So does anything actually help start labour? Sex, pineapple, curries, nipple tweaking??

[SpaceTrain]

OK I am now way overdue and getting desperate! Have had a sweep which did nothing.

Has anyone had any success with any of the other methods that you hear about?

I'm considering getting a carving knife and cutting the baby out myself!!

no (see my reply on other thread lol)

Thanks thisisyesterday.

Pineapple! I had it in the morning (about a third of a fresh pineapple) and went into labour that evening...

Pineapple I agree with - but it has to be fresh as the chemical in it that helps is destroyed by juicing or cooking!
On the day I went into labour with dc1 I had been stripping wallpaper, had a curry and nookie!
with dc2 I had pineapple, a long trek around town shopping and, again, nookie! Also drank lots of raspberry leaf tea with both, both were early.
And yesterday I had half a fresh pineapple, lunchtime nookie and lots of raspberry leaf tea, am 36+3 weeks, and had 3 hours of frequent contractions which got stronger, but then stopped. Had midwife app this morning and baby is 4/5 engaged!

Nothing worked with me. I went 11days over with dd and went into spontanious labour in the early hours of my induction date. I also went 11 days over with ds and had to be induced.

OK, I will def be sending DH out to get some fresh pineapple then. Have been eating tinned - didn't realise that didn't work. Grrrr.

Am jealous of your contractions at 36 weeks froggy

I'm drinking raspberry leaf tea as i type, had nookie yesterday morn, a full fresh pineapple and even drank olive oil and orange juice today as someone told me his wife went into labour 4 hours after drinking that concoction.......... I feel your pain! Hmf!

No nothing - most are old wives tails. DS1 was 16 days late and I tried everything to avoid being induced, although an induction wasnt actually anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. I spent hours on the internet looking for some miricle method and tried most of them!

When they are ready, they are ready & although I am not due till next week and am DESPERATE to have this baby NOW I still think in this country the health service are to heavily fixated on the EDD.

Still, come next week I will no doubt be doing it all again!! (lol)

The best things are meant to be anything that stimulates the gut like curry, which is why they used to give women castor oil, although the side effects are so vile and dangerous it is not reccomended any longer.
And nookie as it has two effects - an "O" can stimulate contractions & the sperm can soften the plug.

Raspberry leaf tea only strengthens the uterus (makes labour easier) and you have to eat about 20 fresh pineapples in a go to get enough bromin to do anything.

I would ask for another sweep as they are only succesful if baby is nearly ready, i had 3 but got a show on the last one & when I went in to be induced the next day was already a couple of CMs and only needed to go on the drip to be induced. Think if they had left me another day i would have gone in to labour myself anyway!

froggy16 why are you trying to go into labour when you are only 36 weeks pregnant still? you could have another 4 weeks yet till you go into labour naturally ??

Sex does work, but only if the baby is ready - if you're only 36 weeks then none of these things is likely to start things up.

Sex works because it delivers hormones called prostaglandins to the cervix in the semen. If you did go over and have to be induced, then one of the methods they would be likely to try would be a pessary containing prostaglandins! So that's one where the medics are copying the "old wives tale", so there must be reason to believe that it can be effective.

NO! not unlees baby wants to come. I tried EVERYTHING!!!! My poor husband was so so tired (haha) and still nothing.

Although i think i may have just had an akward baby cos i ended up being given the inducing gel TWICE and NOTHING! they ended up breaking my waters to get me going!

Wud pure pinapple juice work or do they say it has to be a fresh pinapple????

I've never understood this question - surely it's common sense? Only a signal from your hormone centre will start labour. Curry, sex, whisky, etc. Like the ageing process, like puberty, it's all down to when your hormone centre decides it's time.

Why would anyone want to risk their baby being born before it's naturally due anyway?

(Apart from certain WAGS who want the arrival to fit in with their husband's football matches!)