Poll: what did you try to help labor start? did it work?
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at
3:54 am
my MIDWIFE has advised me to use micralax in a few weeks time. its an enema and is safe to use during late pregnancy. i have never started labor naturally and have had 2 sections. if labor did start before my due date i can try a vbac at the hospital with my CONSULTANTS BLESSING.
i write it this way because there is always someone on yahoo answers now trying to push the moral high ground lol.
so like the title says what did you try and did it work? also how far gone was you weeks wise?
thanks in advance x
Filed under: How to Induce Labor
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My first labor began spontaneously at 40+2. I was AVOIDING all the things that are meant to being on labor like warm baths and sex because I was so freakin scared at the time, I had a cruisy pregnancy and was happy to be pregnant and not ever have to give birth!!
My second was a different story, I had a very high stress pregnancy after my younger brother passed away when I was 16 weeks. I lived 4000km from all my family at the time, and my Mum had taken 2 weeks to come up and stay with me 1 week before and 1 week after my due date, just as she had done with my eldest son. When I was 41 weeks and I was waving my mum goodbye at the airport, I realised this baby was not ever going to come unless I did something to help move him along!! By this stage I was definitely ready for my baby!! We tried sex (3 times a day which was HELL on earth for me but I just had labor vibes on my mind) hot showers, pressure point stimulation (a friend of mine swore that she went into labor twice by massaging a pressure point in your calf) I used my breast pump, I went for heaps of walks (and where I was living at the time was monsoonal season so the temperature was up in the mid 30s all day and night and the humidity was 99% – yuck) and finally, when my midwife decided that I had to be booked in for induction (which was something I was VERY opposed to as I had heard nothing but horror stories from people who had been induced) I took the plunge and did a shot of castor oil – omg that is the most hideous foul tasting gunk I have ever encountered… and all it did was give me diarrhea. I was 41+6 with no sign of labor (no cramps, BH – nothing) when I had enough and gave into the idea of being induced.
When we got to hospital, the nurse gave me a gown to put on and said she would be back in a minute to get the process started, when lo and behold, my waters broke all by themself! 8 hours later my baby boy was born at exactly 42 weeks gestation, he looked like he had a severe case of sunburn. The poor darlings skin was so cracked and dry from being so overdue, but perfect nonetheless
Your baby will come when they are good and ready
My mum used castor oil and it did work very well, she went to the toilet to poo soon after and her waters broke.
The main risk is of course dehydration, but the solution to that is simple enough.
However, my mum also continued to pass feces while she was in labour and it was everywhere and is an obvious infection risk.
I wouldn’t recommend it personally.
EVERYTHING!!!! None of it worked!
I ended up with my scheduled C-Section.
I think the people that have tried things and have said it works is just pure coincidence. Even without trying they most likely would have gone into labour at that time anyway. Baby comes when baby see’s fit! One of the many joys of pregnancy!
There are a few things you can try.
Sex. hot curry. really long walk. Accupressure points.
I personally, used cloves after 38 weeks.
Have had 4 quick labours of 2 hours.
But you can research this.
NEVER, EVER, use castor oil.
It makes you poo. But also, more importantly, can make the baby poo in the womb. With the high possibility of the baby inhaling it. Which is extremely dangerous. So, is never worth the risk.
EDIT. I forgot the raspberry leaf tea! This is a must. It strengthens the womb, therefore is brilliant and helps during labour.
hi, i personally dont think anything helps bring on labor. i tried all sorts from around 36 weeks like castor oil, hot baths, hot curries, raspberry leaf tea tablets and tea but my son didnt arrive til 4 days after my dd.
so in my eyes baby will only come when they are ready.
good luck with baby, and vbac is the most amazing experience, my 1st baby was section and my 2nd vbac. i found i bonded with my son much more than my daughter who was c section.
hope all goes well x
i went 11 days over with my second child and i tried sex, hot currys, a long walk i even had 2 sweeps and they didnt work. your baby will come when he/she is ready just enjoy the rest.
Raspberry leaf tea – this will not induce labour, but is great for strengthening the uterus, making contractions more affective.
Walking is the only thing I would suggest walk as much as possible, go and do a BIG food shop (take some one with you), generally keep as active as possible, but don’t wear your self out as if you do go into labour you need some of that energy.
(I was 40 + 5)
I tried absolutely everything.
Sex
Walking
pineapple
tried to buy caster oil but its like gold dust
housework
running
jumping
running up and down the stairs
dancing to shakira and doing the housework
sweeps
red wine
Also had raspberry leaf tea to help with labour (2 hours once we got the lazy little man going)
All it did was make me shattered and was induced at 42 weeks s I’m making a note of micralax. Like with caster oil I think that less in more. You don’t want to have too much or it will make you dehydrated
I tried quite a few things, actually – spicy foods, lots of walking, lots of sex, evening primrose oil, nipple stimulation, and my midwife stripped my membranes at 38 weeks.
I was lucky – my water broke 2 days before my due date. I also had a VBAC – I had one previous Cesarean. I honestly believe that my body and my baby were both ready. I don’t necessarily believe that any of the stuff I tried pushed my body closer. Nothing short of major medical intervention can make a baby come before they’re good and ready, unfortunately.
If labor starts after your due date, you can still try for a VBAC. No one can force you to have a Cesarean – especially if the only reasons are going past your due date with a history of Cesareans. Neither of those are contraindicated with vaginal birth. I know that having your health care provider’s blessing is very important, but if you truly want to have a vaginal birth, you may have to make difficult choices here. I had to make the choice to leave my OB practice and find a midwife when I found out I was pregnant with my youngest. I loved my OB, but I knew that if I stayed with that practice, they weren’t going to be nearly as VBAC supportive as a midwife.
started trying these from 37wks:
lavender oil
pregnancy massage
warm baths
reflexology
acupressure points
walking (for miles and miles and miles)
eating spicy foods (that was my favourite lol)
and i TRIED to have sex, but i just couldn’t be stuffed. my sex drive took a serious drop when i fell pregnant lol
and none of it worked. ended up getting induced with the gel, and that didn’t work. So had my waters broken and that worked a treat! my son was born 5minutes after they broke my waters. i was 40wks.
i haven’t heard of micralax – but good luck hope you have a safe and enjoyable birth
I had strong braxton hicks last monday night that lasted for 4 hours. Early hours of Wednesday morning me and hubby had sex and my waters broke literally 30 minutes later. First time i’ve gone into labour naturally, had to be induced with the others. I was 38+5
i drank 6 cups of raspberry leaf tea in 12 hours (i liked the taste!) at 39 weeks and the next morning my waters broke + had bub on the same day :0)