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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

What did you do to start labour spontaneously?

28 replies

Marghe87 · 21/08/2020 08:42

I know, I know. Nothing will work if the baby is not ready. But as I am hitting the 40 weeks mark I am getting very bored and eager to meet my DC.
Midwife suggested I keep taking long walks and bouncing on my ball - also DDT if we feel like it. I will continue to do all these things but did you find any of these worked the day your labour started?
And, how did it start for you? Please come and entertain a bored woman, desperate for labour to start :)
Thank you!!!

OP posts:
Lelophants · 21/08/2020 08:45

Anything to encourage oxytocin. So things that make you happy, relaxed, laugh everything. Romantic evenings in whilst your still can, lovely long walks.

I (pre covid) had a lovely spa day, cake out, lots of romantic walks with DH and then dinner out. Was so lovely. Labour started that night. Also patience! I was very happy to wait. I was a few days overdue. The most natural time for baby is 41 weeks.

user1471457757 · 21/08/2020 08:50

I took a 2.5 mile walk. That night I went into labor. Good luck!

Merename · 21/08/2020 08:51

Nipple stimulation is cited as a method, I was trying various things so hard to know which worked!

EugenesAxe · 21/08/2020 08:56

I relaxed, in the form of a bit of bubbly with a friend. I was 5 days overdue so didn’t think alcohol would be too awful for my DS... obviously though I was overdue so it could reasonably have come anytime!

Drivingdownthe101 · 21/08/2020 08:58

DC1- went Christmas shopping
DC2- spent the day walking round a country park with toddler DC1
DC3- absolutely nothing helped... came at 42 weeks after induction.

To be honest though 1 and 2 were also overdue so I imagine they just came when they did because they were ready to come out, not because of anything I did.

SqidgeBum · 21/08/2020 08:58

I hoped up and down in a pub for 90 minutes watching ireland beat New Zealand in the rugby 😆😆

Darkestseasonofall · 21/08/2020 09:11

Walk sideways up and down stairs, raspberry leaf tea, play with your nipples, bounce on a ball, dtd (it's the sperm that gets you going not the sex, so just a quicky if you fancy it) dance about a bit.... Good luck

GalaxyGirl24 · 21/08/2020 09:14

Watching this post with interest and was about to do a post on this myself, as I am now too approaching due date (39 weeks today) so interested in having baby ASAP hopefully and not going past 41 weeks if I can!

Would be interesting to see if any of the old wives tales actually worked for any of you ladies!!! Such as sex, reflexology/Accupuncture, walking, bouncing on the ball.

As OP says, I know baby comes when they want but it's always fun to speculate 😅

BiBabbles · 21/08/2020 09:22

Sleeping seemed to work, each of mine woke me up early. I did do a lot of walking and I can remember with my youngest who nearly got to 42 weeks eating quite a bit of spicy foods and things near the end.

Lilice · 22/08/2020 09:53

with first baby, I started drinking raspberry leaf tea at 36 weeks and went into labour at 37 weeks. I dont know if there's any link though. I didnt expect to go into labour at all as I thought most ftm went overdue. With my second, I didnt do anything specific as I was booked in for c section (breech baby) but went into labour 2 days before. So each time it was completely unexpected and took me by surprise

SedentaryCat · 22/08/2020 10:00

Sex. It was not my finest moment but more a means to an end! It worked - I went into labour within the hour and DS was born 6 hours later.

I had also been drinking raspberry leaf tea like it was going out of style and eating plenty of fresh pineapple. Sitting astride a dining chair also helped move DS down into position.

I'd had such a rotten time with DD, who went two weeks over and was induced, that I wanted to ensure a spontaneous labour the second time. DS was born one day early.

KeithLeMonde · 22/08/2020 10:05

Long walk with one foot in the gutter Grin. Apparently it opens the pelvis and makes the baby's head rock against the cervix, which stimulates the production of the labour hormone. No idea whether that's true or not but contractions started within an hour or so of my getting home.

canihaveacoffeeplease · 22/08/2020 11:55

With my 1st I was 39+5 and the end wall of my house came down in a storm, I went into labour the next day (and still had a home birth!!! Moved out by the insurance for 9 months the following day),always blamed it on the stress as I had no hints of labour at all!

Number 2 I was 12 days over, tried everything and finally went for the old wives tale of castor oil as a last ditch attempt before induction (in a smoothie with LOTS of raw cacao and banana to disguise the taste) and went into labour that evening.

Number 3, 5 weeks ago, My waters went at 37 weeks, so no help there!

Good luck, it'll happen eventually, and be so so so worth it when it does. I say that sitting cuddling my 5 week old Smile

planningaheadtoday · 22/08/2020 16:25

Sex, sex & sex. The prostaglandin in the semen is the same as the pessary they use to induce a birth in hospital.

Walking.

Raspberry leaf tea (ancient herbal)

Sex and walking are the best.

omg35 · 22/08/2020 16:31

I walked 5 miles the day before I had DD. No idea if it made a difference or not though

perfumeistooexpensive · 22/08/2020 16:42

I went to the woods, running and jumping over logs with my neighbour’s dog. It was my due date. I ate a bag of green apples too which gave me the runs later in the day. Two hours active labour that evening which wasn’t bad for a FTM.

gonewiththerain · 22/08/2020 16:58

It was sex that did it for me. I was also very active trying to finish all the housework and odd jobs before she arrived

pumpkinpie01 · 22/08/2020 17:21

This is frowned upon now but I drank a pint of castor oil mixed with fresh orange juice , it worked thou . Another time I skipped and skipped until I had pains down below went into labour few hours later.

msflibble · 22/08/2020 17:43

At 8 months I had to knock DD's breastfeeding habit on the head because it was causing premature contractions due to oxyrocin production.

I've heard women swear by raspberry leaf tea. As a masseuse we are told to avoid foot massage in pregnant women who are not at their due date because it can induce contractions.

YouJustDoYou · 22/08/2020 17:47

It'll happen when it happens. No one thing started any of mine.

Ginmonkey84 · 22/08/2020 21:48

I did everything in the book and nothing worked. Got to 40+5 and decided to stop putting myself under pressure and told myself baby would come when she was ready. I went into labour that night no ball bouncing, no sex etc was sat eating crisps in my pjs and I was laughing so hard at something on my phone and my husband was in fits of laughter too that we went into one. And bam contractions started at 10:30pm. She was born 3hrs 50 mins after my first contraction. Midwife said it was oxytocin flowing and that I was relaxed. So maybe just resign yourself to the fact you can’t do anything and just chill and watch funny good feel movies and eat and relax......baby might surprise you.

OhToBeASeahorse · 23/08/2020 17:46

I tried everything so I cant really tell but we were doing longish walks (6 miles plus), sex everyday from due date, cleaned the skirting boards.

Now 33 weeks with.number 2 but having building work done so I am a-ok for it to stay put!!

Tink2007 · 23/08/2020 19:50

Due today and sod all has worked. 😫

foreverhungry2409 · 23/08/2020 20:00

My doctor (DD was born abroad) recommended I drink castor oil which first of all, makes you have severe Diarrhea and then it started my contractions! Would not recommend tho, little one had her first bowel movement inside me (I presume because of the castor oil) and I had to have an emergency c section.

weegiemum · 23/08/2020 20:30

Sex, went into labour the next morning, 5 days early (was a long labour though, she was born 39+3).

2nd I have no idea, my waters went at 38+4 as I was getting into bed, he was born the next morning.

3rd was the pessary at 36+6 (I was hellishly unwell and needed her out). I walked for 7 hours that day and in the end an unfavourable induction was 12h start to finish.