my wife is close to her due date and I want to know if there are any suggestions you may have to help her bring on baby. We found out today she is 3cm dilated, after an internal 40 week check up. We have tried chinese food, long walks and still are open to suggestions.

Cheers from Calgary Canada, Heidi and Paul

-- Heidi and Paul (hpq1@shaw.ca), September 12, 2002

Answers

Hello Heidi and Paul! Congrats on your upcoming arrival. It wasn't that long ago that I was in your shoes. [My little one is 10 weeks old.] Let's see.. what brings on labor... General known remedies are castor oil [really nasty but it does seem to work!], sex [yes, what got you in this situation can also help finish it], nipple stimulation [releases hormones that cause contractions], walking [never helped me any!], *really* spicy food [mexican, italian and chinese], and most of all... RELAX! Have Heidi take a warm bath. Give her a massage. Don't worry about the baby or when he/she is going to arrive. Just relax and let nature take it's course.

There are various herbal remedies that can induce labor. However, they are not recommended without your doctor or midwifes approval. Since I do not know your situation or anything about Heidi's pregnancy, I can't give you medical advice. The above listed suggestions are well known and have been used for centuries.

Good Luck! Let us know when your little one arrives!

Heather Carolina Births http://carolinabirths.8m.com

-- Heather Garner, LMA, CLD, Ph.D. (LaborDoula@hotmail.com), September 13, 2002.

well from what I know to naturally induce labor is the following... castrol oil 2 ozs mixed with juice or pop however it may cause your baby to have a bowel movement which could lead to bigger problems so I would not try it myself. The other one is evening primerose oil which won't cause contractions but will help for a easier birth because it helps to rippen the cervics, raspberry leaf tea also helps to strengthen the womb (tonic) And of course lots of sex nipple stimulation, and long walks cans also sometimes do the trick providing your body is ready for labor anyways. There are other things such as herbs but I won't list simply beacuse I really don't know how safe they are. Finally you should always check with your doctor before trying to induce labor and also the baby will be born when its ready. Hopefully this helps and good luck.

-- (melissac1@sympatico.ca), September 27, 2003.

I tried castor oil when I was pregnant with my daughter. It was 2 days after my due date. All that happened was a very uncomfortable evening for myself. The next day, I "speed" walked about 1 1/2 miles then went and walked around the mall for a couple hours. As soon as I got home, took a shower, got all cozy in my sweat pants and sat down for a movie, I heard a "ping" sound. when I stood up... sure enough, there went my water. 5 hours later my daughter was born. I think the walking helped send me into labor however, i contribute my practically painless...(There was pain just not for long), to evening primerose soft gels. I had been taking them during the last month of my pregnancy as directed on the label. My intense labor only lasted about half an hour and was not all that bad. After only 2, (yes 2) pushes I was all done. I highly recomend evening primerose. Also, my family has been known to have extreamly long labors so i say it's worth a shot. It worked for me the first time and i plan on using it again in a couple months when i am in the last month on pregnancy with my second child. Also, I have heard that nipple stimulation works really well for bringing on labor. Good luck and may everyone who reads this have a easy time in the delivery room and of course sweet little healthy babies!

-- Jessica Melrose (jezzamella@msn.com), March 29, 2004.