I’m sure we’ve all heard of them. Or we’ve heard of some of them at least, but here’s a few popular Old Wives Tales about how to induce labour:
- Raspberry Leaf Tea
- Caster Oil
- Hot Curry
- Long Walks
- Reflexology
- Sex
If I’m honest, in the early days of pregnancy I would simply have laughed these off as ridiculous and any results are purely coincidental. But as we’re now getting to the point where Mrs C might be induced in hospital, I’m more inclined to give them a go. And we have. Here’s how each one is supposed to help induce labour and our experiences:
Raspberry Leaf Tea
Raspberry leaf tea is thought to help soften the cervix and reduce the length of time women are in labour. As Wendy Hoyland explains on the Baby Centre Web site:
“In a study carried out in Sydney, Australia, 192 first-time mums were given at random either a 1.2g raspberry leaf tablet or a placebo twice a day from 32 weeks of pregnancy. The herb had no harmful effects on mother or baby, and those women who had taken raspberry leaf tablets were found to have a shorter second stage of labour and a lower rate of forceps delivery (19.3% versus 30.4%).”
Raspberry leaf tea should not be taken early on in the pregnancy (not until the last 2 months) due to the effect it has on the uterus but despite this only being one study it does seem to work.
Mrs C has only just started drinking raspberry leaf tea (maybe a month too late) but she’s enjoying it even if it does nothing for her labour.
Caster Oil
If you’re bunged up in the bowel; you cant beat a good dose of caster oil. This could be the reason why it helps women in labour. The emptying of the bowel is a sign that you are going into labour (as this give your baby a little more room when making his way to the exit).
There is also a school of thought that by putting your bowel into spasm, you can encourage your uterus to contract. A definite plus if you want to push a baby out.
The down side to Caster Oil is that most people think it has an unpleasant taste and after just one dose they can’t bring themselves to have another. Oh, and it makes you “evacuate the Bakerloo line” within 3 hours of taking it.
Mrs C hasn’t tried caster oil yet. I think that this will be a last gasp solution for her as even the thought of the taste is putting her off!
Hot Curry
Hot curry (in fact spicy food in general) is thought to work along the same lines as caster oil. Emptying your bowels and encouraging your uterus to contract.
Having a full stomach when going into labour can just cause vomiting; so timing that Chicken Biryani just right is all important.
Mrs C is a big fan of spicy food, and we’ve been eating quite a lot of curries recently - but obviously with no success.
Long Walks
Walking in labour is thought to help move the baby’s head down into a good birthing position. As you walk and your hips sway side-to-side, as well as the effects of gravity from stood up, the baby can move down into the opening in your pelvis.
An active first stage of labour is also said to reduce the total length of labour. This could be because walking and being upright encourages more blood to flow to your uterus make contractions stronger and more efficient.
This really seems to have an effect on Mrs C. Whenever we come back from a walk, she always seems to have spasms and mild cramps. I think we’ll be going round the park a few more times before Wednesday comes to see if this will make junior get a move on.
Reflexology
Although the thought that rubbing some ones foot in different place to cause a reaction else where in the body seems a little far fetched at first it does seem to generate genuine results (after all, putting someones fingers in cold water when they are sleeping can cause them to wet themselves).
There a many professional Reflexologists that will give foot massages specifically to help induce labour. A lot of these seem to focus on stimulating area on the foot related to the pituitary gland.
When Mrs C contacted a local Reflexologist she was told “It can help but I’m making no promises it will work”.
Even if it doesn’t induce labour, at least you get a nice foot massage.
Sex
Sex is actually scientifically proven to help labour. Semen contains prostaglandins which helps stimulate contractions. This may be a typical man thing to say, but I’m inclined to believe that this is the most likely to succeed. Science has proven it!
Your Experiences
Please feel free to let me know of your experiences by leaving a comments below.
