Try This @ Home... Inducing Labor

I have a friend who is several days "overdue" and feeling anxious and ready to get this show on the road.  I completely commiserate.  It can be SO hard to wait, wondering if every little sign or symptom means you might be going into labor.  Should you cancel those dinner plans?  Finish packing your bags?  Call your mom?  And I'm often asked if there is anything that can be done to speed things along?    Unfortunately the answer is a resounding "I don't know!  Maybe!"    Going into labor is a complex event and requires that several things be going on simultaneously with the hormones of both mom and baby (referred to as the fetoplacental clock) in order for contractions to commence and continue to build.   That said, there are some things that might help get things started if you are already close.  Give 'em a shot.  Can't hurt to try, right? 

I won't list the usual "have sex, eat spicy foods, walk uphill" ideas.  Most people are already familiar with those.  Instead I thought I would share a few of the more obscure ideas.  

• Acupressure.  There are a few spots you can press that are specific for inducing labor and are safe to try after 37 weeks.  Check out this site for a very basic rundown of what to do and how to do it.
• It might also help to see a massage therapist.  Relaxing and reducing stress can go a LONG way.  And a trained masseuse will usually know about those acupressure points and can apply pressure to the appropriate spots for you.  I have an incredible massage therapist here in Seattle who gave me an unbelievable massage when I was overdue with Isaiah and experiencing some significant back pain. And I went into labor a few hours after seeing her. There's no telling if the massage and acupressure is what did it, but it certainly didn't hurt. 
• Combining the acupressure with a belly rub of essential oils. Heather Shelley, a midwife in Seattle, recommends the following:Take 2 oz of castor oil and add 12 drops clary sage oil, 12 drops fennel oil, and 12 drops of lavender. Rub this on her belly from the fundus to the pubic bone in a clockwise direction. Do this for 30-60 minutes. While someone does this mom holds the point between her thumb and first finger. Someone else rubs her feet in a clockwise motion and holds spleen 6 one foot at a time.
• Use a double electric breast pump for 15 minutes on, 10 minutes off for a couple hours.  
• Homeopathy.  2 pellets of gelsemium and 2 pellets of caulophylum (200c) once per hour.  

Disclaimer: All of these ideas are, of course, "try at your own risk" kinds of things.  As you know, I'm not a trained medical professional.   Good luck!