Has your due date come and gone? Are you big, bloated and totally ready to get that baby out of your womb and into your loving arms?
While there’s no one surefire way to get contractions started, there are some simple and natural ways to induce labor you can do at home to help coax your little one out into the world.
Ready to meet your baby? Read on to learn the tips and tricks midwives use to get labor started.
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You may not know this, but your “due date” is really just a guess. Only 5% of babies are actually born on their due date.
Many pregnancies go past their due date, and that’s perfectly normal.
But as you reach 42 weeks, your doctor may start talking about performing a medical labor induction.
We think expecting mamas should know that there are other, gentler ways to start labor!
Such as the natural ways to induce labor we share here, which can be quite effective.
Note: Even though the tips and tricks shared in this article came from a certified midwife, it is important that you speak with your healthcare practitioner before you try any of these methods. This is especially true if your pregnancy has been complicated or is considered high-risk.
Once you get the all-clear that your baby is ready to be born, give some of these natural ways to induce labor a try.
You could be meeting your beautiful baby very soon!
9 Natural Ways To Induce Labor
1. Walking
The simple act of walking during pregnancy can help draw the baby down into your pelvis (thanks to gravity and the swaying of your hips).
In fact, walking is one of the few exercises to induce labor that almost all doctors agree on.
The pressure of the baby on your pelvis can prime your cervix for labor, or it may help labor progress if you’ve already felt some contractions.
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Just don’t walk too much and tire yourself out before the big day. You’ll need all the energy you can get for pushing!
2. Do Something Fun
Think about something that might promote the release of oxytocin. It’s known as the “love hormone”, so focus on activities that make you happy.
Then do those fun things!
In addition to making you feel good, natural oxytocin helps kick labor contractions into high gear.
So cuddle up with your partner, pets, kids…or all three!
Do a Netflix binge-watching session of your favorite happy movies.
Whatever it takes to get that “feel-good” hormone flowing, do it.
3. Sex
What made baby possible in the first place may be the same thing that helps get him out!
It might seem challenging to pull off a romp in the sack when you’re 40 weeks pregnant, but still….you may want to give sex a try.
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Sex sparks up your oxytocin flow and sperm contains prostaglandins; fatty acids that help soften and dilate your cervix, ripening it for delivery.
Combine that with a uterine-contracting orgasm and you could be one step closer to meeting your baby.
4. Nipple Stimulation
Wait, what? Yup, it’s true.
While you might not expect nipples to come up in a conversation about how to naturally induce labor… Nipple stimulation is an oxytocin-producing trick that can help kickstart the process.
Pinch each nipple between your thumb and index finger just until it hurts for three to five minutes, then rest for at least 15 minutes.
If you’ve got youngsters at home, a breast pump or a breastfeeding toddler can have the same effect.
If you feel a contraction, stop and let nature do its thing.
5. Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Another trick midwives know that you may not have heard of is using tea to induce labor.
Red raspberry leaf tea helps strengthen the uterus and pelvic wall when consumed during pregnancy.
This can potentially result in a shorter labor time because each contraction is more productive. One research study found it shortens the pushing stage of labor.
Because of its stimulating effects, most midwives don’t recommend drinking raspberry tea to induce labor until at least the 34 week mark.
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Once you’re around 40 weeks and ready to give birth, you’ll want to increase your dose of this tea to help kickstart labor.
A quart of double brew red raspberry leaf tea a day will usually do the trick.
To make a double brew dose, bring 1 quart of filtered water to a boil. Add in 1 cup of loose red raspberry leaf and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Filter and drink the tea throughout your day for natural labor induction.
6. Eat Dates
Dates are at the top of the list of foods that induce labor.
Eating dates the last few weeks of your pregnancy can help speed the process along. Plus, they’re delicious!
Studies show that eating dates during pregnancy helped women have higher cervical dilation, intact membranes, and more spontaneous labors when it came time to deliver.
In addition, the use of oxytocin for date eaters was significantly lower as was the average length of first stage labor.
The study concludes, “Date consumption during the last 4 weeks before labor significantly reduced the need for induction and augmentation of labour, and produced more favorable, but non-significant, deliveries.”
Grab some dates and start snacking!
7. Castor oil
What’s the deal with this vegetable oil? It’s an old-school labor induction tool (just ask your grandma, she knows).
Castor oil is basically a laxative. Women have been passing down this tradition for generations because if you take a shot of it, it can stimulate your bowels by causing spasms in the intestines which, in turn, can irritate your uterus and cause it to start contracting.
The downside: If you’re not already showing signs of labor, taking castor oil can give you a bad case of diarrhea (something you probably want to avoid this close to childbirth).
Bottom line: Consider the consequences of castor oil carefully and talk with your practitioner before you take a spoonful.
If you and your birth team do decide to try this method, drink at least 16 ounces of coconut water to support hydration and electrolyte levels.
Also, castor oil tastes nasty…so mix a tablespoon into a glass of orange juice or something to mask the flavor.
8. Acupuncture
Acupuncture (inserting thin needles into specific pressure points on the body) can stimulate uterine activity and nudge the baby into action.
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Many mammas-to-be have successfully used acupuncture to induce labor. It’s worth checking out!
Just be sure you work with a licensed acupuncturist who is experienced in labor induction techniques.
9. Acupressure
Similar to acupuncture, acupressure is another age-old practice that entails putting pressure on specific points on the body to stimulate uterine activity.
Except instead of using needles, you can use fingertips – including yours or your partner’s…which can actually be kind of fun.
Two pressure points that may induce labor naturally, the webbing between your thumb and index finger, and the inside of your leg about four finger-widths above the ankle bone.
Try having your partner apply pressure to these two areas. It’s one of the easy, natural ways to induce labor at home.
Before your poke or press, be sure to talk with your healthcare practitioner to confirm you and your baby are ready for labor.
Finally, remember that when you go into labor and give birth isn’t always within your sphere of control. Sometimes the Universe has other plans.
So try to relax and not stress too much. Your baby will make an appearance when he or she is ready.
You can use some of these natural ways to induce labor to try and help the process along…but in the end, whatever day your child officially enters the world will be a joyful one.
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