How to induce labor

At 10 days post-due, I've gotten some great suggestions for inducing labor that I thought I'd share. I have to tell you up-front that we have not ignored these, but clearly they have not worked - so I'm on the fence about whether to recommend them. Perhaps for some other person, or at some other time, they would be useful - but not for me right now, unfortunately.

First, I'll start with the well-accepted ones (from the baby book and birthing classes) - these are accupuncture, accupressure, cod liver oil, walking, sex, and nipple stimulation - sorry to get you with those last two but they are big ones, and I've gotten a lot of whispered suggestions regarding those so I thought I'd just put them in and say that WE KNOW, so don't worry.

Here is the list of not-so-conventional methods of inducing labor (some are kind of logical, some not so much):

- Watch the Sound of Music
- Watch any movie with Johnny Depp
- Do 10 squats and then go to bed
- Walk backwards up the stairs (thanks Grandma! that was the best one!)
- Drink lots of water
- Drive over a bunch of potholes
- Eat spicy Indian or Thai food (has the same effect as cod liver oil - irritates your bowel)
- Take a hot bath/shower/drink hot tea (e.g. RELAX - but according to birthing class this can also slow down early labor, so beware)
- Play basketball (I personally don't recommend this)
- Play loud music and dance
- Drink cranberry juice
- Clean the shower
- Clean out a low cupboard

I gotta say, playing the waiting game is not fun. It's like being loaded up on a plane and then getting stuck on the runway for a week. NOTHING you do while you wait provides enough distraction or gets your full attention. And it is a hard transition going from 50+ hours a week in an established routine at a job I really enjoy to hanging around the house waiting for something that continually does not happen - I am grateful I was able to stay at work as long as I did (until 3 days post-due, when the doctor killed it by telling me I was going into labor) - 'working from home' is not nearly a good enough distraction, although at this point eating cake and watching awesome '80s movies wouldn't be a good enough distraction either, so I am doing whatever I can.

Thankfully neither the Studly Hubby nor I have super-strict leave time. I know one woman who had to go back to work 1 week after a C-section, which seems illegal but wasn't, because she had really unusual circumstances... and I am REALLY grateful that isn't going to happen to either of us. A deadline had to be moved, but that was it.

Well thanks everyone for all your support and sympathy - hopefully in the next week or so we will actually have some news to report!