I'm trying pretty much anything to start labor at this point.
38 weeks & 5 days and ready to be done!
So far I've tried quite a few things, including jumping jacks, bouncing on my exercise ball, spicy foods, the usual... But I haven't spent a ton of time on my favorite, Reflexology.
Ever heard of it? I learned about it for the first time when I was in cosmetology school a few years ago.
Reflexology is a technique of applying pressure to certain points on the hands and feet that correlate to different parts of the body. I kind of took a liking to reflexology in school. I had a few clients that would come to me for 30-60 minute appointments on a regular basis. Stimulating all of those areas is supposed to keep things working smoothly, and is basically the same thing as getting a hand and foot massage. It's incredibly relaxing.
It is kind of difficult to see on this chart, but there is a point on the heal and on the Achilles tendons that correlates to the ovaries, uterus, and reproductive organs in general. There is also a point on the base of the wrist that correlates to the same areas. When pressure is applied to these areas it can stimulate the corresponding organs, and can therefore jump-start labor. Pregnant woman are actually warned to not stimulate the heal or wrist area until they are full term, so they won't go into pre-term labor. When getting pedicures, these areas should be avoided until about 37 weeks.
I know this kind of sounds like a crock. I mean, I was really skeptical myself, until a few years ago when my sister-in-law was pregnant. She had me massage her ankles for about 10 minutes on each foot and later that night she went into labor and had her baby. Ok, maybe that was a coincidence... Nope! I had a friend a couple years later ask me to do the same thing to her and sure enough, about three hours later her water broke and she had her baby that night! So crazy I know. And I have no way of proving that they wouldn't have gone into labor anyway. But 2 for 2 is pretty good, don'tcha think?
But now that I'm almost 39 weeks pregnant I am going to be rubbing my wrists and heals as often as I remember to! Anything to get this party started. Wish me luck and send me some good labor vibes!!!!
6 comments:
Praying for you to have Baby Yellow (so adorable by the way) soon! I will be calling you when I'm in this stage for sure!!!!
Ha I only have 27 weeks to go! ;)
Sounds good, MaryBeth!! I will be awaiting the phone call. :) I hope you continue to feel well.
So then do you think the mani and pedi thing would send you into labor?! I tried them all the time when I was pregnant with the first one and it didn't work. :(
Well, first of all even if you do it 100% correctly it is not fool-proof. The exact right spot has to have pressure applied to it for the stimulation to work. But even then it isn't guaranteed. But mani/pedis are definitely supposed to help get things going.
If nothing else, relaxation is sometimes the key to going into labor. I've heard of people that are so anxious and caught up in going into labor, and the second they relax labor begins.
Obviously I am not an expert though, because I am sitting here 39 weeks pregnant and miserable! I so wish I was in labor!!
You should try this! Sounds yummy! http://www.scalinis.com/eggplant_parmigiana_babies.htm
I want to try it! Here's the actual recipe:
http://www.wchstv.com/gmarecipes/eggplantparmigian.shtml
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