Natural Induction Methods

pregnant woman sitting down, touching her belly and holding a clock

I know far too well the feeling of helplessness at the end of pregnancy. You feel like a beached walrus, a ticking time bomb, and people are constantly asking you if the baby has arrived…ugh.

The following are easy and gentle measures to urge baby to send your body the proper hormones to begin labor. Keep in mind that these are GENTLE METHODS and are not intended to be done or used without consulting your provider.

Self-help Techniques

  • Walking 20-60 minutes per day: Let gravity do the work!
  • Try Curb Walking (stepping one foot up on the curb and keeping the other foot on the street, walk up and down like this down one block, turn around and walk the other way with the other foot going up on the curb).
  • Supported Squats: open a door, hold onto both door knobs a sit your bottom down as low as is comfortable to get back up into a standing position. Aim for about 50 squats per day. You could also add something like 10 squats into a bathroom break (I’m sure by now, you are taking many of those).
  • Any weekly exercises or positions from Spinning Babies are extremely helpful in getting baby engaged and in the optimal fetal position (OFP). Check it out!
  • Intercourse AND orgasm: Let someone else do the work! His big “O” contains the same hormonal cocktail as what you would typically receive in a medical induction (called Prostaglandins or the medical form is Cervidil/Cytotec).
  • Nipple stimulation: Surprisingly, this is a wonderful way to increase oxytocin, the love hormone that gets labor going! You can self-stimulate or use a breast pump.
  • Stairs: This is a wonderful way to create asymmetry in the pelvis to encourage baby to engage. Going up and down sideways on the stairs can replace curb walking on lazy or bad weather days.
  • Castor oil: Drinking this does not taste good, but can help upset your stomach enough to induce contractions. I would recommend all other induction measures before this! This is typically NOT recommended.
  • Chiropractic/Acupressure/Acupuncture/Massage: By aligning your meridians and balancing your body, it may be enough to nudge that baby out! PLUS, self-care induces relaxation, a labor starter! I recommend seeing Cecily Yousaf (Greenwood Village), Jennifer Ulman (Parker), or Crystal Jancovic (Lakewood) for acupuncture sessions. Give them a call.
  • Labor cookies: See my first blog post!
  • RELAX…no, seriously! Sometimes the anticipation of labor can be the exact reason why you’re NOT going into labor. A stressed mindset sends fear hormones into your system, telling your body that it’s not ready to have a baby yet. So, here is my prescription:
    • Do this every day leading up to labor: Take a soothing walking meditation, go home and dim the lights, eat some food, take a bubble bath, watch a funny show, do a 10-minute breath exercise, and get as much rest as possible.
    • If you’re still feeling stressed, reach out to a trusted person and/or your Doula!!

Complementary Medicine Methods

Medical Non-drug Methods of Induction

  • Balloon dilator (Cooks catheter) or Dilapan (Dilation rods): They can help if you are already in the hospital and labor is not active.
  • Stripping (or sweeping) the membranes: This is uncomfortable but can help ease things along before you are in labor.
  • Artificial rupture of membranes (AROM): Possibilities of cord prolapse (not common) with this method, but it can get labor moving along.

To be completely honest: acupuncture and sex are truly the only tried and true methods that actually move the marker from a natural standpoint, but EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT.

Do you know of any other methods not mentioned here? Would love to hear from you!

While you’re waiting for that new baby bundle, snag yourself a FREE Labor Cheat Sheet so you and partner have an easy reference for anything that could arise in labor!

Here’s to keeping your LOVE IN MOTION!!

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