Pregnant women are now squatting over steaming pots of coffee to help them go into labour.
Yes. You read that right.
Apparently, a fresh pot of coffee THISCLOSE to your vagina is a ‘proven’ way to induce labour. It gives your cervix a hit of caffeine, which will hopefully get those contractions going.
And we thought drinking castor oil was strange…
When coffee is life… literally
There’s even a name for this induction option – it’s called the coffee potty method. Because you are literally sitting on a potty of hot coffee.
To caffeinate your cervix,
- Place a plastic bowl in toilet.
- Place one to two cups of ground coffee into the plastic bowl.
- Heat up water in a kettle.
- Pour the hot water over the coffee grounds.
- Squat over the bowl and place a towel over you legs to keep the steam in.
- Steam your lady bits for about twenty minutes.
According to some women, the caffeine in the coffee stimulates the uterus to contract. The steam can also loosen the mucus plug to get labour going.
Should you steam and squat?
Overdue and ready to try anything? While some people on the Internet cry success, experts are warning pregnant women to step away from the Moccona.
The NHS warns that steaming or douching during pregnancy is not recommended. And putting your swollen lady bits next to steaming hot anything doesn’t sound like a smart move.
Plus, the NHS reminds us, the skin around the vagina and vulva is sensitive. Adding a hit of caffeine to the area will only upset the eco-balance, cause unwanted bacteria and yeast and leave the skin dried out (not ideal when preparing to push out a baby).
So maybe stick to some of these other labour inducing methods… and save the coffee for your mouth. Here are some other things you really should keep away from your vagina.
