natural methods to induce

[swrlgrl105]

i was considered high rish last time becasue of GD. I guess when the time comes its worth a try.

[songbird516]

Anecdotal, but I drank 4 cups of RRL tea for the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy with the first and she was born on my DD after a pretty easy 5 hour labor. I also exercised a lot.
IMO 38 weeks is really early to be trying to induce in any way
Low fluid and suspected big baby are not good reasons, in general. (Studies show that outcomes are not better when induction happens for these reasons ).

[swrlgrl105]

yes i know, i was a first time mom and naive to it all. In hindsight, i would have refused the induction, which is what I will do next time unless they have a better reason. hopefully that wont be the case. And i dont plan to try to naturally induce at 38 weeks.. i want to go to my dd if possible, but wanted to have options if they wanted to induce me or i go over.

if i could do it over with DS, i would have said hell no to pitocin. 22 1/2 hrs. He hadnt dropped so i had to push him all the way down and then out. I pushed for 2.5 hrs... it sucked

[L J]

Don't beat yourself up mama. You do what you believe to be best in the moment for your children. And, there are instances when it's just fine to get things moving at 38 weeks, especially I'd you are avoiding a medical induction. Or 37 weeks. Or 39 weeks. No stranger can tell you when your baby should be born.

Low fluid is a major concern, especially when they are taking at least weekly measurements to have a good baseline. When fluid levels drop too low that is indicative of decreased placental function.

It's easy, when you have never been in a situation, to say "don't do that, it's unnecessary". But ultimately, when we listen to our mothers intuition we know if our babies are ready to come earth side.

My 38 weeker was the same weight (7.13) and half an inch longer than my 42 weeker.

Her unassisted home birth was beautiful and gentle and the best way for her to enter this world. Had I waited a week and not gently encourage labor to start I would have been driven crazy by my high risk ob to induce, and probably not been as confident during her birth. I cant imagine that would have been good for her.

Of course, it's frustrating as someone passionate about birth to hear a mama at 37 weeks being simply "tired of being pregnant" and wanting to do castor oil or the like. But that isn't what you are saying at all. I think it's great you are educating yourself on more gentle options now!

Sent from my iPhone using DS Forum

[swrlgrl105]

thanks and yes i agree, i hate when people schedule an elective c-section or induction simply because they fell done and are sick of it. I loved being pregnant,and yes, by the end, I was excited to have my body back, but would never do that for selfish purposes. Im opnly wanting to line up some alternatives incase im in the same situation again once im full term

[ayer79]

I was a week overdue with ds1 and I tried acupuncture, hubby lovin', massage, EPO, and tea, multiple membrane strips, but nothing worked. I even walked 3 miles a day and sat on the birthing ball all day.
DS2 I decided to skip all that and I went to a chiro to straighten my pelvis (baby wouldn't drop for me either). I did this 2 times, and after the last visit, I did Castor Oil. I took 2oz of castor oil, then filled a hospital cup (one with measurements on side and straw) and filled it to the 16oz. I then shook it really well. Then you drink 4 oz take a bite of granola bar, drink 4 more then another bite, and so on until done. I was in labor 1hr later. Only had 1 poo break the whole time, then contractions picked up stronger, then baby came shortly later (clean birth ; )! He was born 1 day before a his due date (2nd successful vbac). I'd do it that way if I ever decided to have another.

[bigmamakelsey]

Nipple stimulation - 1 hour sessions, 3 times a day. Roll between your fingers, rub your breasts with a warm wet rag, or use a breast pump (start on only 1 nipple at first if using a pump.) Ask your care provider first though, it can cause overly strong or long contractions just like pitocin.
Going for a long walk.
Sex and/or orgasm.
Castor oil or enema, again, ask your OB/midwife.
Accupunture or Accupressure.
Blue or black cohosh (ask care provider)
EP0 or RRL won't put you into labor, but it won't hurt.

[MyKzooFamily]

I swear by EPO. BUT.. my problem is the ripening of the cervix. I have false labor for 2+ weeks, so it's just waiting for my cervix. So once I start EPO, I'm good to go within a few days.

I bought my EPO online on ebay, but I think you can get it at any store, in the vitamins/herbal supplements section. You take 2 Evening Primrose Oil tablets by mount 2x daily (I just skip this because they make me nauseous)

And 2 tablets inserted into the vagina at night. This is the miracle worker for me. I insert 2-3. They will dissolve, but make sure to put a towel under you at night, as they make leak out a bit. Don't do them during the day, it's pointless. They just leak out all over the place. After a few days I'm usually pretty close to labor. I did pitocin once, and did EPO 2x (with two very healthy girls that are my surro-children), and it worked great.

Castor oil is a good way to jump start labor if you are ready to go, but contactions aren't starting on their own. This never worked for me as my cervix was what was causing the hold up. Apparently my body likes to hold babies in forever. And I have a very strong cervix and uterus. You don't have to use castor oil, though, any stimulant laxative would work. If it doesn't work the first try, though, be done. You take the full recommended daily dose at once, no more. (same with laxative capsules)

Hope this helps! I truly believe that natural induction is much better, and less painful. But for every woman, there could be a different reason of why you aren't going into labor yet. Once you figure out what it is, you just find the remedy to help it! I have never tried pineapple or foods like balsamic vinegar to help.. I'm a baby and hate those foods. But I loved my EPO, and I'd rather take laxatives and clean out my system before labor than eat food I can't stand.

[swrlgrl105]

thanks so much for the info and insturctions I worte them down to save incase the Dr wants to drug me again lol!

[songbird516]

Just came back to say that I didn't mean to chastise you for any decisions that you made last time- obviously you can't change the past. I was typing on my phone and didn't have a lot of time to type, so my response was shorter than usual and may have come across as harsh.
Mainly I made the points for other moms that might be in the same situation, that neither low fluid, nor a "big baby" are usually entirely accurate measurements, and they can both lead to really crappy inductions/births. Moms who have GD that is controlled with diet or mediation really don't have to worry about giant babies or placenta failure, in general. Of course there are exceptions, but generally it is still safer to wait for labor to start on it's own. Part of the problem is that provider practice varies a lot- I've personally known women induced at 37 weeks with well-controlled GD, and I've known women who have gone to 41.5 weeks and more with the same diagnosis. None of them had large babies for their gestational age. Most of the ones that were induced had c-sections in the end.
You can try to stick to a high protein/fat and low carb diet before getting pregnant this next time, and it might help to avoid GD in a future pregnancy, and then you wouldn't be monitored as closely. In all honesty I think that I did have low fluid at the end of my first pregnancy, but I never had a late ultrasound, so no one ever questioned it. I say that because I never noticed my water breaking and there was no fluid leaking throughout my labor or birth that I remember. Increased monitoring means that more "problems" can be detected.