Been cooking that human for nine months but no sign of baby putting in an appearance anytime soon? You need our easy (and fun) tips for bringing on labour!
The baby shower was a big hit, the hospital bag has been parked by the front door for weeks, you’re sick of your maternity wear, and you have enough baby essentials in stock to sink a ship, but still there’s no sign of baby putting in an appearance anytime soon. So, if you’re desperate to evict bubba (and see your feet again), here are some fun tips to help encourage those buns from their comfy ovens. *Disclaimer* NONE of this is medical science and we definitely can’t be blamed if your nipple fiddling over a cup of raspberry leaf tea doesn’t shift baby after all…
- Blow that tiny new person out of its comfort zone with a red hot curry: some women swear that spicy foods help bring on labour. Be cautious though: it can also bring on the runs: not what you need when trying to squeeze a human into the world.
Raspberry leaf tea is the wonder-drink of late pregnancy and widely believed to be a uterine tonic (somehow that doesn’t sound quite as appealing as a gin and tonic). Start brewing from around 32 weeks of pregnancy: this magical beverage may also help bring about shorter and easier labour.
We’re not necessarily talking 50 Shades of Grey marathons here but having sex, apparently, helps ‘ripen’ your cervix (could that sound any less sexy?) and encourage labour to start.
Possibly one to combine with #3, next up is a spot of nipple fiddling. Nipple stimulation produces a whoosh of oxytocin, which may just trick your body into evicting baby.
Dates! And we’re not talking the kind that lead to #3 & #4! Studies show that eating six of these delectable little fruits a day from around week 36 can significantly help with bringing on labour naturally, and make for a quicker, easier time of it when the contractions hit.
It’s no secret that we have a bit of a thing for pineapples here at HoneyKids, but did you know that as well as being delicious, pineapples produce an enzyme that when eaten helps ripen the cervix? Ripe pineapples for a ripe cervix? Sounds like it’s worth a shot!
Go for a walk! Or try any exercise that gets your heart rate up (be sensible though, ladies: leave the water skiing for after bubba is born). Exercise can also help relieve stress AND will get your bod ready for the task ahead. Read our pregnancy exercise tips from an expert before you set off on a sprint.
Now, go have that baby!
