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Ways to Help Labor Along at Home

If your due date comes and goes, your health practitioner may request that you have a checkup to make sure you and baby are healthy. If everything is fine and there is no need to be medically induced, you will be given a period of up to two weeks past your due date to allow labor to begin naturally. However, being overdue can be frustrating and uncomfortable at times, so if you are desperate to get things moving, you can try some natural labor-inducing remedies at home.

  1. Sexual Intercourse

    • Sex is a popular method of naturally inducing labor because it is thought to help ripen the cervix in preparation for delivery. This is because semen contains a high level of prostaglandins, which help loosen and dilate the cervix, a process necessary for childbirth. Also, when a woman has an orgasm, a hormone called "oxytocin" is released. Oxytocin causes contractions during childbirth and is therefore a vital component of labor in general.

    Nipple Stimulation

    • Stimulating the nipples can also prompt the release of the hormone oxytocin, which in turn can help to trigger contractions in the uterus. There is a technique to the stimulation that should imitate the action and feeling of your baby suckling your nipple during breastfeeding. You should massage the nipple and areola, rather than pinching it, and this action should be done for 15 minutes and repeated regularly throughout the day.

    Walking

    • Taking a long walk could also help labor along naturally because of the effect that gravity has on your baby's positioning. The motion of walking could encourage the descent of your baby's head, which will put pressure on the cervix and stimulate the release of prostaglandins. Take care not to overexert yourself, though, because you'll need to preserve as much energy as you can for the forthcoming labor and birth of your baby.

    Raspberry Leaf Tea

    • Raspberry leaf tea can help to prepare your uterus for birth and can also stimulate contractions in the last stages of your pregnancy, according to ThinkBaby.co.uk. You should avoid drinking this type of tea until your final trimester. From your 34th week on, drinking a couple of cups a day can help to strengthen your womb in preparation for labor.

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