Well a friend homeopath wrote this for a publication I am an editor to:
In order to work most effectively, homeopathic remedies are best prescribed specifically on an individual basis; I do not, therefore, recommend any kind of blanket remedy to give the start of labour a ?helping hand?. I prefer to assess the emotional state of my client through gentle discussion about the impending birth and the baby to be born, and prescribe on this basis. Sometimes it is enough that a woman voices her fears to allow the initiation of her labour; perhaps she secretly hopes for a girl baby or has chosen only boy?s names, by acknowledging her deeper apprehensions and through reassuring her baby of her unconditional love, she gives them both permission to commence labour.
The wide range of emotions and scenarios that can arise once a pregnancy goes past the EDD inevitably lends for a wide range homeopathic remedies. Homeopathy can be useful if the woman is already having occasional contractions that stop and start over a period of a few days. For example, if labour is late if the main symptom is fear, particularly fear of death, , Aconite will usually help the emotional state; Gelsemium might be more appropriate where the labour is slow to establish, almost as if the woman is holding back the process with her emotional state of anxiety about how she will manage. In the case of a hesitant labour where the contractions are ineffective and the woman is showing signs of nervous exhaustion, Caulophyllum can be useful ? it works on the lower uterine muscle and helps the cervix to dilate. Cimicifuga might be the remedy of choice however, where there is a sense of foreboding and fragmented thought, or a history of painful/difficult past obstetric experiences, alongside weak, irregular contractions. Some women feel inhibited by lack of privacy and are unable to get on with the work of labour while strangers are present or likely to enter the room ? in this case a dose of Natrum Mur can help.