We’ve probably all heard of different old wives’ tales to put you into labor. Castor oil, curb walking, sex, pineapple, and red raspberry leaf tea – what’s accurate, and what’s not? When you’re over 35 weeks, complete strangers will offer you advice on how to get that baby out. And, oddly enough, sometimes, you’re desperate enough to welcome it.
When you’re full-term, you may have the time, but you don’t have the patience or energy to try all of the things. I’ve been there! If you turn to other moms or the internet, there are some super crazy suggestions. Let’s break these down.
Old Wives’ Tales for Augmenting Labor
- Walking
- Pineapple
- Red raspberry leaf tea
- Sex
- Curbwalking
- Eating spicy food
- Castor oil
- Nipple Stimulation
- Dates
The Science: What Actually Induces Labor?
Okay, let’s talk about what causes your body to go into labor. Then we’ll understand how each old wives’ tale or doesn’t fit into inducing labor. For the simplicity’s sake, I’m going to keep it basic. There are more complex factors (and a lot of factors we don’t even know about yet), but this is the basic rundown.
In a normal, healthy pregnancy, your body ideally likes to wait to go into labor until it has:
- A relaxed, safe space
- Lots of oxytocin (we actually use a synthetic IV form of oxytocin, known as Pitocin, in the hospital to induce labor)
- A baby that is completely ready to come out
We can’t speed up #3, but we can affect #1 and #2. Let’s dig in.
Walking
Short answer: do it! In a healthy pregnancy, you can almost never go wrong by walking. Studies have shown that women who excercise regularly have less painful labors and shorter labors and births. The theory behind “trying to walk your baby out” is that walking helps the baby descend into your pelvis, where the top of baby’s head puts pressure on your cervix
Pressure on your cervix causes oxytocin production, which is known to induce labor. (This is why proper positioning is so important for labor to start.) So yes, walking can induce labor, but only if your baby is ready to come.
Pineapple
Short answer: probably not gonna kickstart labor, sorry. Some studies have shown that bromelaine, one of the enzymes in pinapple and papaya, caused uterine contractions in rats when the pinapple was applied directly to uterine tissue. However, when the rats were fed pinapple, they didn’t go into labor any sooner.
However, if you like pinapple, go for it! It’s not likely to cause any harm. 🙂
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Even though everyone swears by this urban legend, research doesn’t really support this one. Most studies agree that it’s not very likely to give you an easier labor or birth. Researchers also caution that there may be side effects that we don’t know much about.
Sex
Maybe! We don’t actually know. But here’s what we do know.
We know that prostaglandins have a lot to do with starting labor. We also know that semen carries a TON of prostaglandins. Also, if foreplay includes nipple stimulation, it could increase oxytocin. Orgasm also increases oxytocin. And if you feel more relaxed after orgasm, that can help your body to go into labor as well. So go for it, as long as your water hasn’t broken.
Curbwalking
Do it! We don’t have much research on this one, but if your baby is not positioned ideally, curb walking is thought to help open up your pelvis. This can help baby to shift down and put pressure on your pelvis, which can help you have an easier labor. Curbwalking won’t induce labor if your body isn’t ready, but it can help to make your labor smoother.
Eating Spicy Foods/Castor Oil
Both do the same thing: irritate your bowels. Causing diarrhea and bowel irritation can also induce labor. Again, though, if your baby isn’t ready, it probably won’t work. Just be careful to stay hydrated if you’re experiencing diarrhea.
Nipple Stimulation
Yes, this can increase oxytocin! If your baby is ready, this one can really kickstart labor. It’s also worth noting that nipple stimulation is more effective at raising oxytocin when you do it multiple days in a row. In this study, women were asked to do breast stimulation for a total of 1 hour per day, and researchers noticed significan increases in oxytocin. You can also use a breast pump. Again, if baby’s not ready, this probably won’t work. But if your water has broken and you want to start contractions, this can be super effective!
Dates
Yes, this is a good one, but it doesn’t induce labor. Research indicates that while eating 6 Medjool dates per day does not shorten your pregnancy, it does do a lot. Women who ate dates were more likely to go into labor naturally, were less likely to need pitocin during labor, and had shorter labors. It’s a win-win.
Waiting Courageously
At the end of the day, giving birth naturally will happen when your baby and your body are ready. It’s the way it’s supposed to happen. There isn’t any harm in trying to get your baby out with some of these methods, but we need to trust God’s timing.
Your baby will get here, and he or she’ll be perfect. 🙂
What did you try to induce labor?