Funny or So I think, lists you should paste on your fridge, pregnancy, sexytime, stuff best described as not safe for parents

Birth induction methods you may (not) want to try

pregnantdrinker

a glass of wine may help

It was exactly this time during my first pregnancy that I gave birth to Tru. 38 weeks on the dot. But that was a c-section so I could pick an auspicious date to give birth. Waiting for the contractions to kick in is totally different. I feel so powerless. I’ve got my baby bag and all the baby stuff all ready and packed and it’s like waiting for Santa Claus to appear on Christmas eve. The anticipation is killing me. It’s my control-freak nature kicking in and I  just need to know exactly when it’s gonna happen.

Apparently for VBAC, a medical induction of labor increases the chance of womb rupture so it’s off limits. But I hear there are a few ways to induce birth and give the baby a little push as it were. It’s called ripening the cervix (it’s true!)

1. Acupuncture

It’s a tried and tested method by the Chinese and it’s supposed to be highly effective. Back when women used to bind their feet and slice off their pinkies, they realized that somehow jabbing a bunch of needles into various parts of the body triggers the contractions. It’s ingenious, don’t you think?

But seeing that pain avoidance is one of my life’s goals, acupuncture is in my list of Top 10 things NOT to do before I die (along with bungee jumping and eating fire).

2. Castor Oil

It’s a quick and painless method. Just take a few spoonfuls of it neat and wait a few minutes for it to take effect. It’s primarily a laxative, so there’s that nasty side effect where you lose all control of your bowels and start crapping involuntarily. It’s probably good if you hate the gynae/nurse and want to use it as a way to give them nightmares for days.

There’s no guarantee that it will work though, so you may just end up with a severe case of diarrhea.

3. Walking

This sounds pretty harmless. How it works is that it puts pressure on the cervix, causing it to dilate. Anyway it’s the kind of thing you can try without worrying about nasty side effects.

4. Nipple Stimulation

Touted as one of the most effective methods of natural induction, it’s definitely one of the most wildly popular. Mostly because no dude will turn down an invitation to engage in some nipple stimulation – “Boom-chica-wow-wow”.

But seriously, this causes a release of oxytocin, which causes contractions and lead to labor. (See, I’m not a total airhead, I actually know words like oxytocin)

5. Sexytime

As they say, what gets it in also gets it out. (who says that kind of thing anyway?) This is the next most popular method of birth induction, following closely behind the nipple stimulation.

The difference is, while most women are willing to tolerate some mild discomfort to the boobs, certain invasive methods at 38 weeks of pregnancy are too much of a hassle. There’s also the whole foreplay thing to contend with, and by the time there’s any action, you’re way too exhausted for the time to be the least bit sexy. And the focus is to get something out of there, not put something in, if you get what I mean.

I suppose the best thing to do is to sit around and wait till the baby is good and ready to come out. There’s a Chinese saying that goes something like “When the fruit is ready, it will fall off the vine”. Meaning that there’s no point rushing nature, cos all you’re going to end up with is an unripe fruit. Don’t ask me what that means. It’s too deep for my 38-week-pregnant brain.

If it’s up to me, Kirsten will be born on the 4th of July. So who knows, there might be some serious action on the 3rd. Woohoo!

Previous Post Next Post

You Might Also Like

8 Comments

  • Reply lxlb June 25, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    i remember the FRIEND’s episode where Rachel was trying to induce Emma, she ate spicy food!

    • Reply Daphne June 26, 2009 at 3:28 pm

      @lxlb, yes i remember! I get pretty bad heartburn when i take spicy food of late though. Sigh.

  • Reply sherin June 26, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    In Sweden their methods are quite funny, there’s a poster describing how the husband can hold his wife in various yoga-ish positions to help the birth process. There’s the one in the bath tub of water with your hubby, another where you bounce on a large gym ball with hubby behind you supporting your back.

    Basically they do EVERYTHING for you to have a NATURAL birth, oh yes, split yourself vagina… they don’t do injections…

    • Reply Daphne June 29, 2009 at 3:09 pm

      @sherin, The positions you describe seem to be more about making a baby then giving birth. I guess what gets it in really does get it out (Read my post on birth induction if you don’t know what i mean!).

      By the way if you do have visuals of the posters you described….

  • Reply Shereen June 30, 2009 at 12:04 am

    I had high tea. :) The food and the walking round the buffet tables helped with inducing labour! :)

    • Reply Daphne June 30, 2009 at 2:33 pm

      @Shereen, Hey! I wouldn’t mind going into labour like that. Especially if I’m having durian cream at Swiss Merchant Court Hotel.

  • Reply sherin June 30, 2009 at 7:13 am

    I couldn’t find pictures of it online, but here’s my friend who gave birth in Sweden 2 mths ago… She choose the gym ball position…
    :) It was a 38-40hr labor.
    http://kersinbaby.blogspot.com/2009/04/gem-of-our-life-welcome-alonza-lua-en.html

    • Reply Daphne June 30, 2009 at 2:31 pm

      @sherin, Guys..i gotta give you a WARNING! Content may be unsuitable for pregnant mothers or readers having their lunch while browsing this blog. Aargh..

    Leave a Reply to Shereen Cancel Reply

    CommentLuv badge