Do you know any effective ways to induce labor?

It’s probably all old wives tales.

I have heard walking and having an orgasm, not at the same time, but I doubt they really bring on labor.

Petocin is your best bet, but I don’t recommend it.

Hey, technically, that baby has 3 more weeks due it in the safe confines of your belly.

Ironically, it is my son’s birthday today. He came just over a week earlier than the due date, but remember, due dates are plus or minus. He came out as a ‘star gazer’ so I was lucky not to have a C-section. So many things can go wrong when delivering a baby. Don’t add to the risks.

Put your feet up and relax. Eat good food and the baby will come when it’s ready. Make sure your bowel movements are effortless. I don’t know if they still do this, but if you aren’t squeemish, you can ask for an enema early on in the process. They thought it helped free up space and muscle power, but I don’t know if they do that any more. Grab a book, a couple of movies and relax the best you can. Don’t be so eager to start those 3 – 4 hourly feeds.

The events that trigger labour and keep it going are wonderfully complex, so don’t go messing with it unless you absolutely have to.

I’m pretty small, (about 5feet3inches) and my tummy was HUGE! I could barely walk my last few weeks. Give the baby the protection of the womb for as long as it needs it.

How about having s*x with your legs on his shoulders (if you can) I did and my daughter came that night!

Ah, the “I’m so sick of being pregnant I’ll throw myself down a flight of stairs if it will induce labor” portion of the pregnancy. I remember it well. As sick as you are of it, remember that the baby’s lungs need all the time left to develop properly. When you’re seriously over due, revisit this Q with your OB/GYN. Avoid pitocin if at all possible, it’s a bitch.

Oh, I forgot to mention as well, my son was jaundice. He needed several days under a special light because his liver hadn’t quite kicked in yet. It was quite a severe case, but his billiruben scores never got high enough to indicate any permanent neurological damage. It was NOT the best experience to be told not to pick up your baby when he’s crying and thrashing around with horrible little bandages over his eyes looking all cold and exposed. Enough things can go wrong and often do go wrong. Don’t add to the risks.

I was past due, and my doctor had me drink castor oil. Believe me, it was not worth it! I went into labor, but I also really suffered from the REAL use of castor oil.
My daughter used it with 2 labors and it worked without the side effects.

You just need to allow nature to take it’s course as others have said.
Be patient, it will happen soon enough.
Babies come when they are ready, it’s the way of nature, let it be.

If you are closer to end of term, you might try the Prego Pizza here at a pizzeria east of San Francisco. Or see if a local pizzeria will make one for you!

Food and sex will either help or make the time go by more easily. But please don’t do anything more than that so your baby stays safe.

It is not comfortable, I know, but your baby needs the time in your womb a lot more than you need to induce labor and spare yourself three weeks of inconvenience.

You have asked a lot of questions about relationships, emotions, boyfriends and true love. Now is the moment to prepare yourself for the one true love of your life and that means putting him or her first…you will be his mother for as long as you both live. Scary as it may seem and as young as you may be, you are now the grown-up.

@gailcalled Is right. You’re going to be a mom. You will know no love like the love you have for this baby. As demanding as it is, it is a million times more rewarding. It takes a lot of patience and love and you are going to have to dig deeper into your reserves of each to get through it all, but my son is in his 7th year now and I can’t tell you how wonderfully amazing it can be to have this new life connected to your own. It really gives ‘forever’ a whole new meaning.

Raspberry leaf tea, but be careful.

Drink loads of sperm. I’ve done it. Sperm ingested can thin out the cervix.

I’ve heard lots of women drink several tablespoons of castor oil and then walk their block for a good hour, and it works. I’ve also heard that a lot of sex/orgasms will help induce labor, and that pressing certain pressure points on your feet will work. Those didn’t actually work for me, BUT alternating raspberry leaf capsules and black cohosh capsules did work for me. I only began trying to induce on my actual due date.

A word of warning, though: you’re only in your 37th week, and there’s a reason women are supposed to carry their babies for 40 weeks. I know it sucks, believe me I’ve been there… twice… but you need to stick it out as long as you can. When you go “overdue”, then you can try to induce labor on your own.

Another recommendation for the Skippolini’s Prego Pizza. They have a record you can’t argue with.

Skipolini’s Pizza in Clayton, California. The Walnut Creek one doesn’t work as well.

My doctor said I could be induced early with my third because all signs pointed to him being as large as his brother (over 9 pounds). He also told me the earliest the hospital would induce labor was 38½ weeks. At least wait another week and a half before trying some of these suggestions.

Also, keep in mind your due date is kind of a guess. Didn’t your doctor tell you “give or take two weeks”? So you could only have a week to go, or you could have a few more weeks. Be patient. Get some extra sleep while you still can!

For what it’s worth, I had one OB who told me to have lots of sex once I was at 38 weeks. He swore it was the best way to encourage labor to get started. We have three kids, and only one labor started within 24 hours of having sex. The other two were induced, and like others said, I would not suggest it. It is a horrible experience unless you also have an epidural.