Are you around the forty weeks mark? Did the last week feel like an eternity? Are you feeling more and more uncomfortable with each passing day? Do you feel yourself getting more and more anxious at the thought of having a medical induction? Well, stop worrying! I have great news for you.
Here are the only methods that have been researched, studied and proven to work.
Nipple stimulation can be carried out by gently rolling the nipple in between a thumb and finger.
This technique releases the hormone oxytocin which initiates contractions and induces labour.
Kavanagh et al conducted a study in 2005 showing thirty percent of women who used nipple stimulation went into labour within 72 hours.
This technique has more evidence behind it than having sex or orgasms.
There is no concrete evidence that sex works to induce labor.
Keep in mind that if your water has broken having sex may increase the risk of infection.
The most studied and proven method to induce labor naturally is acupressure.
This works by stimulating specific points in the body which cause uterine contractions.
This also encourages the head of the baby to descend and engage.
A recent study in the Complementary Therapy and Medical Journal, 2005 showed that the number of women who went into labor was significantly higher in the acupressure group compared to those who were not using acupressure.
More importantly, the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004 publishes a paper that showed that by stimulating one single acupressure point labor pains were significantly reduced and total labor time was much shorter.
There is no evidence of any adverse effects on mother or baby.