How to bring on labour // Tips for pregnant Mums
What can I do to bring on labour?
It’s one of the most commonly asked questions by Mums-to-be once they get to around 37 weeks of pregnancy. You’ve had enough. Your back aches, you’re knackered and you’re desperate to meet the tiny human that you’ve been cooking for past 8 months!
I remember it well, absolutely desperate to get my first baby out. He was ENORMOUS and I was fed up of waddling around like a penguin the size of a hippo. So I went to my trusty friend Google, here’s what I found….
Curry - apparently spicy food can get things ‘going’. I’m not sure anything other than the contents of your bowels would be going anywhere but its a common suggestion and one that most of us preggo folk start off with.
Pineapple - this tropical fruit contains something called bromelain which can help bring on labour. Hoorah! Unfortunately there isn’t much of the stuff in a single pineapple so you would have to eat 8 of the bloody things to feel any effect. Again, your bowels are more likely to react to this than your uterus so as long as you’re near a toilet it’s worth a try.
Nipple stimulation - wait, what? How on earth would this help? Well, it’s said that stimulating your nipples can trick the body into thinking that you are feeding your baby, encouraging it to release oxytocin which then help get contractions started. This sounds perfect in theory, but in reality you’re going to be rubbing those bad boys for hours before you see any action so I’d avoid giving yourself friction burn and move on to the next suggestion.
Walking - walk the baby out! Thats what I was told when I was ready to drop. My Mum made me walk for miles. Up to the shops, around the supermarket, up and down the stairs, all to get that bloody baby out. I can see how it might work, as it really felt like his head was right ‘down there’ and ready to pop but all it did for me was give me blisters and make me want to take a nap.
Sex - No mediocre sex is going to cut it, this has to be GREAT sex. It’s not just the action here that is important, although semen does contain prostaglandins that can help soften the cervix, it’s the orgasm that is said to bring on labour. That huge hit of oxytocin could get contractions started, or it could leave you feeling like an elephant on heat. Try it and see if it works for you 👍 (I was so desperate to get my monster baby out that I even tried oral sex, obviously suggested by a man - I can tell you that it didn't work! 🙄)
Claire Morris of The Birth & Baby Company was kind enough to share some advice: “Firstly try not to stress about it – due dates are not an exact science and most babies don’t arrive when expected (unfortunately!) so try and enjoy the time before baby arrives if possible. Plus stressing about labour actually increases adrenalin levels and that can lead to early slowing down (not what you want!).
Being upright really helps, especially in early labour - so if you start experience mild contractions (often felt like period pain) try and stay as upright as you can (think walking, bouncing on your birthing ball etc). This all helps gets baby’s head well connected with the cervix which is what helps promote the start of labour.
You may also be offered a sweep towards the end of pregnancy by your midwife – this is basically where they insert their fingers in your vagina and run them around the lip of your cervix to encourage labour to start. Some women find they work really well, others not at all so the jury’s out on this really (you also don’t have to accept them if you don’t want either).”
Becki Graham of Creative Makes for Bakes shared her own personal experience with me: “After I was induced with baby number one I wanted to try and ensure next time labour started by itself. The main thing that I focused on the second time and the subsequent two times after was to keep active and mobile as much as possible, including bouncing on a birthing ball. I also think positive thinking and telling myself baby will be here soon giving me a positive attitude rather than worry helped. During labour itself continuing to keep mobile/birth ball meant that my labours were pretty quick, even the first “
I hope that some of these help, do let me know how you get on! My biggest tip would be to try and relax, baby will come when they’re good and ready. While you’re waiting for baby to make an appearance, take a look through some of my newborn photography - you never know, swooning over cute newborns might kick your own little one into action 😉
Rachel x
