Unusual Things I Tried to Induce Labor and How Each One Made Me Feel

Do these labor-inducing tricks actually work? Jen Glantz put them to the test!

By: Jen Glantz

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I Tested 5 Labor-Inducing Methods

As soon as I approached my 40th week of pregnancy, I found myself eager to finally meet my baby. Not only was I excited to become a mom, but I was also ready to say goodbye to a long list of pregnancy symptoms, like random food aversions and sudden pains that would pop up all over my body.

Since I was past the 39-week mark — which is considered by some experts as a full-term pregnancy — I decided to do everything I could to naturally induce labor. After reading endless suggestions from people on mom Facebook groups and message boards, I put together a list of unusual tactics to try and did them every day until I finally went into labor at 42 weeks.

Here are five things I did at home every day to induce labor and how I felt doing each of them.

Blowing Up Balloons

After venting to a friend about being so ready to not be pregnant anymore, she suggested an odd technique that she swears helped her go into labor with both of her kids: blowing up balloons.

The thought behind this method is that blowing air into the balloon increases abdominal pressure, which in turn puts more pressure on the cervix to help induce labor.

When I did this daily, it felt more like an upper ab workout than anything else. But I stuck with it because it was easy to do while watching TV and lounging on the couch.

Acupuncture

One of the most suggested ways that I found when researching on the internet was acupuncture. I’ve never tried this before and feared I wouldn’t like it because I’m scared of needles. But some research says that acupuncture could help soften and dilate the cervix. So, I decided to give it a try.

I searched a local Facebook group to find an acupuncturist who specializes in working with pregnant people. When she came over, she put the needles in different parts of my body — like my hand, foot, and forehead — and had me lay still for 30 minutes. The needles didn’t hurt and within a few minutes, I forgot they were even in me and I went to sleep. When my session was over, I felt drowsy and relaxed.

While I had heard that acupuncture can induce labor within 24 hours, it didn’t seem to work that quickly for me. I went into labor about 7 days after my one acupuncture session.

Miles Circuit

A friend of mine who is a doula recommended I try something called the Miles Circuit, a three-part series that is said to help get the baby in an ideal position for birth.

The first part of the series is to get into an open knee chest position, which is said to help the baby move out of the pelvis and give them room to rotate and shift their head. The second part is an exaggerated side lying position, which helps the baby get into an optimal position. Finally, the last part is to get moving with side lunges or curb walking, which helps the baby drop lower to prepare for labor.

I attempted to do the Miles Circuit every day, though doing the first part was incredibly uncomfortable. Oftentimes, I would do it for just five of the 30 minutes before quitting and moving to part two, which always put me right to sleep.

If you’re someone who can comfortably master the first part of this series, it might be easier to incorporate this into your daily routine. For me, It was something I dreaded doing and because of that, I don’t think it helped me very much.

Ate the Kitchen

When scouring the internet for suggestions on ways to induce labor at home, I found so many lists of foods to eat.

I decided, at 40 weeks pregnant, that I’d incorporate as many of these foods into my daily meals as possible. For breakfast, I had dates, which can help promote cervical ripening, prunes, which help stimulate contractions, and pineapple, which is said to include an enzyme that helps soften your cervix. For lunch and dinner, I ate as many spicy foods as possible because there’s a theory that these foods stimulate the digestive system and help contractions begin.

While it’s hard to know if this worked, the day I went into labor I did have a very spicy lunch and dinner that incorporated jalapeno peppers, garlic, and a lot of hot sauce.

Foot Reflex Massage

During my final days of pregnancy, my body was aching and I craved a massage. A friend recommended that I go for a foot reflexology massage because she heard that those can help induce labor. It’s been said that these types of massages can reduce pain during pregnancy and help jumpstart labor.

Not only was the experience of getting a foot reflexology massage relaxing but it also helped relieve some of the swelling that I was experiencing in my feet and legs.

I ended up going into labor 24 hours after getting this massage. Even though it’s hard to pinpoint what ultimately helped my body go into labor, getting a foot massage was a nice treat that I wish I did more of throughout my pregnancy.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: I’m Scared to Be a Mom: Here Are 5 Resources That Helped Me Overcome My Fear, I Kept My Pregnancy a Secret for 8 Months — Here Are My 5 Reasons for Doing It, Foods That Can Cause Nausea During Pregnancy

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