How to induce labor naturally? How to induce labor at home fast? What are the best ways to induce labor? Are you confused with all these questions in your mind? Don’t be stressed.
Inducing labor is called as labor induction. It is when your health care provider gives you medicine or any other methods, such as breaking your water (amniotic sac), in order to make your labor start. The amniotic sac is the sac inside the uterus (womb) which holds the growing baby. It is filled with amniotic fluid. When the muscles of your uterus get tight and then relax, the contraction takes place. Contractions help push your baby out of your uterus and that’s called as induce labor. (R)
In this article, we will focus on brief information about the various natural remedies to induce labor.
What is Induced Labor?
Induced Labour is defined as the stimulation of uterine contractions especially during pregnancy around 40 weeks of delivery before the labor begins on its own to achieve a vaginal birth. A health care provider might recommend labor induction for multiple reasons such as primarily when there’s a concern for the mother’s health or a baby’s health.
One of the factors in predicting the likelihood of successful labor induction is how soft and distended your cervix is (cervical ripening).
Is It Safe To Induce Labor And When To Induce:
Yes, it is extremely fine enough to induce labor naturally but it depends upon several factors such as your health, your baby’s health, your baby’s gestational age, weight and size, your baby’s position in the uterus, and the status of your cervix. There are certain plus points (R) for inducing labor such as-
- Labor may need to be induced if the health of yours or your baby is at risk or if you’re 2 weeks past your due date
- Inducing labor is the best way to keep mom and baby healthy in some cases of pregnancy
- Inducing labor should only be done for medical reasons. If your pregnancy is healthy, it’s best to wait for labor to start on its own.
- If the pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system (preeclampsia). The high blood pressure present before pregnancy or that occurs before 20 weeks of pregnancy (chronic high blood pressure), or high blood pressure that develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy (gestational hypertension) in this case induce labor helps a lot.
If the due date is an educated guess for your baby to make its arrival and the pregnant women deliver is perfectly healthy for the babies two weeks before or after this presumed due date. Then, in this case, it’s recommended that women should wait until 40 weeks for delivery.
For inducing labor you can wait until at least 39 weeks in order to give your baby time to develop before birth. In a 2011 study (R), 201 women who had delivered babies were surveyed about inducing labor at home naturally. Of these women, 50 percent had tried some natural method of getting labor started.
Things To Consider Before Inducing Labor At Home:
There are certain things that are needed to keep in mind before pregnant women induce labor at home. Such as-
- Natural induction should only be a helping hand: if you want the method to be gentle enough then you should not go for labor if your body isn’t ready. Induction of labor is not recommended before 39-40 weeks.
- Don’t stress about being overdue: If for the first time pregnancies are up to 80% more likely to go beyond the due date and you are not “overdue” until 42 weeks. In that case, a doctor cannot legally induce labor without your consent.
- Do your own research: know the risks before you induce labor and take the correct amount of any herbal product during the process. Don’t overstrain yourself with labor-inducing exercises too much.
- If you aren’t sure, talk to your doctor: This is especially true if your pregnancy has been complicated or is considered high-risk then do refer to doctor before you do induce labor at home.
- Make Sure Complementary Therapists Are Qualified And Experienced: If you choose a health provider, then ensure that the person who is treating you is qualified and knowledgeable in pregnancy-specific treatments and methods.
- Any Form Of Induction Is An Induction: Please don’t take any form of induction lightly. Weigh up the pros and cons of inducing labor, and opt for choices that are designed at relaxing you and opening your mind and body to labor induction. Choose the right form of inductions.
How To Induce Labor Naturally:
Check Out These Home Remedies To Induce Labor Naturally
There are some of the fastest ways to induce labor at home that can be performed by pregnant women during the 40 weeks of pregnancy
1. Castor Oil To Induce Labor:
Castor oil has an ample number of benefits on inducing labor. It works like magic and is the best to generate induce labor. Right from ancient Egyptians, it is used as an oil to bring about uterine contractions and promote labor. It has laxative that stimulates both your gut and uterus and in turn induces labor.
The castor oil should also be used with caution and only with the approval of your doctor. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable and that can lead to dehydration. It can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea too.
Mix two ounces of castor oil with equal amounts of orange juice and add one teaspoon of baking soda since plain castor oil is not palatable. Drink it every half an hour, while reducing the quantity to one ounce for inducing labor.
2. Sex To Induce Labor:
This is one of the fun and best ways to induce labor. It is safe to have sex (R) during pregnancy. There is no medical evidence to support this theory but it is believed to be effective.
The woman’s orgasm can potentially trigger labor. It is also believed that the prostaglandins in semen come into contact with the vagina leads to induce labor. Sex also triggers the release of oxytocin, the contraction hormone (R), that induce labor.
Note: Having sex is safe at full term of pregnancy, but you shouldn’t have sex after your water has broken as doing so can increase your risk of infection. It is also advisable for the women who do experience vaginal bleeding or having a low lying placenta to not engage in it.
3. Nipple Stimulation To Induce Labor:
One of the natural remedies for inducing labor is nipple stimulation. Stimulating the nipple induce the uterine contractions which result in helping the pregnant woman’s body to progress into labor and get ready for childbirth or delivery. It releases oxytocin in the bloodstream and triggers contractions to speed up labor.
You can either massage your nipples using your fingers or use a breast pump. A warm shower with water falling and moving down the nipples will also stimulate the breasts. A breast pump will take around three hours to cause contractions.
If you choose to breastfeed the baby right after delivery, then the stimulation is what will help the uterus to shrink back in its original size. Studies have found how 37% of women who tried this method went into labor within just 72 hours.
4. Red Raspberry Leaf Tea To Induce Labor:
Raspberry leaf tea is an herbal tea that works wonder to induce labor. It is a proven way to induce labor at home. Starting at 34 weeks and drink 3-4 cups of the tea daily. It might not go into labor immediately when you take red raspberry leaf tea, but it may make your contractions stronger and your labor shorter.
Red raspberry leaf has been directly linked to increasing fertility, preventing miscarriage, easing morning sickness, toning the uterus, reducing uterus pain during labor and after birth. Raspberry leaf tea potentially makes your labor progress more quickly and the fastest way to induce labor at home. It reduces the artificial rupture of membranes and regular drinkers that have reported fewer cases of forceps delivery.
Just bring 1 quart of filtered water to a boil and add 1 cup of loose red raspberry leaf tea. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. And then drink throughout the day for natural labor induction.
5. Evening Primrose Essential Oil To Induce Labor:
One of the unique and proven ways to induce labor at home is evening primrose essential oil. It is the best natural remedy for inducing labor. It contains prostaglandins which help to ripen the cervix for labor. The evening primrose essential actually prolongs labor by a few hours longer when applied vaginally. It may also cause early rupture of membranes, meaning that your water breaks before contractions start.
The evening primrose essential oil is a chemical that the body converts into prostaglandins. You can break the EPO capsule and rub the oil on your cervix during nighttime, or you can insert the capsules vaginally before you go to bed. The moist environment of the vagina will melt the capsule and disperse the gel throughout the cervix.
Note: Be sure to wear a pad while you sleep since it can leak. Another option is taking it orally in order to induce labor.
6. Aloe Vera Juice To Induce Labor:
Aloe vera juice works great to initiate birth and labor. This is one of the home remedies to induce labor. Aloe vera juice has a laxative effect which brings the uterine contractions. These compounds in Aloe vera cause birth defects by interfering with healthy cell development of the growing baby.
Note: Aloe Vera should not take during your pregnancy period that is before 36 Weeks. Try to avoid all kinds of aloe vera products during the first trimester to prevent abortion.
Take aloe vera juice by adding 2 tbsp (30ml) of clear Aloe Vera gel into a blender, and add 1 cup (8oz) of any citrus-based juice (optional) such as orange or grapefruit. Blend the juice and gel together and drink it.
7. Cumin Tea To Induce Labor:
During pregnancy to childbirth, cumin tea is also recommended as a way to induce labor. This tea may work to contract the uterus and results in induce labor.
Cumin Tea is known to start contractions almost immediately once take it. It is used by many mothers in the past and passed on to their descendants. Even healthcare specialists and midwives use Cumin Tea to induce labor but there is no scientific data to support this knowledge.
Pregnant women who are past their due dates or experiencing very unhurried progress tried cumin tea and found cumin tea to be a great help in inducing labor. Cumin tea can be a great help in dealing with acidity, (R) digestion and anemia during pregnancy, if not only to induce labor.
8. Cinnamon Tea To Induce Labor:
Cinnamon is another natural remedies to induce labor. Because of this spice factor, it activates the body in ways that could bring about induce labor. There is limited research to support that drinking cinnamon tea will induce labor.
As per Dr. Sunny Jun, (R) an OB-GYN and the co-founder and co-medical director of the San Francisco branch of The Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine tells Romper in an email interview. “There are to be more studies to demonstrate the effects of cinnamon intake on labor induction.”
Dr. Sherry Ross, (R) OB-GYN and women’s health expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, explains that suggestions given by friends, mothers, grandmothers, etc include eating spicy foods, drinking special teas, intense exercise workouts, and acupuncture, all of which people say will “definitely” put you into labor.
Take one cinnamon stick and place it in some boiling water. Boil it gently for between 10 and 15 minutes. And then let it steep for an additional 10 minutes for an intense, rich flavor. If desired, sweeten with a little honey or sugar as per your choice.
9. Chamomile Tea To Induce Labor:
There is no evidence that chamomile tea can induce labor. But there are some reports that Roman and German chamomile can cause a miscarriage, which might be the basis for a belief that chamomile can start labor.
Chamomile has an overall relaxing and sedative effect. The relaxing effect on muscles is the traditional use in relieving menstrual cramps, that occur through the relaxation of the uterus. This effect would counteract labor to induce.
To make chamomile tea pouring 1 cup boiling water over 2 to 3 tablespoons of dried chamomile and allowing it to steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Then strain the tea and have it.
10.Clary Sage Oil To Induce Labor:
Clary sage oil is one of the essential oil that works wonder form ages that help to regulate contractions. It is typically used to get irregular contractions when fall into place. Clary sage oil not only boosts contractions but works as a pain reliever and relaxant too.
Start using the clary sage oil by rubbing a little bit onto the abdomen, pressure points, or just inhaling it on a soft cloth. Clary sage oil is a natural uterotonic, that induce labor and leads to contractions of the uterus. Therefore, it is a natural method to improve the effectiveness of contractions in labor for pregnant women. It also promotes relaxation during labor as it calms the nervous system and acts as a form of pain relief for pregnant women. It may also assist in the birth of the placenta and prevent postpartum hemorrhage (excessive bleeding) due to its ability to cause uterine contractions.
11. Acupressure To Induce Labor:
Acupuncture and acupressure are part of Chinese medicine that is used to induce labor. It is believed that specific areas in the body respond to certain pressure which can bring on contractions. It causes the baby to descend and press on the cervix (causing the cervix to ripen).
There are certain acupressure points which work to relax the body once labor has begun and eased the associated tension with it.
With acupuncture, a practitioner places fine needles at various points along the body to balance your energy flow. Acupressure is the same unique concept, but instead fingers you can use to apply pressure to pressure certain points. It is also pressed during labor induction massages. Certain pressure points are thought to cause contractions.
There are many natural remedies to induce labor that you can do at home. Try these ways what have been provided in the article above for an effective and amazing effect that can induce labor.
