At Wits End in 39Th Week

I had the same problem when I was pregnant. I actually went to the local swimming pool on Monday and had my daughter Wednesday morning around 10am. Try going swimming!!!

I say Sex. My husband would say to use castor oil as would my mom. Seriously though, the castor oil does work, use it in orange juice.

When I was mostly due I went and walked up and down the stairs at Mt Trashmore. It worked for me.

Really though, nothing will work until the bebe is ready to come out.

B.:
I was induced at 42 weeks with my first, and 38 wks with my second, so my first piece of advice is just to say that although I absolutely agree that going naturally is definitely better, don't worry too much if you have to be induced. I was still able to do the whole labor and pushing thing with the first (not the second, because he was moving around and ended up breech, the moving around being the reason for the induction in the first place). The labor and pushing were so fufilling and empowering, even if I didn't get the joy of going into labor all on my own.
Ok, as to starting labor, I can pass along the advice my doulas gave me (although clearly it didn't work for me ;)). I did raspberry tea leaves, long walks, intercourse, spicy food, lots of yoga squats. I also did some more extreme herbals that were guarrenteed to produce contractions. And yep, I had contractions... tiny itty bitty ones every 5 minutes for 2 weeks. So I wouldn't recommend that ;) Castor oil has a "good" rep for making you vomit until you go into labor. And finally, this one was too ackward for me, the doula suggested I borrow a friends infant and nurse it. Good luck!!!!!

When you have your next internal exam, ask the dr. or attendant to rip or tear the bag of fluids if they can feel it. It worked for me.

Have your husband give you a massage....
Take some long relaxing baths....
Do lunch with your girlfriends.....
Read a good book....

OK, none of these will induce labor, but it may be a long while before you get to do them again!!
Best of luck,
K.

I know it's difficult to wait, but that's the best thing to do. Induction is not good for you or for the baby. Almost every baby will be born by 42 or 43 weeks, if not earlier.

Hang in there. I know how you feel. I was only a cm dialated the day after my due date. When I went back to the doctors three days later, I was still only a cm dialated. However that night I went into labor and by the time I got to the hospital I was five cm dialated. I got a lot of advice too of how to get the ball rolling. I just kept active and continued with my normal routine as much as possible.

Hi B. -

I just had a baby 6 weeks ago & he was actually a couple of weeks early. My OB told me to walk a LOT - so one Saturday we went to the Dulles Expo for one of their exhibits and walked around for a few hours (very uncomfortable when you're 38 weeks pregnant, but.....). The following Monday morning my water broke when I was bending over to feed our cats. I'd try walking/bending as much as possible. The kind of bending I was doing was not really bending (as you can well imagine), but more like a semi-squat simply so I could reach their food dish. It did the trick!

I hate to say it... really I do, but your baby will come when it is ready... (my son is almost 3 months old, he is my second, for reference.)
I had false labor for the last two weeks of pregnancy; he was due 11/28 and came 11/30. On 11/28, my contractions were 5 minutes apart, but I wasn't experiencing more intense pain. My midwife said to come in any way so she could check things out.

After being in the hospital for 8 hours, nothing was really changing; I was dilated to 2cm. My choices: go home and wait OR induce... I was REALLY wanting to try a natural water birth (my first came after 36 hours of labor, needless to say I had an epidural). So, after A LOT of consideration to induce, I decided to wait.
Before I was admitted, during the 2 weeks of false labor, we tried EVERYTHING to get the ball rolling. Intercourse, walking, walking and more walking, more intercourse... and things just stayed the same.

Long story short, when I actually was in labor it only lasted 6 hours and I was able to have the water birth that I wanted so badly!

It is hard when you have been waiting for 9-10 months for your little one. But it is good to remember that your due date, sonograms, measurements at your check-ups are all guesses... educated guesses, but still a guess. Your baby will come when your body says "Ok, lets do this" and everything is right and ready.
I know you probably hear that all of the time (I hated hearing that... but knew it was true. It was very hard to leave from the hospital that first time with no baby).

Also, to keep things into perspective, I reminded myself how tiring it was when we brought our first baby home. It is an amazing time, but very, very exhausting! You will get PLENTY of time to bond, love and adore your new baby. But time to yourself, your significant other, friends, etc. will be limited once the bay arrives. So, enjoy the rest and freedom as much as you can right now! Your baby WILL come when the time is right.

I wish you the best of luck B.!

Hi. I know that there have been lots of responses. So what's one or two more.

1. Try taking a warm soak in the tub. Just water, no bubbles. The water will relax you and when you relax the baby will move down. Be sure someone is home that can help you out of the tub.

2. You could also try watching a really romantic movie at home. You get to rest with your feet up and the movie will trigger all of the emotions of forplay without the discomfort.

3. Take a long car ride. The motion of the car can get things going too. My son went from being breach to being ready to go during a trip out to Skyline.

I've had two kids, both induced. One 10 days over and the other 7 days early. With the first I tried walking Potomac Mills Mall for 4 hours! All that got me was tired, swollen feet and a lecture from my dr. I tried a few other things mentioned above and they didn't work either.

I wonder if your pregnancy hasn't been a good one for you to be so worried so soon. Take a deep breath and don't worry about it! Enjoy this time!
I walked every morning for miles the majority of my pregnancy, had regular sex with plenty of nipple stimulation, was given footrubs in the right 'trigger spots', and was dilated to a three for three weeks before I was due and STILL had to be induced my 41st week at my doctor's recommendation. I really don't think it matters all that much how dilated you are for how long. The baby will come out when it's ready, and if it doesn't, you've already got your induction set.

Paint the Nursery, rearranged the furniture, and have lots of sex!

What worked for me was the castor oil cocktail! Google natual labor induction, and you should find it. Its basically some ratio of castor oil and pepsi; it start cramping in your lower bowels, which induces labor. But be ready, when the contractions start, they are severe. Mine were less than 2 mins apart the entire way to the hospital. Good luck!

Hello B..
I would like for you to have your heart checked out too. The reason why I am asking you to make sure that your heart is okay after or during your labor because I have congestive heart failure due to pregancy and was diagonsed December of 2007. I think that all women needs to know if they want to get pregant or already pregant and already has the baby they need to know it the labor went ok and their heart is okay. I know doctors won't talk about it or share that information because it is a scary thing but i think that all women needs to know regardless how good or bad pregancy may be. I hope that all is well with your pregancy and your labor. I just want you to be informative about this condtion that I have due to labor and pregancy. If you want to know more about me or ask me anything please feel free to email me at ____@____.com. I just wanted to make this short and informative to you but anything else please talk to your doctor and again if you want to know more please do not hestaite to let me know.
E. Peters..

B., I am not an expert but I am a nurse(ER) not OB/GYN, but I was told that having sex will frequently "induce" contractions. I forget which hormone it is that is in semen, but it is similar to the pitocin they give to induce labor. I know that is probably the LAST thing you would want to do right now being 39 weeks, but it has worked for people. If you can get enoguh of the semen in there, it just may start labor. Good luck!!

my friend took castor oil for both pregnancies to "self induce." she swears by the stuff. i'm not sure how much (a couple of tbsp?) or if it's safe (check with your doctor or do a google search to find opinions on it). good luck!

Everything I had to say...everyone has said but I'll give you what happened to me. My daughter was due on March 14th...February 18th my man and I had sex...February 19th we walked around all day and went shopping (my FEET WERE KILLING ME!)...water broke 10:45pm on the 19th...daughter was born Feb 20th at 7:50pm (a LONG labor!). So, as some people said...SEX and WALKING. :-) Hope that helps. Good Luck!

I'm not sure if these techniques actually worked, but I delivered on my due date after doing them.... I walked like crazy. Even the last week, I was walking as far as I could and keeping up the fastest pace my 50 extra pounds would allow me. Make sure someone is either with you or knows exactly where you're going though, because you don't want something to happen and be stuck. Also, I sat on an exercise ball alot while I was at home and bounced around on that. I'm not sure exactly what it does, but it kinda feels like it spreads your hips.... Finally, you can't do this yourself, but you could ask your doctor about membrane stripping. It CAN be painful, but I had it done at my 38 and 39 week appointments. I think you have to be a little bit dilated for that though....

Hi B.!
Congratulations!! I think nature is nature & there's nothing you can do about it. You'll be told to walk, drink this, sleep this way etc. In the long run I think that the baby is not going to come until it's ready. I wished mine out, but then "D" day I was wishing for one more day. It all works out in the end. Good Luck.

My water didn't break until I was 41 weeks 4 days. There's a reason it's called an "estimated" due date. Everyone emphasizes the two weeks before being normal and forget that up to two weeks after is normal too. Don't let anyone push you into inducing or a c-section just because you're a few days past your due date unless the baby is showing signs of distress or any other true emergency where the baby has to be out ASAP. Just trust your body to do what it was made to do in it's own time.

Sex. A whole lot of it. Your hubby will be thrilled, your nerves will improve...and well, it does get the ball rolling big time.

My friend's ob had recommended nipple stimulation and sex to her when she was running late. The nipple stimulation daily seemed to do the trick! Sorry I don't have any personal advice on this one...my dd was 10 days "early", although I believe they come when they're ready for the most part!

I know how you feel. I was so upset with my first one when I went to my 39th week appointment and I was barely 1 cm dilated. I tried walking, sex, nipple stimulation. Went back for the 40th week appointment and I was dilated less than 1 cm. How does that happen? Anyway, I agree that the baby will come when the baby is ready. I went back for my 41 week appointment and the only reason they kept me is because my amniotic fluid level was low. I still wasn't dialated anymore. I was admitted and set for induction. I do have to say you will probably want the epidural shortly after starting the Pitocin. I tried to do it without and the contractions just were too much and with no break in between with the Pitocin. Hope all goes well with you.

Get on your feet and exercise. Walk walk walk. Do some strength training. Just get moving. I am not sure if you already exercise. But, if you don't, try it. When I was preggers my little bug decided that she was getting ready and I still had tons to do, so I chilled out all weekend and finished stuff and then went whole hog into the workouts the next week and bam like clockwork she decided it was really time. I figure at this point some of it is about gravity. The baby will come don't worry:) R. A

Baby will come when ready to into the world. Sorry no quick fixes to start labor. Been there done that and nothing works except mother nature. Let me know when you have the baby.

Have sex or go walking. I don't think walking is as effective.

I was 40 weeks pregnant and in the same boat. I started to spot that Friday and went to the doctor that morning and he admitted me. Since I didn't dilate quick enough (1cm)he said he had a golfing trip to go to and that he was discharging me at 5pm. Of course, not happy about that one! But, went home and my husband ordered Papa John's pizza with pep and ham with the pizza sauce (please I advise you not to eat too much) :) I was up there at 1pm wih labor pains and had my beautiful girl a few hours later and now pizza is her favorite food. So, try the pizza! Good Luck!

Well i may be late, but if yur still waiting, get active, start walking, cut the grass, do something, that usually gets it going.

Hi B.!

Use the breast pump for 30 minutes and each breast. This is another way to stimulate your nipples. You will feel the contractions and you should go into labor the same day. One of my friends told me to do this. I started at 11:00 at night and by 1:30 we were in the car on the way to the hospital, and the baby was born 4:31 am. Let me know if this worked for you and I know that IT WILL. Since you got so many responses make sure you share with us what worked.
Kim

Personally I'd stick to what you want and enforce it. It's your body and baby! No one really know how it effects the baby emotional and in learning ability when man forces a baby to come early, before God's time for that baby. Stay away from sugar as it only makes the baby bigger, and if you must try Evening Primrose ...
http://www.maternitycorner.com/mcmag/articles/preg0007.html

God bless and have a safe and wonderful delivery! I will be praying!
P.

congrats and good luck...had 5 boys all late all induced..I just did not produce enough of the chemical to get ball rolling I tried EVERYTHING...cod liver oil ugh....lots of outside activity...lawn work...lots of sex...lots of orgasms...nothing worked...your body will do what it wants when it wants...5th boy nurses had bets going that I would go first with 4 first timers NOPE I was the last one even induced....you'll be fine and so will baby and it will all be over before you know it...by the way...contractions while being induced are way stronger then natural contactions so if given chance go for epideral...trust me...been there done that 5X's S.

I don't mean to sound crass, but believe it or not, my husband and I had sex and I went into labor the next day. I have heard this from other women, too. I have heard that there is something in the semen that gets labor started.

Heck, if nothing else, you'll have fun, right? :-)

Hi there,
Has anyone else recommended acupuncture? I used in my first birth to get things rolling and it worked well!!!! I also used it in the second birth which was a very long labor and it helped to get baby to straighten out. If you are in the Anne Arundel County, MD I could make a recommendation for a practitioner. Good luck! And just remember that there is a reason for everything!

Champagne! My good friend from Belgium told me to have a glass of champagne. I had my husband get a bottle and as soon as it was in the house, I started labor. No drinking required! That MAY have been a coincidence, but I have heard other stories that a glass will get things going.
One thing that is for sure is you will not be pregnant forever! Enjoy this time. Is will seem like a dream when the baby is here! Good Luck!

Hopefully you have had him by now but I was in your same position in Jan. with my second child which happened to be a Boy also. LOTS OF SEX if you can will help thin out the mucus plug and hopefullt help you dilate faster. My little one finally came(8th) a day before he was due on the 9th. Good luck and enjoy every moment with your son! They grow up way to fast. Please e-mail me if you need any help. I also have a 5 year old daughter and I am a SAHM too. ____@____.com

I was induced on my due date and it "didn't take" they sent me home two days later. I took a warm bath, had a glass of wine and my husband had to take me back that night! Goodluck... I feel your pain! :)

With number 3 I walked twice a day. I was successful in getting my waters to break/leak/whatever you want to call it but still wasn't progressing. I had to have potocin(no idea how to spell the drug that gets you going). I was convinced I didn't need an epidural because I did it natural with #1,2. My advice if you are induced: ask for the epidural as soon as you get to the hospital! Babies come when they are ready to come, or with some help if needed. You are going to do great!

Oh B., I know you are so uncomfortable. I am assuming this is your first baby, yes?
I've had 3 and the waiting is oh so hard! The only advice I have for you is that I've heard sexual stimulation can get the ball rolling. yeah, like that's even on your mind right now, right? ;)
Anyway, the truth is this. If you are only slightly dialated, then the reality is, the baby and your body are simply not ready yet. I know you dont' want to hear that, but let nature take it's course.
I had to be induced w/all 3 of my pregnancies because I wasn't dialating enough during labor. I started then just stopped all 3 times.
Forcing the issue is just that...forcing it.
I wouldn't suggest any weird herbal methods or castor oil or anything like that. I would suggest resting up, because you will need it. I know it's not what you want to hear, but give yourself and your baby the time you both need to have the safest delivery possible. Try to distract yourself in the meantime. Get a pedicure, go for walks in the mall, have friends come visit etc. Difficult, I know! I really understand how you feel and I wish you all the best!!
M.

Lots of people say nipple stimulation, but my doula advised against it because it can produce VERY strong, intense contractions. Try hot wings and sex (in any order)! My husband and I did that twice in my 40th week and really enjoyed our last dates together before she got here! Good luck. The wait will be worth it.

Well, w/my first child NOTHING worked, but sex did work w/my second, still only 6 days early. One thing I know, that you DON'T want to hear...they won't come until they are ready! I know the waiting stinks, but get AS MUCH DONE AS YOU CAN...anything and everything (sometimes the cleaning/preparing will get the contractions going too!). If you haven't started nesting in a major way, you may not be ready either. I cleaned the bathtub and had contractions all day the day that my husband and I got the ball going w/my second, so he may have come w/out the sex anyway! Good Luck and enjoy every alone moment you have...you'll never get them again!

I used caster oil with my first one. I used 3 days before my due date and within 6 hours of drinking the caster oil my water broke and 12 hours later I had a baby! It of course was uncomfortable going to the bathroom for like 4 hours but it did the trick!!
Sondra

I was having the pressure feeling in my tummy for a week. I ate mexican food and an hour later i went into labor. I went to the hospital at 9pm and had my son about 2:30am. He was my second baby.

I truly believe drinking Raspberry Leaf tea helped put me into labor. I was one day shy of 41 weeks when I finally went into labor last fall. I made iced tea from the Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger tea and drank two pitcher fulls of it over the last two days before I went into labor. I had tried everything else from walking a ton, to driving over gravel roads but I really believe it was the raspberry tea that did the trick. Any raspberry tea should work just be sure it has Raspberry Leaf in it and isn't just raspberry flavored.

Good Luck!

L.

Patience! I was induced at 41 weeks, so for the 39th/40th week I tried to enjoy all the "lasts." Such as the last time at the movies, the last time sleeping in, the last time out to an "adult" restaurant... You'll be a mom before you know it!

When was the last time you had sex? I have found that with both of my children that seemed to worked perfectly. It stimulates the uterus to contract. Hope that helps!

Wait and be patient. Both of my boys were induced because the doctors thought they were going to be big. They were average. I didn't need much pitocin when I was induced which meant I was very close to going my self. Wait! Doctors have this urgency and you can so no as long as there's no clear medical reason to induce. Plus, not to scare you, but being induced is much more painful then going naturally. If you have to be induced try to convince your ob to agree before hand about when you can get an epidural. And try to push for it to be early. I didn't want an epidural with my first but that didn't last long. With my second they gave me an epidural before they started pitocin. So I guess what I'm saying is what ever happens you'll be okay. And there is really nothing you can do except wait. It will make you feel better to walk a lot. GOOD LUCK!

B.,

I have a friend that took 2 tablespoons of Castor Oil and went into labor about 12 hours later. Good Luck!!

S.

Hi B.! Congratulations...you're almost there!! I just had my 2nd child in December and those last few weeks were trying, to say the least. A friend of mine suggested the 3 S's: Sex, Spaghetti, and Scrubbing the floor (on your hands and knees). It's worth a shot! Good Luck!!

You already have so many responses but here's one more... When I was near my due date and told at my check up that I wasn't dilated at all I was shocked b/c I mistakenly thought that I should be starting to dilate at the end, there - so not true, and disappointed b/c you are sooo miserable. You can't sleep comfortably, or do anything comfortably for that matter. You can't paint your toes or reach everything in the shower or do activities you want to do and you have all this anxiety and on and on and on! You just want that little thing out and the birth over with! And my doc told me that day that no matter how hard it is to be at this stage of pregnancy to enjoy it - it's only going to get harder when that baby gets here! I didn't want to hear it at the time but she was completely right. As amazing and wonderful as it is to have that beautiful baby in your arms it is the start of a whole new set of uncomfortable and trying situations. And the things that are bugging you now will seem trivial when compared to the challenges that lie ahead. Sooooooo, my advice is to try and relax. Really, because you will not be in a position to relax in the same way for, oh, say, the rest of your life. You will ALWAYS be worrying and thinking about someone else for the rest of your life, even when they are grown and you are old and gray (not that it's bad, just a different life.) These moments will never come back to you. Think of yourself, pamper yourself. REST. Take a lot of naps (You'll need a lot of energy for the labor and the months following it!) Get a pedicure since you can't reach your own toes! Have some dates w/ your man and enjoy the last days of being alone together - your relationship is about to transcend what it is now. And remember, due dates are approximate, not deadlines. You're little bundle will come when they're ready, try not to worry. (Yeah, right!) Everything will work out as it is meant to.
Very best of luck to you and your growing family!
S.

I'll tell you what my doctor told me:
Babies come when babies are ready.

I ran the stairs.
I did jumping jacks.
I walked for miles.
Nothing worked... because... babies come when babies are ready.

sex... as unappealing as it sounds...

Someone already recommended this, but I wanted to clarify. Rasberry leaf tea works very good. The person who wrote put something about the zinger tea, which is okay. But I would recommend one that is less fruity flavored and has more of the natural leaf in it. Zinger was not the full meal deal. I drank it for a couple days with my first one and then got the real stuff and it worked wonders. I drank lots of it with my second and had her within 24 hours of drinking it!! It is an okay flavor thing vs castor oil! Good luck. This has always been the worst time of pregnancy for me!!

B., Just relax and enjoy your pregnancy. Yes the last days can be miserable but in another week or two you will have moments at night you'll wish the baby was back inside. K. Mitchell

I'm assuming this is your first? Anyways, I've heard all of those suggestions as well- I really don't know where they come from!!! NONE worked on me or ANY of my friends... To me all those silly suggestions do is give you false hope and waste that precious energy you need to preserve for delivery and afterward.

My first baby was 10 days late by induction. And the induction took forever cause she wasn't wanting to come out then!!!

I'm speaking truth- I have no idea of what others that suggest stuff speak of:) haha:)

I do have one suggestion: once you've reached early labor, walking A LOT(although it will be uncomfortable) seems to work for me and others I've talked to as far as speeding things up.

I know this is an agonizing time for you, but you only have to hang in there for 1-2 more weeks. My first came early, my doc stripped my membranes at 36 weeks and my water broke a week later. My second was a different story. Like the first I was 4 cm dialated at 37 weeks, and 38, and 39, and 40 when my doc took mercy and induced 2 days after my due date, when I got the hospital I was 5, so maybe it would have happened on its own, who knows. I tried everything I could think of. Your doc could strip your membranes if he is willing. With my sis in law, there was some kind of massage they do on the feet where they figure out the trigger areas that connect to the differnt body areas and they can massage the uterus part. Good luck to you! Rest up!

Hello...I feel for you...it wasn't too long ago I was desiring the same thing. I've been told some crazy things to do but my OB said the best thing is sex! Have fun and Good luck and God speed! xoxoxo

If you have a large exercise ball, try bouncing on it. When I was "in labor" after being induced and my labor was not progressing, the hospital had me bounce on the exercse ball.

D.

Sauerkraut seems to work in my family!Plan to have a busy day don't think about it just go out and maybe spend some time with your husband.Walking around as much as your body can handle and wait for the baby to do their part.
Good Luck and Hang in there,don't rush Gods plan!
R. F

I have heard from a friend that castor oil works wonders . . . but I would ask a doctor or midwife exactly how much to use. Good luck - remember it is so much harder once the baby is out! Although I remember waking up for days after deliveriny my second and thinking, thank god I am not pregnant!

I like the theory that the baby doesn't come until mom is ready. I kept hoping to be dilated with every trip to the doctor. I was working 10 hour days right up to the day before my daughter was born. I finished the project to my satisfaction, leaving notes for my successor, had a visit with the new pediatrician and went home to rest for a few days before her due date...my water broke the next morning. Put your feet up and relax, because rest will never be the same again:-) Enjoy your last few moments!