Labor and Delivery Nipple Stimulation for Natural Labor Induction By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH LinkedIn Twitter Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. Learn about our editorial process Updated on June 14, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Family articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and family healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Brian Levine, MD, MS, FACOG Medically reviewed by Brian Levine, MD, MS, FACOG Brian Levine, MD, MS, is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology as well as in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images You've enjoyed a healthy, happy, normal pregnancy. The nursery is ready, the car seat installed, the last of the thank-you notes for your baby shower signed, stamped, and delivered. But your due date has come and gone and although your obstetrician says everything looks fine and there's no need to intervene quite yet, you're ready to have this baby. Short of insisting that your doctor induce labor before he thinks it's necessary, is there anything you can to do help move things along? All sorts of tips and tricks exist for stimulating labor, from eating spicy food to taking exhausting walks to having sex. None of these are likely to be harmful (unless chili peppers give you heartburn), but none have been proven effective. There is one technique for bringing on labor that has some scientific backing, however: nipple stimulation. It truly can take some time to work, but as long as your doctor says it's OK for you to try, it might be worth the effort. Here's why nipple stimulation can help induce labor and ways to do it. Onboarding Oxytocin Manipulating the nipples triggers the release of a hormone called oxytocin. This hormone has several effects in the body: It plays a role in sexual arousal and because it's released when a mother nurses her baby, it serves to help them to bond—one reason it sometimes is referred to as the love hormone. Oxytocin also plays a role in uterine contractions throughout labor and delivery and beyond by setting off the initial contractions and keeping them going. After delivery, oxytocin is still in play, stimulating the continued contractions that are necessary for the uterus to return to its normal size and shape. In fact, a synthetic form of oxytocin called Pitocin is what is used to induce labor. Research shows that oxytocin, a hormone that's involved in uterine contractions throughout labor and delivery, is released when the nipples are manually stimulated. In a 2018 study, women in their 38th to 40th weeks of pregnancy followed a specific protocol for three days: Each woman stimulated each breast for 15 minutes for a total of one hour per day. Samples of saliva were taken at specific time intervals before and after each session. At the end of three days, the women all had measurably higher levels of oxytocin in their saliva, prompting the researchers to conclude that the "breast stimulation protocol showed good feasibility in terms of practicality and acceptability among pregnant women" as a way to safely and naturally induce labor. How to Stimulate Nipples If you're pregnant, a few days past your due date, and anxious to meet your baby, nipple stimulation may be worth a try if, and only if, you check with your obstetrician first. The practice appears to be perfectly safe for normal, low-risk, full-term pregnancies, but only a medical professional who's been following your nine-month journey can say for sure that you fall into that category. Once you get the green light, you have several options. You and/or your partner can manually stimulate your nipples; your partner can orally stimulate your nipples; if you have an older baby whom you're still nursing, you can put him to your breast; or you can use a breast pump. If you or someone else is manually stimulating your nipples, gently roll them between your fingers. Focus not just on the tips of your nipples but on the areola (the ring of darker skin surrounding the nipple) as well—when a baby nurses, he massages this area as he sucks. Nipple Stimulation Tips Ask your doctor for guidance regarding how long you should spend stimulating your nipples regardless of the method you choose. They may suggest a schedule along these lines:Focus on one breast at a time.Spend 15 minutes stimulating one breast, then switch.Continue for an hour.Repeat three times a day. This may or may not encourage your baby to come along sooner but one thing is for sure: Your little bundle can't stay inside forever. Loading shell for quizzesApp1 vue props component in Globe. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 1 Source Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Takahata K, Horiuchi S, Tadokoro Y, Shuo T, Sawano E, Shinohara K. Effects of breast stimulation for spontaneous onset of labor on salivary oxytocin levels in low-risk pregnant women: A feasibility study. PLoS ONE. 2018;13(2):e0192757. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0192757