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How To Induce Labor At Home & Safely Bring Baby Into The World

by Autumn Jones

If you're staring at the calendar, anxiously awaiting your due date, with no sight of contractions or progress, you may start wondering how to induce labor at home. And who can blame you? It's been a long nine months of cooking that bun in your oven. As long as you have made it to 39 weeks gestation, doctors believe the baby is developed enough and it's safe for you to deliver. So why not explore your options and get the labor party started while you're still in the comfort of your own home? You don't even need to change out of your pajamas.

But before you start guzzling a bottle of sriracha, the website for Fit Pregnancy magazine suggests running your plan for at home labor induction by your doctor or midwife first. This gives you a chance to get feedback from a professional, and they may have a tip or two to help you out with your mission. It's possible that your care provider can recommend a number of safe ways for you to stimulate induction, and if you're up for it, go ahead and try them all. Maybe the more methods you try, the greater the chance for success.

A fun way to try bringing on labor, is to take a romp in the sheets. Activating some specific hormones could be the help your body needs to start labor. According to What To Expect's website, sperm contains prostaglandis, a hormone which helps prepare a woman's body for delivery. Since the sperm is close to the cervix, the prostaglandis can help with thinning and dilation. While you're at it, make sure to add some nipple stimulation to release oxytocin, as suggested by Healthline. It's believed this hormone is also key to starting contractions.

Even though it may be more comfortable in a seated position, try moving around. As the website for Baby Center pointed out, walking and exercises that keep you upright help lower your baby into position for delivery. By doing this, gravity is doing you a solid and encouraging your baby to align with your birth canal and make her appearance.

Although professionals still aren't sure why, there are a few theories suggesting eating spicy foods can stimulate a woman's body into labor, according to Pregnancy magazine. If you're up for it, add a jalapeño popper to you dinner order and see what happens. Just make sure you have a bottle of antacids on hand incase the spice gives you heartburn.

Although there is no guarantee than at home methods of inducing labor are reliable, as long as you talk with your doctor and use precaution, no harm should come to you or your baby. As hard as it is to be patient, just remember, soon enough you will be holding your baby in your arms and all will be right with the world.