Early Labor

Nothing really works. The baby will come when baby and momma's body are ready. Good luck and enjoy the ride!

I did this and it worked. Go to the mall with someone and walk, doesn't matter how tired you get, just keep walking. I went into labor the next day.

Baby supposed to come, when baby supposed to come. Inducing early labor, other than hospital setting, not good idea.
Can you sleep and rest well?
Get a big recliner, it'll help you get more comfortable.
Good Luck, it'll be over before you know it.:)

Let God's natural process work. The baby will come when he/she is ready. I have 3 sons (1st was 2 weeks late, 2nd was 3 wks late and 3rd was on due date). I did nothing, but tried to relax and let God do his work. I know how miserable you are, as all Mom's know. This will be over before you know it, and when your children are adults you will wish they were in your womb again. All my sons are young adult men now, boy do I miss being pregnant. But, my 2nd son and his wife are having my 1st grandchild. I am so excited! Be patient.

i had heard tomato based foods due to the acidity. i risked the heartburn and went to Olive Garden and ordered the Four Cheese Baked Ziti. 14 hours later my water broke, 14 hours after that i had my son :-)

I've had 5 children and I swore with each of them I'd never make it to the end, but we did, LOL. My doctor told me there wasn't much you can do. He had women taking castor oil (only cleaned them out, but no baby), ride on bumpy roads (wore out the shocks on the car), ate spicy food (gassy result but no baby) and 1 woman even jumped off the roof of her garage (broken leg, baby nice & cozy in the womb). While you may want a leap baby (and I think that would be very cool) having a preemie has a whole gaggle of issues with it. Walking seemed to help my labor along, so IMHO that might help move you INTO labor? I'm just guessing, but I know walking is a great way to progress your labor.

Good luck and I have 3 March birthdays in our home & it's a fun month too.

I have 2 babies and sex through me into labor each time!! Had them the next day!

walk walk walk and forget about it for a day that you want to go into labor and walk

Walking really helps. My husband and I were at the mall looking around and we were trying to decide on a riding lawnmower. I walked the length of the mall from on retailer to another with my husband trying to decide. Needless to say, I went into labor later that night. It was worth it though. I was only in labor about 4 hours before I had my daughter. So find a mall and start SHOPPING! Oops, I mean walking:0) I got a little excited.

Little old ladies told me to take a spoonful of castor oil...
if I was ready it would kick in the parastolic movement
if I wasn't ready it would just give me a little diarrhea

I took it and it worked...
8am I drank it in orange juice.... 4pm I had my first contraction

but the little old ladies also said...
you would never take a cake out of the oven early, would you?
sometimes those little ones just aren't done yet

good luck

Evening primrose oil....taken orally or vaginally. You can gat it at a GNC or Whoe Foods.

At the advice of my midwife, we had sex at 39 weeks and my water broke. I had my baby 6 hours later!

Ask you doctor about being induced. I talked to my doctor about it and was induced @ 38 weeks. Although, I had a great pregnancy, I wanted it over with. Good luck.

blue cohosh is the herb I used ( it can be found at many helth food stores) but.... I would reserch it on the internet to see if its right for you. also sex and nipple stimulation release oxytocin which is the body labor hormone.. Good luck

Too funny....not that you are miserable, but that I'm in your same exact situation!!! I'm almost 38 weeks pregnant...due 3/10. I don't necessarily want a leap baby, but would be nice to go early. I have a 2 y/o daughter & am having another girl :) So my advice is just this....be careful what you wish for!!! hahaha!! I'm just as anxious as you are to have this baby...but having an infant is very hard work. Our lives are about to change as we know it! However, it's nice that you have 2 older daughters....I'm sure they are super excited to have a baby brother & will be a lot of help too.

Other than that advice, I think everyone has pretty much covered all of the suggestions that I've heard of to bring labor on early....I did nothing with my first & had her 4 days early. I was actually thinking of trying the raspberry leaf tea starting the 1st week of March. My sister-in-law did the Primrose Oil thing & had her baby 3 weeks early. I would NOT recommend the castor oil thing at all!!!

Hope this helps & good luck!!!

Hi there and Congrats.

Lots of walking and lots of sex.

Good luck to you.

Congrats to you on your new bundle of joy! I had my first daughter at 36 weeks and my second last October at 37.5 weeks, so I am all too familiar with your misery! I have heard that walking around and maybe even sex can help you go into labor - of course, these are the last two things on earth that you'd like to do when you're 37 weeks pregnant! In my case, my contractions were sporadic, but my OB took pity on me and broke my water instead of sending me home for a false alarm (bless her). I hadn't slept in weeks and I was in a lot of pain. Good luck, won't be long now!

Hi J.:
My name is R.. I am a mother of 3 girls. Well, during the late stages of my pregnacy, I walked a lot. I climbed the stairs of the football stadium and walked as fast as I could during the last few weeks. It worked, I went into labor a few days after I climbed those stairs. Ofcourse you know to be very careful and make sure that your husband or another adult is with you. Good luck!

I would not try to hurry that baby along, it will come when God gets ready for it to be here. My first baby came two weeks late, and I had a 52 hour labor period, because he was not turned around right. Crazy doctor I had didn't know what to do.
They say walking alot will get the baby in the proper position, so maybe you could do some walking, but I would advise you just to let nature take it's course ( Leap year or no)
God bless and good luck!
R.

Sounds weird, but my doctor told me to walk, have sex (yeah, right) and drink raspberry tea. My first one was born on his due date, and the other one was 3 weeks early. Good luck!

I'm sure you've heard a lot of the same suggestions I have - sex, nipple stimulation, deep tissue foot massage/pedicure, walking, and what worked for me was good old fashioned talking the baby into it!!!!

Good luck!

Trust me... I tried it all and nothing really worked. I went to almost 43 weeks before finally (mercifully) going into labor. The doctor was just about 24 hours from inducing me. The one thing is that ironic tho is that my uncle's wife (who is Thai) claimed that eggplant will make you go into labor. Not sure if this was a customary thing in Thailand, or something she had heard elsewhere?? Anyway, we all went to lunch and I had a huge helping of eggplant at her insistence. Finally went into labor 48 hours later. I think it was just coincidence, honestly.The eggplant was long gone by then... :) Congrats and good luck!

My midwife suggested I take evening primose oil when my last one was past his due date. She also said to eat anything that would make me have a bowel movement. I have also heard walking helps. And as one nurse told me with my first who was overdue.. " the way you got him in there is a good way to get him out" . Make sure you are able to rest, and relax too and that you get a good's night sleep and are eating healthy.

I am not sure which one worked but I walked. I drank Rasberry Leaf tea and cinnamon stick tea. I tried sex and ate fresh pineapple. I was miserable and willing to try almost anything. I had my son 10 days early and he was a healthy 9 lbs 10 oz. I had my daughter 5 days early and she was 8 lbs 9 oz. Good luck! It will be over very soon!

Hello, congrats!! One way to help with the baby to come sooner is to walk, walk, and more walking which you probably have already heard, but it does work... Good luck.. Nebo N.c.

What did it for me was having sex. I was supposed to be on bedrest though, so....

There are a lot of "old wives' tales" about starting labor early, but the bottom line is, if any of them work, it's likely to be due to happy coincidence. People have already given you a bunch--walking, sex, eggplant parmigiana (which likely works due to the extra oil and spices triggering your intestines, much like castor oil but milder), a big meal (ditto), a fatty meal, acupuncture/acupressure, evening primrose oil, and certain herbs.

I hear your frustration--been there twice myself--but the reality is, labor will start when your baby and your body are ready. Trying to force it (even with "natural" means) is asking for some potential problems. I read something recently about "late pre-term babies"--those born right before 37 weeks--and some of them have serious breathing problems, staying in the hospital even for several weeks after birth. If you try to force labor before your body is ready, you're asking for a **very** long and **very** difficult labor, and/or a C-section, with a **very** long recovery.

Enjoy the fact that your baby right now is being taken care of completely 100% without you having to do anything special. Your hands are free, you have no diapers to change, no baby to feed or rock or try to get to sleep. It's the calm before the storm. :-) Enjoy it.

K.
womantowomancbe.wordpress.com

Man I know what you are going through!! With my last child I went 5 days over and it felt like a month. I don't know if anything really speeds it up, they say walk, have lots of you know what and stay active. I did most of these things so I don't know. I do know that there are people who have done the castor oil thing and it brought on false labor, tasted disgusting and made them be in the bathroom alot!! I did have them strip my membranes at my last visit on a thursday and had my son on Monday, so maybe that did work. I know it made me spot alot. It is not painful and worth a try if your doctor is willing to do it.
Hang in there you know the last month seems longer than the whole thing!! lol Good luck and let us know when the little bundle of joy decides to make his grand entrance into the world.

please dont do any thing i did that once and it was lets just say the biggest mistake i ever made it might just tilt your utrus and then the baby is in danger

I am a proud Mommy of 3 beautiful children-Son,8yrs.old, Daughter,5yrs.old, and our newest addition, a baby girl, 8 1/2mos.old. I guess I don't have any advice you probably haven't heard from somebody. I did ALOT of walking, my Hubby and I were intimate, I drank raspberry tea, and well...I walked around dilated for weeks! My 1st was 1 wk. early, the last 2 were 1 DAY early. Not sure if any of these stories you hear will really make a difference in speeding up the delivery date...I think the baby just comes when he/she is good and ready. Good luck to you!

J. like you I was miserable... I was 391/2 weeks along and I tried everything. My midwife was going to induce me the next day, but the week before I tried everything, my hubby thought i was crazy. I tried yoga, I tried castor oil, I tried praying. The night before I was to be induced my family and I went to eat at a longhorn steak house, and i ate, and ate and ate. I was so full when i left, But i thought i will not be able to sit down and eat a full meal for a while. About 3 am i woke up with bad cramps, I was in labor!!! wooohooo!!! I showed up at the hospial at the same time i was to get induced....I could have died, i wish my daughter would have done it the week before. Never the less, i had a beautiful 10pound 6oz girl!!!! lol.

Looks like you've gotten lots of advice, that's great! I can tell you that for some people, nothing works. With my first, I tried everything except castor oil. I was doing aerobics up until the day she was born. In fact, on my due date, I went to Concord Mills mall and walked for 8 hours straight... no labor. I had been walking 4 miles a day up to that point. Tried spicy foods, special teas, nipple stimulation, bumpy rides, etc with both of my daughters, but I had to be induced both times, the first one at 42 weeks, the second at 41 1/2. With the 2nd, they even stripped my membranes, but it was still a week and a half before they induced me!! Hope everything turns out well, either way!!

Drink lots of water. about a gallon a day! Excercise.

Going on long walks is the best advice I have heard because it is easy to do plus you can take your whole family with you.
Wishing you a speedy, smooth delivery,
A.

I had a friend who was recommended Red raspberry leaf tea, she went into labor about an hour after drinking it. I am not saying this is a guarantee, but it is worth a shot. The doctors once told me that lavendar can also put you into labor. If you try it, let us know how it works, lol...Good luck.

I don't know about three weeks early, but I swear by castor oil (not sure about the spelling). My obgyn told me to drink two tablespoons with a glass of OJ when I was a week from my due date and miserable. A bit of warning - it's a gentle laxative, but still a laxative. Also, it taste horrible, even in orange juice. But it worked. My water broke the next day and I delivered that night. According to my ob, it "lubes" everything up and gets it moving. I am now six months pregnant with my third, and if I get that far and that miserable again, believe me, I'll be holding my nose and drinking it.
Good Luck!

well my kids are 15 and 21 and this worked for both of them. my OB had me mix 4 oz orange juice, 2 oz castor oil and 1 tsp baking soda and drink it and then follow up with lots of liquids.....with my 2nd baby i took this at 2 in the afternoon and at 12:30 the next day he was here. Just make sure you have a clear path to the bathroom.

I have tried everything and the ONLY thing that worked for me is begging the dr. Finally when i hit the day that he thought it was safe, he induced. But that is the ONLY thing that I ever tried that worked.
Good luck and happy pushing.!

There are trigger points that will induce labor. If you go to a massage therapist and get a prenatal massage, they will know where the trigger point is. Or your husband can massage your feet and make sure he gets around your Achilles tendon. that is where the pressure point is to stimulate your uterus to start contractions. Chemical induction from what i have been told is extremely painful. Natural induction is also safer, because you aren't pumping artificial chemicals into your body.
I absolutely love doing prenatal massages. Definitely find a massage therapist though, it will help with all those aches and pains you have from carrying the baby for so long.

If you're really sure you're ready for this baby, i mean really really really sure, Sex is your best option. Or exercise, like vigorous walking or running, if you can. But my suggestion is to just let nature take it's course, that baby will come when it's ready; no reason to rush him! I know how uncomfortable it is in that last couple weeks, but in the end the result is well worth the long painful wait!! Good luck and hope ya have a healthy happy baby!!!

This is probably just coincidence, but it worked for me. I was due 9/30 and if I didn't go into labor by 10/1 I would be induced that day. Well, I did NOT want to be induced since this was my first I just wanted to 'naturally' go into labor. I asked my doc for suggestions and she gave the usual suggestions, castor oil, sex, etc. And then she said she'd recently heard stories of eggplant Parmesan (sp?) inducing labor and a restaurant in GA was marketing that on the menu too. So that night (2 days before my due date) we ate Eggplant Parm and about an hour or so after eating it I went into labor!!!! I'm sure just a crazy coincidence, but worked and my doc was amazed too! That said, I was also 3 cm dilated that morning and so close to my due date (My son was born the next morning - 1 day before my due date.) I didn't try castor oil b/c I've heard some awful stories and figured that if nothing else, the baby will come when he's ready. I understand how you feel, but eggplant or not, your baby will know when it's time! I wish you a quick and painless labor and congratulations on your new addition! (P.S. let me know if the eggplant works - we could be on to somethin' here...) :-)

hi, J.. i know exactly what you are going through with the wanting to have your baby by a certain time. my husband was in Iraq when i was prego with our daughter. he was scheduled to come home for his 2 week R&R in the second week of june, and by may 23rd (my due date) i still hadn't had her. i wanted to be able to enjoy his leave and to be able to go do things. my step mom told me to drink a bottle of castor oil, and when i asked my doctor about it, she said it did work, but she didn't recommend it because it makes you go to the bathroom alot. well, i was pretty desperate, so i did end up drinking a whole bottle of it and went into labor that night. now, i'm not telling you to do this, for one, because it's always best to wait until you are a full 40 weeks, unless there are complications. second, drinking that stuff, even in orange juice, was the nastiest stuff EVER!! and third, i had severe diarrhea both before, and during my labor. thankfully i was so out of it to be embarrassed while i was having her, but felt the full mortification after. but i wish you all the best in what you decide, and hope you have a beautiful, healthy baby!

Not to try to dampen your hopes - but my best friend growing up was born (naturally) on Leap Day 1972, and she absolutely HATED her b-day! She never felt like she really had her own day, except every four years. Of course, we all thought it was cool to really only be 4 instead of 16, and so on, and we are really looking forward to her TENTH BIRTHDAY party when she will be 40 years old! But growing up, she cried about it alot, and got mad when people said stuff about it too much. (Yes she was sensitive!) Alot of times, the things you think would be cool to make you different, you always wish you were just "normal".

And my first son was 5 days late and I tried everything BUT the castor oil, which I heard wouldn't work anyway. NOTHING helped! I was on top of my car washing it on my due date, trying hard! Also tried walking, having sex, everything safe that people suggested. He still came 5 days late. My second son was induced two days late due to hypertension, and my daughter unfortunately was 9 weeks early. She was fairly healthy but it was a very trying time. Every day in the womb is a safe one, in most cases! And amen about enjoying the time not changing diapers, being up all night, and worrying about why they are crying! He will come in God's time...

Hang in there! :)
A. B

My midwife suggested a natural tea that you can get at Tidal Creek its called Organic Pregnancy Tea. I drank a couple of cups a day and it tastes like berry. Enjoy

My friend ate spicy foods and did activities that made her very joyous. They also say that your husband can help speed things up...if you know what I mean. :)

I did not personally have these issues...2 C-sections.

I have also heard of the doctor/midwife scraping the membrane to generate results.
Just stay healthy and happy and nature will take its course.
Good Luck!

Dear J. W,

With my 1st baby being late by 10 days, I can understand your being miserable and uncomfortable, as well as not sleeping very well. I have 4.5 years between my daughters, and with my second pregnancy I had forgotten about the 'not sleeping' after you have a baby.

My daughters are now 19 (in college) and 14 (High School next year) and it seems like just yesterday they were babies. They were so different from each other. The oldest was a great sleeper... my youngest had colic, and I was so tired for the first 6 months.

Do not rush what nature has given us moms, a 40 week pregnancy 'wait' time before birth.
For the final weeks gives your baby the ability to gain more weight, mature their lungs and other vital organs, etc. Use these few weeks left as time for you... enjoy what free time you have left to rest and to give special time to your daughters, as the new baby will have priority after birth.

Hi, J.!
I am a Certified Birth Doula and a mother of two. I know it gets tough at the end. BUT, the best thing for you and your baby is to let the baby initiate the labor. (unless there are other medical reasons to induce) Your baby will be healthier and will be ready. Your labor will be better as well. If you get to your due date and still haven't gone into labor there are some safe things you can do. I can't give medical advice as it is against our code of ethics, but I can tell you some things that helped me as a mom. (and other moms) You know of course, that movement is good. Rocking in a rocking chair is something I did and it has also been proven in research to help labor move along. So, take advantage of the rockers when you are actually having your baby too if you can! A short trip out of town started my labor with my first child. This also happened to a friend of mine! I don't advocate castor oil as it works for a few, but I have seen it not work more often than not. There is also a chance that it can cause diareah. Sometimes we also have mental blocks and don't realize it. I wasn't ready for my second child to be born. I was dilating and effacing at 34 weeks. I should have had him earlier, but he was born only 4 days before my due date. I was not ready. Search yourself and see if there is anything at all, small or big that you may be holding onto. Walks are great, but if your water breaks take care to get medical attention instead of exercise!
I know you will have a great labor, and I wish you the very best. Hang in there, it will be a memory before you know it!!
Contact me at anytime,
S. W. Grant, CD (DONA)

I don't know if you (or I) believe in reflexology (massaging various points on feet) but as a treat in my 38 1/2 week I got a pedicure. The girl concentrated on massaging the spots above my inside ankles and less then 48 hours later I gave birth. She said that spot stimulates the uterus but then again it might have just been a coincidence. Either way, if you're miserable, a nice pedicure would make you feel better or at least confident that your feet won't scare the doctors :-) Hang in there!

lots of walking...I went to the mall and spent the day shopping, next day I was in labor. Also, I heard raspberry tea or mexican food would do the trick. The walking works best and gets you exercise too! hang in there...remember those newborns? enjoy these last few days of semi-freedom:)

I understand how miserable you are... I went over a week passed my due date. But on the other hand it's not safe to try to make yourself go into labor early. You are putting yourself and your baby at risk for getting seriously hurt. With you already having two labor and deliveries under your belt then you will probably go a little early anyways. I am educated in this matter and I hope you take it to heart!!! Nature's response to labor is the best way! Just read the other responses... everyone's body is different. There is no scientific proof that sex, herbs or anything else makes a person go into labor. It could have just been luck!!! Wait it out, the baby will come eventually!

Well, I feel your pain so to speak and I know you want to have it right now. there is no magical thing you can do to make you have it sooner, the baby will come when its ready and only when its ready. everything else is an old wives tale and they do not work. Im sorry to let you down, but as a mother of four, i know a lil bit about it.
ttys
M

i am a doula and I DO NOT SUGGEST CASTER OIL! Caster oil clears out your bowls and can give you diarrhea. If that can happen to you, then it could also clear out the bowls of the baby and cause mecconimn in the bag of water and that is a very bad thing. There are some homeopathic remedies and so other herbal things that you could do, but I could not tell them to you with out your doctor's approval for me to refer these things. If you are interested, contact me personally.

For 4 weeks I tried sex, spicy food, raspberry leaf tea, pineapple, walking, had my membranes stripped, and even castor oil. Nothing worked. (The castor oil just led to me losing 4 lbs in one day from running to the bathroom for hours! not good.) I was two weeks late (had been 80% effaced and 2cm for 6 weeks) and finally induced. There were tons of braxton hicks daily that I timed. I realized they began just because I was exhausted from my efforts to induce. Just try to relax and be patient. The baby will come when he/she is ready (or your doctor says you are ready! haha) I hated receiving this advice when I was so big and pregnant, but it is the truth and the best advice. Bubble baths and pamper yourself, and maybe some 'girls' nights with your other daughters will get your mind off the big day!

Get your legs massaged. I mean a real massage. There are some places that know what to do when you ask for a labor masage. This is why they tell you not to get one when you are pregnant because it can start your labor. Hope this helps.

Thats a bad idea you body and the baby know when they are ready.... dont rush it and chance something being wrong with the wee one... i know your miserable we all were. but why chance you possibly hurting your baby. good luck... ohh just wanted to add NEVER EVER use castor oil it causes the baby to have a bm and thus the whole swallowing the merconium (SP) issue comes up badddd idea