Overdue? Myth busting ways to induce labour now.
So here you are! You’ve counted all the days and weeks to get to your EDD (Estimated Date of Delivery) and yet, still very much pregnant. WTF? You were sure you were going to be someone who had their baby early - “they’ll come early” you said to your friends “I can feel it”. I was that woman. My babies do not come early after all. And statistically, yours probably won’t either. Research tells us that 50% of women and birthing people having their first baby will have given birth by 40 weeks and 5 days and that 75% had given birth by 41 weeks and 2 days.
You may have heard lots of brilliant suggestions for getting yourself into labour, from herbs to sex to castor oil; but do they work?!
Herbal remedies - you may have heard of Raspberry Leaf Tea. There is very little evidence to back up this natural remedy - the only study I have managed to locate suggests that drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea regularly throughout the third trimester (from 28 weeks of pregnancy) can reduce the length of the pushing stage of labour by 10 minutes. Which says nothing about when you will labour, and if you are reading this closer to that mythical due date than 28 weeks, isn’t much help to you I’m afraid.
Sex - there is no definite evidence that sex can trigger labour. However, if you know your stuff about labour hormones (and if you don’t, you NEED to - get yourself onto a hypnobirthing course or buy the Hypnobirthing Pack today!) you’ll know that Oxytocin is the hormone that drives labour and is released with skin-to-skin contact, at orgasm and when you feel safe and loved. Endorphins are also released when we feel good, and as your body’s pain relief chemical stays in your system for a while it’s always worth banking some in later pregnancy. So no, sex isn’t evidenced to start labour, but sex partnered or solo, is a great way to feel the good feelings that can help labour to get off the ground when your baby decides ‘it’s time’!
Castor Oil - the idea behind castor oil (and spicy food too) is to give yourself a bout of diarrhoea. Nice. The theory is that by irritating your bowel, you might stimulate the uterine muscles into action. The evidence is inconclusive. One small study of women and people who were given castor oil after their waters ruptured but labour had not started, found that castor oil increased the likelihood of spontaneous labour within 24 hours. Whilst another study in Australia found no effect on the time of birth, but also no safety concerns. So the jury is out if this traditional technique actually helps - but diarrhoea and potential dehydration and general ick factor might rate high on the Risks part of your BRAIN framework!
Pineapple - pineapple contains an enzyme called Brolamine which digests protein. The theory is that eating pineapple will cause the Brolamine to cause changes in the cervix. There is no evidence for this - but if you eat enough pineapple I suppose you might end up with diarrhoea and end up in a similar place to the castor oil effect.
The thing is, chasing labour doesn’t really work. In western society we find it hard to cede control, to let go of scheduling and planning and to relax into acceptance and waiting. That shit is HARD. And yet, all of the things that we try to do to bring on labour are technically interventions. Even those of us who are keen to have an intervention-free labour and birth find it hard to resist the lure of trying to encourage labour to happen. And yet, we know that babies need to be ready, and to release that fetal fibronectin. We know that what we need is to be calm, relaxed full of endorphins and ready to allow the production of Oxytocin, with no Adrenaline to be seen. Unstressed. Confident. Accepting.
So my advice for what to do as the end of pregnancy approaches? Slow down, get cosy, trust in your incredible birthing body to spontaneously go into labour. Use affirmations, guided relaxations, practice your breathing techniques, eat good food, spend time with good people who make you feel safe and positive. Practice positive reinforcement - read positive birth stories (here) and watch positive birth videos (here). Believe that your birth will be positive.
References
Got more pregnancy questions? Check out our Pregnancy Pack. From two blue lines to babe in arms, we’ve got you.
