Gentle and Natural Methods to Prepare Your Body for Labor:

If you are reading this, you're nearing the end of your pregnancy and eagerly awaiting the arrival of your little one. Congratulations and welcome! I want to start by saying you are doing incredible. I know the last few weeks of pregnancy are hard, but remember you know how to do hard things. I want to also add that there's no guarantee these methods will work for you but have been proven to help encourage labor.

Some people may refer to these as natural ways to induce labor or natural induction methods. We prefer to think of them as ways to prepare your body for labor and/or to encourage labor as your time comes near. These are a few of our favorite methods!

It is important to remember with all of these, that your baby and your body know the perfect timing to begin birth! Keep trusting the process.

Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or prenatal massage can help create and release necessary hormones for your body to progress naturally. Stressing about when baby will arrive, doing all the things, and over-working your body might not be the best thing to do because you need to be as stress free and rested as possible for your body to feel ready. Your baby knows what to do and they will come at the most magical time. We just have to trust them.

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

This herbal tea helps in toning the uterine muscles and may lead to shorter and smoother labors. You can start drinking one cup a day and slowly increase to 3 or 4 cups a day by the end of your pregnancy, which can help in creating powerful contractions which will hopefully speed things up for you.

Looking for recomendations on brands? Our personal favorite is to get loose leaf herbs from a local apothecary (most will have a pregnancy blend that includes Red Raspberry Leaf) and brew loose-leaf like the picture below, strain, and drink. If you’re looking to switch it up, add honey and pour over ice!

Dates

Eating 6 dates a day in the late stages of pregnancy has shown to promote cervical effacement which means softening of your cervical and reduce the need for medical intervention during labor. A pregnant person must be 100% effaced and fully dilated (10cm) for a vaginal delivery.

Sex

If you and your partner are feeling up to it, sex has also been shown to make your cervix soft. Mostly because if you are enjoying yourself and you are feeling relaxed and comfortable you are creating and releasing oxytocin which is the main birth hormone. Additionally, semen contains prostaglandins, which may help soften the cervix. Any form of intimate touch will also be beneficial in boosting that oxytocin.

Visualization, Meditation, & Hypnobirthing

Guided visualization or meditation focused on preparing for labor can help calm your mind and reduce stress. This relaxed state can be beneficial for your body as you get ready to birth.

Nipple Stimulation/Pumping

Gently massaging your nipples or getting your partner to do so can release oxytocin, especially if you are able to set the room and atmosphere. You may also opt to use a breast pump. There are a few different techniques for this. One common one is the recommendation to pump one breast at a time for 5 minutes each side for up to 20 minutes. One thing to note is that a potential negative side effect is that it may cause you feeling crampy and like labor is beginning but if your baby and body are not ready, those sensations may fizzle over time and that can be uncomfortable and discouraging. This is simply something to be aware of before trying! We generally do not recommend trying to pump to induce labor before your estimated due date.

Chiropractic Care

Find a specialist who is trained in Webster Technique. This is a technique that is specifically designed to create as much space as possible for baby to allow movement and get into a preferable position for a smooth labor. Sometimes a well-positioned baby is all that is needed for labor to begin.

Acupressure/Acupuncture

This is a traditional Chinese practice which has been used for over 2000 years. Not only might it help you get your body ready for labor but it has shown that it can also help with pain relieve and help your body relax during labor. 

Movements for Optimal Fetal Positioning

We love The Miles Circuit and Spinning Babies: The Fantastic Four for positions to do toward the end of pregnancy to help relax and open up your body and allow for baby to move into an optimal position for a smooth labor. Especially if you are experiencing a lot of prelabor signs like contractions that come for a few hours and then leave, doing these positions can help things to pick up by getting baby into a better position.

Cuddle and LAUGH!

Sometimes snuggling with someone you love and watching something that makes you truly laugh is all that your mind needs to relax and feel good enough to bring labor on.

Come learn more about all of this and so much more with us in our

Holistic Prep for Childbirth course!

For more information on potential benefits and risks of these methods or others, we recommend visiting:

Evidence Based Birth: Natural Labor Induction Series

A Midwife's Approach to Getting Labor Started

*We are not medical professionals and none of this should be taken as medical advice. These are simply techniques we encourage a lot of clients to use. Please consult with your medical provider before trying anything to start labor, before using herbs, or before getting into any positions that you wouldn’t naturally get into.