By the time you are 37 weeks pregnant, most doctors will consider you to be full-term and will allow labor to progress if it starts.  However, some women will go well past the typical 40 weeks and will start to look for ways to help their labor along.  If you are one of these women that would like to find ways to induce labor at home, then here are three of the most common and effective techniques that women have used.

Walking
This will typically help the baby to further descend into the pelvis and hopefully apply pressure to the cervix.  The added pressure will often times help the cervix thin and dilate therefore giving you a jump start on the whole labor process.  If nothing else, you get exercise, which will help you feel better physically and mentally.

There is also a variation, which I like to call curb-stepping.  I’ve successfully used this method twice, the last time going into labor within hours.  Stand next to a curb with the right foot closest to the curb and the left foot farthest from the curb.  Step up on the curb with the right foot and continue walking with your left foot down on the street.  You should go up and down with each step if you do it properly.  I believe it’s the combination of walking and jostling that helps this technique to work.

Nipple Stimulation
Any stimulation to the nipples should cause contractions by nature’s own design.  You can either manually rub your nipples or use a breast pump, for about 5 – 15 minutes per side.  Hopefully the increase in contractions will become regular and lead you into actual labor.  Most women will do this every couple of hours until they are successful.

Sex
Although having sexual relations at this point can be uncomfortable or even undesirable, semen has a natural chemical in it called a prostaglandin that helps to thin the cervix.  A thinned cervix will usually start to dilate and therefore lead to labor.  That is why often times when I woman has a threat of pre-term labor she will be put on pelvic rest – to avoid the risk of semen affecting her cervix.

If you find yourself not making any progress on your own and your baby is term, you can start to use some of these methods to induce labor at home on your own.  Each method is simple and safe and worth a shot to try to avoid a medical induction in the hospital.