when is it safe to start trying to start labor naturally?

[brittany12]

just wondering when most women start trying to get the ball rolling naturally by dtd, walking, nipple stimulation, EPO and so on..

my baby's head is low, I'm measuring a week to 2 weeks ahead and he believes she will be a bigger baby. I have weekly appointments now and an ultrasound on the 19th.

 

[ashleypauline]

37 weeks....bigger baby or not, doesn't mean babys lungs are mature. My office won't even do a sweep until you're 39 weeks because there has been medical evidence that even some babies born at 38 weeks don't have lungs that are mature enough yet.

 

[tillyttc]

My consultant gave me a sweep 9 days before she was due had a curry 8 days before had rumpy pumpy 7 days before my waters broke 12 hours later in 6 days to go xxx

 

[brittany12]

im not saying I want to have her today.. I'm just curious as to when most ladies start trying things. It seems it usually takes a little while before anything will actually work..

 

[Carly.C]

Oh dear.... I tried EVERYTHING from 37 weeks and still went 3 days overdue. I believe baby will come when baby is ready. I ate half a pineapple the day before dd1 was born at 39 weeks, and at the time I chose to believe it induced my labour but...... Tonnes of pineapple and goodness knows how much nipple stimulation along with everything else dd2 would not come out! She did however make her rapid appearance with just 90 minutes of contractions! Good luck, I really feel for those of you who are fed up, it's physically draining xxxxx

 

[hanni]

I'd agree with the others and say 37 weeks.
Although I think if you're having a normal pregnancy nothing will really work until your body is ready, it's all just something to pass the time really!
I DTD about 2 hours ago and am now sat here wondering why I haven't given birth yet.. 😂

 

[MrsKChicago]

I probably wouldn't start any of the more serious methods like EPO until 38 weeks, personally, unless my midwife gave me the go ahead to start earlier - but I kind of want this guy to stay in til around his due date because the house is just not ready.

Sex, walking, nipple stimulation, etc are all things that could happen in day to day life anyway, so I wouldn't be too concerned about them starting anything that wasn't ready to start at any point in the last month or so.

 

[brittany12]

I DTD about 2 hours ago and am now sat here wondering why I haven't given birth yet.. 😂

Hahahahaha! This is great! At this point of pregnancy when you can literally go into labor at any moment. Sex should definitely do it for you! Especially since its like it should be an Olympic sport! Haha

 

[glitterfly]

What's EPO? Sorry if this is really obvious x

 

[Harley Quinn]

My doctor's office won't so sweeps until you are 38 weeks. This is in case they are off by a week on the due date, they don't want to start labour until they are sure you're close to 37 weeks.

Also, bigger fundal measurements don't always mean a bigger baby. You could just have a ton of fluid in there or something like that.

I totally understand wanting to get things going though! Personally, I wouldn't start until 37 weeks, and that's only if I'm absolutely sure of the dates (like, with my first two babies, I was absolutely certain of when I o'd and when baby was conceived). With this baby, I'm not sure when the conception actually happened, so I will be going by the u/s due date until the very end!

 

[MrsKChicago]

What's EPO? Sorry if this is really obvious x

Evening primrose oil

 

[glitterfly]

What's EPO? Sorry if this is really obvious x

Evening primrose oil

Thank you Hun.... I have no idea what this is or what you are meant to do with it.

 

[MrsKChicago]

You insert it vaginally and it's supposed to ripen the cervix, I think? I haven't researched it a lot because I've got some time before I even consider using it, but I hear it can be pretty effective.

 

[brittany12]

I don't know anything about sweeps.. that has never even been mentioned to me by my dr. so who knows if he even does them.. it must not be common where I live?

I was just wanting a general idea of when people started trying to get things going. I've been too lazy lately to do much research on it so we'll see in the coming weeks how I feel and if I am up to doing some of the normal things like walking and dtd..

I really am hoping I just have more fluid or something. I haven't thought at all (until yesterday) that she could be a big baby. I have swore from day 1 she was small. I know exactly when I ovulated and the ultrasound measurements were 3 days off from what I suspect. both DH and I were only 7 pounds so I was assuming she would be somewhere in the 7 pound range, but who knows.. I guess the ultrasound on the 19th will tell me more!

I want to hold off on labor until March 1st! anytime after that is fine with me

 

[glitterfly]

Ahhh okay thank you. I've never head of that... As you say I'm quite a while off convincing her to appear but I'll bare this in mind for when I'm over due and desperate. Thank you for answering and I do apologise for stealing this thread OP.

Xxxx

 

[Harley Quinn]

Brittany, if you're curious, a sweep is when the doctor goes in and uses his/her fingers to kind of peel back the membranes around the cervix. I have heard them called "sweeps," "stretch and sweep," or "stripping the membranes," but they are all the same thing.

My doctor didn't offer one to me until I was 38 weeks with my first baby. I declined, but I got one at 39. It didn't work and I went into labour a week later. The second baby, I had them starting at 37 weeks, so a total of three. The third one worked and baby was born later that day!

I've heard different opinions about how well they actually work, but my doctor said that they work best if your body is already kind of ready for labour (i.e. at least 2-3 cm dilated and about 50% effaced). She also said that if it was going to work, I would go into labour within about 24 hours. So I guess that's why the first two didn't work... My body wasn't all that ready when they did them.

 

[brittany12]

Him that's interesting! I've never heard of anyone around where I live having one of those done..

 

[SarahBear]

Anytime is fine, really, unless you're prone to pre-term labor. Your body is going to go into labor when it's ready, so if it's not ready, your efforts will just help prep your body for the actual day.

(my post was about the things mentioned in the first post... I haven't read the rest but just glanced at some... It's not about sweeps and other such more invasive interventions)

 

[CamoQueen]

Well, walking and DTD are totally safe and will only help bring on labor if your body is already primed and ready, so those are completely fine at any time, really. I only ever walked (and walked, and walked) to help bring on labor, usually amping it way up starting at 37 weeks. Not sure if it helped but I did dilate very early without contractions in both pregnancies, and had my 2nd at 38 weeks. Anything other than walking and sex I'd wait until 37 weeks to be safe.

 

[brittany12]

Thanks eceryone ! I've done tons of walking this entire pregnancy, I'llprobably do some more in thenext weeks or so!