What are the natural labor/contraction inducers help - food, sex and exercise, promote

If your spouse’s pregnancy extends beyond her due date, her doctor may decide to induce labor. In fact, there some everyday activities, natural labor inducers, that are popularly believed to induce labor. None of these natural labor inducers are medically proven to work. But, if nothing else has helped, there may be no harm in trying one of these. However, do consult your doctor first if you intend to try any of these natural labor inducers.

In this article, I am not going in detail about the scientific explanations of how each process helps in inducing labor. But just list a few which has been suggested by experts in the field.

Sex - If SEX can create baby, it can also bring the baby out. This is couple's favorite natural method of labor induction during pregnancy. Men's semen contains prostaglandins, which are necessary to help ripen your cervix. Your cervix must thin and dilate for you to have your baby. I think this is a beneficial form of natural induction that also helps relieve stress for both mom and daddy.

Wanna read about how sex helps? Check here

Walking - It helps push the baby deeper into the pelvis. It helps to make the contractions, once they have started, more regular. This way it can encourage labor to progress smoothly.

Spicy food - Cumin is considered very effective. Try some Mexican, Indian or Thai food.

Nipple stimulation - Your spouse could help you with this but would prove harmful if overdone. The usual recommendation is 15 minutes of continual stimulation on each nipple each hour for several hours. So, the amount of stimulation you may experience during intimacy, while nursing an older child, or while pumping your breasts while pregnant will not cause you to go into labor. Please check with your practitioner before trying this.

Castor oil - Swallowing castor oil can induce labor by causing the colon to start contracting, which can then trigger contractions in the uterus. Before using castor oil, you should first consult your doctor.

Acupressure and Massage - There are many trigger points in the body that can help inspire labor. Seek the help of a qualified masseuse or acupuncturist during pregnancy for help with these. I have attached a link to a video about the acupressure points.

Aromatherapy - Certain essential oils including clary sage may help promote or encourage labor contractions in women. Try adding a few drops to your shower.

Pineapple - It serves two purposes. One, if you have constipation it helps the stool to come out (as it has lots of fiber) secondly, it is also a natural labor inducer. Some other food that can induce labor are Chinese food, Eggplant Parmesan and Licorice.

Evening Primrose Oil and Red Raspberry Leaf Tea- This was suggested to my wife by her midwife.

Stripping Membranes- There is a procedure your doctor or midwife can perform called "stripping" or "sweeping" your membranes. Many women find this to be a very uncomfortable, if not painful, procedure. This is a medical intervention and should be taken as seriously as any medical induction method.

Don't get disappointed if none of these methods works. There is also one more method which could induce labor. This is called cervical priming. This you cannot do it yourself. For this you need doctor's help. In this method, doctor applies a gel near the cervix for cervical ripening and labor induction. Doctor will start with a smaller dose and monitor the contractions. If the contractions does not increase he will use a higher dose. In most cases priming increases the contractions and will induce labor.