Do It Yourself Labor Induction

Hi:

I just walked a lot in the neighborhood. I guess gravity helps. I went in to induce labor and I started all by myself. Good luck.

My aunt told me (she has 4 kids by the way and did this with each of them) to scrub the bathtub like you're trying to get the enamel off of it and then vacuum the floor right after. It worked for me... the next day I was in labor at 4:30am with my first baby on the way.

Sex. The prostaglandins in semen help soften the cervix and cause contractions. Funny that what gets you perggers can also help to get you un-preggers.

Good luck and congratulations.

S.,
Most people say walk around, it makes it easier to make the baby come early. I believe thats all I can think of.
G.

The only thing I really know about is walking as much as possible.
I am very small boned and I told my doctors, up front, not to put me through unnecessary torture if there was any chance I couldn't have my babies naturally. I didn't want a c-section, but I didn't want to lay there and try to push for hours only to have it end that way anyhow. A relative of mine got her tailbone broken with her first baby and they didn't even chance it a second time around. She is tiny too.
I did end up having both of my children the natural way. My daughter only weighed 5 pounds so that wasn't too bad. My son, on the other hand, was 7/4 and dang near killed me. He and I survived the whole thing. He will be 13 in 4 days. Just try walking and get plenty of rest. I really hope things will be easier for you this time around.
Be sure to let us know when the baby arrives!

Blessings!

I don't have a suggestion per say. But, visit ivillage.com. When I was pregnant I belonged to a group on there that was all due the same month. And I think there are links to answer questions by other women that are doing the same.
Good luck!

I would talk to your dr. and ask him the feasibilty of inducing even 10 days early because of your last experience. No need to repeat the tailbone experience! I have done that too and the baby wasn't big! I have heard a lot about self induction and never heard that any of the methods actually worked. Good luck.

I am a mom of 4 kids ages 14, 10, 7 and 4.

This is kind of weird, but have some pizza. I have heard that there is something in pizza sauce that helps induce. I had actually already started to have contractions (and thought they were braxton hicks since I wasnt' due for another month) and my office gave me a surprise baby shower with pizza. I went to the hospital at 8:00 pm and had my daughter by 12:20.

I even heard about a place in SF that is "famous/infamous" for helping to induce labor.

Wow, I pushed for three hours and broke my tail bone too, so I understand your fears. I couldn't sit properly for four months. But I also watched as my cousin self-induced her labor and ended up with an emergency c-section and a baby in the ICU due to a perforated lung. Her child still has respiratory issues, and she still asks herself if it is due to her own actions. Please let your baby come out when he or she is ready. You won't regret it.

I was induced with all 4 of my children. I had tried everything,...I mean everything. Acupuncture, chiropractor, herbs, jumping, castor oil(alot too!), sex, nipple stimulation, and probably a few things you've never heard of. Nothing ever worked. It was so discouraging. It put me in a bad place mentally. It may work wonders for you, but be prepared if it doesn't that you don't get disappointed.
Also, although I would probably try again in the same situation, I believe you should NOT do this before your due date. If anything went wrong and the baby was distressed because of it, you would carry alot of guilt. Please be careful and talk out your concerns with your doctor.
I hope this comes across in the manner it is intended, as someone who cares. Good Luck!

Hi S., Call/ask around for local massage therapists that may have experience with initiating labor. you may have to set up several sessions. i knew a MT who was known to put several women into labor with reflexology, and focusing on wrists & ankles. Good luck!

S.,

I was determined to put myself into labor before the weekend- so I cleaned the house from top to bottom- I mean scrubbing, hands and knees etc. Organized the closets, dejunked, took a nap, and walked a ton. I got into a regular contraction pattern-- having lots of sex helps too- the semen helps you along and I have heard that drinking castor oil and orange juice can help because it cleans you out. Also, I took a long bath, did some yoga and stretching and lots of positive imagery-visualizing my baby being born. I don't know if any of this will help you, but I hope it does. Have a happy,safe,labor and delivery~

Molly

Lots of walking....lots of sex.....spicy foods - thai or mexican....and oddly enough -- nipple stimulation. This is really gross -- but i got some strong contractions from nipple stimulation.... I tried all of the above -- and had my baby ten days early ;O) Good luck -- and congrats!

I know this sounds really strange, but the night before my oldest daughter was born, I was watching a comedy routine on TV (you know the one where Robin Williams talks about golf?). I laughed so hard that I actually fell off the couch onto the floor! I was crying, I laughed so hard. Sure enough I went into labor a few hours later (2 weeks early). They say laughter is the best medecine, right? =)

What did it for me was a visit to the chiropractor. He adjusted me and did needles accupuncture. Went into labor the next morning and avoided being induced! Highly recommended. All the best to you for a great delivery!

I had great success with Castor Oil. It is the oil from Castor beans, which is all natural, found at Walgreens. It works by stimulating your intestines to cause bowel movements and since your intestines now surround your uterus like a cocoon will stimulate it to begin contracting as well. I made a fruit/yogurt smoothie to get part of it down and downed the rest by dipping apples in it. Since it is thick oil it doesn't mix well by just stirring it in. My Doula wrote a "prescription" for it. She recommended I start with 2 oz (1/2 the bottle) wait an hour then 1oz wait another hour then take the remaining ounce. I started having contractions exactly 12 hours from the first dose and had an all natural; fast a furious 5 hour labor/delivery! I had read on the net so many people that had horrible experiences with it, but I found that I was already slow in the bowels so this was actually helpful even if labor didn't result. I will definitely do this again next pregnancy!

I was induced with both of my beautiful boys. They are 6 years old and 1 year old, his birthday is today. The first thing you need to know is that everyone's experience is different. You could have 5 babies and the experiences could all be the same are all be very different. That goes the same with induction or natural birth. We are all going to have different stories to bring to the table.

I had blood pressure problems with my first and second babies, so they had to induce me both times. Would I have chosen induction, probably not because natural is the common thing to do and has been done since the beginning of time. Also, who wants to put medicine in their body if they don't have to. My first son had to be induced at 8 months because my blood pressure was creeping up and they did not want to go up on my BP medicine any higher. He was a little guy, 4 lbs., 6 oz. and came very quickly. They gave me Petossin and the progression went like clockwork, just like a natural birth. The contractions started, the bag broke, I pushed 3 or 4 times and he was out. My contractions started at 4 a.m. in the morning and he was born at 11:00 a.m.

My second one was a whole different experience. He was full term when they induced me. Once they started the induction, it took me about 18 hours to dialate and have him, over 2 hours of pushing. I was not dialating as fast as they wanted, so they gave me more Petossin. The contractions and the baby would not break my water bag, so they had to do it. Now, I will tell you that if they have to break your bag, for me that was darned uncomfortable. He was 7 lbs, 1 oz.

In any event, 2 babies later with both of them being induced, all is fine. Babies will come when babies want to come. I have heard and seen so many different experiences. Because of my high risk pregnancies, I had more stress test than I could count. The stress test were stressing me out but they are very accurate in what they can detect. They will know when it is time to induce you, if that needs to happen. Your experience will be your experience. No one can really tell you how it will go but the best part at the end of whatever way you go, you will finally see that little face that has been inside you, and you will forget about the whole experience. At least I did. You know what I remember most about both of my labors. It was not the pain or discomfort, it was these terrible chills/shakes that I got right before the hard labor. Like I said, everyone is different. Good luck and god bless.

I can definitely sympathize! I found that A LOT of activity is the best induction. With my first, I went shopping (LOTS of walking!)...I decided we needed more laundry detergent (a BIG box) as well as a few heavier items. That started the contractions. With my second, I took each of our two dogs on their own 30 minute walk & then started cleaning house (I started with the vacuuming). Be careful that you don't over exert yourself either....take breaks and relax some too! Good luck!

there are a million things folks do, but I agree with the movement thing. I was already due when I went into labor, but this one evening I got really irritated that I was still pregnant and I walked to a Mexican Restaurant, ate some spicy food and then walked around the lake and went into labor.

S.,
The advice I got from an Labor & Delivery nurse friend that worked for me was nipple stimulation. I tried it in the evening and my contractions started later that night until they were 5 minutes apart by noon the next day. My contractions were very strong by 3pm and due to my epidural the dilating slowed down and they had to give me pitocin. Once the pitocin kicked in my baby arrived 3 1/2 hours later. I pushed for about 1/1/2 hours. I had tried sex, spicy food, and massage from a massage therapist to hit the relexology points but none worked. Good luck and happy mothering.
C. N.