labor | This Little Nest

The 6 Absolute Best Ways to Induce Labor Naturally At Home And One I’m Not So Sure About

At the end of your pregnancy, you’re tired and you’re ready to meet your babe. You want her OUT already and you know that you’ll likely go past your due date and have to wait even longer. It all gets pretty old and exhausting.

But there are ways that you can help things along. There are some natural things you can do that will help contrary to what you may read online.

Some articles I read when doing research for this post said that you cannot help induce labor naturally. Well, that’s just silly.

If you’ve had a healthy pregnancy and your babe is strong you can try inducing labor yourself at home at around 38 weeks. It’s best to wait to induce labor at 40 weeks though.

Let’s look at how you can get things moving along. Below is THE list of the very best ways to induce labor at home naturally.

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6 Best Ways Of Inducing Labor Yourself At Home

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Castor Oil

This will definitely help move EVERYTHING along. Castor oil has been used for centuries to help induce labor naturally at home. It works really well but it does have side effects so you need to be careful and aware of what you’re in for.

Castor oil will affect Special receptors, known as EP3 receptors, that are found primarily in the intestines, uterus, and immune cells. The ricinoleic acid in the castor oil stimulates these EP3 receptors, causing the smooth muscle fibers to contract. This is what causes the contractions when taken while pregnant.

The downside is that it can cause diarrhea. But some think that this is a good thing ( as long as its not too severe obviously ) because it can help prevent bowel movements on the table during birth.

***Taking a prenatal course is the single most proactive thing you can do to prepare your body and mind for what’s to come. There’s a great online course you can take in the comfort of your home that was created by a labor and delivery nurse named Hillary. It’s very popular and the first part of it is totally free. You can sign up for free right here.

It will definitely clean you out and will likely start contractions too. How do I know for sure? Because it worked for me! and lots of other mamas too. Within an hour of talking about a tablespoon and a half, I went to the bathroom and then started having contractions. The next day my sweet girl was born. Tons of mamas who tried this have a similar story to tell. Just Google it and check out some forums.

**Please note that everything has risks and you should do your own research before taking this route. This is not medical advice, only what I and other mothers have experienced when taking this age-old remedy for this purpose.

Acupressure

There are acupressure points on the body that can get your labor going. They are widely used by natural health practitioners and said to work very well.

If you’re wondering what this is, Acupressure is the lesser-known companion to acupuncture. Acupuncture is the traditional Chinese medicinal practice of sticking thin needles into areas of your body that are believed to control a specific organ or body part.

But instead of needles, acupressure requires physical pressure to be applied to points that run along your body’s meridian system — or life-energy path.

You can find out where these magical points are on your body in the video below to get your labor started.

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Have Sex

Having sex is a great way to get contractions started and there’s science to back this up.

First of all, semen is a natural source of prostaglandins, And prostaglandins are known to ripen the cervix and get it ready for labor. Prostaglandins can also be used to induce labor medically.

Second, sex, especially with an orgasm, has been found to increase uterine activity, and nipple stimulation is also thought to stimulate the uterus (more about that later ) to induce labor. So get between those sheets.

Have Your Membranes Swept

Stripping the membranes is a way to induce labor. It involves your doctor sweeping their (gloved) finger between the thin membranes of the amniotic sac in your uterus.

If the cervix is soft but still closed, your doc may stretch or massage the cervix to stimulate it to begin to dilate. Stretching the cervix can feel pretty uncomfortable, and many women describe it as a sharp, shooting pain.

After the sweep, you will likely experience cramping and bleeding.

This is definitly not my cup of tea but if you’re are really anxious to give birth it is effective.

Drink Red Raspberry Tea

I Used Red Raspberry Leaf Tea To Induce Labor with all three of my babes. It does seem to help and it certainly cannot hurt.

Midwives claim that red raspberry leaf tea will shorten the length of your labor by softening your cervix, making contractions more intense and helping to make labor way less uncomfortable. Give it a try and see if it helps you!

Here’s a tea made just for this purpose. It’s called Pink Stork Labor Prep and it’s awesome. See it here on Amazon.

Exercise

Getting in some good physical activity stimulates everything including your uterus when you’re pregnant. It’s a great way to induce labor naturally at home.

Here’s a great article on 8 Useful Exercises that Will Help Induce Labor Naturally.

Nipple Stimulation

This sounds strange, doesn’t it? Who wants to sit around and rub their own nipples?

I don’t know if this one actually works but the theory behind nipple stimulation is that it mimics breastfeeding and causes sensory cells in the nipples to signal the brain to release oxytocin. This, in turn, causes contractions.

While it does cause your uterus to contract, most studies show that it does not bring about the onset of actual labor.

Some women who believe that nipple stimulation works pump their breasts in hopes that it will get things moving, but I think some of the stuff I mentioned earlier are much better options. You decide.

Good luck with having your babe and I hope some of these things help! I think Castor Oil is hands down THE BEST way to get labor started naturally at home but it’s a personal choice. Just go into it carefully and do your research.

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7 Horrible Ways That You’re Making Labor So Much Worse

If you’re about to give birth to your babe you’ve probably been thinking of labor a lot. We all do and if it’s your first time you may be downright scared of childbirth.

We’ve all heard plenty of scary birth stories and you’ve been educated on childbirth enough to know that it is, unfortunately, a pretty painful experience.

But did you know that some things can make labor pain much worse? This is not a subject often discussed but these are things every new mama should know so they can avoid them like the plague!

If you plan to have an epidural you’ll still have to go through some labor pain until you become dilated enough to actually have the anesthesia so read on to find out how to minimize the pain.

And if you’re a tough-as-nails mama who’s going to go all natural you’ll definitely want to do anything you can to make things easier. You may be a warrior but you don’t want it any worse than it has to be!

So Let’s get to it, Here are the things that can make labor more painful and there’s some information on how to reduce labor pain as well.

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7 Ways You’re Making Your Labor Pain Much Worse And How To Avoid Them

Lying On Your Back

When you are in labor and you lay on your back you are fighting the whole process. Sure it’s comfortable but your uterus contracts forward and when you lay on your back, or even in a reclined position, you’re working against gravity in every way.

Your baby’s blood supply is cut off somewhat too so it’s just no good.

You need to be in an upright position or on your side in an inclined position. This will push things down and give your babe lots of oxygen and blood.

Being Scared Of Childbirth

I know it’s scary. But being scared of childbirth will make you tense and this will cause the pain to be SO much worse.

The best way to avoid being scared out of your mind is to be educated. You need to take a birthing class so you know exactly what to expect.

If you’re too exhausted to hustle your way to an on-site course at the hospital then take an online course. Here’s a childbirth course created by a medical professional and the first parts of it are completely free. Just take it in your own home on your computer. It will help tremendously in easing your fears and this particular course has rave reviews from mamas everywhere.

There’s a lot to learn about birth, and knowing what will happen and how to cope will make all the difference in the world. You can check out the course here.

Want Freebies For You And Your Baby? Get $330 Worth Of Gear! I have partnered with many companies to give you the best baby freebies online including Nursing Pillow, Pregnancy Pillows, Nursing Covers, Baby Leggings, Baby Clothes and so much more. You can find out how to get your freebies in this post right here.

Pitocin

Pitocin is what they give you when they are inducing your labor and it does make the pain so much worse.

Sometimes you need an induction and you have no choice. If this is the case an epidural is ideal for easing your pain.

The reason Pitocin makes labor so much more painful is because it gives you really strong contractions super quickly.

When they give you Pitocin you’re just sitting there with no pain and then they hook up that IV and right away you are having full-blown contractions. Your uterus starts squeezing as hard as humanly possible.

It’s really intense and I know from experience. My first labor was induced and I had no idea this would happen. It was a big surprise. I was excited and nervous and then all of a sudden I’m screaming into a pillow. This was not fun AT ALL.

My next two labors came naturally though and they had a lovely, slow progression with very little pain at the beginning.

So if you can avoid Pitocin, it’s a good idea. If you have to be induced ask the doctor if they can start you out with just a little then move it up so it doesn’t hit you like a freight train.

Stressful Surroundings

It’s important that your surroundings are calm, with low lighting and there’s a professional and understanding staff that you feel like you can trust.

You’ll want to feel safe and like you’re in good hands. This will have a huge impact on how you feel during your hardest moments.

Creating a birthing plan so that staff and loved ones know what you expect is a great way to get everyone on the same page. You should definitely have one and here’s a completely free one you can print right now. It’s lovely and it covers everything.

Posterior Baby

A baby that’s in a posterior fetal presentation will give you what’s known as ” back labor “.

When a baby is in this position it means that the back of the baby’s head is up against your back. This is not the ideal position for a baby to be in and it makes things generally more difficult.

Most of the time there’s not much you can do about this except pray your babe finds her way to the best position for both of you.

Your Breathing Matters

Learning how to breathe through your labor pain is crucial to keeping things under control. Again this goes back to educating yourself and taking a really good birthing class.

I cannot stress the need for this enough. It will have a huge positive impact on your childbirth experience, it’s an absolute necessity. You can check out the one I mentioned before right here.

Dehydration

Being dehydrated is never good, especially during pregnancy. You and your babe need water to transport nutrients and keep those cells functioning properly.

But when you’re dehydrated during childbirth your uterus will not contract efficiently. Occasionally this can even stop labor and that’s no good at all.

To keep things running smoothly and not coming to a halt, drink plenty of water before childbirth and during labor. Let’s not make things any harder than they have to be.

Having a baby is hard work. By taking the things we’ve talked about into consideration, hopefully, you’ll be able to ease that load just a little and every little bit counts!

I wish you so much luck and joy Mama to Be!!

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