Why do we allow due dates to hold such importance? We’re constantly told it’s more of an arbitrary number. But yet we circle it on our calendars, count down the days through our apps, and above all – stress when we go past it.
I’m guilty of this. I had my son on August 30th, and his due date was August 26th. Naturally, when Sunday came and went, and he wasn’t born yet, I panicked.
My fingers couldn’t keep up with the different phrases I was typing into Google to find answers on how to speed things along:
“How to go into labor ASAP.”
“Baby not born on due date”
“How to induce labor”
“Help me get this baby out of me”
“Delivering your baby in 30 seconds or less”
You think it, I googled it.
I found some pretty crazy methods. Some I thought weren’t totally safe, so I left those out.
To save yourselves the trouble of going through what I did I’ll let you know what worked and what didn’t:
1. Eating Spicy Foods
Prior to meeting my husband, the spiciest thing I ate was black pepper—and only half a shake. After 8 years, I’ve developed an appreciation for spices and actually enjoy experimenting with them, so I was definitely excited and relieved to give this one a go.
I added Franks Buffalo Sauce to EVERYTHING. I drenched all of my food in this and red pepper flakes.
Unfortunately, the only thing it induced was terrible heartburn and a burning butt hole.
Verdict: Nope
2. Walking… Like a Lot
I already walk quite a bit. I’m not the type to sit still for too long. And with three dogs, I don’t really have a choice.
So this method seemed easy and doable. I upped my walks from 4 a day to 8. A half mile to a mile each. I did this starting at 39 weeks.
I will say I did get some definition in my usual flabby thighs. But other than that – all it did was tire me out.
Verdict: Nope
3. Nipple Stimulation
Now this was a tricky one. I’m not shy about my body whatsoever. In fact, I’m pretty comfortable with what I’ve got. (Blemishes and all).
However – the idea of trying to stimulate myself from my nipples while 9 months pregnant was insanely odd. But I went with it.
I tried to do this every time I took a shower. Played some music to really get the mood going. Barry White, anyone?
This method did cause contractions. But never strong enough to induce labor. Just felt like a ton of period pain.
Verdict: Kinda – Sorta
4. Bouncing on a Yoga Ball
At around 40 weeks, I found myself roaming around Walmart in search of a yoga ball—this round contraption that would bounce this baby right on out of me.
Voilà! There she was. Shoved in a half-open (clearly used) box. I realized there was only one size. 72cm. As I soon discovered (from more Google searches) that if you’re my grand stature of 4’11 you should go with a tiny ball. Well – I had no choice and this baby was going to come out. So I bought it.
As soon as I got home I pumped that ball up so quickly that I thought this alone would send me into labor… Fine by me.
Now, I’m not sure if the reason the ball was “too big” for my height is valid. But this is what really helped me. I was able to bounce high from the balls of my feet.
I bounced up and down, side to side, and gyrated my hips around in circles three times a day for four days.
Doing this brought on contractions, helped my mucus plug come out, relieved back pain, and really helped loosen up my legs.
I ended up laboring on this ball as well before I went to the hospital.
Verdict: Yes?
So why the question mark? Well, I guess I will never know if all my insane bouncing brought on my labor or if it was just time for Anakin to come. Though, I truly think it was the ball. This precious, precious ball.
In my post “Prodromal Labor,” I discuss my week-long labor in depth. If you’re interested, you can check it out.
Cuddles & Chaos 