Speeding up Labor

If you do try the caster oil, chase it with orange juice. It will cut the awful oil taste. And I also agree that you may feel 100 weeks pregnant but you don't want the baby to come early just because you are miserable. You want the baby's lungs to be fully developed & to be healthy. Stay busy, stay active & enjoy the last few days of pregnancy. Enjoy lunch with friends that you won't get to see very much in the next few weeks. And sleep as much as you can!

I am 3 days older as a result of castor oil. When I was pregnant with my first, my doctor was planning to leave on vacation. I was within a few days of my due date. He gave me castor oil about 7 o'clock in the evening and my labor started about 3 a.m. I gave birth that afternoon at 3:37. It definitely works.

There is a pressure point/massage spot on the back of your leg, just above your ankle. By massaging this, it makes the uterus contract. Google 'massage or pressure points' and a diagram will show you exactly where to massage. My husband rubbed that area for about an hour and contractions started. I told him to stop, the contractions stopped. He continued thru the evening and I had my son the next day.

Hello A.! My sister got a massage to put her into labor twice. She went in earlier in the day and then by that night had the baby. I was going to try this, but went into preeclampsia so didn't get a chance. My massage therapist requred a note from the Dr. (Just to prove that it was ok for you to go into labor and that you don't try to go into labor too early)so you may want to check that out. Even if it doesn't work for you then you have had a nice relaxing massage.

Walking while tweaking your nipples! My labor nurse for both of my kiddos had nine children! Mine were 7 yrs. apart and she was still a labor & delivery nurse. It worked for me!

ok so i ll tell you what my doc told me nothing will work unless you are ready and if your body is ready then nothing will stop it. BUT here are some wifes tales and why they are said you work.
Castor Oil- cause abdominal contrasctions which may make uterous contract as well
Favorite foods (unusual foods)- may casue contractions( GAS)
Tropical fruits- some have the ability to cause minor uteren contractions
Blue Cohosh AND black cohosh- one cause contractions of the uterous the other regulates the frequency.... mainly for MENOPOSE
Rubbing Nipples- now this one does work but is very time consuming you have to play with rub and or pump every 2 to 4 hours you body thinks that you have already had the baby and tries to contract your uterous back to the right size.
IF YOU PUMP BE SURE TO FREEZE IN CASE IT TAKES A WHILE> yo dont ever want to waste breast milk and if you are not going to breast feed then DO NOT TRY THIS
Good Luck

Worked within two hours with both pregnancies:
Stair Master at the gym.

Don't do it unless you're seriously ready. My second came in under 2 hours.

(This tip was from the L&D nurse across the street)

You will get some funny looks!

Hi and congr,
best thing you can do now is to take long baths and rub your tommy worm wateris very good for you abd baby at this time .try to hold your tommy up by putting your hands under it or there is a belt that they sell. but is kind of too late to buy the belt if you dont have it by now.good louck and dont forget your bathtub is your best friend now.be slow and carefull when you want to get out of tub.best of louck.
M.:)

STAIRS. that's all I can say. STAIRS. Walk up and down stairs. I went from no labor to full on labor in just a few hours.

I had my doctor stip my membrane at my last appointment, supposedly it releases a hormone that starts labor. I also went home that night and had sex with my hubby. at 230 the next morning I started labor. both are "myths" i suppose, but you could try it! hope you find something soon.

Don't touch that castor oil! Or atleast don't take as much as I did. ;) Blech!

I was a week overdue with my eldest when my grandmother suggested drinking some castor oil. I mixed it with some orange juice & choked it down about midnight and...nothin'.

Five hours later, I woke up with horrible stomach cramps & nearly didn't make it to the toilet. I was on that toilet for HOURS. And the cramps I had were not the type that I'd been planning for when I drank the castor oil. It was AWFUL pain.

I did lose my mucus plug two days later & went into labor two days after that. I don't know if the castor oil had anything to do with it, but even if it did it was NOT worth it.

Wait. Let your baby come when she's (he's?) ready. You won't be pregnant forever, even if it does feel like it. :)

I took castor oil twice in one day and had my baby later that evening. It tastes awful but it worked for me. If your ready you will go into labor. If not you will be in the bathroom off and on. Many Blessings and a prayer for easy labor.

When I was pregnant with my 2nd child, my husband was only home on weekends, since he was attending a military school some distance from our home. He was NOT going to be allowed to come home if I went into labor during the week and so he would miss the birth. My doctor told me that I could use a warm enema to stimulate labor. He assured me that if I was ready, this would get things moving and if not...it would do no harm whatsoever. I actually had 2 enemas....about 4 -6 hours apart and began labor within an hour or so of the 2nd round.
Good luck and congratulations!!!

In my experience few of the old wive's tale methods work - I tried alot (e.g., raspberry tea) with me 2nd, who was 2 days late. I was also exercising the whole time, as well, including the day I went into labor. Exercise and stay active and upright as long as possible will definitely shorten the labor and quicken the birth experience. Even once I got to the hospital I insisted they let me walk around - so I was on the monitor 15 minutes of every hour and wandering the maternity ward halls for 45 minutes. I checked myself in at 4pm and my son was born at 9:21.

I will warn you that you honestly don't want a baby born in most cases unless it's ready. Due dates are not absolute science and every human has some variability. My oldest was induced at 38 weeks and it was a labor from hell, he was a blue baby, ICU, etc. He had extreme difficulty in the early days feeding, etc as he was just not ready for the transition from fetus to infant. My second arrived on his own time and it was a quick, non-eventful delivery, other than surprising the doctor who thought I'd have another long delivery - she had to deliver him wearing high heels and pearls as she did not have time to change and I had an almost 9 lb baby and not the 7 lber that she had thought I was carrying.

The last weeks are tough, but I just recommend you stay as busy as possible - stocking the pantry and all the other nesting activities, so that when the baby does come you at least have the home ready and can relax and enjoy those precious early days with your baby when they demand 110% from you.

Our doula told us about the sex thing. It's not leisurely sex though. You have sex and then go for a brisk walk, have sex again, go for anothr walk - it's almost a workout. Some people recommend spicy food. there are also some accupressure points in your feet that you could work. Good luck! You don't have too much longer.

If you're familiar with any musical instruction, the deep breathing from the diaphram really works. My doctor induced labor for both my children. I was given some kinds of tablets they put in my gums that was supposed to start labor, but it didn't start until he broke my water. Then from start-to-finish: the first was 9:30 am to 10:41 am; second: 11:00 am to 11:20 am. I swear!!! It was the easiest and most wonderful thing I've ever experienced. I should have been a surrogate mom!!!

If you're not familir with the 'diaphram breathing," go to a choir director (church/school)and ask them to explain/ show/train you how to do it.

The worst thing that happened to me - the first time - was I hyperventilated a little - painless.

Good luck.

Another thing that helps, if you are having any contractions, is stimulating your nipples. It releases some kind of hormone that helps continue the contractions. The more contractions you have the more you dilate. Good luck and hope you have a safe labor for you and your child.

My neighbor did caster oil and did go into labor. She had the baby in her masterbathroom floor! :)

I had a massage where they targeted the specific pressure points, then I spent $100 on plants and started gardening. The squatting opens the pelvis and helps put the baby in position. When my water broke, my doula told me to tweak my nipple and WOW the contractions started.

Of course, none of this works if the baby isn't cooked yet! Plus, I had to watch $100 worth of plants die on the back porch because there was no way I could plant them with the new baby.