Help me...I'm gigantic and miserable!

[phlawless]

Anyone have any suggestions of foods that might progress my labor? I've heard tequilla shots, a gigantic rib-eye, or anything spicy...what else???

[Varmint]

Ribs and chili! A shot of Pitocin on the side helps, too!

[torakris]

when I was 8 days overdue with #3 some Chinese friends told me to eat bamboo shoots, so I did and labor started less than an hour later.....

good luck!

[ladyyoung98]

when i was pregnant with my daughter and ready to pop any day and was very tired of being pregnant..i foudn that drinking warm tea and pacing and playing darts really helped...two hours after doing all these things...my water broke and off i went...i was in labor for six hours (second pregnancy), dropped down from 19 hours for the first one

[Maison Rustique]

When Mom was pregnant with me, they really needed the tax deduction. She didn't tell me until 40 years later, but apparently she took castor oil for 4 days to get me here on December 31. No wonder I've always felt rushed.

[momlovestocook]

Not sure if food is your answer. I used to work in labour and delivery(before having my own children. I was overdue for both-went into labour after my doctor's exam for both of them.

What you should do is have sex!!!! It helps soften the cervix.

Not sure about the castor oil-a friend of mine tried that and NOTHING but trips to the bathroom.

Good luck

The baby will come out even if it seems like it never will LOL.

Sandra

[hazardnc]

I tried chili cheese dogs from the Varsity in Atlanta. When the contractions started, we happily rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, after monitoring me for an hour, I was told I had indigestion, and they sent me home

[chefzadi]

My wife tells me walking and/or sex. (both I say) Or faking labor within two weeks of due date, sure recipe for pitocin drip...

[JustKay]

My wife tells me walking and/or sex. (both I say)

True dat.

[JPW]

My wife tells me walking and/or sex. (both I say) Or faking labor within two weeks of due date, sure recipe for pitocin drip...

←

All true.

Another good one is to tell hospital that your water broke (helps if your OB/GYN is in on it)

[chefzadi]

My wife tells me walking and/or sex. (both I say) Or faking labor within two weeks of due date, sure recipe for pitocin drip...

←

All true.

Another good one is to tell hospital that your water broke (helps if your OB/GYN is in on it)

←

She did that too...

[bavila]

No food suggestions here, I personally believe that's just wishful thinking. I know it's hard to be patient. Every child in my family was 2-4 weeks early, so I thought my daughter's due date of Nov 27 would mean a Halloween baby for me. Her birthday's Dec 5!

Just keep repeating to yourself "I won't be pregnant forever!" And do what you can to keep comfortable, including eating yummy food.

[Jensen]

Have your mother-in-law come for a visit. That will drive your blood pressure up and you'll be a prime candidate for induction.

Worked for me!

[therese]

Eat and/or do whatever you want. Whatever it was that immediately preceded onset of labor gets credit for jumpstarting it.

I would specifically not recommend induction of labor just to get the pregnancy over with, not only because an induced labor if you're not ready will either not work (C-section, anyone?) or be long and tedious and exhausting (and food-deprived), but because you're pretty much jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Infants are much easier to care for in utero.

[Mabelline]

Mark your calendar(too late now for you, unfortunately) 1 month later than it ought to be. You become fixated on that date--I was always pregnant in Arizona, in the summer--and start to believe it. But beware, 2 or 3 come much sooner than one.

Red raspberry leaf tea. But be careful. I do not advocate any herbs that you are not fully aware of the consequences of.

[jgm]

Two things:

1. Liquor (as in tequila shots) is not a good idea. You probably already know that. Ask your doctor if necessary.

2. Start a remodeling project. Buy paint and supplies, move all of the furniture out into the center of the room, and drape with a tarp. Midway through painting the first wall, labor will begin. Especially if the new paint is a sharp contrast with the old paint.

[mojito]

Start a remodeling project.  Buy paint and supplies, move all of the furniture out into the center of the room, and drape with a tarp.  Midway through painting the first wall, labor will begin.  Especially if the new paint is a sharp contrast with the old paint.

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I agree. I was hanging curtains the day before the due date of my first son. My water broke at 6:00 am the following morning.

[andiesenji]

It has been almost 44 years since my daughter was born, nearly two weeks late.

I had been putting off doing much housework but finally one evening got disgusted and scrubbed the floor, on my hands and knees, then waxed it and polished it by "skating" around the floor on a couple of old T-shirts.

I sat down for a cup of tea and realized the pressure I felt in my back was from labor. Four hours and 12 minutes later she was born.

[daniellewiley]

I see that others have suggested sex. What I've read is that oral sex is actually much more effective. Believe it or not, ingesting sperm can induce labor.

Oral Sex for Labor Induction

That's probably not the food recommendation you were hoping for, but whatever works, right?

[Mabelline]

When I got that far along, I would've chose scrubbing floors and slidin' around on t-shirts at that point, because my idea of sex was "Look what you've done to me" in a very wimpy wail.

[rjwong]

I remember hearing on the TV years ago about a restaurant in the Los Angeles area that serves this salad which induces labor in about 48 hours.

Caioti Pizza Cafe, on Tujunga Ave. in Studio City, is the name of the place. On the menu, it's called "THE Salad" (with Romaine, Watercress, Walnuts & Gorgonzola; Balsamic Vinaigrette). Supposedly, the secret is in the balsamic vinaigrette.

[Lone Star]

Oh, please, please don't do the castor oil or ingest vast quantities of anything unusual or spicy!

Take it from an experienced L&D nurse - even if it you did happen to go into labor after the ingestion (which is not likely, labor is induced by hormones, namely Oxytocin from the posterior pituitary) the results of the ingestion will come back to haunt you one way or the other, if you get my drift, cause it is coming out one way or another.

Gentle walking or stretching can't hurt. Time and patience!

edited to ask - how does one "fake" ruptured membranes? Like we would not be able to tell???

Edited March 17, 2005 by Lone Star (log)