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Women have long known about natural ways to induce labor, and midwives teach these techniques every day. They can prevent you from meducal labor induction, and as long as you have reached your 41nd week, it is safe for you to try them. Many of these natural ways to induce labor involve herbs and foods that have helped women kick start labor for centuries.

Nipple Stimulation

Nipple stimulation releases a hormone called oxytocin. The synthetic form of oxytocin is Pitocin, which is commonly used to medically induce labor. Thus the increase of the natural hormone oxytocin, which is produced by your own body, can help you start labor. In order to release oxytocin, stimulate your nipples by rolling them between your thumb and forefingers for 2 minutes and rest for 3 minutes. Repeat rolling and resting for 20 minutes. This should start the womb contractions of a full time pregnancy.

Bumpy car ride

It may sound like an old wives tail, but it has worked for many.

Sex

Sex is widely used as a method for inducing labor. The prostaglandin in man’s semen can ripen the cervix. The orgasm of the pregnant woman can stimulate your body to go into labor when you pregnancy is full-time. You might not feel like having sex in the last month of your pregnancy, but it beats a cesarean and medical induction. If you really are not in the mood try using his sperm by inserting it in your vagina as close to the cervix as you can.

Exercise

Walking and swinging in a swing may start the labor. Some people have found squatting for short periods to help in inducing labor naturally. Also hula dancing, or belly dancing can be helpful.

Relaxation

Tension works against labor. Relieve it, let everything go, and you may be surprised to find yourself in labor. It’s important to find an effective way to get relaxed. Listen to some relaxation tapes - or have a good cry! Some women swear by a good cry: they get a tearjerker from a video store and have a good bawl to relieve tension.

Visualization

Get quiet and relaxed, and imagine how you have your wonderful baby on your arms. Then magine backwards: what happens before you’ll have your baby until to the moment of the first contraction. Hypnosis or self-hypnosis has been known to really do wonders.

Herbs

For labor, several herbs are used to induce labor or to stimulate contractions. Do not take any of these herbs without first conferring with a midwife, physician, and a herbalist.

Castor Oil

Castor oil has been widely used as a traditional method of inducing labor. It can be taken by mouth or as an enema. Castor oil encourages bowel movement and works as a laxative. The taste is bad and can easily cause you to feel nauseous. In order to take castor oil by mouth, mix two full tablespoons in a small amount of range juice. Swallowing a large amount of castor oil is poisonous, so it should be consumed with care. Castor oil also increases the chances of your baby passing its meconium in utero, which can be dangerous and cause pneumonia in infants, so use only with care and careful supervision.

Blue/Black Cohosh

Blue and Black Cohosh can be found in form of tincture and black cohosh as a tea as well. Blue Cohosh is said to be effective but this herb has been connected with infant heart attack. Black Cohosh increases the risk of severe hemorrhage, which can be very serious issue during labor and cesarean section. The homeopathic remedies of these herbs don’t have these risks. For Blue Cohosh the homeopathic remedy is Caulophyllum and for Black Cohosh it is Cimifuga racemosa.

Cumin tea

Cumin tea is used by midwives in South-America. Prepare by adding 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds to one cup of boiling water and allow to steep for 5 minutes before drinking. Cumin tea is bitter. You can add a raw cube of potato into the tea, because it absorbs the bitterness of the cumin. You can add sugar or honey as well to improve the taste. Don’t drink more than 1 cup an hour per day.

Red Raspberry

Red Raspberry is a "uterine conditioner" according to the herbalists. It strengthens the muscles in your uterus, making each contraction more effective. It will also induce labor. Red Raspberry can be found in the form of pills, tincture, or dry leaves with which you can make tea.

Pineapple

An enzyme in the Pineapple fruit is reputed to ripen the cervix and help to start the labor. In order to get enough this enzyme, you have to eat a lot of pineapple.

Evening Primrose Oil

Evening primrose oil is said to ripen the cervix when it is used internally 5 gel caps up against the cervix daily.

Oregano

Drinking Oregano tea or eating foods with lots of oregano can also help induce labor. The famous labor inducer Eggplant Parmesan works so well because of the amount of oregano the recipe contains.

Acupressure

Acupressure means applying pressure on specific spots on your body with fingertips. Specific acupressure points on your body to go into labor. These points can be found on shoulders, hands, lower legs and ankles. You can find an acupressure specialist to apply labor inducing acupressure. Because acupressure techniques are very simple, you or your partner can stimulate these points as well. Treat the points known to stimulate labor by pressing them and massaging them with small circular motion for 1-5 minutes few times a day.

Specific acupoints encourage the baby to engage, help the cervix to ripen and stimulate the contrations.

To get step-by-step instructions demonstrating safe and effective Labor Acupressure techniques visit http://www.MaternityAcupressure.com. Discover simple, safe and effective acupressure techniques that help you to induce your labor naturally at home and avoid the side-effects of medical induction. The best acupressure points for inducing labor naturally, getting labor pain relief, helping the cervix to dilate and strengthening contractions are demonstrated step-by-step in a new guide "Easier, shorter and safer birth" by Virpi Leino. Visit www.MaternityAcupressure.com for more information.

Resources

General Pregnancy

Pregnancy at About.com (http://pregnancy.about.com/)
Pregnancy and Parenting at iVillage (http://parenting.ivillage.com/)
Pregnancy Symptoms (http://www.epigee.org/pregnancy/symptoms.html)
Top Ten Signs You Might be Pregnant (http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy-symptoms)
Pregnancy Symptoms from MedicineNet (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79528)
Pregnancy at BabyZone (http://www.babyzone.com/loadpage/topic.asp?topicid=125628)

Childbirth

ChildBirth.org (http://www.childbirth.org/)
Childbirth on WikiPedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childbirth)
Childbirth Photos and Videos (http://technorati.com/tag/childbirth)
National Institute of Health (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childbirth.html)
Unassisted Childbirth (http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/)
Pain Medications During Labor (http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/laboranddelivery/ld_meds.html)
Labor Pain Meds at Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/labor-and-delivery/PR00105)

Complications

Pregnancy complications at BabyCenter.com (http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/pregcomplications/index)
Bacterial Vaginosis (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/bacterialvaginoses.htm)
Incompetent Cervix (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/incompetentcervix.html)
Chronic Hypertension (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregcomplications/1427404.html)
Ectopic or Tubal Pregnancy (http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/ectopic.html)
Gestational Diabetes (http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp)
Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) (http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregnancy/fetal/313.html)
Iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregcomplications/3073.html)
Placenta Previa (http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/placentaprevia/a/previa.htm)
Placental Abruption (http://folsomobgyn.com/placental_abruption.htm)
Pre-Eclampsia (http://www.preeclampsia.org/)