Any tips on how to bring on labour (almost 37 weeks now…)

[Highlandmama]

36 weeks pregnant and in Scotland. Have been having strong braxton hicks the last month or so and baby is head down and low! Straightforward pregnancy so far too. Beginning to freak out with Covid rates going up and baby being due so soon. Would love it if baby came nearer 37 weeks than at 41 (DS was 40+3). I know baby will come when baby is ready BUT does anyone think they have had success with things like raspberry leaf tea in terms of kick starting labour? Would love to know if there is anything I can do to help things along… TIA 👍

I don’t think anything like that will kickstart labour if the baby isn’t ready to come (which they’re likely not to be at 37 weeks).

You don't really want a premature baby do you?

Yeah, I wouldn’t want to bring a newborn baby into existence at 37/38 weeks an environment with rates going up. Surely you’d want to go as long as possible to keep baby inside you and safe, and born as developed as possible?

Baby will come when it's time, not helpful in the slightest I know, but thats the reality. These tips to supposedly set off labour could just coincide with when baby was due. Hard to know. One advice though, if your waters breaks and you don't feel contractions very soon after, admit yourself to hospital. Best wishes

Squats! I've done some of them on the due date just before bed time. DS was a large baby so I didn't want to wait any longer. It all started just a few hrs later. It could have been a coincidence but worth a try!

No tips. I’ve had three and late each time. Keep eating that pineapple
, curry and having sex….. but unlikely it will help. Or if it does it will be a coincidence!

@ARoseDowntown thanks for giving me a different perspective. Just becoming really worried here with the rates going up so much and government focus only on hospitalisation and deaths. Worried about hospital/birth experience and my own health if I were to catch it but you are right. Thanks 🙂 and no a obviously I’m not wishing for a premature baby!! 37 weeks is early term (I think!)

@Highlandmama 37 weeks is considered full term just to put your mind at ease on that one.

Going by your user name I'd guess your hospital begins with an R?? If so, that's my delivery hospital too, having had a lot of appointments there and my DM working there I'd say it is very covid secure and as far as I'm aware there have been no covid cases linked with their maternity services.

As for labour, get walking..... walked for what felt like miles at 38+3 while waiting between appointments and DD was born at 38+5. Absolutely could be coincidence but it's worth a shot!

Too early to be thinking of that.

In the old days midwives would give pregnant women who were overdue, castor oil and orange juice. What's more it usually worked!

Not at 37 weeks though.

You’re still pretty early. Yes it’s technically full term but it’s still the very very earliest you’d want a baby to be born because lungs still have a little development to go

I’ve heard that of you want to try the raspberry leaf, buy it in capsule form from Holland and Barret, don’t waste your time drinking the tea.

Raspberry leaf tea plus a walk can be terrifyingly effective. Go gently. Let things take their course instead.

You count start doing antenatal expressing (hand stimulating to collect colostrum in syringes that you can then freeze to give baby in the first few days) I wouldn't recommend until 38wks though. There's some helpful how to videos on youtube

I tried everything to shift DS, he arrived bang on 42 weeks.

Sorry. They will come when they are ready. Anything that worked for others is coincidence.

The only thing with any merit behind it is sex.

Raspberry leaf tea/capsules don’t bring on labour they just make the uterus more effective at contractions. You also had to start taking them/drinking them way before now to be effective. 3 kids, 11 sweeps and lots of old wife’s tales, the babies came when ready. If you that worried, unless there is a medical reason why not try for a home birth, you’ll be more relaxed and could help your labour

Give yourself a few extra weeks to rest if you can. Not sure why you'd want your baby to come early.

I agree with those saying baby is best off staying in as long as possible

Anything you can physically do to try and stress your body into labour before it's ready may just stress the baby and that will cause complications when it really is time

Also I'm pretty sure labour begins when mother feels safe and relaxed - getting worked up trying to bring it on early may just backfire

Having laboured and delivered naturally 4 times, as keen as I was to meet them it was only when I accepted that I'd waited 9 months already and what difference would a little bit longer make, that things began to happen

How exciting
It's such an exciting time - enjoy it

Thanks for your advice people. Feeling calmer today. Need to stop reading the coronavirus figures and focus more on what I can (and can’t in the case of baby’s arrival date!) control!! ☺️

I drank gallons of raspberry leaf tea... baby came at 42 weeks and my contractions were super strong- pushed her out in no time and gave myself a third degree tear. I wouldn't recommend it.