How to bring on labour is a huge topic amongst many pregnant woman nearing the end of their 9 month pregnancy marathon. We have been through it all, sickness, cravings, mood swings, weight gain, stretch marks, uncomfort…. etc etc And now we just want it to be over! We want to hold our little baby in our arms safe and protected from the world by mummy. It is understandable why we are eager to bring on the inevitable labour when we are near the end, we worry about the baby growing too big, the longer it is inside, whether the Placenta can sustain the baby if it goes over 40 weeks and all other kind of worries – Just to reassure you, I went 9 days over with Thomas, he was perfectly fine, the placenta can sustain for at least 2 weeks over so there is no worry there, They usually induce you if you are more then 10 days past your due date anyway.

A couple of weeks before my due date, I started reading about the different methods on how to bring on labour. All the methods were not scientifically proven, yet they had worked for some women! Also I think when your near the end of your pregnancy your willing to try anything, if only to keep your mind occupied and keep you busy while you wait…and wait.

1. A Hot Bath
I took full advantage of this old wives tale to bring on labour! Apparently a hot bath will relax your muscles and help them to open up bringing on the labour process. I had a hot bath every night, with candles and relaxing music! I loved it, time on my own gave me chance to relax and think about things, I am so glad I took full advantage of my baths when I was pregnant as since having Thomas I am lucky if I get a bath, it’s usually a quick shower while he is asleep.

2. Raspberry Leaf Tea
I read that the natural ingredients within raspberry leaf tea will soften your cervix, although for this to occur you need to take raspberry leaf tea for a number of weeks. On the other hand It is important not to start drinking Raspberry leaf tea too early as it could bring on a miscarriage due to the softening of the cervix (It does say this on the Raspberry Leaf Tea packet). I took raspberry leaf tea from around 35 weeks although it had no effect. If you are not keen on the tea there are also the Raspberry Leaf  Tea capsules – Some people say the tea is better others disagree and say the capsules are best.

3. Sex
I did not enjoy this method of bringing on labour,  was huge! Felt really unattractive with my stretch marks and all my weight gain. Nevertheless I gave it a whirl, apparently semen has something in it that weakens the sack around the baby which will encourage your waters to break. Having sex late in your pregnancy can’t harm your baby as nothing goes near the baby. I also remember reading that a female orgasm can also help to bring on labour. This wives tale is meant to be the most true of them all as there is some scientific proof.

4. A Hot Curry
A hot curry is meant to bring on labour as they often make you need to go to the toilet, any form of diarrhoea or bowel movements will loosen you up down there, encouraging labour. Some people have a spoonful of Castor Oil to create the same effect, although I think castor oil can make you go to the toilet in the extreme, therefore it is highly Not recommended to try as it may cause some complications.

5. Squats
Any form of gentle exercise is said to help bring on labour as you are naturally aiding the baby to get into position, pushing it down into the birthing canal. I borrowed a large yoga ball and used this to sit on and bounce gently several times a day. I also did squats and plenty of walking, I am a strong believer that exercise during pregnancy is great for both mum and baby! When a mum to be is out of breath slightly through exercise she passes lots of positive hormones onto the baby which will make the baby feel good and give it a burst of energy. Squats help to get the baby into position and increases mums stamina ready for birth.

I tried all the methods named above in attempt to bring on labour, although they were all done in vain as my cheeky chappy decided not to turn around! He was quite happy to stay head up, it wasn’t until I was 8 days overdue the doctor realised I had a breached baby! You can read about my birth experiences here. In hindsight I should have sat back, relax and make the most of my final weeks of pregnancy as I have not had a chance to since Thomas was born! Plus no matter how many methods I tried to bring on labour nothing would have worked because I had a breached baby. I do agree though that it is important to keep your mind occupied at this important time, therefore trying a few of the methods cant hurt I suppose.

(This blog is a continuation from part 2)

Well the 9th December came and went, and no signs of labour! I tried all the usual remedies to bring on labour – Hot curry, raspberry leaf tea, bouncing on a ball but nothing worked. My over due appointment at the hospital was on 17th December I waddled to the appointment, by this point I was huge and felt ready to burst, I was told that going off my bump the baby was going to be a good size. The consultant examined me as I had many times before, although this time the doctor was a little quiet and looked puzzled. I quickly became worried and asked what was wrong, she said that the baby may be breached! We were speechless, but at that moment everything seemed to fall into place – Only ever feeling kicks very low down, never having felt that heavy bowling ball feeling! A scan confirmed that my baby was breached. Being 8 days over due it was too late to try to turn the baby around, I didn’t really want that either as it sounded painful. I expressed I wanted to have a Cesarin section (C-Section) I just wanted to get my baby out safely many known breached babies are delivered at 38 weeks by section, I was almost 42 weeks pregnant!

Because of the time of the year I could not have a section that day, all the c sections were booked in. I was kept in hospital and told that the next day they would try to fit me in for the section. My husband and I are nice people, we don’t like making a fuss or shouting. I expressed my concerns to get the baby out as soon as possible and was told the chances of having the operation the next day were very high. So I accepted that I would likely have the baby the next day, but in the back of my mind I had doubts that they would fit me in on the 18th December as they sounded very busy. Nathan went with me to the ward and stayed with me for a short while, but it was out of the visiting hours so he had to go. The moment he left the ward I remember watching him walk down the  corridor leaving me with such an empty feeling, I felt lonely and scared. I know Nathan hated leaving me, it was the thought of the unknown, we were both still in shock from finding out past my due date that our baby was breached! I was one of four girls on the ward, we were all waiting to have our babies. I looked out of the window there was a thin layer of snow on the ground, snow was falling, the hospital car park looked like a winter picture, it was lovely. I looked out of the window for some time to try to calm myself down and relax, I was in the best place.

(The Road To Parenthood Part 4 Continues Here)