Inducing labor, does it actually work or not?

Hi Manon,

No idea how to induce it, I walked until 42 weeks with my first and didn't do anything special to bring things along.
In the end, she just came on her own.
Did you actually want to give birth at home?
I think your little one just feels too cozy with mom still. Maybe others have some tips for you,
Anyway, good luck!

It helped my friend to take the stairs, and she also went for lots of walks. Good luck with it!

@Manon,
According to my OB-GYN, it's all just myths. Your baby will come when it's ready.
Or your baby might come via induction in the hospital... Other ways might have resulted in babies being born by chance, but those babies were truly ready...

Good luck with trying out all sorts of things you find online. .

Love, Ju

@Manon,

I was induced myself and that was my first time, and honestly, it turned out to be much easier than I expected... I had a birth plan ready, which also included the further procedure of induction followed by an epidural. Everything went well; the pain from the first contractions to the pushing stage was intense, but the job was done in 8 hours and 20 minutes. By the way, as I mentioned earlier, I already had a 2 cm dilation, and the placenta was completely calcified, which means the baby was really ready...

But still, I was very glad about the induction...

I hope you're not going to eat pineapples until you weigh 300 kilos; it's such a hassle. After the birth, you'll have to lose all that weight again, hehehe..

Love, Ju

Hi Manon,

I was due yesterday and still no baby here either. I think she’s just comfy where she is. And honestly, I don’t think any of the stuff you read about climbing stairs, sex, tapping your right shoulder three times, etc., really helps much. I’m convinced that a baby comes when they want to come.

There’s actually not much known about exactly how labor starts. Whether it’s triggered by the baby or by our bodies. It’s also tricky to study because no one’s labor is the same as another’s. Everyone has their own story and ideas here. The only thing the medical world can try is stripping at 41 weeks and induction at 42 weeks (if there are no other complications). And even then, I wonder if it really works or if the baby would have come anyway around that time.

They do know which hormones are released during labor and can stimulate them to be released “earlier,” but is that really the hormone that kicks off a “natural” labor... Well, we’ll probably never know.

But yeah, if you’re 42 weeks pregnant (read: probably sick of it all), you might find it really nice that the doctors can give you a hand, haha.

Good luck with the last few steps and I wish you a very pleasant delivery!!!

Love,
Anne

Raspberry tea.....a few cups per day.....have a nice birth!

Do you not have any dilation yet that could be stripped, for example? I was allowed to choose with the gynecologist at 40+2 during my second pregnancy... I did it, thinking it can't hurt if it doesn't help...
Did it in the afternoon, and by evening the contractions started, and I was already at 7 cm;-)

Hey Manon,

My mom was 43 weeks pregnant with me and I just wouldn't come. She took castor oil and that helped—I think I was even there that same evening. It gives just that little nudge your baby might need, and you can usually get it at the pharmacy.

Wishing you lots of success!

Love, Nynke

I don't really believe in that. I think the little one will show up when they feel it's time, and that's it! Hihi. Good luck with your final preparations, and I wish you a smooth delivery in advance!

I also believe they just stay put until they want to come out, but once you start having contractions, you can definitely get things rolling with warmth and massage. Just really focus on relaxing. To break my waters, one of my sisters jumped rope and the other rode her bike over cobblestones!!

Castor oil and pineapple (actually anything sour) irritates the intestines, which increases the chance that your uterus will join in..

Intercourse softens the cervix, which is simply proven by the hormone (Prostaglandin) in sperm and an orgasm stimulates the production of Oxytocin (the birth hormone)..

It doesn't induce labor, but it does give that final push, just like stripping membranes does; after all, doctors do it because it has proven results..

Anything is better than having to artificially induce labor in my opinion!! I'm quite scared of that! (knowing that the contractions aren't adapted to your body and are therefore more painful)

(3 pats on your right shoulder is quite funny to me!!)

There are certain pressure points on your body that you could stimulate; the trapezius muscle (from your neck to your shoulder), at the bottom of your back just above your buttocks, and the little dip just below the bump of your ankle (next to your Achilles tendon).
And I read about a study recently that shows sex doesn’t seem to work, but nipple stimulation does (which also releases oxytocin). But.....things like these only work when your body is already in labor. It can be the final push. Good luck!

Nothing helped! Absolutely nothing.
I had to lie flat from 29 weeks to prevent preterm labor, and from 37 weeks onward I started walking around again. But the baby stayed in place, and once I hit 40 weeks, I tried all the tips. Still, the baby stubbornly stayed put, and eventually, I was induced at 41 weeks.
Good luck with the birth, Manon. Hopefully, you'll have your baby in your arms soon.