Pregnancy Week 41: Labor Induction, Ways to Help Naturally Start Labor & Advice From Seasoned Moms Pregnancy Weekly

About Baby

So, you’ve either met your baby or are still anxiously awaiting his or her arrival. If you are still preggo, your baby is pretty much a fully functioning human in there, though he’ll continue to develop until he enters this world. Those toenails and fingernails are growing, as well as his hair, eyelashes and eyebrows.

Just because you haven’t had your baby yet doesn’t mean he’s late. Many times, your due date was just off. Your doctor or midwife may start to mention inducing. Many providers won’t let moms-to-be go more than two weeks beyond their due dates. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), “Labor induction is the use of medications or other methods to bring on (induce) labor. Labor is induced to stimulate contractions of the uterus in an effort to have a vaginal birth. Labor induction may be recommended if the health of the mother or fetus is at risk.” Read more about labor induction!

About Mom

At 41 weeks, are you tired of being pregnant and want to try and take matters into your own hands? There are countless ways people believe you can naturally start labor. Here are just a few:

• Sex: Many couples swear that sex helped get their labor going. It could be because oxytocin is released during sex, which can cause contractions. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Having sex is safe at full term, but you shouldn’t have sex after your water has broken. Doing so can increase your risk of infection.”

• Evening Primrose Oil: Evening primrose oil may help ripen the cervix and get it ready for labor. Some women take evening primrose capsules, while others believe you need to rub the oil directly onto your cervix. Be sure to talk to your doctor.

• Raspberry Leaf Tea: According to the Mayo Clinic, some midwives recommend drinking raspberry leaf tea to induce labor. Even if it doesn't work for your labor, it can help hydrate and reduce stress, so sip away.

• Spicy Foods: This may be an old wives’ tale, but it's believed that eating spicy foods can trigger labor. Throw some jalapenos on that pizza, dig into a plate of chipotle cream chicken, chiles toreados or snack on some spicy buffalo cauliflower bites. If it doesn’t work, at least you had a good meal!

Here are four more natural things that might start labor!

Mom to Mom

We asked moms with children of all ages what they wish they had known in those early days of motherhood, and what advice they’d offer a new mom today. Here’s a sample of what they had to say:

• “I was nervous about whether or not I was doing everything ‘right.’ I wish I would have trusted my instincts because I knew what was best for my baby.”

• “I wish I had known what postpartum depression felt like and what signs to look for. It took a couple years for me to realize that I had been suffering from it. People dote on pregnant moms, but once the baby is born, we are left to figure things out on our own. I don’t think people think enough about the mental healing that is involved after delivery. Becoming a parent for the first time is such a huge transition that more support needs to be available, and moms need to be more aware of the signs of PPD.” (Read more about postpartum depression in Week 42.)

• "Ask for help and accept the help.”

• “Don’t stress about stuff around the house. It can wait.”

• “Nap when your baby naps.”

• “Babies and kids cry. Don’t worry if your kid cries in public.”

• “Don’t compare yourself to other moms. No one is Super Mom (and we wouldn’t like her anyway!). Remember that social media only shows us what people want us to see.”

Here’s even more advice to new moms from seasoned moms!

Bump Talk

“You’re always going to wonder if you’re doing things wrong, but that’s what it means to be a mom, to care so much about someone else that you just want to be as perfect as possible.” – Naya Rivera, actress and singer

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