Ways to Help Naturally Induce Labor

You are past your due date and your provider is talking about induction and yet you do not want to induce if possible. The question that comes after this talk: is there anything I can do to start labor on my own? There is a lot of question about this as some things work well for some people while others have no success. With my first I tried a lot to make myself go into labor, but nothing worked. I have talked to others that the first thing they tried helped them go into labor. Ultimately, only God can start your labor and sometimes He allows your efforts to push you on over.

With that being said, here are some things that may or may not help you go into labor.

First I suggest you pray, because God is the one who will make labor happen!

Walking- This one is completely up in the air as to whether or not it helps, hinders or has no effect at all on labor. Do not walk until exhaustion, but feel free to try walking as it will not hurt you.

Sex- Sex is one of the best options as long as you are healthy for a few reasons. Semen has prostaglandins in it that help prepare the cervix for labor and can then kick you into labor. It also helps with intimacy and preparing you together for what's to come. There are other techniques I will mention that can be implemented during your time together.

Nipple stimulation- This can be very effective as it releases oxytocin, which is the natural form of pitocin, into your body. You must pay very close attention to your body so you do not over stimulate your uterus leading to contractions that are too long or too frequent. This site has a good basic process to follow.

Acupressure- This can actually feel really nice as it is more of a massage technique. There are 2 primary places to use: 1) The webbing between the thumb and forefinger and 2) 4 fingers above the ankle on the inside of your leg. The spot on your leg is really nice for helping to relax while someone massages your ankles. See this link to learn the process.

Food- There are some foods that may help you go into labor. Some that are out there include: pineapple, spicy food, eggplant parmesan, date fruit, curry, Chinese food and licorice. There is no definitive research to back up any of these, but it can't hurt to try.

Blue or Black Cohash- These are herbs and need to be handled with great care. Please consult your healthcare provider before trying one of these.

Castor Oil- This is another method that should be used with great care. You drink castor oil  or add it to your food causing the bowels to be stimulated, which stimulates the uterus. I have talked to many women who have had success with this. It can cause severe diarrhea. There is also some question as to whether or not it can cause the baby to have a bowel movement in utero. Ask your care provider before using it and use wisdom.

These are just a few well known options. Again pray for wisdom and for God to bring out labor. If you are unsure of anything ask your health care provider.

Have you tried to induce labor naturally? What did you use? Was it successful?

Updated from "Are There Ways To Induce Naturally" on February 18, 2014

Inductions Updated

What is induction of labor? 

This is when medical interventions are taken to cause a woman to go into labor.

When are inductions necessary?

There is certainly some subjectivity to this question, but some cases that may need an induction of labor would include developing pre-eclampsia or pregnancy induced hypertenstion (PIH), low or high amniotic fluid, the baby being too big or too small, and going far over your due date. This is not an exhaustive list but more of the common reasons why induction may be considered.

What medicines are used to induce labor?

Depending on the circumstances different medicines may be used.

Cervidil is used to help prepare the cervix for labor. It is put inside of the woman behind the cervix and left in for up to 12 hours.

Cytotec is also used to prepare the cervix for labor as well. It can be put behind the cervix and absorbed or taken orally. This can be given every 4 hours minimum, depending on contractions.

Pitocin is a synthetic form of the hormone secreted by women to cause labor. It is given through an IV and the dose depends on the provider and how labor is progressing.

A balloon catheter is another device used for induction that does not involve medicine but can be used in conjunction with pitocin to aid in inducing labor. A balloon catheter is inserted by a doctor or midwife into the cervix so that the balloon that is inflated puts pressure on the cervix to aid it in opening.


Three of my births thus far have been inductions and were completely different experiences. I so desired not to be induced, but God taught me so much through them. From my personal experience I definitely would not recommend having an elective induction as my recoveries were a lot easier when I was not induced. Whether or not you should be induced should be a matter of prayer, seeking God's wisdom.

What is your experience with induction?

Updated from Inductions posted on February 17, 2014

McLain's Birth

         From the Archives

          As long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mommy and have lots of babies. Growing up, I practiced mothering on my two brothers, my two cousins, and my multitude of dolls. I baby-sat almost every weekend for a decade and loved every minute of these opportunities to fine tune my diaper changing and bottle warming skills. At 22, I learned that I would be able to use this expertise in April of 2001 on a sweet baby of my own. I was both terrified and absolutely thrilled.

          During the nine months of my pregnancy, I prepared for the arrival of our first addition. As would later become my tradition with every pregnancy, I watched A Baby Story every weekday. I read What to Expect While You’re Expecting until I was so frightened by the possibilities of what could go wrong that Clay took the book away from me and hid it until after our baby was born. I washed loads of baby clothes in Dreft, painted bookshelves, and organized and reorganized the beautiful nursery that Clay and I decorated in stars and moons.

          In December, Clay and I went to the OB/GYN for our baby’s five month sonogram. As the ultrasound tech scanned our baby’s body, we learned that we were going to have a little boy. Knowing we had a son on the way made the idea of parenting a lot more real.

          At 6:00 am Monday, April 2^nd, I awoke briefly to cramping feelings in my back. As they were not too uncomfortable, I went back to sleep until 10:00. At this time, I awoke and put in a recorded tape of Survivor. Snuggling with my husband, we watched the reality show while I experienced continued contractions. Shortly after the show began, I felt my baby make a big turn, perhaps moving his head in the necessary position for exiting. At that point, the contractions moved from my back to my abdomen.

          As I was still six days from my due date and this was my first child, I was uncertain if these contractions were truly labor or a false alarm. Clay began timing them at 10:23, and we noticed that while they were not spaced perfectly apart, they were consistently coming. I called my mom to let her know what was happening, and she agreed to go with Clay and me to my previously scheduled doctor visit that afternoon.

          Hoping that we could speed labor along, my husband and I decided to take a walk. We dressed in shorts and t-shirts, and then I slowly waddled up my street with him, holding his hand. Every two to three minutes I had to pause for a contraction. I was surprised at how close together they were, having expected them to start far apart like all the books, Lamaze instructors, and doctors had said they would.

          After finishing our mile long walk, I went back to our house to shower. My grandmother had since learned that I was in labor and was convinced that if I took a shower that I might very well have the baby in the bathtub. Instead of letting me relax in the shower, she stood her ground in the bathroom and talked to me while I shampooed, conditioned, and shaved my legs. There was no privacy as I readied myself for my OB/GYN appointment.

          At 3:00, nine hours after my first contraction, I went in for my scheduled doctor visit with Clay and my mother. I was nervous in the waiting room and even more anxious in the exam room. While I waited alone for the doctor to enter the room, my contractions continued, and I lay down to ease them. They were not very painful yet, but they were nothing I could ignore.

          The doctor examined me and determined that I was a “loose” one centimeter, 25 percent effaced, and probably in labor. All I could think was nine hours of contractions and only one centimeter? This mama was not happy.

          After the doctor’s visit, Mom, Clay, and I went to Chick-Fil-A. I ate soup and French fries, feeling annoyance and contractions throughout our meal. I knew my baby was on his way, but I had no idea how long it would be before he arrived.

          When we got home, Clay and I went for another walk. Again, I experienced a contraction every two to three minutes, but their intensity wasn’t strong enough to even justify a call to the doctor.  My contractions continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

          At dinner time, we went next door to my mom’s house. My mother had made my favorite vegetable soup, which I ate not knowing that this would be my last meal for the next 26 hours. Clay talked on the phone to a friend while we were there, giving him the details of my labor. As my contractions continued, so did my frustration with Clay being on the phone. After I snapped at him, he quickly hung up, and we headed back to our home.

          Throughout the day, my contractions had slowly increased in intensity but not significantly.  Nevertheless, I was exhausted from the day’s emotions and 18 hours of labor. I crawled into bed at midnight and slept until my bladder woke me up at 3:30 AM. Initially, I thought my water may have broken, but this being my first baby I wasn’t sure. 21 and ½ hours of contractions though prompted Clay and me to ready ourselves for the hospital whether it was my water or my bladder that had broken.  

          After making this decision, I called my mom to give her the update. She said that she would get ready and shortly be over. Clay called his parents, and they made plans to meet us later in the morning at the hospital.

I waddled to the shower and again readied myself. As I sat in my rocking chair and curled my hair, I wondered when my baby was going to make his appearance. A few minutes later, my mom knocked on the door, and we all piled in our car. I was determined that I would not come back home without my baby.

          On the way to the hospital, Clay mentioned that he was hungry. He stopped at the Quik Trip that we passed and went inside to buy powered doughnuts. I was annoyed.

          At 5:00 AM, we arrived at the hospital, a long 23 hours after my first contraction. I was assigned a triage room, and after I changed into a gown, a nurse checked me. She determined that my water had not broken (apparently it had just been my bladder) and that I was still at one centimeter. I was so disappointed. However, the nurse could see that my contractions were painful, so she instructed me to walk the maternity floor for an hour to see if I could further my dilation. And so began the hour of hell.

          Around and around the floor, my mom, Clay, and I walked. Each time a contraction gripped me, I had to stop and cling to Clay. The more I walked the stronger the contractions became. At one point, I claimed to have to use the bathroom and just went into the waiting room restroom to escape having to walk. I was stunned by how horrible the pain was and was ready to run away if there had been any way for me to do so. Reluctantly, I left the bathroom after ten minutes to continue the most painful walk of my 23 years.

          Because my contractions had developed a steady pattern, I would experience one every time I passed the triage station. The nurses witnessed my being able to neither walk nor talk through the pain. I thought nothing of that at the time, but their seeing my physical distress while walking apparently convinced them that I was not experiencing false labor.  

          When the hour was up, I returned to my triage room. Walking even one extra step was not an option to me. I was immediately checked by a triage nurse. She stated that I was still a “loose one,” but she also said that I was now 80% effaced and my cervix was soft. She also explained that because my contractions were clearly regular that I was in labor and here to stay. I was so grateful that a medical person finally believed that I was in labor, something that I had known since my first contraction 24 hours earlier. Briefly, my in-laws came in the triage room, and Clay explained that I was being admitted and that their grandson was on his way.  

          Because I was not eligible for an epidural yet, the nurse offered me a narcotic shot. After having experienced such horrible contractions while walking, I gladly accepted her offer. She gave me the shot in my right hip, and I could feel the medicine’s impact almost immediately. The nurse forbid me to try to walk to my labor and delivery room, even though I had just been doing laps around the hospital floor. In the words of my nurse, “You’re drunk, and you’re not walking anywhere.” Without argument, I sat down in my wheel chair and rode to my new room.

          The narcotic shot was not what I expected. The nurse had told me that that it would “take the edge off” my contractions. However, my pain did not diminish but my ability to stay awake did. Instead of being able to try to relax as the intensity of each contraction built, I would wake at the peak of each one, groggy and terrified of the inescapable pain. I would fuss at my husband to hold my hand as I tried to endure the pain and then would promptly shove him away, so I could go back to sleep as soon as the contraction was over. This cycle continued for ten hours. The frustration of being unable to relieve my interminable exhaustion or pain was the most difficult part of my labor for Clay.

          Throughout the morning and afternoon, many parents, in-laws, siblings, and friends were in and out of my room. This long stretch of labor was painful and hazy to me, especially after I received a second narcotic shot. I remember waking to see my mother-in-law in a rocking chair, my husband eating Taco Bell (which he was forbidden to ever bring into a labor and delivery room again), and my baby brother and little sister in law telling me how they had snuck away from the waiting room to play on the elevator and had gotten in trouble. 

          Brandi, my best friend from high school was at the hospital and didn’t want to miss her opportunity to video the birth. She asked the doctor if she could go to class without missing it. The doctor said, “You could drive to Tennessee and back and this baby still won’t be here.” She went to class and made it back with hours to spare.

          At 3:00, the labor and delivery nurse checked me. After 33 hours of contractions, I was finally deemed to be four centimeters. I was equally grateful to learn that my body was progressing and that I was ready for my epidural. However, I had to endure another hour of contractions before the anesthesiologist arrived at 4:00 to give me the relief I so desperately wanted.  

          As the nurse and anesthesiologist set up my room and readied me for the procedure, I became nervous. My mom told me, “Don’t worry. As soon as you get the epidural, you won’t feel any more pain. The hard part will be over.” I clung to what she said and was later relieved when her comforting words proved to be true.

          Receiving the epidural was nerve wracking. As I sat on the edge of the hospital bed with a pillow in my lap, I tightly gripped the hands of my nurse. She encouraged me to stay curled up like a ball so that the needle could be easily inserted into my spine. However, staying relaxed and in this uncomfortable position while being hit with a contraction was almost impossible. Thankfully, the anesthesiologist was patient and able to place my epidural between contractions. The procedure was quickly finished. More importantly, the contractions I experienced while I received my epidural were the last ones I felt during this labor. My mother was right. The pain was over. 

          After receiving my epidural, I was happier and willing to interact with my visitors between my drug induced naps. My family and friends periodically came in to talk to me. However, I was still very tired because of the narcotics and slept the majority of the evening, waking periodically to scratch my face or my chest. Itchiness proved to be a side effect of the medication in the epidural, but I hid that information from the nurses as I did not want them to turn it off. I much preferred itchiness over pain.

          Not long after getting my epidural, my body began to relax and my contractions grew less frequent. My nurse followed my doctor’s orders and added Pitocin to my IV to help reregulate my contractions. In less than four hours after this medicine was administered, I went from four to ten centimeters. I was ready to push but unfortunately the medical staff was not.

          Not surprisingly, multiple women were in labor at the same time I was.  Because of them, I had to wait until other women delivered before my midwife or nurse could prepare my room and me for my son’s delivery.  During this time, I started shaking. My exhaustion and nerves were reaching their peak. I was ready for this long labor to be over and to meet my baby. Testiness began to overwhelm me before I even began to push.

          At about 7:45, I was finally prepped and ready. My labor and delivery nurse sat on the end of my bed and instructed me when to breathe, when to push, and when to relax. Clay and my mom stood on either side of me while Brandi stood back and to the left of the bed with a video camera. Through my narcotic haze, I began pushing. It was awkward. It was difficult. It was also extremely embarrassing to be that exposed to so many people in my room.

          I pushed and was encouraged. I pushed and was cheered on. This cycle continued and still I had no baby after an hour had passed. The nurse coached me to try long pushes while holding my breath. Still no baby. The midwife told me to try short pushes with every other contraction. Still no baby. My frustration could not be contained as I told everyone in the room to be quiet and threatened to kick my mother out of the room if she made one more joke. This exhausted mama was about to lose it.

          Because my laboring was taking so long, my midwife and nurse could not stay in my room the entire time. They began checking on other mothers, leaving me in the room with just Clay, my mom, and Brandi. Despite their absence, I continued my pushes with each contraction and finally saw my son’s head begin to emerge. I was so completely ready to be finished with this labor that I was unconcerned if there was any medical staff in the room to deliver my son or not. I kept pushing. 

          The nurse returned and immediately summoned the midwife who was surprised by my obvious progress when she reentered my room. As she quickly slipped on her gloves and delivery garb, she told me to relax and not to push. I was aggravated and just wanted this delivery to be over. After what seemed like an eternity to me, my midwife instructed me to push with my next contraction.

          With Clay and my mother each holding one of my legs, I pushed with every ounce of strength I had remaining. Slowly and through several more contractions, my baby finally made his entrance with a great rush of amniotic fluid that sprayed all over his daddy’s arm. I was overwhelmed at the sweet sight of him.

          After 39 ½ very long hours of labor and an hour and twenty minutes of pushing, Bryan McLain entered my world at 7 pounds 4 ounces and 20 inches long. God blessed his father and me with a strong, healthy, incredible son that captured my heart from the moment I first looked at him, forever changing me from daughter, sister, and wife to mom. I am so eternally grateful that God chose me to be McLain’s mother and cannot imagine my life without him. 

~Shared by Ashley B.

Vitamin B6 and Unisom

Morning sickness is a common problem among most women in early pregnancy and everyone wants to know what to do to help. There are many things to try from ginger to Phenergan. In my last pregnancy the combination of vitamin B6 and Unisom was suggested to me if I did not want to take stronger medicines. I had been told B6 could help with nausea during my 3rd trimester with my 5th pregnancy but it did not seem to help and I was not told about Unisom. I was a little skeptical about it, but decided to give it a try. I was shocked that it worked!

Here is what you do. Take a tablet of B6 three times a day with meals and take the Unisom right before bed.

I do not think anyone really knows why it works, but it helped me so much this time. My guess is that it helps you get really deep sleep. I still had to eat first thing in the morning, but it helped me to actually be hungry so I could eat. Make sure you eat something high protein with a good carb to help keep the nausea away the rest of the day. This helps in keeping other medications from being needed if you are wanting to avoid them.

Have you tried this combination for nausea? Did it work for you?

Ultimately God Starts Labor

People are always trying to find ways to start labor so that they can give birth. I'm in one of those modes currently as I am ready to have my baby and have been for a couple of weeks. A week ago my doctor asks me, "This is your 6th and you do not know what puts you into labor?" which really frustrated me because the answer is NO! Of my previous 5, three of my babes were induced and the two that were not induced had not connection of me doing this or that to put me into labor.

The conclusion: only God can ultimately start your labor. 

This is true even when induced. My 5th took forever to kick in even with pitocin running through my veins. God and God alone puts us into labor. God and God alone brings forth life. With my first I tried everything I was comfortable with to attempt to get my labor to start on its own, and nothing worked. My body was ready, but it never kicked in on its own. By God's grace a pictocin induction worked for me. With each I have tried different things at different times and for me nothing is the "Key". This is not true for everyone. Some people know exactly what puts them into labor, which is God's grace. Some never go into labor on their own, but need help. This is God's grace too, because it reminds us that He is ultimately in control and we are not.

What is your experience with labor starting? How have you seen God working in it.

Matthew's Birth

From the Archives

Baby number five was an odd challenge.  We thought we were done after number four.  But not long after we brought number four home, our eldest started saying, “God is going to give us another baby.”  We would shake our heads and say “Ok” and move on.  Then he started saying, “God is going to give us another baby and it is going to be a boy.”  Mind you, he is six and we already decided we were done; two boys and two girls seemed perfect.  Besides we were running out of room in the van.  When he started saying, “God is going to give us another baby and it’s going to be a boy and we’ll name him Matthew” we started to wonder. 

Then we got pregnant.  I am not one of those women who love being pregnant.  I am “morning sick” all day and way past 12 weeks. Also, I carry way out front, like so far that it scares people when I turn around in the end of pregnancy, “whoa! I totally didn’t know you were pregnant, you’re huge!” 

So we had to find out if this would be a boy baby, and get used to the idea of a baby with the name Matthew.  When I looked it up in our names dictionary, I discovered something cool.  Matthew means gift of God, and so does Nathanael, our eldest.  So the name seemed super fitting considering the surrounding circumstances.

Our first hiccup came with my initial blood work.  I got a call back from the midwife’s office saying they were referring me to maternal-fetal specialists because one of my labs came back elevated.  We found out at maternal-fetal that my anti-e was elevated.  Basically, the thing to worry about was if Matthew’s blood type was incompatible with mine, then at some point my body would consider him a threat and my antibodies would go after him and his blood supply.  He went on to say this usually happens in high frequency pregnancy mamas—this being number seven for me, it all made sense to him.  So as long as this anti-e stayed below a certain number there was no worry.  This meant I could continue to see the midwives, but had to get poked at every appointment.

Thankfully that lab work never spiked again!  My pregnancy was normal up to the going one week past my due date.  My parents got in town and the next day I was timing contractions again.  They would taper off if I lied down in the last week, but this day they wouldn’t just go away.  I tried doing dishes, still they were there.  I tried lying on the couch, now they started to take my breath away.  I sent my husband a text message at 2 saying they wouldn’t go away.  He left work.  At three o’clock I left the house with the library books that were due that day, asking my husband to just drive to the drop box on the way to the hospital.  Halfway there, we changed our minds.  It was getting harder and harder to concentrate, and we weren’t going to make it if we detoured.

I checked into the desk and they got the room ready.  My midwife came in and looked at me and said she was going to go down the hall to tell the other mother she had there that she was going to stay with me because she was not going to miss delivering this baby.  She came back in and broke my water to make it easier.  Forty-five minutes after checking in at the front desk we had Matthew in our arms!  It was wonderfully fast and during the day! 

The next morning, my husband brought up all the brothers and sisters to meet Matthew.  As they were walking up to the hospital Hannah started to skip and fell.  She ended up spending half the day after meeting Matthew waiting in the ER with Dad for 5 stitches to close up her chin.

God was merciful to us in giving us one more gift of a son.  We wouldn’t trade any of our five kids or their birth stories for anything.  Our van is completely amazed out now, and my husband is building a triple bunk bed for the boys.  God is good.

~ Shared by Laura A. 

Psalm 127

Psalm 127 is another great Psalm for preparing for labor as it reflects that God is the One who builds our homes. 

Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lord guards the city,

The watchman keeps awake in vain.

2 

It is vain for you to rise up early,

To [a]retire late,

To eat the bread of [b]painful labors;

For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

3 

Behold, children are a [c]gift of the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

4 

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one’s youth.

5 

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;

They will not be ashamed

When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Children are a heritage from the Lord, a gift. God is the building our homes as He gives us children. Pregnancy, labor and birth are part of this process. As you seek prepare for your family to grow, your pregnancy and your birth remember that God is ultimately in control. Hand your plans to Him and wait with anticipation to see what He will do.

What Scriptures speak to you?