When you picture delivering your baby at a birth center, you might think, in most cases, you simply wait for contractions to start. The baby will come when the baby comes, right? Well, yes, but laws that govern birth centers in Florida can make it tricky to navigate pregnancies that go beyond 40 or 41 weeks. In fact, 42 weeks is the cutoff to deliver at a birth center in Florida.

Many of our clients choose birth center care and delivery because they want to give birth like their ancestors — without medication or intervention. And this is an achievable goal. However, most of us don’t live as our ancestors did. We drive instead of walking. We sit at a desk and lounge on the couch, rather than work in our gardens. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t ever rest or relax. It’s just that, in general, our lifestyles are sedentary, which is not always conducive to promoting spontaneous labor. If you want to give birth like your foremothers, you have to incorporate elements of how they lived.

The number one way to avoid unwanted medical interventions is to go into labor spontaneously. That’s why, beginning in the third trimester, we teach our clients how to intentionally prepare the body for the childbirth process. Our suggestions go from the gentlest and get more aggressive as you approach and, if applicable, pass your due date. Here are nine ways to promote labor, so you have the optimum environment for labor.

Brisk Walking

Walking is an excellent form of activity anytime in life, including during pregnancy. Even if you did not exercise regularly before getting pregnant, you can incorporate this low-impact activity in the first and second trimesters. During the third trimester, we suggest brisk walking for 60-90 minutes per day. This practice is reminiscent of the way our ancestors lived.

Pelvic Movements

Optimal fetal positioning plays a crucial role in labor beginning spontaneously and progressing effectively. It’s important to counteract some of the sedentary time that we tend to spend driving in a car, working at a desk, or lounging on the couch. To do so, we suggest getting on your hands and knees and doing pelvic movements twice daily in the third trimester. To learn more about this practice, visit the Spinning Babies website for stretches and exercises.

Sex

Sex is safe during all of pregnancy unless your provider tells you otherwise. During the last trimester, it can help gently promote labor in the following three ways.

1.     Sexual intimacy naturally releases oxytocin, which is one of the key hormones during labor.

2.     Orgasm stimulates uterine activity, which also releases oxytocin.

3.     If you are having heterosexual intercourse and ejaculation occurs, semen contains prostaglandins, which help to soften the cervix and prepare it for labor.

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

Evidence has shown that this tea tones and strengthens the uterus. This is important because the uterine muscles are responsible for the primary work of labor. During contractions, the uterus pulls up on the cervix, which results in dilation. You can occasionally enjoy red raspberry leaf tea anytime, including before you get pregnant and during the first trimester. Starting in the second trimester, we typically recommend drinking one or two cups per day. At about 36 weeks, you can increase your intake to four bags daily. Consuming red raspberry leaf tea supports the integrity and function of the uterus as you near the start of spontaneous labor.

Evening Primrose Oil

Also at 36 weeks’ gestation, you can begin taking evening primrose oil (EPO) by mouth daily. The active ingredient in EPO is thought to be the precursor to prostaglandins, which help to ripen the cervix. However, studies have shown that EPO is more effective at shortening labor if the pregnant person uses it topically. Applying EPO vaginally is not recommended before 38 weeks.

Chiropractic

Some Magnolia clients find chiropractic care, particularly the Webster Technique, to be beneficial throughout the entire pregnancy. It can help ease back or hip pain and keeps the body in alignment. How often you are adjusted depends on your insurance and your chiropractor’s recommendations. At 40 weeks, chiropractic adjustments can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and relax the ligaments around the uterus and pelvis. If your provider has performed a cervical exam and told you that your baby is high, chiropractic can be a good choice because it can help the baby engage in the pelvis.

Acupuncture

Again, this is something you can do throughout your pregnancy for things like lower back pain or digestion problems. When you get to 40 weeks, however, you sometimes have information like cervical dilation, effacement, and station. If you know that your cervix has not opened or thinned at all, an acupuncturist can activate acupuncture points that ripen the cervix. Both acupuncture and chiropractic clear the communication channels of the body, encouraging the brain to “talk” to the uterus. It’s the epitome of holistic care.

Breast Pumping

Nipple stimulation through using a breast pump releases oxytocin, which can produce contractions. This form of promoting contractions can be quite powerful, so we recommend waiting until you reach 41 weeks to try it and only with the guidance of your midwife. If you use a breast pump too early, it could result in a rupture of membranes without effacement of the cervix — a result that could lead to a medical, hospital induction.

Enema

This is one of the most aggressive forms of promoting labor, and like breast pumping, should be done only with the guidance of your midwife. An enema stimulates the bowels, which releases prostaglandins and brings on contractions. If your midwife suggests an enema, there are medical-grade solutions available at drug stores, and you can administer it at home, most likely with the assistance of a loved one.

Takeaways About Gently Promoting Labor

When thinking about spontaneous labor, it might be helpful to consider this metaphor. It takes work and preparation for an orchestra to perform a concert. Even after many rehearsals, the orchestra members must wait until the stage is set up. All the chairs and percussion instruments must be in their correct place. All the musicians must tune up. Everyone needs their sheet music; if just one person forgets it, they can’t play.

The same is true for spontaneous labor. Everything has to be in place. The baby will not be born until all the body and the baby are ready. Our goal at Magnolia is to give you this list of recommendations for preparing for labor, and then you decide how to incorporate it. These should all be done with your fully informed consent, remembering to always seek your midwife’s guidance first.

In addition, we recognize that sometimes, you have to buck this list and do nothing. If you get to 41 weeks and 6 days, you’ve probably done everything you could. None of the techniques we suggest can singularly send your body into labor. You get to a point where you should say, “I trust my body will do what it can if I support it optimally.” And then rest.

Ready to learn more about labor and birth services at Magnolia Birth House? Schedule a free consultation by filling out our form!