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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Need your old wives tales please!!!

22 replies

ithastobeNAICEham · 22/08/2012 11:38

Hello ladies, I've hit the 37 weeks mark and I've been given the all clear by the midwives to start the "eviction plan"!!!

I am sick of being pregnant!

I have raspberry leaf tea, my OH is on stand by and I need others!! Spicy food has been a bit of a staple during the pg so I'm still eating that!!

Do you have any other old wives tales that might have worked or that have helped?? Anything considered!

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ZuleikaD · 22/08/2012 11:41

Sex and lots of orgasms help, supposedly, but IMO they come when they're good and ready.

BumgrapesofWrath · 22/08/2012 11:42

Acupuncture - not really an old wives tale, but definitely worked for me.

dylsmimi · 22/08/2012 11:42

pineapple is meant to help and going for a long walk!
both me and my auntie were knitting baby blankets when we were due and went into labour the day after we finished! though not much help if you haven't started one/can't knit!!!
good luck and remember babies arrive when they are ready not when you are

BionicEmu · 22/08/2012 12:11

Can't believe I'm saying this, but in addition to sex and orgasms, drinking semen is supposed to help.

Or I'm sure I've heard walking up and down stairs is good too!

Doretaball · 22/08/2012 12:16

Oh yes, bionicemu. I was told by NCT that "ingestion is more effective than insertion"!! Made me giggle....

Original poster

ithastobeNAICEham · 22/08/2012 12:26

Drinking it?? can't think of anything worse tbh!!

I'm hoping she'll be ready soon!! I've had my show so here's hoping!!

"ingestion is better than insertion" will have me giggling for days

Thanks guys!!

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minipie · 22/08/2012 12:51

Reflexology (not an old wives tale but have heard quite a few tales of it working)

minipie · 22/08/2012 12:52

Oh and nipple twiddling. A friend tried out an electric breast pump and went into labour within hours (a few days before her due date)

sittinginthesun · 22/08/2012 12:52

I found walking helped. Both my labours started after a walk around our local country park.

ShowOfHands · 22/08/2012 13:01

Nothing works. I know you know this anyway and you're after a lighthearted thread but I do worry sometimes that all of the old wives tales involve exertion and/or ingesting food and other products you don't really want.

My genuine advice to anybody who is heavily pregnant and fed up is to do whatever you want. Whatever makes you happy. Whatever helps. Nothing, but nothing, short of chemical induction will start labour for you. It will start when the baby is ready to be born and you really, really don't want it any other way. My waters broke on the day I hit 37 weeks due to malpositioning and ds might have been technically term, but he was not ready to be born and struggled a bit tbh. He was actually premature and would have benefited from a couple more weeks on the inside. I wish he could have stayed put until he was ready.

I don't know why raspberry leaf tea has been lumped in with the induction myths either. It's a uterine tonic meant to make the 2nd stage more efficient when it happens.

I know it's miserable at the end and I'm sure you're being fairly tongue in cheek but I have seen too many friends try every exhausting option out there with no success and they all ended up feeling demoralised and in some cases exhausted, injured or with severe indigestion. And then they had to labour on top of all that.

ArtyJennie · 22/08/2012 13:09

I have to agree with Show, I tried lots of the above with dd1- she turned up 5days late. I'm not bothering this time - due today!!! Might have some pineapple juice- but just because I fancy it! The mw did say that keeping active would help- buys that's the last thing I want to do!

She said to 'do your usual cleaning routine etc'- I replied 'so I'll give my cleaner a call then?'

Tangointhenight · 22/08/2012 13:14

And I'm going to chip in with the enjoy your free time while you still have it sermon :o

DD was induced at 37 weeks due to preeclampsia and I don't think she was ready either poor pet, but I can't think how many times in the first few weeks I wished I could put her back in for a minutes peace :)

hzgreen · 22/08/2012 13:16

plan something fun, something you've always wanted to do and are desperate to try, something you'll really look forward to and that you can't do once the baby is here. then sod's law will probably kick in and you'll go into labor...just a theory.

melliebobs · 22/08/2012 13:17

Don't want to burst bubbles here (although that would help) but as a lady who went 17 days overdue and tried every god damn 'trick' in the book. Baby will come when they are good n ready! Make the most of your last few baby free days

DontmindifIdo · 22/08/2012 13:19

hmm, if I was you, I'd stop trying to get that baby out of there early, it's 22nd August - you are very close to September, I'd rather have a September baby (oldest in the year) than August baby (youngest) - some August DCs can take until they are 7 to catch up with the September DCs in their class who are nearly a year older.

Hold off until 1st, then start the eviction plan.

naturalbaby · 22/08/2012 13:27

I have to agree with nothing works, e.g pineapple has to be fresh and you need to eat 7 of them to have any effect!
Mine all arrived when I'd given up guessing, chilled out and tried very hard to stop making labour start.

37 weeks? You could have another 5 to go!!

ZuleikaD · 22/08/2012 13:49

Dontmind is quite right, especially if it's a boy. September babies do much better academically than August ones.

OyOfMidWorld · 22/08/2012 14:22

I'm with ZuleikaD and DontmindifIdo, I'm currently 39+1 and really want baby to stay put until 1st September. I might be fed up but I can't imagine sending a newly 4 year old to school, I would much rather have an almost 5 year old going off. I suspect baby is a boy too and the issues with the 'catch up' period concern me.

Jakeyblueblue · 22/08/2012 16:09

The only thing that has any scientific proof behind it is sex. Sperm contains prostaglandins similar to those used to induce. The others really are old wives tales!
Good luck!

ShowOfHands · 22/08/2012 16:43

There's no scientific 'proof' behind sex Jakey. There are prostaglandins in semen yes but you'd need far, far more than you'd get from having sex to even think about nudging your body anywhere near thinking about early labour. And as somebody already pointed out, in terms of theory (and empirically though no causation has ever been found in real terms), you'd be better off ingesting rather than applying to the cervix iyswim. Nothing works. It's all based on grains of truth. Like the enzyme in pineapple which is associated with labour starting. Yes that much is true again but you'd need to eat 8 of them including the skin, leaves, stalk etc and in one v rapid sitting to even replicate the amount your body produces when it's ready.

I knew I'd labour before time as I have a problem with my pelvis which causes malpositioning and it makes my waters break suddenly and before the baby is really ready. I was going to be 37 weeks on September 1st and I was adamant I was having a September baby. At my 36wk appointment my consultant was v surprised I was hanging on. My waters broke at 2am on September 1st.

Jakeyblueblue · 22/08/2012 18:18

Yes, you are right, 'proof' was a bad choice of word. Was writing on a windswept beach with my kids pestering me for icecream. Should have said that it's the only one that has any scientific standing rather than pure old wives tales. I am a nurse and trained as a midwife originally and it was common practice to tell mums that if any were going to work, then sex is the only one. You are also absolutely right about it working better if swallowed. Theres lots of stuff to back this up if you google it

Original poster

ithastobeNAICEham · 22/08/2012 19:21

My dd was 12 days late and tbh I'm really hoping I don't ever have to go through it again!! (bad experience)

My oh is coming to the end of a course that he has waited years to get on and is really looking forward to finishing it, I honestly thought that would start me off (it's only a two day thing)

I hadn't thought of the school thing tbh so now I'm thinking... Although having the baby sooner, rather than later would be easier with the school holidays etc! My mum is having my dd when I go into labour and she lives 20miles away....

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