Hurry up Baby! Mommy wants you out now!

HOME STRETCH

"Oh gosh! Is he coming out yet? Please hurry, Mommy and Daddy wants to meet you." are the words that I hear from quite often Monica for the last little while. At 37 weeks, baby is fully developed and is just packing on the chub chubs in the last 3 weeks.  We've been trying a bunch of tricks/beliefs to help have our son come out sooner as we are in the home stretch. What can fathers do to help speed up the process?


TRICK #1 - SEX 
Well, our midwife and doula both suggested us to have more sex as semen is supposed to help induce labour. Semen may help to soften, or ripen, the neck of your womb (cervix). Semen also contains a high number of prostaglandins, which are chemicals that can help to relax tissues. I guess it's time to get lucky tonight *lol* 

TRICK #2 - PINEAPPLES

Pineapples have been believed to help induce labour. Go buy a ripe pineapple from the store and cut it for her. How to pick a good pineapple? 

• Select a plump and fresh looking pineapple.
  
• Shell colour is not necessarily a sign of maturity or ripeness. A pineapple can be ripe when it is practically all green outside.
  
• Smell it. It should smell fragrant but not too sweet. Smelling too sweet may indicate the pineapple has begun to ferment.
  
• Fresh, green leaves on the crown are a good sign.
  
• The body should be firm, but not too firm. Avoid soft pineapples or ones containing soft spots.
  

TRICK #3 - SMOKELESS MOXA-ROLLS

What is this? It was suggested by Monica's Naturopathic physician Dr. Katie Leah (http://integrative.ca/) as another way of helping to bring on labour. It is believed that this magic stick has multi-purpose usage. I'm basically lighting this smokeless Moxa-Roll and swirling it around her belly, knee cap area and sides of her feet for 15 minutes each day. The stick can evenly penetrate heat into acupoints with great power and guaranteed to be safe for your partner. 

TRICK #4 - DANCING

Our doula suggested Monica to dance or move her hips to help with her labour. What do I do? I guess I'm dancing to reggae since thats her favourite 'genre' of music for some hip action *lol* 

TRICK #5 - CASTOR OIL

It is believed that castor oil stimulates her tummy which stimulates her uterus. I wouldn't suggest your partner to ingest it as it could make her nauseous and give her diarrhea which could lead to dehydration. I have just tried placing a small amount of castor oil (April 27) on her belly today. Its pretty sticky and doesn't smell very pretty. 

TRICK #6 - SPICY FOOD

Spicy food is often suggested to bring on labour, which would stimulate her stomach as well. Time to bring out the chilli oil, Sriracha, and hot sauce. Monica doesn't really eat spicy food, until recently. I guess I'm going to have to get in the action with her with the spicy food.

TRICK #7 - ACUPUNCTURE and CHIRO

I'm not exactly Dr.Ho and I am not trained to do acupuncture or crack bones, so lets not get fancy and experiment. I do my due diligence and drive her to her naturopath for acupuncture (which she hates) & chiropractor appointments (which she loves). If you are living in Canada, see if your MSP helps cover part of the visit, or check your extended health coverage.  She has gone to Dr. Stephanie Bonn (from http://cocochiro.com/) for about 10 visits  now and she has noticed that she doesn't have many problems with back, neck, or pelvic pain as most preggos do.  Perhaps it does work!  Our baby will be a regular patient as well.  Stay tuned for future posts on that.

What other tips & tricks have you tried with your partner to induce early labour? Share us your experience below.