6 Natural Ways to Induce Labour

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Chiomah Momah

Tired of being pregnant and finally want to meet your baby? Though baby can come two weeks before or after your EDD, if you find yourself at 39 weeks with no sign of impending labour, here are a few tips to help you bring on delivery:

1. Long Walks: Walking long distances helped bring my babies lower in my pelvis thus putting pressure on the cervix, stimulating the release of the hormone, oxytocin. This hormone is necessary to start and control contractions. Walking helps engage your baby’s head into a better position for labour.

2. Nipple Stimulation: When the nipples (the whole areola) are stimulated for an hour, the hormone, oxytocin which sets off contraction is released. It is the same hormone that brings about the flow of milk when breastfeeding and usually causes cramps when a newborn is suckling. Cramping is the contracting of the uterus. However, this method is only advisable for women who have had a smooth, complication free pregnancy.

3. Sex: While the thought of sexual intercourse after 36 weeks can give some a headache, it may be worth trying. This is because some studies have shown that semen contains cervix softening prostaglandins which may lead to contractions. However, before you engage in sexual activity this late in pregnancy, like with most things, talk to your doctor first. Also, if you are at risk for premature labour or have placenta previa, then sex for most of your pregnancy may be a bad idea.

4. Castor Oil: A lot of midwives swear that drinking castor oil can naturally induce labour. However, what castor oil actually does is loosen your bowels i.e. make your tummy run. Some studies have also shown that the action of loosening of bowels may actually nudge the nearby uterus to start contracting. If you think you can cope with diarrhoea caused by the castor oil then this method may be worth trying.

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5. Spicy foods: This basically works the same way that castor oil does. Your bowels are irritated by all the spicy food and your tummy runs. Health care practitioners usually don’t advice this as a safe way to induce pregnancy.

6. Pineapples: Eating a large quantity of fresh pineapples at a time may help as they contain a proteolytic enzyme called bromelin that can soften the cervix and induce labour. However, consuming large quantities of pineapples can provoke diarrhoea.

With all of these options available to you, patience is key. Baby will arrive eventually. At the end of the day, unless mummy or baby is in trouble, the safest births are usually the ones that start spontaneously. So, kick your legs up and enjoy your pregnancy while it lasts!