Move Around

• Use the force of gravity to your advantage; get up and moving to encourage baby to drop into the birth canal and begin the process of being born. Walking can help soothe contraction pain as well, if you're having them already. Walking moves your hips from side to side, rocking baby into the proper birthing position, too.
  
  Another activity is to engage in sexual intercourse with your husband or partner. The semen your partner provides during this process can stimulate your contractions and help your cervix efface (thin out), preparing you for labor and kicking the process into gear. Even though you may feel awkward during this stage in your pregnancy, there is never a time that's too late to have sex, as long as your doctor has not placed any restrictions on this activity for other reasons.
  
  

Food and Drink

• Some practitioners say that castor oil can cause you to go into labor. You can mix castor oil with orange juice to improve the taste, but drink it quickly because it will taste bad no matter what. The theory behind this remedy is that castor oil will cause spasms in your intestines and lead to cramps in the uterus and contractions. Be aware, however, that castor oil will also cause you to empty your bowels, so you should stay close to home if you try this option.
  
  Some people swear that spicy food caused them to go into labor. There really isn't any medical evidence to back this up, but ask enough mothers and you may get all the evidence you need. However, remember that during labor you may very well vomit if your stomach is too full, so spicy foods can cause your stomach irritation to worsen more than it needs to.
  
  

Medical Intervention

• If you have tried other methods without success, you may wish to enlist the help of your physician in your labor induction. Your doctor can help you induce your labor as well, if she recommends it. Pitocin is a drug that induces labor; it is given intravenously and will begin labor or speed it up if you have already started on your own. Some mothers feel that pitocin causes contractions to be more intense and painful than natural labor, but it can be effective in starting the process if the need arises.
  
  Your doctor can also strip your membranes to start labor naturally. In this process, she would sweep your cervix and detach your amniotic membranes from the uterine wall. The results on this procedure are still subject to guesswork, but it may help to kick-start your labor.