By Elizabeth Edwardsen
Parenting, October 1999
What triggers labor is still a mystery. While initial uterine contractions efface (or soften) and dilate the cervix a bit, these contractions can take weeks and don’t actually bring on labor. More complex factors are responsible, including an exchange of hormonal signals between you and your baby.
But when your due date has come and gone, you’ll long for something to jump-start the process. Pregnant women have tried a range of things, but are they effective? Possibly, say experts, but only if you’re on the brink of labor or in its early stages. If you’re tempted to try, here’s what to keep in mind:
METHOD: EATING spicy foods or anything chocolate
WHY?
Spices and caffeine are thought to act as laxatives and start contractions.
DOES IT WORK?
No. While food that taxes your digestive system could lead to irregular uterine contractions, it’s more likely to cause heartburn than labor.
METHOD: ACUPRESSURE
WHY?
Certain spots between the thumb and the pointer finger, near the ankle, and on the shoulder are considered by shiatsu practitioners to be linked to the uterus. Pressing these points, it’s thought, can speed labor up.
DOES IT WORK?
It’s uncertain: Experts don’t know enough about this practice. Some shiatsu specialists only recommend it if you’re already in labor.
METHOD: SEX
WHY?
Semen contains prostaglandin, a natural fatty acid that helps soften and dilate your cervix. That, as well as an orgasm, can cause your uterus to contract.
DOES IT WORK?
Only if you’re so near to term that your cervix has started to efface.
METHOD: WALKING
WHY?
During a long walk, gravity lowers the baby, and the pressure on your cervix can dilate it.
DOES IT WORK?
Not unless your cervix is already effaced. Walking long distances can start contractions by irritating the uterus. But the contractions usually end once you stop moving.
METHOD: NIPPLE STIMULATION
WHY?
Rubbing your nipples with your fingertips helps release the hormone oxytocin, the natural version of the labor-inducing drug Pitocin, which causes contractions to begin.
DOES IT WORK?
It can. But it’s a slow process that requires breast stimulation for an hour at a time, three times a day. Some practitioners only recommend doing this at a hospital, where you can be monitored, since very strong contractions could affect the baby’s heart rate.
METHOD: CASTOR OIL
WHY?
May stimulate prostaglandin production (see Sex, above).
DOES IT WORK?
Maybe. But castor oil is also a known laxative, so you may get terrible diarrhea before or during labor. Check with your doctor before trying this, or any, method.
