What are your thoughts on "natural" induction?
?Question:
OK this is an it's-almost-2 AM-and-I-can't-sleep question. What do you think about trying to induce labor naturally? Do you believe labor will start when the baby is ready and any attempt to speed things up is wrong? Do you think that natural attempts are OK because they won't begin labor unless your body is ready for it to start?
What do you consider a natural method of induction? Evening primrose oil doesn't start labor but may soften your cervix. Is that OK or should you wait until your body does it? Sex may start labor but only if you are close enough. Anyone else starting to think about sex just as a way to maybe speed things along :shy ? I've heard people talk about castor oil, which sounds horrible; but I've heard unless your body is close to ready it won't start labor. I'm sure there are a million other examples. What's OK?
When do you try stuff (if you do)? When is it OK? 37 wks? 38? After 40? When your dr or midwife are saying you need a medical induction?
Like I said, I'm just curious. I've been wondering for a few days. I've seen threads discussing whether any intervention is every ok. As I get bigger, more uncomfortable and my edd seems to be moving further away instead of closer, I've started wondering where I am on the continuum of the baby will come when it's ready vs natural will only speed things up if your body is ready anyway.
Answer:I wish I was still pregnant )-= Just for one more day. And childbirth was only 7 weeks ago for me! :crying:
Oh back on topic..
I think doing things to induce yourself naturally is ok- you know yourself best. I drank a version of 5-w tea for the last 5 weeks of my preg. which is known to induce labor. I did it because of the benefits of a shorter labor etc. I also chugged RL tea by the gallon my last week of pregnancy. I didn't really do anything to stimulate myself besides those things. Oh, I umm swallowed some loving which I have been *told* can stimulate labor, and when I started my labor I was walking. That's about the extent of the intervention with my labor.
Honestly though, its going to be over before you know it! Try and enjoy it! I wish I had!!!!
(PS) GET AS MUCH SLEEP AS YOU CAN! Just a reminder!
*****sending wonderful labor vibes*****
Answer:I think this is a very personal decision. You are going to get people here who will say that you should just let nature take its course 100% of the time, and others who gladly hopped into the hospital bed for a voluntary medical induction.
With my first, I was so darn uncomfortable (and no wonder, I had a 10lb baby very very low in my pelvis, with terrible sciatica) that I tried every "natural" labor induction method I possibly could. The only thing I didn't try were black and blue cohosh tinctures.
I was more educated, less anxious, and less uncomfortable with my second, and still used some natural methods, including homeopathy, nipple stimulation, and sex. None of these would have worked if my body wasn't ready, and I felt they were safe.
With #1, I started all my natural remedies at 37-1/2 weeks, and it really did nothing. I had prodromal labor for a week, which was no fun. It was because my body wasn't ready.
With #2, I waited until my body started warming up on its own, with contractions and pain in my cervix. Both babies were born at 39 weeks, but I spared myself a week of hell by leaving things alone until closer to the end.
Hang in there! It really is worth it in the end.
Answer:with my first I used blue and black cohosh tinctures when I was 41 weeks and there was nothing happening, my dr scheduled an induction for 42 weeks, I did end up having the pitocin induction but.. my labor only lasted 2 fairly easy hours and I had a 8lb 14 oz baby.
I think the tinctures prepared my body and my cevix and I am glad I took them because a medical induction can be so long and drawn out as well as extra painful.
that said since then I have had two early babies (33) and (35) weeks, with this one if I go past 39-40 weeks I will use the blue and black cohosh tinctures that I used with my first.
make sure you enjoy your sleep now I can count on 2 hands the amount of times I have slept through the night in the past 8 years :)
Answer:IMO any induction is a mistake - natural or otherwise - if done A) when a woman isn't 100% absolutely certain of her dates (i.e., using ovulation predictors, FAM charting methods (for more than 3 months), early sono where error is w/in 2-3 days, etc.), or, B) before 40 weeks for a clearly non-medical reason (as in, "I'm tired of being pregnant and hey after all 38 weeks is 'full term'"). Risking inducing a premature delivery is scary stuff and one of the leading causes of premature birth in this country are iatrogenic causes (i.e., OB or midwife goofed and induced you early... or you did it yourself but were off on your dates).
That being said, if you are sure of your dates AND are past 40 weeks, then I think there's a big difference between, for example, Pitocin and Castor Oil. Yes, they're all interventions, but the drugs are associated with pretty clear risks. I would have no problem inducing at say 41 or 42 weeks with castor oil or sex or herbs or whatever if I were doing it for a decent (even if not strictly medical) reason, such as, you're going to get kicked out of your birthing center, you are miserably uncomfortable and have no one to help you care for other kiddies, your dh is about to leave port, etc. etc.
[Edited to say castor oil not CLO! duh!]
Answer:My first two were late- 10 and 20 days, weighed a lot- 9'14" and 10' 6". They were also c-sects. So when I was determined to do a VBAC with number 3, my midwife recommended lots of natural induction at 37 weeks. I freaked out- just couldn't start until 38 weeks. I did evening primrose, breast pumping, sex, chiro, accupuncture and then one dose of caster oil (yuck!!!) and went into labor 10 days early- had the most amazing, easy delivery after 12 hours of any labor. My littlest- earliest baby was only 9'4".
I wouldn't have induced for my comfort or with my first. It was easier to induce knowing that he was very likely a big guy. Before meeting my midwife, most birth people had always said- let the baby decide. Rebecca convinced me how to encourage the baby to come early, starting with lots of meditation by the 7th month.
Answer:I'm glad you asked this, it's been on my mind lately because I know if I go too far past my due date the doctor is going to push for pitocin. I would like to learn more about nipple stimulation and this is the first I have heard of the tinctures. I won't start though unless it looks like I really will be late. Technically I shouldn't be late, since we know exactly when we conceived, but you never know!
Good luck to you. If anyone has good links for the tinctures or stimulation methods, would you kindly post them?
Peace.
Answer:Don't know tinctures- used evening primrose oil capsules- inserted vaginally. The nipple stimulation really got me going. I started 2 weeks before my due date using my electric breast pump 10 minutes each side (one side at a time I was told) 2-3 times a day. It wasn't great but I could tell that it got my hormones going. I got a bit intense, emotional and started to rippen and thin which I never did early before.
Answer:My personal philosophy is that taking things to strengthen and help your body do the job are great. But doing things to MAKE your body do something it may not be ready for can have negative consequences.
So, for me, EPO is great. It softens the membranes and prepares the body for childbirth. Black cohosh and castor oil would be things I would reserve for situations where it was necessary to help the baby come out sooner than baby and body were ready.
This also extends to augmenting labor with forcing it to speed up by breaking the waters or pushing before the urge is felt. Sometimes those are great tools when necessary. But using them just to hurry things up isn't something I agree with for my body, pregnancy, labor, and birth.
Answer:I'm glad you asked this, it's been on my mind lately because I know if I go too far past my due date the doctor is going to push for pitocin. I would like to learn more about nipple stimulation and this is the first I have heard of the tinctures. I won't start though unless it looks like I really will be late. Technically I shouldn't be late, since we know exactly when we conceived, but you never know!
Good luck to you. If anyone has good links for the tinctures or stimulation methods, would you kindly post them?
Peace. How long are your cycles? I know exactly when I conceived this baby and my first one. My first was 5 days past dates and I KNEW he would be. I have 34-36 day cycles. My 2nd was 10 days past her latest adjusted due date. I have no clue when conception was. She didn't look incredibly late or anything at birth so that would put ovulation 1 month after my LMP. LOL.
Answer:I used EPO, too.
I was induced by having my membranes stripped because my blood pressure had gone up again and the midwives were quite concerned about it. I was in the office for my 40-week check-up and had bloody show that morning so I feel like I was "ready to go" anyway. Had a very fast, unmedicated five-hour labor and a big healthy boy (8 lbs, 13 oz., and 9 and 10 Apgars!).
That being said I still feel a little funny about the membrane stripping and need to learn more about it. For example, would that have had anything to do with how my quick my labor was? If anyone can help, please PM me!
I heard an acupuncturist talk this week, and they can induce labor that way too -- seems pretty low down at the end of interventions.
Answer:I have mixed feelings about induction of any sort because I really do believe that the baby and mothers body know what they are doing and when it's ready it WILL be born. That said I also believe that there's a time and a place for everything and it depends on how you weight the risks vs benefits of whatever it is you choose to do.
We live in BC Canada where midwifery is legal but heavily regulated. Midwife attended homebirths are NOT allowed after 42 weeks ... and while I am willing to go unattended my dh is not (it was enough of a challenge convincing him that a baby could be born at home). I however come from a long line of ten month mamas (we carry 44-46 weeks) and I was naieve enough at the time of my first pg not to lie about my LMP date. 42 weeks was quickly closing in and I KNEW that A) I was NOT going to a hospital and B) a midwife HAD to be in attendance or dh would be intolerable with stress and panic ... I NEEDED to do something!!!... so at about 41.75 weeks (after several days of trying many of the other 'natural' methods) I took a combo of blue and black cohosh which successfully induced labour (dd was born at home at 42 weeks and 1 day). I believed at the time that the natural induction wouldn't work unless my body and baby were ready ... but now I'm not so sure and frankly I don't plan on using anything at all this time around. I say this because dd was a posterior baby born sunny side up after 26 hours of excrutiating back labour (thank GOD for my family and their willingness to spend hours and hours applying pressure to my lower back ... they worked as hard as I did). I have to wonder that had she been allowed to come in her own time if she would have positioned herself anteriorly ... it's one of those things that I will never know ... but this time around I will not be inducing and we'll see what happens (I plan on doing a lot more hands and kness floor scrubbing throughout the last weeks as well).
The choice is a tough one ... but we do what we need to do to minimize the risks to our babies and ourselves ... neither the hospital nor dh panicking would have made my dd's birth a safer one.
Answer:make sure you enjoy your sleep now I can count on 2 hands the amount of times Sleep? What's that? :LOL :LOL :LOL If I was actually getting some sleep I probably wouldn't be wondering about natural inductions. I'm exhausted. I've been having contractions on and off since 28 weeks. At least 3 or 4 nights a week they are strong enough to wake me up. I may only have one or two but the adrenaline then keeps me up for hours. We also have the worlds worst sleeper. He's 23 months and wakes up all night - not just wakes up, but wakes up screaming like the demons of hell are after him. Right now I feel like I need a two week break from being pregnant before I can deal with a newborn . . . somehow I don't think it works that way.
Like I said in the OP, I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts were. This is my 3rd and I've never been so impatient (of course having the contractions for over 2 months might have done it). I can't imagine 3 more weeks of this, but I can't imagine rushing things either. If I hurried things along and the baby wasn't ready I'd feel horrible. I would try EPO but my cervix has been ripe since at least 30 weeks, which was the first time they checked, so Idon't think that would help. I'm certainly not ready to try thinks like blue or black cohosh or caster oil at only 37 weeks.
Answer:My first two came on their own right on time give or take a day or two. They were big babies but no one seemed too concerned about that. However 10 years later when I was pg with my DD my midwives were freaking out over how big I was. I already had a proven history of 10lbers and they felt I was so big that this one was going to be even bigger. It was really silly for me to even listen to that since what on earth were they comparing it to? It's not like they had cared for me for all three pgs to be able to say wow Robyn's a lot bigger this time! :shrug
Once I got to full-term the most nervous midwife suggested that I start natural induction techniques. There was no question of when I conceived. I had a miscarriage and 10 days later we had sex for the only time that month (had a beta three days before at zero). My temps rose the next day and two weeks later I got my BFP again confirmed by a beta in appropriate levels for 15dpo. Anyway I talked to my Bradley instructor as well and felt comfortable that if the baby wasn't ready she wasn't going to come just from RRL tea, EPO (orally) and some nipple stim. Sure enough nothing happened. I foolishly agreed to a u/s at 38 weeks which estimated that DD was 9.5lbs and would be 11.5lbs at birth. Two days before my EDD nothing was going on and at that point I was given the ultimatum that if I had not delivered by the end of the following week we'd have to start induction, planned c-section or transferring me to the OB practice. None of those sounded like a good idea to me. So the night of my EDD I took castor oil. I had no real side effects to speak of and no contractions until several hours later but by the following morning I was in active labor and gave birth that evening. I have no idea if the castor oil did a thing considering it didn't really affect me physically and I do have a history of giving birth basically smack dab on time. I do think that the EPO and RRL tea did help with softening my cervix and toning my uterus.
Clearly neither did a thing to induce labor so I'd probably be comfortable using them when I reach full term with this baby just to help prepare my body. I'll probably still be nursing :LOL: so there's my nipple stimulation but I won't be doing anything extra. My new midwives say they'll let me go to 42 weeks with no problems assuming everyone is doing fine so I doubt I'll need the castor oil since I expect I'll give birth basically right on time (again no question of when I conceived since I was charting and also got a BFN just before going on vacation just in case). I also won't be having any late u/s for estimates of size this time because I think that really fed the hysteria with my DD (she ended up being 9lb 13oz not even close to 11.5lbs). I've seen too much stuff on the news with court orders to force women to have c-sections I'm not going to have a u/s to give them some bogus number to beat me about the head with. But all that said if things did get sticky and I do go to 42 weeks and I was being faced with chemical induction or c-section I'd do the castor oil or tinctures if that's what it took. My first two were augmented with pit and there's no way I'll be letting that stuff in my body ever again. So that was a really long way of saying I think there are definitely legitimate reasons for self-induction and in my experience if the baby's not ready nothing is going to happen. I wouldn't do it because I was tired of being pg or it would be cool to have a certain birthday but I'd sure do it to avoid more medicalized interventions.
Good luck!
robyn
Answer:First- let me say that I wouldn't start anything @ 37 weeks...although it's considered full-term, some babies still have trouble at that age...my 2nd was 37 weeks & had a lot of trouble breathing on her own for the 1st 48 hours.
1 of mine was 36 weeks and perfectly okay, although only 5.7lbs!
1 was a week overdue. The other 2 were 10 days early.
In my last 4 pregnancies I've had my waters break early, but no CTX have followed, so I've tried everything 'natural' (as per midwives suggestions) before being carted off to the hospital after 18 hours. (They never worked & I ended up with pitocin-induced, hospital births) :(
So- FWIW here are the natural methods recommended:
Nipple stimulation: roll your nipples between your 1st finger & thumb 20 minutes at a time. (This worked to bring on ctx- they just never became strong/regular enough)
Sex: and yes, swallowing it is more effective that cervical application) ;)
Evening primrose capsules: applies to your cervix
Walking: long, brisk walks (got a toddler to push in a stroller uphill?) :LOL
Scrubbing the floor on hands & knees or even rocking back & forth on h & k.
Squatting: it also helps to apply the babe's head to your cervix- in case he/she is 'floating'
I would never do castor oil again...it's horrible...all you'll end up with is the runs & hemmoroids, if you don't have them already!
I'd also be careful with blue or black cohosh.
Best wishes for a safe birth! :fingersx:
OK this is an it's-almost-2 AM-and-I-can't-sleep question. What do you think about trying to induce labor naturally? Do you believe labor will start when the baby is ready and any attempt to speed things up is wrong? Do you think that natural attempts are OK because they won't begin labor unless your body is ready for it to start?
What do you consider a natural method of induction? Evening primrose oil doesn't start labor but may soften your cervix. Is that OK or should you wait until your body does it? Sex may start labor but only if you are close enough. Anyone else starting to think about sex just as a way to maybe speed things along :shy ? I've heard people talk about castor oil, which sounds horrible; but I've heard unless your body is close to ready it won't start labor. I'm sure there are a million other examples. What's OK?
When do you try stuff (if you do)? When is it OK? 37 wks? 38? After 40? When your dr or midwife are saying you need a medical induction?
Like I said, I'm just curious. I've been wondering for a few days. I've seen threads discussing whether any intervention is every ok. As I get bigger, more uncomfortable and my edd seems to be moving further away instead of closer, I've started wondering where I am on the continuum of the baby will come when it's ready vs natural will only speed things up if your body is ready anyway.
Answer:I think it's a very personal decision, but most natural things are a lot safer than pitocin. If they work great, if not, well the baby's going to be born regardless.
I tried everything under the sun to get my weeks and weeks of "false" labor to turn into real labor. I was done, finished, ready to end the nightmarish pregnancy. Not sure if any of it worked but I did notice I dilated 1 cm every time I used EPO and dh and I "did it." When I took the cohash tincture my cx got stronger, and I had her within 3 days of taking the cohash, and within hours of getting my membranes stripped. Could have just been coincidence, but maybe not.
I had Nitara at 38 weeks on the dot and now I wish she'd baked a little longer. She has horrible reflux. She may have had it anyway since my oldest had it and dh had it as a baby. However it's also more common and more severe in early babies. I'll never know for sure if her early birth was the cause of her troubles, but every time I have to feed her through her stomach tube I wonder . . .
Personally I wouldn't induce unless there's a really good reason to.
Darshani
Answer:I'm with Periwinkle on this one - don't bother inducing. Due dates are just best guesses. I was pressured into induction with my first but I refused to take pitocin, so I went in for accupunture to get things started. That one ended up a c-section. I absolutely refused any kind of induction - natural or otherwise - with my last two and they came just fine on their own good time and both were successful VBACs. Oh, and don't trust late-term ultrasounds, they are incredibly unreliable!