How To Induce Labor

The average gestation for a pregnancy is 40 weeks. If you start to carry towards 42 weeks your doctor may suggest that you be induced. There are other reasons a doctor may suggest to induce an expecting mother, most of them are medical reasons. Some women will ask to be induced for reasons of their own. When your doctor suggests a medical inducement he will go over the different ways it can be started. Your doctor will also tell you all the risks involved with inducing a labor.

One way to start labor is to artificially rupture your membrane. Your doctor will use a sterile, plastic, thin hook and brush it against the membranes just inside your cervix. This will break your water and produce the hormone prostaglandin which will increase contractions. This can be done at a regular doctor’s office.

Stripping your membranes is similar to artificially rupturing your membranes; it can be done at the office. Your doctor will insert their finger into your cervix and sweep the membranes away from the mouth of the cervix. This will also produce the hormone prostaglandin which will help increase the occurrence of contractions.

After both of these you will go home and wait for labor to start. If your membrane has been ruptured you don’t want to go for more than 24 to 48 hours without signs of labor. This could lead to an infection.

The other most common medical ways to induce labor is through administering artificial hormones. The hormones that are used are called prostaglandins and Pitocin.

If you are being administered the artificial hormones; you will be admitted to the delivering hospital and given an IV that will deliver the hormone into your body. Prostaglandins are used for ripening the cervix. These can be administered as a suppository. The pitocin will start contractions in your uterus. Your body naturally produces oxytocin or artificially known as pitocin at high levels during active labor.

There are also more natural ways to start labor. Some are not medically tested and the success rates of these are not guaranteed. Sex is one of the most common natural ways that labor can be induced. If it’s comfortable for the woman, and the doctor has approved, you can have sex up till the time your water breaks. Semen has the hormone prostaglandins in it, and orgasm releases oxytocin, which causes uterine contractions. So sex is a great way to naturally start labor on your own. Nipple stimulation has been shown to work for some women, it produces pitocin also.

Some women also swear by eating or drinking things such as castor oil, evening primrose oil (which only ripens the cervix), spicy foods and blue and black cohosh which are herbs that can help. A good walk can also be helpful to get the baby into position. A more natural way without ingesting anything is to use acupressure. Acupressure can be performed by the expecting mother and by her partner. There are no side effects with this and it has been proven to work without any harmful side effects. All you need to know is the pressure points and how long to massage or press those points.

Whichever route you go, always seek the medical advice of your doctor first. He will be able to tell you the pros and cons of each and lead you in the best course of action.