'Natural' Ways to Induce Labor at Home - Plus My Personal Experiences!

Since the beginning of my pregnancy, I've heard of many different techniques that are supposed to help induce labor in women who are overdue (past 40 weeks gestation, or past the due date). I had been compiling a list of things to try, and researching why they supposedly work throughout my pregnancy, and I had decided that come November 27th, I would begin attempting to 'induce' my labor. The list of things that supposedly help encourage labor is very long and includes everything from walking on a curb to accupressure. Some things making at least a tiny bit of sense others seeming downright ridiculous. Still, once a woman reaches 41 weeks, she will be willing to try ANYTHING (castor oil is a good example) to meet her baby. And sadly, here I am at 41 weeks wanting nothing more than to go into labor. So, here's a list of labor induction techniques that I've compiled, and why they are supposed to work.

Pineapple -
This myth is actually really misunderstood by most people who try it. What gets generally suggested is 'fresh' Pineapple, but what is actually effective is unripe Pineapple. Unripe pineapple is very pale yellow and hard, not juicy or sweet at all and causes sharp stinging pain in your mouth. In tropical countries young pineapple is used as an herbal abortifacient, and it is said that in order to cause uterine contractions, one must ingest 4-5 WHOLE unripe pineapples over the span of 2 days. Even so, if the woman has a healthy and strong uterus, it may not work.
Seeing as I live in the city in a non-tropical area - where pineapples don't just grow everywhere - it's a bit harder to come across actual unripe pineapples, especially the small, young ones used to cause contractions. So I've had to settle for 2 large, not-quite-ripe pineapples from the local grocery store. After eating the entire pinapples myself, the only pains I felt afterwards were the stinging in my mouth and a crampy stomach. No contractions, nothing even close to labor.

Walking -
Walking is said to help bring on labor because the swaying of the woman's hips and the pull of gravity bringing the baby down into the pelvis, thus irritating the cervix and causing dilation. There is also a theory that the physical activity puts stress on the mother's body, causing the uterus to contract, thus bringing on labor.
Personally, I've been walking every night. On nights when I'm in pain, we walk about a mile, on nights I'm feeling well, we walk up to 4.5 miles. Every walk seems to bring on contractions, but the longer walks seem to do the most (the night we walked 4.5 miles, I had contractions 5 mins apart for 45 mins, but I also managed to injure my foot, so...). So far, walking seems the most effective, yet not enough to bring on labor.

Sex (if you're easily offended, please skip this section) -
Some women swear by it, saying their water broke within hours of doing the deed, resulting in them delivering within 12 hours. Scientifically/medically there are a couple reasons sex is suggested to bring on labor. The first reason being that when a woman orgasms, not only does her uterus contract, but her body then releases the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone that causes bonding/love between people that is generally felt after sex, as well as being the hormone that actually causes labor. In a medical induction or augmentation, the nurses often put the mother on intravenous Pitocin, which is a synthetic/manmade version of the hormone naturally released during labor, the difference being that since it's man-made it does not have the natural euphoric and pain-killing properties that oxytocin has.
Then, of course, there is the actual uterine contractions. If a woman has a strong enough orgasm, it can help dilate the cervix up to 2cm (on top of whatever dilation has already occured). The other reason sex is suggested is because there is a hormone found in semen called prostaglandin - prostaglandin, when applied to the cervix, helps the process of ripening or softening to prepare for effacement and dilation. The catch to this is that you have to find a position that is comfortable, but allows for deep penetration so as to ensure the semen comes in contact with the cervix. Also, for the cervix to gain any sort of benefit from the prostaglandins, one must lay with her feet/hips elevated for a period of at least 30 minutes to allow for absorbtion.
As far as my personal experience, sex right now is not the foremost thing on my mind, so it's harder for me to 'get in the mood'. Also, most positions I usually enjoy are not exactly comfortable with my hugely distended belly - leaving us very limited on options. I also find that after a particularly strong orgasm, I feel guilty, because I can feel how hard the contraction is, and I feel like I'm squishing my baby. Though on the plus side, I have managed to see an increase in cervical dilation (over the span of a week I had dilated a full cm, whereas my previous progress seemed to be about 1/2 cm per week, if that). I'd say sex is up there with walking as far as producing the best results.

Fenugreek -
Fenugreek, also known as greek hay and bird's foot, is an herb often used in flavoring artificial maple syrup. It has been used for centuries in china to help induce labor, but due to the lack of studies performed in the US, it is generally not suggested during pregnancy - especially not before 37 weeks or full term. Fenugreek is commonly found used as a spice in Thai and Indian cooking, and has many health benefits ranging from regulating blood glucose levels to helping increase milk production in new mothers. (more on the health benefits of Fenugreek)
Fenugreek capsules can be found at many health food stores, and the dosage per capsule is generally between 500-620mg. As far as what dosage to consume to induce labor, I haven't found any specific numbers, but I plan on taking up to two 620mg capsules a day, beginning tonight.
It should be mentioned that ingesting large amounts of fenugreek may cause the sweat and urine to smell of maple syrup, and this can be passed on you your unborn child resulting in a false diagnosis of maple syrup urine disease.

Spicy foods -
Almost every pregnant woman knows that eating somethiung spicy is supposed to help bring on labor. Almost every pregnant woman also knows that this seems to rarely work for anyone. The theory is that the spicy foods will irritate your bowels (similar to castor oil) and thus cause your uterus to contract.
I love spicy food. Madeline seems to love spicy food. I eat spicy food pretty regularly, and it has never even put me into false labor. I mean, it's not like it'll really do any harm, so if you want to try it, go for it - it's just never worked for me.

Castor Oil -
Although castor oil is considered a 'fail-proof' method of 'natural' labor induction, it is generally NOT suggested - especially by those who have tried it. Castor oil is a nasty texture, a nasty flavor and does horribly nasty things to your body. It supposedly works by making you absolutely ill. Common side affects include nausea, vomiting, painful abdominal cramping, and explosive diarrhea. Women who have tried it, and had it work, often suggest avoiding Castor oil because it is so absolutely unpleasant. The theory is that the castor oil essentially causes every part of a woman's gastro-intestinal tract to convulse, thus somehow stimulating the uterus to contract. Personally, I think this should only be used as an absolute last resort for self-induction. I haven't tried it yet, and I only plan on trying it once I hit 42 weeks, December 12th, and only in hopes of avoiding a medical induction.

Eggplant -
Eggplant is another widely misunderstood method of self-induction. Supposedly, after eating a meal composed primararily of eggplant, a pregnant woman  generally expects to go into labor within 48 hours. This myth seems to have started because of a certain restaurant in Georgia, Scalini's. The dish that is supposed to help bring on labor is their eggplant parmigiana. The thing is - Eggplant itself has no documented labor inducing properties. The only reason this specific dish may work is because both basil and oregeno (seasonings commonly used in eggplant parmigiana recipes) are known to cause uterine contractions.
If you like eggplant, go for it, otherwise, I suggest you not waste your time. One may be better off trying basil or oregano extracts.

Nipple Stimulation -
This one is pretty simple, massage the nipples, one-at-a-time, for a period of 5-15 minutes. The idea is to simulate the suckling of a newborn, because once the baby begins nursing, the uterus contracts to help expell the placenta and later on to help shrink back down to its original size. This is why nursing mothers feel cramps when nursing.
The suggested methods of nipple stimulation include; rolling the nipple between thumb and forefinger, using a breast pump, or rubbing with your palm. From my personal experience, I can say that nipple stimulation DOES help the uterus contract, and that the contractions are strong, but I'm not sure if they're effective. This is another one of those 'it can't hurt to try'.

Acupressure -
There are several acupressure points associated with labor the specific points I have found to be the most beneficial are the underlined ones.
BL 32 - Located approximately one of the woman's index finger lengths above the top of the buttock crease and one thumb width either side of the spine. (just below the dimples) This point is also used for counter-pressure during labor.
Hoku - Point found in the webbing between the thumb and forefinger, is generally tender. Can also be used to relieve migraines.
SP 6 - Located four finger widths above the inside ankle bone, is tender when found. This point is known to help the cervix dilate.
BL 60 - Found between the outside ankle bone and the Achilles tendon. Also very tender. This point is known to help the baby 'drop' further into the pelvis.
K1 - Found on the bottom of the foot, at the point where the ball of the foot meets the arch. VERY tender, almost painful. Seems to bring on contractions almost instantly for me.