My wife was due on the third. still hasnt poped yet. We have been doing alot of walking. and have heard some say taking caster oil to help get things started, Steff doesnt like the sound of that though. I was just wondering if any of you know of any other methods( old wives tales even) to get the whole thing going.

-- MikeinKS (mhonk@oz-online.net), June 04, 2001

Answers

I have tried everything with the 4 children .When its ready it will come out .Castor oil tastes awfull and will give her the craps big time .Sex doesn't work either .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), June 04, 2001.

My sister jumped rope and had hers the same night.

-- debra in ks (solid-dkn@msn.com), June 04, 2001.

It's all about hormones. When the brain releases the right one, she will have contractions. Anything else will just make her miserable. I know because I did the castor oil with my first. Drank a whole bottle in a big Pepsi. Gross, and it didn't get the desired results. But, boy oh boy, was I cleaned out. Walking is good for both of them, but won't start the process. May God bless you with a wonderful birth and baby.

-- melina b. (goatgalmjb1@hotmail.com), June 04, 2001.

Excuse my bluntness, but my M.D. said orgasim would help bring on uterine contractions when things are "in place" for birth.

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), June 04, 2001.

Baby will come when baby is ready. My first came 3 weeks late. Doctors always figure from the first possible date you could have gotten pregnant. Even with ultrasound, no one can be exact. I always tell friends they will have it a week after their due date. I usually am pretty close. But ... baby will come when baby is ready. Good luck and congratulations!

-- JoAnn in SD (jonehls@excite.com), June 04, 2001.

Nope that did'nt work either .Thought Hubby would never want sex again ! We tried an awfull lot.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), June 04, 2001.

Scrubbing floors on hands and knees with a scrubbing brush has worked for some. Car ride over rough bumpy back-country roads has worked for others (and at least you get out and have a better view than scrubbing floors). But the basic answer is that they only work when everything is ready anyway. If you try to hurry things and baby is a slow developer, or she was a little out on her cycle when she conceived, or someone counted wrong, or whatever, you risk doing some damage. There's an awful lot of induced births these days, which would probably have occurred naturally if the doctor had been willing to wait. That's right, inductions are mostly (not always) done for the convenience of everyone except the child. Happens the increase in inductions (of children with less well-developed lung systems than would have occurred naturally) is paralleled by an enormous increase in childhood asthma. Co-incidence?

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), June 04, 2001.

What is the hurry??? One day over is not really OVER, my granny used to say....when the apple is ripe, it will fall. Relax, babies are a lot easier to take care of inside than outside.....the fun has only just begun. GL....let us know when you deliver.

-- diane (gardiacaprine@yahoo.com), June 04, 2001.

I have had six, and it's like the others said: When baby is ready, baby will come. Baby actually releases some sort of hormone when he/she is ready, which triggers mom's hormones and sends her into labor. Whatever you do, DON'T let a doctor induce unless there are major complications. We went that route once, as have some friends. It was the most painful of all my labors, the others I've talked to said the same thing.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), June 04, 2001.

WHen I was pregnant with my first child, I had dilated to 7 cenimeters with no contractions. My doctor suggested I drink an 8 oz. glass of orange juice with a tablespoon of castor oil and a tsp. of baking soda to bring on "false contractions" (within 4 hours) which would at least get me into the hospital. I did this and it did work but to this day I can not drink orange juice. The hospital refused to take me unless I was having contractions even though I had dilated to 7 cenimeters so this at least got me in the door. By the way, my son was born 47 minutes later!

-- Dianne in Mass (dianne.bone@usa.net), June 04, 2001.

Just wanted you to know that inductions are not that bad for everyone if it comes to that. I have 5 kids. The last 3 were induced. I was 15 days over with one, 13 days over with the other, & 10 days over with the last. With all of them I was showing all the signs of impending birth. Dilating & thinning cervix, but no contractions. AT ALL! With the first induction we waited 15 days before inducing. He weighed 10 lbs at birth. He was not hard to have, but for a lot of women a 10 lb baby would be too much. I was induced & labored & delivered with no type of pain medication at all & no epidural. So please don't scare your wife with horrible induction stories because they aren't that way with everyone. By the way, I mowed grass, walked, had sex, did everything to try to start labor & none of it worked. I would not worry though until it has been 2 weeks past the due date. Sometimes the dates are off.

-- Wendy (weiskids@yahoo.com), June 04, 2001.

Just my two cents worth.

Who's more uncomfortable, Dad or Mom? If it's Mom, take a cue from your goats, or whatever critters you can observe. When labor is nigh, they get extremely uncomfortable & agitated. They lay down… then stand up… then start bellowing… then lay down again… (Been there, done that…)

I guess my point is, if your wife is VERY uncomfortable, you won't have long to wait. (Although I only have one child, I was ready to deck the lady who said goodnaturedly, " Oh, are you STILL pregnant?" three days after my due date. Hey, hormones are powerful stuff!)

Otherwise, I agree with the above--those precious babies are much easier to care for inside than outside.(And much quieter! :^)

Congratulations, Dad!!

-- Anne-mare (ambelanger@mail.com), June 04, 2001.

Go to a Walmart or sporting goods store and buy what they call a 'boat air horn signal'. It's basically a can of compressed air connected to a small horn(it's alot louder than it looks). After she's gone to sleep at night, quietly place the horn about 2 inches from one of her ears and let it rip. If this doesn't work, you're just gonna have to wait it out.

-- April (atobias@yahoo.com), June 04, 2001.

Mike, We have five children, and none of them got here when the chart said they should. Keep walking, as it's good for Mom, and helps the baby as well. If you want to try a couple of old wives' tales, sex is one that's oft repeated, and does sometimes work. Also, I was told to eat a pizza with Jalapenos on it with one of mine, and I was either ready, or it worked. The Castor oil is vile and disgusting, but if she's brave enough to try it, use only a small amount, like 2 oz.I tried the castor oil/OJ and was simply ILL. However, I've since been told that the OJ is a bad mixer, and you should really put it in a thick milk shake so she doesn't gag. If she doesn't go into labor in the next few days, you could consider an herbal remedy, one of the ones midwives sometimes use, which might work, but I'd wait, as 1 day is probably too soon. CONGRATULATIONS to the about to be Parents. Enjoy your little one, and let us know when he or she arrives.

-- Kristin, in LA (positivekharma@aol.com), June 04, 2001.

I have heard that "nipple stimulation" can trigger labor...must be along the same lines as how the baby's nursing helps the uterus to contract (after the birth).

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), June 05, 2001.

April's idea about the air horn is going to get you killed! :o) Don't go there, she'll be losing enough sleep soon enough with the baby. Nipple stimulation releases oxytocin, which will cause contractions, whether they will be efffective or not is another thing. Castor oil is an ugly route to go. Been there, done that, but I was about a week over. All these ideas will work if it's already time, not until. Also want to mention that some women naturally go longer and two weeks over is not really over for them. Your wife doesn't need to be stimulated in any way, just be patient and try to start each day with the thought,"I'm closer today than I was yesterday." (I am speaking from the experience of being a midwife's assistant for over a year and also having 7 of my own.) Other than that, Congratualtions! Nancy

-- Nancy (sonflower35@icqmail.com), June 05, 2001.

Maybe the air horn thing was just a joke, BUT DO NOT DO IT!!! You will damage her hearing, no matter what other effect it has.

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), June 05, 2001.

Ok she went to see the doc today and she was only dialated(sp?) to two. He said that Saturday if it dont happen before then they will induce. So we will know at least by Saturday if we have a Levi Nathaniel or a Lydia Paige to add to our ranks. We werent going to try anything other then walking annnd its a good excuse for sex. I was just wondering about any other ideas folks had on how to get jump started. We'll let you all know what we have. Mike

-- MikeinKS (mhonk@oz-online.net), June 05, 2001.

Congradulations , as long as its healthy who cares when it comes out .She will soon forget all this and be obsessed with the baby .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), June 05, 2001.

Hey Mike,

How many will this little one make??

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), June 05, 2001.

this one will make #2 we have a 3 year old daughter named Galen

I'm hoping for a boy I'm a little out numberd here. but i'll be happy with a girl

-- MikeinKS (mhonk@oz-online.net), June 05, 2001.

Mike, mother of 5 here.....I'm one of those women who don't dialate, but have contractions for days, weeks, and then months by the time the baby shows up.....Drives a new doctor nuts!

Nipple stimulation is good for contractions, as I had to do that for a stress test with #5. Sperm contains minute amounts of prostoglandlin which COULD help bring labor on if it's TIME. If not, you're either going to be a very happy man, or a very tired one....I really think inducing labor under 2 wks. past due date is not a good idea...Lungs are the last part of the baby to form. The beginning of the contractions is a lot like the little butterflies who are getting out of their cocoons...it helps with their breathing and lung development. I was MISERABLE with pregnancy, all 5 of them....I'm one of those people who LOVE labor and delivery, probably because it's going to be over soon, no more pregnancy. I asked my doctor when she'll actually induce labor or take it by C-Section. She said after a 2 wk. overdue date, she'll do a stress test, to see how baby is doing. She said just inducing or taking them by C-Section she's always regretted doing them and beating herself with "Why didn't I wait 2 more weeks." She said there's no REAL reliable way to tell exactly when those lungs are developed enough for the baby, and she tries to leave it up to the baby to let her know. (amneocintesis is not that reliable, either she said) Pleae wait at least 2 wks. before thinking of inducing.

-- Louise Whitley (whitley@terraworld.net), June 06, 2001.

DON'T DO THE CASTOR OIL. My daughter and best friend did, and although it worked, a nurse told it causes muscle spasms in the baby too and can cause him to poop out meconium in the womb before it is born. This is quite dangerous.

-- Lynne (lynnie70@cybermesa.com), June 06, 2001.

Baby comes when s/he is ready. Remember, too, that a baby can be born up to two weeks before or after the due date. Castor oil is awful. I took it, vomited and was very ill and depleted by the time I went into labor. It didn't work.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), June 06, 2001.

I'm one of those women that if you have any sign of tight stomach mucles or feel like you want to sit on the pot all day (around babies due date), then I had better get to the hospital quick. The only reason for this is my labor is very short & fast. If your wife is dialated but not in labor yet, ask Doc to strip her membranes. (Please forgive my volgarity?) For this the Doc will put his finger in (like to check dialation) & will move his fingers around the vaginal walls. This will strip the membranes. I had this done on my second child (I was dialated but no contractions yet), & YES it hurts, but only while it's being done (less then 30 seconds to do this). Lets just say that I was holding my baby an hour later. 24 minutes at the hospital, the rest was travel time. But thats just me being quick to deliver. Stripping the membranes while dialated but not haveing contractions will bring on labor (without drugs). Being dialates but not haveing contractions is a sign that she is very close to haveing the baby.

Good luck

animalfarms

-- animalfarms (jwlewis@indy.net), June 07, 2001.

This is a little late and may have been addressed in previous responses, but my daughter's nurse-midwife uses red rasberry leaf tea, brewed for a good 10 to 15 minutes. It strengthens uterine tone. My daughter drank a potful the night before going into labor with my granddaughter. Also, the same midwife uses evening primrose oil vaginally to help ripen the cervix.

-- Lynne (boodad@us.inter.net), August 02, 2001.

I 'm over due now, by one day...I have tried castor oil-no go. (It was extremely nasty and I almost vomitted in the OJ) I have been Walking until my feet are even more swollen,and I've had sex..and then held my pelvis in the air waiting for the prostuglandulins to work and still nothing. I also did the 10 minute nipple stimulation and only received horrible cramps in the morning. Now I 'm working with red rasberry leaf tea...I'll probably just stick with this until the big day comes. I'm too paranoid to take the other herbal remedies with out doctors monitoring. Any suggestions regarding the red rasberry leaf tea?

-- Valerie Hicks (valriggs@hotmail.com), August 05, 2001.

I want my sister in law to have baby Gage tomorrow, I'm off and if she doesn't go by Tuesday, the doctor will induce her. So, what's one day? I'm surfing the net and am determined to spend the evening helping labor to come along naturally (I'm going there with hot wings and an enema ; ).... I'll leave graciously should they choose to try the sex thing.

Reading all of the advice and funny answers (she'll get you back during labor for the bullhorn, pal!), what comes to mind is that my oldest daughter turned 17 on Tuesday, August 7th.

I remember anxiously waiting for her to arrive, and 10 days past my due date I still questioned if it was "real" labor when I finally started to have contractions. Well, it was real and 17 hours later, I was handed this perfect, beautiful little girl (8lbs 6oz 19 1/2" @11:43am).

Now, my perfect, beautiful little girl is taller than me and about to enter her Junior year in HS. What I wouldn't give to have those 9 months back and start all over. I'd not be so worried about seeing her, I'd appreciate feeling her foot in my ribs and watching her hiney as she rolled over in my tummy. The lack of sleep for one more feeding or dirty diaper wouldn't seem so bad. I'd not mind the messes, or "accidents" in the Christmas dress and ruffled panties.

They grow up so fast. Somehow the time between the miracle of conception/birth and the seventeenth birthday slipped past me.

I'm still taking chicken wings to baby Gage tonight, but if he doesn't come tomorrow, I guess I'll let you know that spicey foods really don't work! When my baby nephew is squriming around tonight, I'm going to keep my hands on the belly that he is in and call his name, tell him Aunt Lisa can't wait to meet him and appreciate now the miracle that we have with us right this minute, even though there are no dirty diapers to go along with it.

I wish all of you the best of luck. And urge you to appreciate every minute in between.

-- Lisa (lisamaxwell66@hotmail.com), August 12, 2001.