Ways to Induce Labor at Home

Labor can be described as the last phase of pregnancy and also the beginning of motherhood. Labor can start anywhere between 36 - 40 weeks of pregnancy. However, there are many women who go beyond their due date with no signs of labor. In such situations, most doctors try to begin the labor with the help of medical induction. Though it is an effective way of inducing labor, there have been cases where a medical induction has gone wrong. Hence, before taking the help of any of these medical induction methods, it will be best to try some of the natural ways of inducing labor. These methods are quite safe and can even be done at home. However, make sure that you talk to your doctor about it before adopting any of these methods and also discuss your plan to induce labor at home. So, if you are really interested in knowing the ways to induce labor at home, here are some of the natural methods that you ought to know.

Best Ways to Induce Labor at Home

Before reading the natural ways to induce labor at home, it is important to know that one must not try them before completing 40 weeks of pregnancy. This is because labor starts only when the baby is ready to survive out of the womb and the woman's body is fully prepared for childbirth. Therefore, if you try any of these methods before the due date, it may lead to premature birth of your baby and can be dangerous for his life. Keeping this in mind, you can go ahead and take a look at some of the ways to induce labor naturally.

Sexual Intercourse
Though having sex will not be something that the soon-to-be-mother would be interested during the last few days of her pregnancy, this is one of the most natural and safe ways to induce labor at home. It is said that the sperms that are released during sex contains prostaglandins which helps in ripening as well as softening the cervix. Moreover, if a woman has orgasm during sexual intercourse, it can cause uterine contractions, subsequently giving rise to labor. However, it is important to avoid this method to induce labor, if your water has broken. This is because having sex after the water is broken can lead to infections.

Walking
Walking is surely one of the most known ways to induce labor as many health practitioners suggest this to women who have experienced uterine contractions, but have not gone into labor. When a pregnant woman walks, her hips sway from one side to the other which aids in bringing the baby to the correct position to be born. Also, as one is standing, the gravitational force helps in pulling the baby downwards, thus easing the labor process.

Acupressure
Acupressure is another method that can be used to induce labor naturally. There are several pressure points in the body which can stimulate the other parts of the body. Though acupressure to induce labor is done by doctors or mid wives, it is not very difficult and can be easily done by one's husband or family member at home. The pressure points that can help in initiating uterine contractions and subsequently labor are shoulders, lower legs, ankles, fingers, hands, etc. It is also said that using acupressure as a way to induce labor does lead to a less pain or a painless process of childbirth.

Belly Massage and Nipple Stimulation
One of the labor inducing methods that has been used since several centuries is massaging the belly. The mid wives as well as medical practitioners recommend gently rubbing the woman's tummy as one of the safest ways of inducing uterine contractions. Other than this, nipple stimulation is also another way of inducing labor in a natural way. It is said that when the nipples of the pregnant woman are stimulated, a hormone called oxytocin is produced which aids in inducing labor.

Castor Oil
Castor oil is something that women have been using for ages to induce labor. The consumption of castor oil stimulates or sends spasms to the intestines that lie in the area surrounding the uterus during the last few weeks of pregnancy. This leads to cramping in the uterus, which subsequently leads to labor. The dosage of castor oil that you should take to induce labor will be recommended by the doctor as too much of it can cause problems. Therefore, never even think of consuming castor oil, before consulting your doctor.

Apart from these ways to induce labor at home, consumption of black or blue cohosh, eating spicy foods, eating pineapple and sometimes even talking to the baby can help in inducing labor naturally. However, as I said earlier, though these methods are quite safe, they should never be tried without the knowledge of your mid wife or doctor.