'natural' induction??

[kerioke]

ok firstly i am way ahead of myself here! i am only 28 weeks and have no intentions of labour for a while yet! so no rush with the replies, but i need to get some form of clarity and order into my extremely confuzzled head so i can sleep better!

this is DC3, i had awfully long labours with my previous 2 and really dont want to go down that route again.

with DC1 i laboured for 72 hours and due to still not dilating past 4cm at this time my son got distressed and i had an emergency section. 2nd time round i was in 'slow labour' for 3 weeks... i went from 1cm to 4cm during this long period pf time, and contracted regularily, but it was put down as a niggling uterus or a stubborn baby and no one helped.

i saw a consultant during this pregnancy a few weeks ago and the convo of my 'dilation probs' arose... she said as before i would be left 'to see what happens' however they will consider assisting my dilation if the same thing happens... i guess my faith in them is lost and was looking for advice.

i have been told about acupressure to help hurry things along and also pulsatilla and caulophyllum... has anyone any knowledge of these things?? i gather i should begin them when labour actually starts but i'm not sure what dose etc or even if they would benefit me in anyway... gosh this is so long winded...!

apologies in advance for the earache!

Nipple stimulation? I've been reading about induction, too, and that's one technique which everyone seems to think works well.

Some of the hypnosis for childbirth programs might help, too, in making you less worried about it.

I've got this site bookmarked just in case...

I've also heard great things about acupuncture - so long as you can find someone who specialises in pregnancy

I think that no induction really works (except for a drip) unless your body is just about to go into labour anyway...sorry! However, while you're in labour is a different matter! Labour needs oxytocin to get it going. Oxytocin can be blocked fairly easily by feeling stressed or nervous or frightened. Staying at home on your own for as long as possible can help as arriving at hospital often slows or even stops women's labours. Seeing a good homeopath might mean you can get some homeopathy pillules to help you to 'let go' once labour starts. Long walks, staying upright etc. can help. Aromatherapy massage to your bump and back/anywhere that hurts using the right oils can help. Labour can faff around for ages with subsequent pregnancies so avoiding being examined until it gets started properly (ie. very strong, regular and getting stronger and more frequent consistently) can help so they don't start hassling you.