Starting Up Your Labor: 6 Natural Ways to Try

Moms at the latter stage of their pregnancy more often than not find themselves at wit’s end waiting for labor to either start or progress. Because as most moms eventually discover, labor is not as fast nor as exciting as movies make it out to be. Real-life labor can be slow, uneventful, and can test anyone’s patience – more so moms who are waiting for their bundles of joy after 40 long weeks.

This might be the reason why labor-related questions are popular in mommy groups. But can moms speed or even jumpstart their contractions safely? Here are a few ways to naturally induce labor:

Move

Moving or staying physically active can move labor as well – it can be as simple as walking or even going down a few flights of stairs. The idea behind this is that movement might help your baby move further down your birth canal and the increased pressure might help your cervix to dilate.

And even if it doesn’t work, moving can also help relieve your stress and strengthen your muscles – which is important for you to keep up with your growing child.

Stimulate your breasts

You can do this by rolling your nipples between your fingers or enlist your partner for help. A breast pump can also work. Breast stimulation releases oxytocin into your bloodstream, which can then induce contractions.

Sex

Sex during the latter stage of pregnancy is safe as long as your water bag is intact. Doctors recommend having sex to increase the chances of inducing labor, as semen is high in prostaglandins – a hormone that can cause contractions. So make sure that your partner ejaculates inside if you go down this route.

At the same time, an orgasm can also stimulate your uterus and sex can release the hormone oxytocin – which can cause contractions.

Eat spicy foods

Spicy foods are said to induce labor as it can also trigger the hormone prostaglandins upon digestion. Aside from spicy food, a lot of foods are also associated with labor contractions (such as pineapples), but do try to stick with foods that are already part of your regular diet.

Relax

Try to not think too much about it and get as much rest as possible – because you wouldn’t be getting too much of it once your baby arrives.

Talk to your doctor

If you’re worried about going overdue, talk to your doctor about your options. She can either prescribe you medicines or strip your membranes – either of which can help speed up your labor.

References: Healthline, Very Well Family

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