Pineapple To Naturally Induce Labor

- Pineapple May Help -

You may remember my little tidbit about avoiding pineapple during pregnancy from my list, Food to Avoid During Pregnancy. If you would like to see this list,  click here.

Pineapple contains bromelain, that supposedly helps ripens and softens the cervix. Some people say mango and kiwi have bromelain too, but pineapple is the most heard of and used for natural induction. This is why you want to avoid pineapple during pregnancy, except for your two-week wait, because it may help with implantation when following The Pineapple Core Method. To read more about The Pineapple Core Method, click here. And when you get to the end of your pregnancy pineapple may help induce labor. 

It is recommended, to eat fresh pineapple rather than canned pineapple. Supposedly fresh pineapple is more effective than the bromelain tablets. However, the tablets are suggested for women to try who may have some allergic reactions to eating fresh or canned pineapple.  If you are allergic to pineapple, you will have to double check the ingredients in the bromelain tablets to make sure you can take them. To read more about fresh pineapple vs the bromelain tablets, click here. 

- Pineapple Stories -

If you will remember during my first pregnancy, I had to schedule an induction date for 41 weeks after I passed my due date. The rule in my hospital is first-time moms can not be induced until 41 weeks unless there is a medical need. I did not want to be induced, especially as a first-time mom with all my fears and concerns about births and what could go wrong.  My mother in law recommended eating pineapple to help start labor. I had my mother cut me a pineapple, I never ate it, just smelled it, and said, "I have to go pee. I'll be right back." And believe it or not, pre-labor started with the bloody show and I went into labor that night, never getting to eat my pineapple. Baby was born 2 days after my estimated due date and I never needed an induction. Now this could of course just be a coincidence, since I had my membranes stripped earlier that morning and I was already dilated to 2.5 cm (and I had my membranes stripped at my last appointment around 39 weeks).

There are many antidotal stories online of women eating pineapple and going into labor the same or following day. For example, on one forum, a mom said she ate half a pineapple at 2 pm on a Sunday afternoon. She felt her first contraction that night around 10:45 pm - 8 hours and 45 minutes after eating it. About 6 hours and 20 minutes after her first contraction, she gave birth to her baby the following morning. And another mother says she ate a whole pineapple after her appointment revealed that she was 3 cm and 75% effaced. The next morning her water broke, and she had the baby later that day.  Yet another mother writes that she was told about pineapple from a friend who said she had her 2 babies within 24 hours of eating it. This mom ate some slices of pineapple Sunday night and ate the rest of the slices Monday morning and by 8 pm Monday night had her baby.

Some speculate, that eating the pineapple may only work when you're already dilated. However, others feel it depends on how much pineapple you eat that matters. Another mother in this forum, says she almost ate a whole pineapple in one day. She started having light contractions around 1 am. She arrived at the hospital at 3 am. At 3:30 am she was checked by a nurse and told she was 8 cm dilated and the baby was born at 4:11 am. She also notes at her doctor visit, she was not dilated, but after eating the pineapple she had her baby within 24 hours. Another mother said she ate half of a fresh pineapple March 1st around 7:30 pm and started labor at 5 am on March 2nd. One mother expecting her third baby ate pineapple every day for 2 weeks before going into labor. When she arrived at the hospital she was 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced. They broke her water and baby was born an hour later.

For other women, they say eating pineapple produces mild contractions. And a few women say that pineapples did not start labor but made them have frequent bowel movements. But one person brings up a good point while it may not start labor for all, it may still be ripening and softening the cervix.

Interestingly enough some moms even drink pineapple juice. One mother says, she drank the juice and had a baby 48 hours later. She does not say how much juice she drinks, but shares her sister drank pineapple juice daily for 3 weeks and then had her baby. She also does not include how much juice her sister was drinking. One might say, the fresh fruit is more effective than the juice.

- Final Thoughts -

One thing I like to remember is if the body isn't ready, it probably won't work.

No matter how many success stories you read and hear about.

Last Edited: April 21, 2017