castor oil potion for induction - anyone else?

[soybean6]

my midwives have given me a natural induction cocktail of:

- almond butter
- castor oil
- verbena (homeopathic)
- peach juice and water

it looks as gross as it sounds but doesn't actually taste too bad!

just wondering if anyone has had luck with castor oil inducing labour? i hear it's going to send me to the toilet for a few hours! guess that's one way of shocking your body into labour!

i'll keep you posted as to whether or not it works...

[katmann]

A woman yesterday told me it made her throw up during labor, so just be prepared. Maybe adding ginger would help. Or maybe your midwives have other tricks for preventing vomiting, or coping with it.

[Taryn237]

I tried it with DS (only took 2 tablespoons) and I threw up, and no labor.

I'll be trying again this time if I get close to 42....

[Taryn237]

Why so early though? Your not due a few days.

[LorenaAZ]

good luck!

I had another false labor yesterday and finally broke down in tears because that was dress rehearsal #4 and no baby yet. I'm considering castor oil too. I had my membranes swept on thursday.

[leerypolyp]

I did it last time -- it took three rounds but the final one (combined with AROM, we were at 42 weeks and wanted a shot at a homebirth) did work. It was gross going down and unpleasant coming out, but I didn't have any real problems with it.

Tried it this time, no dice yet. I think the contractions it causes are helping with some positioning stuff though.

Here's my recipe (rather palatable, considering):

2 oz castor oil
2 oz orange juice
little scoop vanilla ice cream

Blend it and chug it, and chase immediately with glass of plain orange juice. Then go brush your teeth.

[suwannee]

I took it with both my babies and it worked within hours. The first time I took it around 7p and my water broke at 2a. The second time I took it at 4p and baby was born at 4a.

[MeadowAndColtsMama]

I did the mix it with Dr. Pepper, shake really well, and chug. Didn't work for me! Hope it will for you, interesting recipe, btw!

[mustangtbn]

Last pregnancy I very unhappily I used castor oil in a last ditch effort to get the homebirth last time when my pregnancy went to 42 weeks and my MW refused to deliver at home past that point. If by "luck", you mean, did it start labor, then the answer is yes. I took a lot of it though - something like 2 oz, 2 more oz 2 hours later and 4 oz 2 hours after that. I took it with cranberry juice.

However, it was not a great labor or birth experience - contractions never got consistent enough to time (not even during transition and pushing) and my pushing stage lasted 4 hours because I'd get a contraction, push, and not have another for maybe 5 or as much as 10 minutes. I've since read that this kind of scenario is common with castor oil. That's in addition to all the other concerns about using it. If you haven't already, I'd recommend reading a little bit here before using it: http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/castorOil.html.

For the record, after going through that once, I am completely unwilling to use it again unless it's for some true medical emergency. So much that I'm using a different MW for this birth who doesn't recommend induction for dates.

[soybean6]

thanks for all your responses.

the castor oil doesn't seem to have done anything.

i took it about 6 hours ago and within an hour of taking it had horrible diarrhea, but whatever BH contractions i was having promptly stopped (my body probably thought i had the flu and it was not a good time to go into labour LOL)

it did make me a bit nauseous but i didn't throw up.

the reason i'm trying to induce is because my BP is borderline high and if i get another high reading tomorrow my midwives legally have to transfer my care over to an OB/GYN which may lead to a chemical induction, which i really don't want!

[tcboweevil]

castor oil

I read a post about the harm that castor oil can do. It lubricates the intestines which makes you go poo.... It CAN ( not always, but it can) also lube the baby and cause meconium in your amniotic fluid. Please, I always go to 43 weeks and have healthy babies. Please think about the risk of an unborn receiving a stool softener.

[mustangtbn]

Originally Posted by soybean6

the reason i'm trying to induce is because my BP is borderline high and if i get another high reading tomorrow my midwives legally have to transfer my care over to an OB/GYN which may lead to a chemical induction, which i really don't want!

That's a tough spot to be in! I hope your BP stays down enough that you get the HB you're hoping for.

If it does continue to be a problem and it looks like you're going to have to go to the hospital, I've heard that an herbal enema at the same time can help, as well as upping the dosage on the castor oil and taking it at a few different times, so it may be worthwhile to ask your MW about that. I agree that CO is not necessarily good for you/the baby, but if it were me I'd try it before pitocin/other hospital interventions (lesser of two evils, you know?). Good luck!

[leerypolyp]

Originally Posted by tcboweevil

I read a post about the harm that castor oil can do. It lubricates the intestines which makes you go poo.... It CAN ( not always, but it can) also lube the baby and cause meconium in your amniotic fluid. Please, I always go to 43 weeks and have healthy babies. Please think about the risk of an unborn receiving a stool softener.

Unless you know of a magical tube that connects your intestines to the baby's, castor oil does not get into the baby's intestines. Also, it doesn't act by lubing the intestines.

No study has shown a statistically significant connection between castor oil usage and meconium staining.

There are legitimate reasons to attempt an induction.

Good luck, soybean6. I hope everything goes well, however it happens!

[_ktg_]

Originally Posted by tcboweevil

I read a post about the harm that castor oil can do. It lubricates the intestines which makes you go poo.... It CAN ( not always, but it can) also lube the baby and cause meconium in your amniotic fluid. Please, I always go to 43 weeks and have healthy babies. Please think about the risk of an unborn receiving a stool softener.

Its good to be reminded of risks and yes this is a possible risk with using castor oil- but every intervention has risks to both mother and baby. It just a weighing game of how much risk you feel comfortable with.

I'm post-due (hahahaha) at 41 weeks so I'm just starting at a smaller dosage instead of a full 2 oz, just a couple of tablespoons (~ 1 oz)to see if things get started.

I used the oj/vanilla ice cream recipe and it was much better than the first time (just oj) if that can ever be true of swallowing castor oil.