Yoga to induce labour? How to prepare your body for birth.
I’m 40 +2 days pregnant and my doctor is starting to talk about induction. Is there any yoga to induce labour? I’ve been trying all the things but so far nothing has worked. I’m so ready to not be pregnant anymore but I really don’t want an induction because I’ve heard it makes labour more painful – please help!
I received this email the other day and I thought it’s probably something I should talk about here on the blog as well.
Do I have a magic yoga pose or position that cause labour to start? Oh how I wish I did! I would be rich if I had a dollar for every time a woman in the last few days of pregnancy asked me for this secret!
Unfortunately, (or really fortunately), our bodies are perfectly designed to go into labour exactly when they are meant to. It’s not a flaw that your body still hasn’t gone into labour at 40 +2. This isn’t a mistake. It isn’t a sign that it’s never going to happen. It’s simply a sign that your body is not ready just yet. It is waiting for the perfect time and only your body knows exactly when this is.
Oxytocin receptor cells increase during pregnancy and peak during labour. This is an important part of the process and trying to hurry it along with synthetic oxytocin (or all the old wives tales) is usually met with no result – or a potentially prolonged labour because the body isn’t ready yet.
Instead of spending the last few days of your pregnancy looking for the magic cure that will kickstart your labour, I would like to encourage you to instead spend your time preparing your body (and your mind) for birth.
THAT yoga can help with.
How yoga can help your body prepare for birth
+ Yoga helps the mobility of your pelvis (its ability to move), which is so important for Bub to be able to move through during birth.
+ Yoga helps create alignment in your pelvis, which can help baby move more smoothly through it during labour and also get into a better position for birth.
+ Yoga helps to create oxytocin (the love hormone) which is essential for strong contractions during labour.
+ Yoga helps to calm your nervous system (your body naturally wants to birth when there is low-stress because biologically that would mean more chance of survival).
+ Yoga can help you get in the right mindset to approach birth from an empowered place.
Looking for yoga to induce labour? Start here.
This class is designed to help you create mobility and alignment in the pelvis and gently relax into your body in preparation for birth. In this class I talk through a variety of positions that you might use during birth to help Bub move through the pelvis.
Want more information and yoga practises to prepare for birth? Check out my Yoga Wisdom for Birth series which is available in my Online Yoga Circle Membership.