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Original poster

If you believe you successfully induced your own labour, how did you do it?

95 replies

TheWorldIsCrushingMe · 01/12/2025 12:51

That age old question!

The consultant just told me that he'll likely schedule a c section in Christmas week and I would really rather not! If I can get the baby out naturally just before then, that would be amazing.

So what really worked for you?

OP posts:
Allsigns · 01/12/2025 13:42

Lots of oxytocin stuff. Had a pregnancy massage before a midwife appointment where she recommended doing anything I could think of which is going to get me feeling calm and happy, "even a glass of wine if that's your deal". So went home, dimmed the lights, put a stand-up comic i like on the tele whilst bouncing on the exercise ball, laughed and spent time with DH. Baby was there the next morning.

ReignOfError · 01/12/2025 13:45

Pre-routine scans, 5 days overdue, already had a 21 month old, and I was told I was expecting twins. I went for a quick lunch with my mum, and was in labour before tea.

So: shock.

Edited to add: reader, I was not.

HermitCrabby · 01/12/2025 13:49

Acupuncture. It was offered by the hospital. I do seem to be unusually responsive to acupuncture however.

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ForFunGoose · 01/12/2025 13:50

Mowed the lawn, had a bath and then sex.
Baby born 8 hours later, was 39+3

BadgernTheGarden · 01/12/2025 13:50

Going shopping to buy all the baby stuff by myself, struggling around town for hours carrying it all, and then went into labour the next morning two weeks early. Not deliberate just stupidity thinking I could carry on as usual.

Swarly · 01/12/2025 13:57

I did everything but nothing helped and had an induction at 41 weeks + 5 days so I think it’s just luck. However I did drink raspberry leaf tea for weeks and ate dates and my labour was very quick after the induction (5 hours once the pessary was taken out) so that may have sped things up.

Justlostmybagel · 01/12/2025 14:11

ReignOfError · 01/12/2025 13:45

Pre-routine scans, 5 days overdue, already had a 21 month old, and I was told I was expecting twins. I went for a quick lunch with my mum, and was in labour before tea.

So: shock.

Edited to add: reader, I was not.

Edited

They told you that you were having twins at 40 weeks pregnant??

ReignOfError · 01/12/2025 14:18

@JustlostmybagelYep. Two separate midwives thought so. I nearly bloody died. They booked me for a scan (a new thing in those days) for later that day, by which time I was in labour!

It seemed quite feasible to me as my sisters are twins, and my mum was only told that three weeks before her due date.

Justlostmybagel · 01/12/2025 14:21

ReignOfError · 01/12/2025 14:18

@JustlostmybagelYep. Two separate midwives thought so. I nearly bloody died. They booked me for a scan (a new thing in those days) for later that day, by which time I was in labour!

It seemed quite feasible to me as my sisters are twins, and my mum was only told that three weeks before her due date.

Gosh, I can't imagine the shock! So did you still think you were having twins for the whole labour/birth? Or did they do the scan, whilst you were in labour?

HurdyGurdy19 · 01/12/2025 14:22

I went on a bouncy castle.

Obviously baby thought "sod this, I'm getting out of here"

Very inconvenient, as it was a planned c-section, and childcare was in place for my older child for two days' time.

So it was a mad scramble at 5am, when my waters broke, trying to find someone who could help.

Not a method I'd recommend 😁

DiscoBeat · 01/12/2025 14:26

Accidentally, by crawling through soft play tunnels with my toddler!

IAmKerplunk · 01/12/2025 14:30

I went for a long walk then went on a swing in the park and just went for it 🙈

thisoldcity · 01/12/2025 14:31

Curry then sex.

ReignOfError · 01/12/2025 14:35

@Justlostmybagelthey did it while I was (just) in labour, thankfully. I was honestly terrified before that. I still don’t know how they made such a mistake.

IAmKerplunk · 01/12/2025 14:38

I’ll tell you what doesn’t work. Pineapple. Fucking pineapple! Don’t waste your time eating it.

boysmuminherts · 01/12/2025 14:40

sex
raspberry leaf tea
bouncing on a ball
long walk

and DS2 practically fell out at home!
(who knows which if any were effective though)

MarvellousMonsters · 01/12/2025 14:40

There are natural prostaglandins (the stuff in induction pessaries) in semen. My labours started with 48 hours of having sex, and whilst it could be a coincidence, it’s also possibly not.

theressomanytinafeysicouldbe · 01/12/2025 14:42

A near miss in the car, DH had to brake fast and the seat belt pulled on my belly, went into slow labour that night, went for a long walk the following day to help things along, full on labour that night, born the following morning.

Although, if they don't want to come they wont. Both of mine were 2 weeks late

theressomanytinafeysicouldbe · 01/12/2025 14:43

IAmKerplunk · 01/12/2025 14:38

I’ll tell you what doesn’t work. Pineapple. Fucking pineapple! Don’t waste your time eating it.

Wish there was a laughing emoji, I just spat my tea out

Mischance · 01/12/2025 14:46

I lay in bed and pictured a baby crying hungry .... I then visualised picking baby up and putting to the breast. I did this cos I remembered that when I breast fed I got uterine contractions.
Sure enough the visualisation worked and contractions started. Enter baby number 3......

Pippapotamus · 01/12/2025 14:46

Raspberry leaf tea here as well and lots of bouncing on the yoga ball thing. Both were 4 days earlier than my due date however I have no idea if the tea did that or if they would have come those days anyway

IAmKerplunk · 01/12/2025 14:48

theressomanytinafeysicouldbe · 01/12/2025 14:43

Wish there was a laughing emoji, I just spat my tea out

Show quote history

I ate a whole pineapple every night for over a week 🤮 dd is now 20 and still cannot bear it 🤣

MIAMNER · 01/12/2025 14:51

With DD2, I begged the midwife to give me a sweep - she said I wasn’t ready, but my waters broke a few hours later. With DD1, I went for a Mexican meal and ate all the jalapeno peppers just hours before labour started.

DelphiniumBlue · 01/12/2025 14:55

A gin & tonic the night before - 30 odd years ago, this was deemed safe at the time. I was enormous, and very fed up with being pregnant, almost crippled with back pain and decided that the the baby was big enough already and one G&T might calm me down. Baby was born next morning. May well have been coincidence though!

landlordhell · 01/12/2025 14:55

2 whole pineapples! I was 8 days over though so no idea if it was the pineapple.