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Childbirth

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Original poster

Has anyone actually, ahem, swallowed that great (male) myth about kick starting labour?

39 replies

beansprout · 13/01/2008 19:19

You know, the one about swallowing semen to get things going? The ante-natal boards seem to be awash with women saying that they are not that desperate but presumably someone, somewhere has tried it?

Btw, I've got an elective c-section coming up so this is not something I am considering!!

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meglet · 13/01/2008 19:25

Tried it (on a weds evening) when my waters started to leak at 37 weeks and the hospital wanted to induce me the following monday. Not sure if it made any difference.

Had acupuncture late the next day and labour started within 3 hours. Emergency c-section the next morning, pah!

If you go for acupuncture I found it bloomin' hurt though!

whomovedmychocolate · 13/01/2008 21:54

I pooh-poohed this previously on here and was told you could get prostaglandin tablets as well as pessaries (still sounds fishy to me!) So perhaps it is possible but you'd need to give an entire rugby team a blow job surely to get enough

Bouncingturtle · 14/01/2008 13:49

i did... not sure it worked!!

MrsMcJnr · 15/01/2008 17:24

LOL my DH found this suggestion on Baby Centre too - - not sure that I have the stomach for it today but then again, I am only on 40+0 maybe ask me again next week!

Trolleydolly71 · 15/01/2008 18:59

Message withdrawn

poppy34 · 15/01/2008 22:10

what I'd like to know is if anyone would ever get funding or volunteers to test this theory scientifically...

MrsMcJnr · 16/01/2008 13:32

can you tell me more about the black cohosh and blue cohosh?

Sanwi · 16/01/2008 14:37

i did it too - along with eating pinapple, drinking gallons of raspberry leaf tea

but my waters went at 11pm on my due date after taking the more ..her herrrm... direct method of application - which was also much more enjoyable

beckmo · 16/01/2008 15:06

I was 13 days late and my midwife suggested this. I really couldn't face it but honest to god I would have, and had, tried anything. I ended up sending my hopeful husband off with a cup and downing it in a swig of orange juice. That was a low moment I can tell you. And I ended up being induced 2 days later so no it didn't work!

Artichokes · 16/01/2008 15:19

in a cup with orange juice

i think I would have preferred a normal induction.

3madboys · 16/01/2008 15:33

i havnet tried it....yet, still 6wks to go, but given that ds3 was 17days late i may give it a go

tried every other method last time, dp got fed up with having so much sex, we did the speedbumps, curry, raspberry leaf tea, nipple stim, etc etc etc however i hadnt heard that it could work better orally. but i will give it a go this time if i have to.

jumpingbeans · 16/01/2008 15:38

Deffo a man started that rumor

wannaBe · 16/01/2008 16:58

I don't do oral.

but we had sex (on dr's advice) the night I went into labour. Hadn't done it for months before, and I was in labour within an hour after.

Not only that, my contractions started at 12:30, and by 3:00 they were two minutes apart so went to hospital by which time I was 9 cm dilated. Just a shame ds was back to back and I ended up pushing for 4 hours and then had a ventouse but hey you can't have it all .

Joash · 16/01/2008 17:06

What a load of crap. Never heard that one before. Probably a male midwife that started it as a rumour in the first place

Joash · 16/01/2008 17:07

It's not even the sex that does it - it's having an orgasm, so you can always , erm... "DIY" Grin

MrsMcJnr · 16/01/2008 17:19

guess the DIY depends on being able to reach, I know I'd struggle

clouisewood · 16/01/2008 17:28

LOL!! I've never heard of this. I was 40+14 with my DD and thought I had tried everything...my MW told me to do the deed after having a S&S but it didn't work. Not sure if that was because DD was back on back. I was induced in the end.

horsygirl · 17/01/2008 11:56

Yeah I did, last night. Nothing

Original poster
beansprout · 17/01/2008 11:59

Hi MrsMcJnr!!

It is interesting to be wondering if we could be pushed to the absolute brink of desperation and convince ourselves it is worth a shot (as it were!)

Like the idea of an OJ chaser! So near and yet so far for one dh there!!

OP posts:
Soberandsad · 17/01/2008 12:04

I'm 39+6 at the moment and think I will just stick with eating fresh pineapple, running up and down stairs and if all that fails a hot bath!!

MrsArchieTheInventor · 17/01/2008 12:16

Here's the science bit as I understand it.

Oxytocin is the hormone used in the drip when pregnancy is induced. It's also the hormone produced when you orgasm. Prostoglandin is the hormone used in the pessary when you're first induced and it's also present in semen. Therefore the thinking is that if your body is ready to begin the process of labour then having sex and having an orgasm may begin that process.

mistyamica · 17/01/2008 21:04

Sounds great! I know my other half will be pleased about this idea!

I would try it but I can barley stand my fella you know...shooting (sorry to be graphic!!) in my mouth let alone swallow it.

It makes me heave! Did anyone else have this problem? I want to give it a go but i'm scared I'll puke up! What a turn off!

Trolleydolly71 · 18/01/2008 19:04

Message withdrawn

AlistairSim · 18/01/2008 19:12

My friend, who is a MW, swears this is true. There has been research done on it and published...although she can't currently find the article for me

When I was two weeks overdue with dd, I could barely stand the sight of dp let alone his dumb-stick.

Original poster
beansprout · 18/01/2008 21:34

If there is 3-5ml of the average bit of ejaculate and it has to withstand stomach acid too, this must be pretty powerful stuff to have this effect.

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