Old Wives tale ways of getting babies out of the mama!

At 39 weeks gestation I was uncomfortable, hot, and ready to have this baby. My blood pressure went up and my midwife told me it was time that she put me on bedrest (home rest) until the baby came. She said she encourages her working patients to quit work by 38 weeks.. oops. So my last few days were serious half days.. I was just too exhausted by noon to keep sitting there.

After I was home sitting around waiting for a baby to appear, each tick of the clock made me more and more anxious because I had planned on breastfeeding. I wanted those full 12 weeks off of work to get my nursing relationship off to the best start. I was worried with each passing day that it was a lost day, a day without my baby in my arms or at my breast. My midwife could not deliver me after 42 weeks so I would have to be induced.. unfortunately for me, I wouldn't allow her to bump my due back 3 days to June 23rd and insisted that my due date was June 20th (what I figured out on line) so my 42 week mark would be July 5th.. I did not want my baby born on July 5th so after my due date came and went I got really nervous. I knew she would be late. I was 2 weeks late, my mom was 4 weeks late.

I knew she was perfectly fine inside of me, happy and healthy but the laws of homebirth are strict for safety reasons and I wanted a homebirth. I made one comment on FB one day about it being my due date and out came all the "OLD WIVES TALES" people swearing by this type of meal, this type of exercise, this pill, this activity. In an effort to prove that none of those were going to budge her, I decided to do as many as possible in a 24 hour period of time. I started at noon one day until noon the next day.

Acupuncture
evening primrose oil (vaginally & swallowed)
black cohash
Mexican food
a full cut up fresh pineapple
Italian food
labor cookies
walking walking walking 6 miles both days so 12 miles total in that 24 hour period
sex
walking stairs (two at a time)
walking curbs (walking with one foot up on a very high curb for 10 full minutes then switching sides)
 swimming
bouncing on my exercise ball whenever I was "sitting"
massage with pressure points (had to get a letter from my midwife clearing the therapist to do this)
 Chiropractic adjustment


I did not do castor oil, driving over bumps, cry, do nothing, or go swing on a swing (those were all mentioned to me as well).. I can't even remember what other things were suggested.. but 24 hours.. and no baby. in fact I think it was over a week after my 24 hour babython that she finally came. Finally in the end, having a royal shit fit and crying for HOURS is what finally worked.. or at least I started some really great contractions after I calmed down at least. After some really great contractions that hurt pretty good we went to the park and did some swinging (I heard it helps) it was just uncomfortable.. so we just walked around the neighborhood.. finally went home and went to sleep after 12:30am. Woke up at 3:50 to the best contraction yet and my water bag breaking at the same time!