Induction old wives tales?

[benandjerrys]

What are you favorites? Anything work for you? Would you do it again?

[benandjerrys]

With DD I ate an entire pineapple at like 9pm and my water broke the following morning at 4am.

But I never had contractions and ended up needing to be induced with pitocin when nothing was happening by 7pm that night. So I don't know if I'd do it again. I know they say you can't induce if you're not ready but I think that's kind of what happened to me.

Once my mom gets here and childcare is all set for DD I want to try all the things. I will be 39+1 when she gets here and I delivered DD at 38+5.

[aprilz81]

I would be curious to find out exactly how much sex is needed to cause cervical softening. Once? Twice? Every night for 2 weeks? I would like to get my cervical in a favorable state since I'm almost certainly headed for an induction, if not this week then if she hasn't arrived on her own by next Wednesday.

[benandjerrys]

Jan 14, 2018 19:14:55 GMT -6 aprilz81 said:

I would be curious to find out exactly how much sex is needed to cause cervical softening. Once? Twice? Every night for 2 weeks? I would like to get my cervical in a favorable state since I'm almost certainly headed for an induction, if not this week then if she hasn't arrived on her own by next Wednesday.

I was wondering about this too. If I recall correctly a few ladies here were talking about DTD recently but I can't remember who it was and if they delivered recently.

[amesie]

Jan 14, 2018 19:17:28 GMT -6 benandjerrys said:

Jan 14, 2018 19:14:55 GMT -6 aprilz81 said:

I would be curious to find out exactly how much sex is needed to cause cervical softening. Once? Twice? Every night for 2 weeks? I would like to get my cervical in a favorable state since I'm almost certainly headed for an induction, if not this week then if she hasn't arrived on her own by next Wednesday.

I was wondering about this too. If I recall correctly a few ladies here were talking about DTD recently but I can't remember who it was and if they delivered recently.

it was me and dragonflyinn... we DTD a couple times within a couple days. I remained unchanged at 2cm dilated and I’m still KU. I did wake up to an hour of consistent painful contractions the next day though! But clearly never progressed past that

[bassa]

With my first I made “Labor-inducing Lemon Cupcakes,” and went into labor the next day. 🤷🏼‍♀️

It was basically a lot of physical work, with all the grating and juicing and mixing, and then eating a ton of sugar and lemon juice. So, not entirely impossible that it had some effect? But either way, they were insanely delicious. 😄

[yellow711]

I recently heard the following suggestions to a friend who wanted to go into labor ASAP:
-pizza
-lots of walking
-squats
-sex
-an eggplant parmesan
recipe (don't have the link)

[aprilz81]

Jan 14, 2018 19:45:15 GMT -6 yellow711 said:

I recently heard the following suggestions to a friend who wanted to go into labor ASAP:
-pizza
-lots of walking
-squats
-sex
-an eggplant parmesan
recipe (don't have the link)

If pizza causes labor this baby would have been delivered at 20 weeks.  lol

I've heard walking helps labor progress, but not that it could start labor... I was on my feet moving around for about 4 hours yesterday cleaning and all I got was a backache and a handful of BH contractions.  *shrug*

[benandjerrys]

A friend swears she brought labor on by "curb walking" one foot on the street the other on the curb all around the neighborhood.

[Queen Mamadala]

Jan 14, 2018 19:14:55 GMT -6 aprilz81 said:

I would be curious to find out exactly how much sex is needed to cause cervical softening. Once? Twice? Every night for 2 weeks? I would like to get my cervical in a favorable state since I'm almost certainly headed for an induction, if not this week then if she hasn't arrived on her own by next Wednesday.

My exH was overseas when I was pregnant with my first, but was home when I was pregnant with dd2. I don't think we DTD very often toward the end, but cervix was plenty ripe without having frequent sex. No sex stuff with ds1. My uterus was overdistended and I was hugely uncomfortable with severe polyhydramnios, so it wasn't really doable for me. But all of the contractions caused by the overdistension did get me to 4 cm and "soft." We DTD once with ds2, the night he came home on R&R leave, but I was already 5 cm/80%/-2. We were hoping it would get things going, but it only led to BH. I was induced the next day (homebirth).

Now-h and I DTD a few times a week from 37 weeks until I delivered with dd3 (38w3d). I had been 5 cm/80%/0 station since 37.5 weeks. I was also taking EPO orally and vaginally and had been drinking RRLT since mid-second trimester (same with my previous three), so I'm not sure if it was the sex itself. We DTD super early morning of 38w2d and my membranes started leaking that evening as I rolled out of bed. Induced the next day (also homebirth) 17 hours after ROM and no labor. It was likely a combination of things that caused the leak. My bag had been bulging for a week by that point. 

We'll likely repeat the same this time since I'll be induced just shy of 38 weeks. Sex + acupuncture sessions + tons of walking and sitting on my birthing ball and helping him engage (pressure on the cervix can help soften and thin it out and thinned out cervix dilates more efficiently).

[rebeccabunch]

I did acupuncture with DS1 beginning the day after my EDD. I lost my MP the following day and had DS1 the day after that. I think it made a difference. My OB said it wouldn’t make a difference but also wouldn’t hurt anything.

[Deleted]

Breast pumping is proven to induce labor. I tried it the night before my induction with DD1 but it did nothing for me. I don't waste time trying too many other things and I don't really believe in trying to induce labor before 40 weeks (UO of the century, I know).

[helloerrbody]

My water broke the morning of 37+1 with DS. We had sex the night before. Possibly not related at all but I think it was. We were NOT trying to induce labor, just wanted to have sex, and I was upset when my water broke. This time we are avoiding sex for sure (not that it's hard as we haven't had sex in a loooooong time anyway) until I'm at least 39 weeks as we are hoping baby doesn't come until then or later.

[easternshoregirl]

I did the eggplant parm when I was KU and it didn't work but damn it is good. The recipe is easy to find but I'm too lazy right now. I can look tomorrow if anyone wants it.
We tried sex too and that didn't work either, I'd say we DTD a couple of times within a week but nada.
DS just came when he was ready! (5 days after due date)

[tiffrobot]

I had pineapple the day before each of the girls were born. But I was also 39w3d with DD1, and I had a cervical sweep the day before DD2 sooo each of those things probably contributed more lol.
DS1 was preemie due to my water breaking early. Never did get determined why that happened though and I definitely wasn’t intentionally inducing him!

[ajetter]

We had sex every 2-3 nights the majority of my pregnancy, I love pineapple and are a ton and am pretty active walking around. And it didn’t do much for my cervix. So I really think it is a your body will or it won’t. But you might as well have the sex and eat the pineapple anyway? I read that doing stairs often was supposed to help but doing stairs made me want to die sooo...

[sunfrogger]

I tried all the things that I felt were tolerable. All the sex at the end. Bouncing on my yoga ball.. Breast pump... None of it worked. I was just frustrated lol. I was induced at 41w with DD and she was born at 41w2d.