How to Mindfully and Spiritually Induce Labour ‣ inBodyd Soul

I did every trick in the book, and according to the timeline we were given, my daughter still came a week “late”, but I believe that babies have agendas that don’t necessarily fit into our “medical” due dates. Having said that, there are things that you can do to induce labour naturally and avoid having to get medically induced. The night before I went into labour I was journalling and felt intuitively guided to try something I hadn’t before, and I believe that this (in combination with the actions I will share below) is what made my baby and my body ready to begin labour and allowed my labour to continue progressing.

Tips, affirmations, and techniques to help you naturally induce labour. #childbirth #birthtips #naturalbirthing #howtogivebirth #childbirth #birthpreparation #hypnobirthing

My due date was December 24th, and when I went in for my appointment that morning my heart sank when my midwife told me that not only was I not dilated at all, but my cervix hadn’t even begun to soften yet. She said the chances of me going into labour in the next few days were not impossible, it has happened, but unlikely. They were going to give me one more week, and then we would have to start talking about inductions.

My husband and I had the most beautiful home birth planned (you can read my birth story here) and so the thought of being induced stressed me out because that meant I would have to give birth at the hospital. I went home that day and immediately started looking into all the ways I could induce labour. These are the things that I tried leading up to labour, and while I guess technically they didn’t make me go into labour that day… I truly believe they helped prepare my body for a smooth and speedy delivery!

What I did the night before I went into labour, and what I truly believe helped induce labour and avoided medical induction, is not something that I found online. It’s something that I discovered intuitively. I’ll share that later on in this post, but first, these are the “physical” things I did leading up to the birthdate of my daughter.

Physically Inducing Labour

Bouncing on a birthing ball: This helps to move the baby down into position and opens up your hips to prepare for delivery. Any exercise ball will do, it does not need to be specific for birth. I bounced for 30 minutes or so every night while watching reruns of the office!

Walking: Moves the baby down, keeps you energized, and can increase the softening and dilation of the cervix if it has started. Walking is also great to help progress labour. I went for a walk with my husband while I was in the early stages of labour. Just make sure you are also giving yourself plenty of rest time if walking to progress labour, you want to have lots of energy to give birth!

Having Sex: The oxytocin you release when having sex, having an orgasm, or even just making out with someone you love is the same hormone that brings on labour. Pitocin, the drug that they use to induce labour, is a synthetic version of oxytocin.

Nipple Stimulation: Nipple stimulation also produces the powerful love hormone, oxytocin, the same hormone they give you in the hospital when they medically induce labour.

Drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea: Drinking raspberry leaf tea is believed to help tone your uterus muscles, prepping your womb for delivery and is great for postpartum healing as well.

Eating Spicy Foods: For many people, spicy foods can irritate their bowels, and this action can help stir up things to get everything moving down there.

Drinking Pineapple Juice: I spoke with my midwife about this one. I had heard that eating pineapple helps induce labour and she said that yes, there is an enzyme in pineapple that can soften the cervix, but you would need to eat at least 8 pineapples to have any effect. There are approximately 6 pineapples in a litre of pineapple juice, so I grabbed two litres and drank them over two days while bouncing on my ball!

Evening Primrose Oil: After discussing with your doctor or midwife you can start taking capsules orally or vaginally, this helps to soften and thin out the cervix and induce labour. I took them orally for about a week, then popped one up there one night and lost my mucus plug the next morning.

Spiritually Inducing Labour

Your uterus is a muscle, and like all muscles in your body, it can tighten and relax. When the muscle is tight, there is not as much movement, and it cannot function properly. When you feel fear, your body tenses up. Think of when your about to get a shot, fear and stress may cause you to feel tense, making it harder to get the needle. When you relax, it hurts less and is finished quicker.

The same is true for labour and delivery. When your body is tight, because your feeling fear and stress over the birth of the baby, or worried about life after baby arrives, your womb is not relaxed and supporting you in “moving” the baby down. This can prevent all of the “physical tips” suggested to induce labour from working effectively. Of course, the baby will ALWAYS have to come out at some point, but I believe this fear around childbirth is part of the reason so many babies are delivered by c-section or with assistance, rather than allowing the body to do what it has naturally been designed to do.

Surrender to the divine knowledge your body carries within it, and feel the fear to release it. Remember that when you’re holding on tightly to the fear, rather than letting it flow through you; your body is also holding that tension and resistance.

The night before I went into labour, I spent an hour or so working through my fears. The fear was manifesting as the fear of being induced. As I said earlier I had a beautiful home birth planned, and getting medically induced would mean I had to have a hospital birth; I tried to surrender to the knowledge that I am not in control, but the fear was still lingering.

I ran myself a bath, lit a candle, journaled and then meditated. Underneath the fear of induction, I found the real cause of my resistance. I had a lot of fear of what my life would be like once my daughter arrived. I had financial fears, fears that I wouldn’t be a good mother, fears that I wouldn’t be able to protect my daughter from the hardships of life, fears that I would lose myself, and fears that my partner and I would drift apart.

I sat with each of these fears. Breathing through them mindfully. I acknowledged them. I felt them fully. I thanked them. And then I worked to release them.

I asked for the universe to help guide me to transform the fear into love and strength with each breath.

I welcomed any new fears to enter into my awareness to be released.

I inhaled the love, and let go of the fear.

When I was finished, I knew I was ready to meet my baby. I knew that no matter what happened; hospital or home birth, my baby and my body had a plan.

The next morning, the early stages of labour began, and I had an overwhelming sense of KNOWING that the inner work I’d done the night before, had induced labour and lovingly paved the way for my daughter to enter the world.

On December 31, 2018, my husband and I welcome our new 7lb 10oz baby girl Evangeline into the world. I gave birth in our very own bedroom, with candles, essential oils, relaxing music, dim lights and the fireplace channel on tv. (LOL one day we’ll have a real fireplace in our bedroom #lifegoals)

Every day I am grateful to be the mama to my little New Years “Eva” Baby, and for the beautiful first moments she had for her life.

I strongly encourage you to take some time and connect inward with the divine feminine guidance and power you carry within your own body. Acknowledge your fears, and lovingly release them.

You got this Mama!

Love,
Megan xo

– Request Guidance & Healing–