If you have reached the post dates of your pregnancy, and have been visiting your doctor who confirmed that your baby could be born “any day now” but that, unfortunately, you are not currently in labor, you are probably interested in natural ways to get your labor started.

However, you should not blindly follow advice from anyone and everyone who is willing to give it.

One of the common methods to induce labor at home is taking herbal tablets or tinctures, such as Blue or Black Cohosh. People, who have heard, somewhere, that these medicinal herbs can be used for inducing labor naturally, quite commonly recommend these herbs. Unfortunately, many of these well wishing persons are not familiar with the cautions of medicinal herbs. We easily tend to think that taking natural herbs and plants could not possibly hurt us. However, think again, where do many of our medicines come from? Plants! Although many of these medicines are now produced synthetically, the chemical formulas are from the medicinal herbs.

Before considering using Black Cohosh for inducing your labor, be aware that it is listed as an herb that promotes bleeding. Midwives and doctors have seen several women bleed severely after the pregnant mother had induced her labor with this herb. Also, if a cesarean section is required, the need for blood transfusion from excessive blood loss becomes more likely. Note, also, that if you are anemic, you should not take Cohosh as it can worsen your condition. As a bottom line, if you are going to use any herbs to induce your labor naturally, use them cautiously and under supervision of an experienced herbalist.

Safer at-home methods to induce labor include nipple stimulation, which helps aid the body in releasing its own natural oxytocin. Another is walking, which keeps you upright and exerts downward pressure on the cervix, helping you toward cervical effacement and dilation. In addition, do not forget about simple relaxation! Anxiety increases the level of stress hormones that may delay your labor.

The above-mentioned methods to induce labor are among the most well-known, regardless - or maybe because – of their “old wives’ tales” reputation. Acupressure, on the other hand, has been scientifically proven to be extremely helpful in inducing labor naturally when induction of labor is necessary. Due to an excellent success rate, safety and convenience of using maternity acupressure, it is quickly spreading among the labor care professionals. Maternity acupressure involves the application of pressure onto specific, sensitive points along the human body. Acupressure uses fingers and thumbs, as opposed to needles in acupuncture, to stimulate specific acupressure points.

Maternity Acupressure method is as simple as locating sensitive spots on your skin and stimulating them by merely pressing the points with your thumb. Thus you can safely use this method at home. Indeed, today, many midwives recommend pregnant mothers near their EDD to use maternity acupressure in order to prepare their body for labor and to help their cervix to dilate. It is recommended that pregnant mothers treat acupressure points that help to start labor naturally, in order to avoid medical labor induction and ensuring childbirth with minimum amount of medical interventions.

There is absolutely nothing on earth that compares to carrying a child. Those nine months when a woman is pregnant are both joyous and strenuous. It’s truly miraculous to watch your body changing all with the anticipation of becoming a new mom. Every pregnancy is unique and just as some women deliver before their due date, others actually pass the date and are still waiting for the moment when labor begins. If you are one of these women, you are probably losing patience and have already considered the merits of medically being induced. If you want a safer route, there are ways of naturally inducing labor that you can try at home.

One of the safest ways of naturally inducing labor is to exercise. Obviously you’re not going to have the stamina to run a marathon but taking a brisk walk can move things along to the point that contractions will start. If you’re alone, it’s important to walk with a cell phone in hand. You never know how quickly labor will progress once it begins and you don’t want to be without medical aid. If your partner is available, take a walk together. It’s a great way to talk about the impending delivery and to plan for what’s in store for all three of you in the days, months and years ahead.

Feeling stressed and anxious can actually impact when labor will begin. It’s obviously understandable for an expectant mom, who is overdue, to be feeling stressed about when the baby will arrive. Therefore, it’s not surprising that one of the best ways of naturally inducing labor is to relax. It’s not always easy but it’s imperative. Pick an activity that you really enjoy and enlist the help of a friend. It may be taking an afternoon to go out for a decadent lunch and then shopping. Maybe there’s a movie that you’ve been longing to see. Just take a break from thinking about baby and focus on you. If you can do this, you’ll stand a much better chance of entering the delivery room sooner rather than later.

Using reflexology labor techniques is very safe if your pregnancy is full term or you are overdue. Reflexology labor techniques are a part of holistic reflexology practice. Used widely, this ancient technique is based on the premise that points on the feet reflect body’s structure. Stimulating these points, reflexes are sent to those body parts which in turn produces the desired reaction.

With labor techniques, feet are used to apply pressure to. Specific points on the feet create a reaction from uterus or ovaries. By apply pressure to the outside of your foot, just below the ankle, creates the reaction from ovaries. On the other hand, when applied to the inner side of the foot and below the ankle bone, the pressure causes a reaction from the uterus.

It is believed that reflexology labor techniques can ease the body into delivering the baby by naturally stimulating contractions. By stimulating the uterus point on the foot, hormones that speed up delivery are produced. These hormones are produced by the pituitary gland and they prompt contractions, soften the cervix, and allow for faster, easier birth. These hormones are naturally produced by the woman’s body and reflexology labor techniques can help their production greatly. In terms of official medicine, these hormones are given to the woman to accelerate her labor.

When using reflexology labor techniques, apply gentle but firm enough pressure. Each point should be stimulated for a few minutes. The beauty of reflexology is that they it is applicable before and during the labor. They prepare the body for birth and make that birth more comfortable for both mom and the baby.

Conception of pregnancy is a natural process so why shouldn’t we use reflexology labor techniques to induce labor the way Mother Nature intended if there are no medical reasons to stop us?

Are you ready to say “hello!” to your little one?

There’s no denying that being pregnant is a wondrous experience. It’s also full of anticipation as you’re waiting for your due date to arrive. But what happens if that day passes and you’re still waiting to deliver? Most physicians are quick to suggest medical induction, but not all women are comfortable with that route. If you’re wondering about how to induce labor naturally, you’ve got a few safe choices to consider.

The question of how to induce labor naturally has been asked by women for years and years. It’s difficult, frustrating and uncomfortable when you are overdue with no end in sight. One approach that many women try is walking. Walking is one of those exercises that have loads of benefits. One of those benefits happens to be that walking can help start labor. It can be a little cumbersome for a full term soon to be new mom to walk any distance but it’s important to try. Walking releases oxytocin which can send your body into labor. It’s essential to find a buddy to walk with and also be mindful of how tired you get.

Making love has long been touted as one way to begin the labor process. This is a great approach as long as your water has yet to break. Naturally it’s not easy being intimate when you are at or near the end of your pregnancy. It’s uncomfortable and tiring. It can be very beneficial though so if you feel you have the energy it’s well worth giving it a try.

If you love spicy food now is the time to indulge. Who would have thought that Mexican food was the answer to the question of how to induce labor naturally? Any type of spicy dish will do. Be careful not to overindulge though. If you’re like most pregnant woman you’ve had more than your share of indigestion during your pregnancy already, so be careful with the portion size.

How to jump start labor is a question many women want to know the answer to. If you are already full term and are awaiting that first contraction that signals you’re on the road to delivery, you likely have been telling yourself to be patient. That’s incredibly hard to do when you are anticipating one of the most important events of your life. If you are near your due date or it has already passed there are actually ways to induce labor naturally that might get you in the delivery room sooner rather than later.

Cumin tea is one of the ways to induce labor naturally that is commonly used in many countries around the world. Cumin is spicy and it fits into the idea that spicy foods bring on contractions. If you want to brew a cup of this strong tea just add a tablespoon of cumin seed to boiling water. Let it steep a few minutes and then add a bit of sugar or honey to help take the edge off the cumin. Drink this several times throughout the day. It can cause indigestion though so be certain not to drink two cups too close together.

Pineapple may be one of the answers to the question of how to jump start labor. This seems a little far fetched but there are many new moms who will tell you this is one of the ways to start contractions. Many tropical fruits can be substituted for the pineapple though, including kiwi, mango and papaya. The natural enzymes found in this fruit are believed to stimulate the uterus so contractions begin. It’s a delicious way to try to push your body into labor. It’s worth visiting the grocery store and making yourself a tropical fruit salad.

Castor oil is one of those ways to induce labor naturally that pregnant women turn their noses at. It’s no secret that castor oil is not pleasant, but many women believe it’s what started their labor. If you do decide to take this approach you’ll need to add the oil to something to ingest it. Some suggestions include fruit juice or adding it to vinaigrette dressing and then eating it on a salad. Be forewarned that castor oil does cause stomach issues and you may find yourself battling diarrhea. This isn’t something a very pregnant woman wants to deal with so weigh the negative against the positive when it comes to castor oil to jump start labor.

Many women are looking for ways to induce labor when they are on the 39th week of gestation. They are several options but the main you might consider: medical induction or natural inducing method.

In order to choose either one, you have to be sure that this method is safe and effective for you and the baby. If you want to start contractions, I would suggest Acupressure.

Maternity Acupressure is a technique that does not harm your baby and does not have negative effects. It consists in applying pressure with your thumbs to specific points in your body. You can do it at home because it does not require any special device or equipment. It is also known that Acupressure helps reducing the pain and discomfort during labor.

Acupressure can help with labor pain, relaxation, anxiety and more. It can also be used to induce labor, which makes it a wonderful and natural method for inducing labor rather than taking a more medical approach. Some women even use Maternity Acupressure to help with post delivery pain, relaxation and anxiety.

Research also shows that Maternity Acupressure can shorten your delivery by more than 2 hours. Most of the women who have used it have started labor within 48 hours.

Maternity Acupressure is so simple and easy to use. Your husband or partner can help you a lot during the labor and delivery process using this technique. So, if you are looking for a natural childbirth and want to be involved with your partner in the birth of your child, I think Maternity Acupressure is a great way to start.

You should have a look to the website and decide if would like to try or not. I personally recommend it. Check out at http://www.maternityacupressure.com

Are the natural ways to induce labor really safe? Some are - So let’s have a look and see if we can get this baby moving!

A lot of mums know how you feel! You get to 40 weeks… Your due date, and you wait with fingers crossed and baited breath, and still nothing.

An appointment with your midwife reveals no real activity, your baby is happy inside, and has no intention of coming out, whether you like it or not!

Most midwives won’t recommend induction until 42 weeks, but that really doesn’t help you at all. And when you are ready for medical intervention, it’s really not that pretty! You could have membrane sweep, where your midwife will sweep her finger over your cervix. Your midwife or consultant may break your waters (out comes the huge crochet hook) This method can cause your labor to be particularly painful. You may be given a drip or a pessary to try and stimulate labor.

I’m sure you would much rather get labor started yourself!

You feel bulky, slow and sluggish. You have a constant need to pee, you can’t get comfy to get a decent nights sleep. Even walking down the stairs in the morning is about as much as you can manage for the whole day! Above all you just want your baby out! Not that you haven’t enjoyed the last 9 months. But your body is exactly that… Yours! And after sharing it for 40 weeks, you need a rest.

So what can you try to get things moving, what natural ways are there of self inducing labor?

Some are highly recommended, others are murky waters that not many women will really want to try. One method is having rave results (We’ll save that one till last!) And looking at the other side of the coin, one method in particular you would have to be mad to try (never mind desperate) We’ll get to that one later.

Let’s start with some easy ones:

Self inducing labour

• Walking, and no - you are not competing in the marathon. Just a nice steady walk.
• Spicy food. As hot as you can manage, but watch out for heartburn and diarrhoea after this one!
• Sex… Oh yes ladies! This may be the last thing that you fancy, but the Oxytocin released from having sex can help to contract your uterus. Prostaglandins found in sperm can also help by softening the cervix ready for labor.

I think most women may have already heard of the above tips, but here are some you may not have heard of. You should also check with your midwife before trying these next methods.

• Nipple stimulation, You have to simulate the suckling motion of a baby. This has to be carried out for quite a while, not a quick 5 minute fix! This method can cause very strong contractions and should be used with care.
• Red raspberry leaf tea. This is believed to stimulate the uterus, and should not be used until the last 3 months of pregnancy.
• Black Cohosh, a herb believed to kick start labor. Although no concrete evidence that this works. Do check with your medical practitioner first.
• Homoeopathy, you should contact a qualified specialist if you decide to try this method.

So you have now armed yourself with a few things to try. The one that you should definitely avoid is…

Castor oil - Although some women will swear that this will induce labor, it will more than likely make you vomit and cause a bad case of diarrhoea. This in turn can cause dehydration - A very bad thing to happen if you are pregnant. Basic advice, give this one a miss!