Are you near to your due date? This is the time to experience a host of the symptoms like swelling, excessive fatigue, leg cramps, and sleep problems.
Most of the pregnant women, when they reach 37th week, usually start thinking about inducing the labor naturally. Frankly speaking, no labor inducer will work unless your baby is ready to come out, which means the baby has to be matured for the picking.
But, there are some old fashioned techniques to jump start your labor. Remember that, you should never try to induce the labor until you enter into 38th week.
Keep in mind that every moment your baby spends in your belly is the moment he/she needs to grow and mature completely.
Here is a list of natural labor inducers:
Walking
Though walking won’t induce the labor, but it can encourage the labor to continue if you have begun early contractions.
Walking encourages settling your baby in a head down position in the pelvis so that effacement and dilation of your cervix takes place.
Sex
This is the most natural labor induction method during pregnancy. Prostaglandins found in the semen help to ripen your cervix as it must be dilated and thin to deliver the baby.
Also, it is the most natural labor induction method that helps in relieving stress for you and your partner.
Castor oil
This oil is not good to taste. Swallowing it can induce the labor by allowing the colon to begin contracting, which trigger contractions in the uterus.
Evening primrose oil
This oil has substances to produce prostaglandins, which help in ripening the cervix. Sometimes, midwives directly rub the cervix with primrose oil during the last weeks of pregnancy to help the cervix thin and dilate. Remember that keeping anything in the vagina causes infection.
Spicy foods
Similar to castor oil, spicy foods show the same effect. But, they stimulate your bowel moments and cause severe heartburn.
Essential oils
Essential oils along with clary sage help to stimulate the labor contractions. So, add few drops to your shower.
Acupuncture
There are some acupuncture points that can stimulate the labor to begin. But, you should be very careful while selecting the practitioner.
Black and blue cohosh
When you use these remedies together, they help to induce the labor or strengthen the contractions. Don’t use them unless you consult the therapist. But, according to some studies, blue cohosh can damage the baby’s heart or cause uncontrollable hemorrhaging in you.
Apart from all these methods, relaxing is the most preferred one to induce labor naturally. Stress and anxiety prevent you from entering into the labor, so opting for a relaxing massage greatly helps in encouraging the labor.
