How to bring on labor? It’s probably one of the ultimate questions every soon-to-be moms ask their midwives or doctors.

Well, for many pregnant women, going into labor occurs as naturally as the sun rising in the morning. For a few, nature needs a little nudge in helping things along and they need to know how to bring on labor safely and fast.

So, What Helps Induce Labor Fast?

There are many different ways of inducing labor both medically and naturally.

Medically, there are the stripping of the membranes, the application of prostaglandin to the cervix, an IV drip of Pitocin, and breaking of the bag of waters. But when speaking of natural labor, all that hardly seems natural and there are different methods we can talk about, which I will briefly explain below.

If a pregnant woman is overdue – meaning, she is past her estimated due date – she may opt to try natural labor induction. However, it’s important to seek the advice of your physician or midwife before inducing labor naturally.

Because natural labor induction really works, it needs to be used with extreme caution and you need to be sure you know what you are doing. Let’s go over the different types of natural labor induction for you to have a better understanding of the process. But please note that these aren’t any surefire ways to induce labor.

How Can I Get My Labor Into Progress?

A popular way of natural labor induction is nipple stimulation. When done in timed sequences, stimulating nipple through touch can bring on labor. This can be done by yourself or someone else – such as your partner.

Rolling the nipples between your thumb and forefinger or rubbing them actually stimulates oxytocin production. Oxytocin is a hormone that plays a major role in uterus contraction.

Nipple stimulation is found to be effective in inducing labor when done in about 20 minutes every hour until labor is established. Again, this is not a guarantee and should only be performed under the advice of your care provider.

Now, let’s discuss the natural herbs that may help bring on labor.

Black and Blue Cohosh, borage oil, evening primrose oil, mugwort, yarrow, and goldenseal are a few of the herbs that can help induce labor naturally. There are varying opinions as to how much and how often to take these – as they all are uterine contraction stimulants. See our article on how to induce labor using….

The Top 5 Natural Labor Induction Methods

#1: Evening Primrose Oil

Evening primrose oil can be placed directly on the cervix to help in thinning it out or to efface it. A good midwife or herbalist would know the exact portions to use and whether or not you are a good candidate for any of these herbs. One way would be to use a syringe to insert it.

#2: Castor Oil

Castor oil has long been a “labor induction” remedy. But then again, the amount and frequency may vary depending on whom you ask.

I have done a little research into this and have discovered that it’s not for everyone. There have been cases where castor oil was passed on to the child, causing the baby to pass meconium before birth occurred.

#3. Enemas

Aside from nature’s herbs, other methods listed in natural labor induction include enemas. Some hospitals routinely practice giving enemas or cleaning to induce labor. Enemas help clean out mothers before birth and I believe this technique is done to aid in the labor process as well.

#4. Fasting and Dehydration

Fasting and dehydration can cause labor too. Which is why it is so important to drink lots of water during pregnancy. Some of the time, if preterm labor starts, simple rehydration will halt it.

If hydration doesn’t work for you, you may want to look into physical activities like swinging in a swing. Will swinging help induce labor?

Well, as stated by midwives, this activity helps bring on labor. I’ve actually done this myself and it didn’t necessarily bring on labor. But who knows, with an overdue mom, it just might be a fun way to try.

#5. Sexual Intercourse

The last natural labor induction method that I know of is intercourse. Yes, having sex can bring on labor. This I know first hand. I went into labor 30 minutes afterward with my daughter.

The only problem was that I was only 36 weeks pregnant! It seems that there are prostaglandins in the semen and this will help to efface the cervix.

With all the methods above on how to bring on labor naturally, I cannot stress enough to NOT try any of it without first seeking the advice and help of your doctor or midwife. There are certain conditions that could be very dangerous to try on your own – for yourself or for the baby.

Of course, if labor induction is a certainty – I would certainly not hesitate to look into the natural methods on how to bring on labor before trying one of the medical ones first.

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