popular pregnancy drink. It helps tone the uterus and prepare your body for birth. There is no evidence that drinking red raspberry leaf tea will actually put you into labor, but it is great for preparing your body for the big event.
- Evening primrose oil Inserting evening primrose oil capsules vaginally before bed can help soften your cervix and encourage it to open. Ask your doctor or midwife about the proper dosage for your body.
- Lavender essential oil A calm body is a prepared body. Diffusing lavender can help your whole body relax. Your body is more likely to begin labor if it knows that you are calm and prepared. Lavender won’t help begin labor, but it can encourage relaxation throughout your body which can encourage baby to move down and out smoothly.
- Clary sage essential oil Clary sage is a natural but very strong oil and should be used with caution. Once you are full-term, clary sage can be used to induce contractions and improve the effectiveness of contractions in labor. This is a very strong oil, so be sure to remember to ask your practitioner before you use it.
- Acupuncture and acupressure Schedule an appointment with an acupuncturist for a relaxing and effective session. There is evidence that acupuncture can help induce natural labor when you are full-term. Acupressure may also be used to trigger the labor cascade. Both of these can be quite effective when used by a trained practitioner. They can also give guidance on what spots to massage when your session is up and you can hit those areas when you are home.
- Nipple stimulation Oxytocin is the hormone that causes uterine cramping and induces natural labor. Nipple stimulation prompts the pituitary gland to release oxytocin. This is why women experience uterine cramping while breastfeeding when they are newly postpartum. Lightly using a breast pump, gently massaging your breasts, or rolling your nipples with your fingers may help start labor and may speed up labor once it’s begun. Remember to be gentle, more is not necessarily better when it comes to this method. Only stimulate for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, too much too quickly can generate too many contractions, which can lead to exhaustion and fetal distress.
- Spicy foods Eating spicy foods can help begin contractions. Spicier foods can stimulate your colon and irritate your uterus. Your colon and your uterus are right on top of each other so if one is annoyed, the other will follow suit. Cramping in your intestines can spread to your uterus and cause contractions that may help jumpstart labor. Keep in mind that eating a ton of spicy food may also not start labor, it may just give you horrible diarrhea.
- Sex How many times have you heard the phrase “What got the baby I will get the baby out”? There are several reasons for this. Orgasm is the contracting of your muscles, including your uterine muscles. That can help jumpstart labor contractions. If your partner produces semen, it could also help jumpstart labor since semen contains prostaglandins. Different prostaglandins are used in the hospital setting to induce labor. So this can be a very effective form of induction! Be sure to only use this option if your water has not already broken. Make sure your practitioner has cleared you from any type of pelvic rest before trying this method as well.
- Chiropractic care Sometimes labor can be delayed if your body is out of alignment. Seeing a chiropractor can help move everything into place. They can properly release the ligaments around the uterus and pelvis. Getting adjusted by a chiropractor can also help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can also help your body to relax.
- The midwives brew Ask your doctor or midwife about the midwives brew. The midwives brew contains castor oil, which is a very controversial method of induction. The reason for this is, castor oil has a high ricinoleic acid continent. This can cause intense intestinal cramping, vomiting, and diarrhea because castor oil acts as a strong laxative. The midwives brew, in my opinion, is safer than drinking straight castor oil. Because of the other ingredients in the brew, the rough effects of the castor oil aren’t as noticeable. Everyone’s body is different, so use this with great caution and always ask your practitioner before taking it. It may work perfectly for some people while it may not work at all for others. Don’t put yourself through something rough for no reason. Your doctor or Midwife can tell you if your body is ready for something that strong.
In Conclusion
No matter what, your baby will come eventually. If you’re getting discouraged and feeling like your baby will never come, don’t worry! You are closer to meeting your little one than you might think! Take these last few days and weeks of your pregnancy to soak in a few extra moments with your partner or your children, do some self-care, get a massage, visit with friends, or have a spa day. Utilize these last moments of pregnancy to relax and embrace the beauty of all that your body is doing and all it is about to do. Congratulations Mama, you’re almost there! 🙂
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Thanks to Janina Rightmyer for the beautiful pictures!