Squats to help start labor?

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Squats to help start labor?

By Christina | November 2, 2007

I am 36 weeks pregnant and starting to look for ways to induce labor naturally, any ideas?

First, make sure you are indeed 36 weeks pregnant. It is easy to mistake when you actually conceived if you are not on a regular menstrual cycle and you do not want to induce a baby early. If you and your doctor feel confident you and your baby are ready to go, you can try exercise.

Squatting opens your pelvis and makes labor easier, because it helps your baby to move down the birth canal and also creates more room for him or her to be born. Squatting can help you to get to labor faster, in case it doesn’t start because the baby is too high.

The squatting position helps your baby to descend and engage into your pelvis. After your baby has engaged well, it’s less probable that she or he will be able to turn anymore. This means that you should squat only when your baby is in the right position for birth. This position is called the anterior position in which the baby is head down and facing your back. If your baby is in a posterior position (back against your back) or in the breech position head up, it’s important not to encourage him or her to descend. Your baby has to turn into the optimal, anterior birth position before you do any squatting.

Walking is another good method to begin the labor process as is cleaning your home. When you walk you create a downwards pressure which will help your baby move down. Cleaning is a great way to bend, squat and reach which are all conducive to induction.

All that said, there is no evidence that any of the natural methods actually start labor but you can have fun trying!