Ways to Induce Labor

There are ways to induce labor if you have reached the end of your nine-month pregnancy and junior still won’t put in an appearance. There are natural ways to “get things moving”.

I remember taking a friend of mine driving over some really bumpy roads, as she had reached the end of the 9th month. When the bumpy ride didn’t work, she had me call my Mom who was a nurse and ask her about castor oil; something I vaguely recalled Mother mentioning as a sure way to induce labor.

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Even though we were only able to find a chalky castor oil substance, my friend mixed it with orange juice and began chugging it down. This was about four in the afternoon. She went into labor around 10:00 and the baby was born before midnight.

There is a word of caution regarding looking for ways to induce labor. Even natural methods of inducing labor may or may not cause the opening of the cervix; and contractions without an open cervix can possibly harm the baby. Therefore, exercise caution and consult your physician or midwife before trying any of the following suggestions.

The most common natural ways to induce labor:

1. Walking – going to a long walk
2. Intercourse/orgasm
3. Nipple stimulation
4. Eating spicy food
5. Driving over a bumpy road
6. Castor oil
7. Cleaning house/move furniture

Some of the lesser-known ways to naturally induce labor:

1. Drinking raspberry tea
2. Hand and feet massages
3. Sitting on a birthing ball
4. Repeatedly bending up and then back up
5. Eating a Greek salad with lots of Feta cheese
6. Drinking canola oil
7. Walking by the ocean (huh?)
8. Drink a glass of red wine

There are a couple of ways to medically induce labor, one being for the doctor to break the water. Some doctors recommend a Pitocin IV or “PIP drip”, however most women said this intensified the contractions to an unbearable degree. Another medication often used to get labor started is Oxytocin, which stimulates contractions.

Again, all of these ways to induce labor should be discussed with your OB/GYN before deciding on a course of action.

Learn more about the stages of pregnancy and ways to induce labor.

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