Natural labor induction methods

Picture this. You take three tries to get off of your birth ball to waddle to the bathroom for the 10th time….this hour. Your due date was three days ago and yet there is nothing. No contractions. No bloody show. No inkling that your baby is going to make a move anytime soon. Eventually your caregiver will most likely bring up the topic of a medical induction, maybe they already have. Now medical inductions can be very necessary in some cases, but there are some things you can try at home to try to encourage your little one to make their grand entrance! (Note that trying to induce labor should only be done if you are full term and or after consulting your caregiver.)

Sex

There is an old saying “What gets baby in can also get baby out”, and there is actually truth to this statement! Sex could help in a few ways. Prostaglandin is a substance that can ripen the cervix, which can in turn help labor to start. Large amounts of this hormone -like substance can be found in human sperm! Having an orgasm can increase oxytocin production which is a hormone that triggers labor contractions. Don’t worry though if you are still early in pregnancy, if you have a normal low-risk pregnancy, sex is perfectly fine! Sexual intercourse will only encourage labor if your body is already ready. If you are not full-term, sex will not be effective enough to send you into labor.

Nipple Stimulation

This one falls right in with having sex. Nipple stimulation can raise your body’s oxytocin levels and can help to trigger your labor contractions. This can also be helpful if you are in labor and your labor is stalling, nipple stimulation is a good thing to try to get your labor kicked back up!

Exercise

If you are past your due date and wanting to get your baby out, all you might need is a nice long walk! Exercise has been shown to help bring on contractions. Go for a walk, do some birth ball exercises, do some prenatal yoga, or some curb walking! Just make sure you aren’t over doing it, and are drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated!

Curb Walking

This is a great exercise if you are trying to bring on labor or if you are in early labor and want to get baby’s head in a good position and help speed things along! Go find a curb along the sidewalk or in a parking lot, (make sure it is a safe area away from cars). Starting in one direction walk with one foot on the curb and one on the ground, do this one way for 15 steps, then turn around and go the other way for 15 steps. Keep doing this for about ten minutes or so. Walking this way will open up the pelvis allowing your baby’s head to descend lower. When the baby’s head gets lower and puts more pressure on your cervix, this can help with dilation and effacement.

Pumping

Using a breast pump to induce labor works the same way as nipple stimulation! The suction of the breast pump stimulates your nipples and raises oxytocin which can bring on uterine contractions.

Dates

It has been shown* that regularly eating dates in the last several weeks of pregnancy can help to ripen your cervix and can decrease your need for Pitocin during labor!

If these methods don’t work, don’t get discouraged. Try to get some rest and prepare for what you are about to do! Your body might still be getting ready, and if it get’s to the point where a medical induction is necessary that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you or your body, you might just need a little extra help!

*Masoumeh Kordi; Fatemeh Aghaei Meybodi; Fatemeh Tara; Mohsen Nemati; Mohammad Taghi Shakeri. "The Effect of Late Pregnancy Consumption of Date Fruit on Cervical Ripening in Nulliparous Women". Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, 2, 3, 2014, 150-156. doi: 10.22038/jmrh.2014.2772