Anyone tried a natural method of induction? What works? - Page 2

[Queencaledonia]

be careful -- there are risks

Ostensibly, a person seeks "natural" induction when she is post-mature and is or may be scheduled for medical induction, as she wants to avoid not only drugs, and getting any kind of iv started but ultimately, a c-section.
You may in fact cause the baby unneccesary stress and for meconium to be present, and thereby stress which causes fetal heart tones to be alarmingly erratic.
This certainly happened in my case after using the castor oil method as directed by my midwife.
Yes, I went into labor on my own, but it was too late for the baby who, after being stressed by the castor oil and having a bowel movement and also being post-mature and there wasn;t enough oxygen and etcetera from the placenta, I had to have a c-section immediatley after 12 hours of labor.
I think you should know, that just as drugs can affect the baby, so can castor oil.

[kimbies]

Raspberry Leaf Tea

I was leaking fluids (not amniotic) and was "overdue" about 9 days- the OB was getting nervous and I DID NOT want to be induced so she stripped my membranes (was no big deal & didn't hurt) and then I went home. Then I started drinking Raspberry leaf tea- you can get it at the health food store. I drank one cup per hour throughout the entire day and evening. I also went on 2 long walks the same day and had sex and at three o'clock in the morning the next day, I was in labor!

Note: you shouldn't drink this tea early in your pregnancy but you can take it at or after your due date. I read about this in Peggy's book, "Having a baby Naturally", I think...or maybe "Birthing from Within" either way- it worked. I could not stomach the castor oil.

GOOD LUCK!

[Lucysmama]

I just had a rough labor a couple weeks ago in which my water broke, but active labor was not happening. Cohoshes put me into labor for a few hours, and then it would peter out. What finally did the trick was castor oil. It was terrible, though - I would recommend it only as a last attempt. I felt really depleted afterwards.

[wasabi]

There are not studies to show that castor oil leads to meconium staining. That is something that is anecdotally told but there are not actual studies to that effect and I think that is worth pointing out. The fact is that postdates babies are more likely to have meconium staining and women who are postdates are more like to try things like castor oil etc. If the baby has meconium when the water breaks there's no way to know when the staining occured. Chicken or the egg? Was it the castor oil or was it the stress of going postdates? I've had meconium with one of my kids who was two days past my EDD and I did not use castor oil or anything else just had meconium when my water was broken (no interventions before that point). With my DD I did take castor oil and she did not have meconium. Until I see actual studies on it I trust my care provider's advice and I really think it is a personal decision to discuss with your caregiver.

In my case I was being strongly pressured to have the baby or be transferred over to the OBs where I knew I was going to be even more pressured to be induced or have a c-section. My baby was supposedly 11.5lbs at this point. Since I conceived 10 days after a miscarriage there was absolutely no question of the dating of the pg. Starting when I reached full-term I was told to take EPO orally and red raspberry leaf tea (which you can take during early pg btw it is in many pg teas women with a history of m/c might want to avoid it but it is considered safe). I started nipple stimulation. We also tried sex. Nothing did anything at all. No effacement, no dilation. A few days before my EDD I was told I had basically another week and then I would be transferred. The evening of my EDD I took castor oil with oj. Nothing happened for a couple of hours. Then I had one bad bowel movement and contractions started. I was able to go to sleep and get a few hours of sleep but then I woke up in active labor. This was approximately 12 hours after I took the castor oil. I gave birth 13 hours later. Because I had so few side effects and I've always given birth on time I can't really know if the castor oil did anything or not. Maybe I was ready and it did just enough to get things going. If I were in that position again I'd definitely take the castor oil again. I was augmented with my first two and ended up with an epi and a boatload of other interventions. I really felt that avoiding chemical induction was essential to a natural delivery for me.

ETA Not at all to diminish QC's experience but I also wanted to note that meconium staining is not necessarily a big deal. My child had no problems. My caregivers simply noticed it when my water was broken but that was the end of that. In most cases this is not the cause for an emergency c-section any more than say a cord around the neck (despite what my In Touch magazine says about why Celine Dion had one ).

[NaturalRN]

Just a quick note, I had my first babe in 2001, at that time I was doing B6 vitamin and black/blue cohosh, castor oil, etc... My midwife informed me that a study was out on blue cohosh possibly causing heart arrythmias in newborns. Something you may want to investigate further if going blue cohosh route.
Courtney coconspirator with David , mommy to Keely 2/28/2001 ,Sophie 09/19/2002

[texcalkas]

what did NOT work...

With #1 I didn't do too much except eat fat laden foods like sausage and candy bars. I was induced even though I was already dilated to 5 cm. He was born 4.5 hours later and I vowed if I had another baby I would not allow "the pit".

With #2 I began the self-inducement process on my due date because my doctor (a family physician) was anxious to induce. I did nightly nipple stimulation, used accupressure, had lots of sex and took castor oil cocktails. At 41 weeks, unbeknownst to me he stripped my membranes. I do not have access to herbs so although I have "The Childbearing Year", I couldn't use it. I consented to being induced again but also had men at my church lay hands on me and pray that the baby would be born within 24 hours. I woke up the next morning feeling weird and knew by noon that prayer was working. The baby was born within one hour of the 24 hour limit.

I think that if I'm blessed with another baby I'll let Mother Nature do her job. Yeah, I know I'll be anxious to help her out but who isn't?

Kimberly

[Quindin]

I tried everything and nothing ever worked for us - all our babies were late and the last one crossed the 42 week limit and I needed to be induced.

Maybe if I began drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea already now it would help? (like you, I am 25 weeks pregnant) Well, at least it is a good tea for women's reproductive system regardless

[wasabi]

RRL does help tone the uterus. It won't hurt but it might help later down the road.

[treemom2]

I asked my midwife about this question and she said in her experience sex, pizza, and a beer work wonders for inducing labor (only if the baby is ready). She also said that she never recommends castor oil and every birth she has attended where the mom used castor oil the baby passes a lot of mec. But like Wasabi said, is it the chicken or the egg??

[Mama Bear]

Blue Cohosh

When I went a week past my EDD, my midwife suggested Blue Cohosh because she knew that I was against induction. My dh and I bought a bottle. I didn't get to use it though, because I went into labor the night before I was to start taking it.
Power of persuasion I guess!

[pamamidwife]

I agree with Wasabi about the castor oil.

And, the blue cohosh = heart issues was ONE incident, not a study at all. It's been used for a long time without adverse affects. I don't think that one incident is enough to prove the cause and effect that the hysteria claims.

Ultimately, induction just because you want to stay on a provider's schedule is, in my opinion, NOT a good reason to induce. Your body is not a microwave - it is not as linear as the calendar. You have to find a provider that will support you and honor your body's own rhythms.

[georgia]

sex, pizza and beer...sounds like what lead to conception

[wasabi]

Originally Posted by treemom2

She also said that she never recommends castor oil and every birth she has attended where the mom used castor oil the baby passes a lot of mec. But like Wasabi said, is it the chicken or the egg??

See I think is part of the reason why we don't have stuides on this. Is it really every castor oil birth she's attended had meconium or is it every one that she was aware was a castor oil birth (or even just the majority). I don't think anyone asked me if I had taken castor oil or anything like that. I may have told them but really by the time I got to the hospital labor was so advanced I really wasn't in the mood for talking so I probably didn't offer anything they didn't ask. So I wouldn't be counted as a castor oil birth that had no meconium KWIM? Unless health care professionals start routinely asking what natural induction methods you used there won't be any way to really establish whether or not there are risks. Of course women have used these methods in some cases for thousands of years and that makes me feel a bit more comfortable. Pit on the other hand we know has all kinds of side effects on the baby and yet hospitals use it all the time. :

[curry4]

natural inductions.....

Hello! First of all, the newly revised, as of early 90's, studies state that the actual "average" length of pregnancy is 41 ann 1/7 weeks, which yes, according to your dr. is overdue....which is a silly concept anyways. Babies will come when they're ready. BUT, if you're getting pressure about it, you should seek another caregiver first. Then, towards the end of your d-day, if you've made zero progress, you could try a capsule of evening primrose oil inserted into your vagina, broken and squeezed up in there.....I induced myself at 40 weeks with 2 oz. castor oil, taken after breakfast, had my baby the next afternoon. It gives you the runs, which stimulates prostaglandins, that help open up the cervix, which then produces contractions. I had a VBAC, and was under some pressure, so that's why I did it, although I wouldn't reccomend it for a normal pregnancy. I did the cohoshes, it stimulated a few irregular contractions, but nothing serious. Semen has a very high amount of prostaglandins as well, so lot's of sex is a safe bet!!!!! Good luck, and don't stress about the timing!

[momsgotmilk4two]

I asked my midwife yesterday about castor oil and it's connection with meconium and she said that in her experience castor oil did not seem to cause most babies to pass mec. She advises patitents to use it if they are at the point where they might be facing a pit induction since in her opinion it's better to try natural methods of induction first.

[wasabi]

That's so true Curry. We're so accustomed to saying we're overdue if we go past 40 weeks when really we're not overdue until 42 weeks. I always say all three of mine were on time even though two were born just barely past their EDD and if someone asks when I'm due I just say April and leave it at that.

[nicsmom]

Originally Posted by georgia

sex, pizza and beer...sounds like what lead to conception

Funny! My doc told me, "that which got you into this can get you out: have tons of sex."

With my first I went past 42 weeks and was then induced with cytotec. Ended up with a c-section mostly due to size and malposition (he was firmly wedged in the pelvis in a transverse position).

With my second I hoped to labor on my own and ahead of time so as to at least (hopefully) ensure a smaller baby. I used RRL tea, EPO (orally and internally) acupuncture, and sex. I vbac'd at 2 days shy of 40 weeks.

Of course there is no way of knowing for sure if any of those things made any difference but I'd sure do them all again to try to labor spontaneously and close to 40 weeks. With the acupuncture I felt a noticeable difference in my B-H contractions during and after the treatment so at a minimum I feel like it probably helped me along even if nothing else did.

[natashaccat]

OK I have to ask, how in the heck can you have sex at 41 weeks? I thought of trying this with dd 1 but my dh didn't think it would be anatomically possible!

[mimim]

Originally Posted by natashaccat

OK I have to ask, how in the heck can you have sex at 41 weeks? I thought of trying this with dd 1 but my dh didn't think it would be anatomically possible!

Easy - mom on top! Or dad kneeling while mom lies or sits on the edge of the bed.


I tried LOTS of methods to induce with my 1st. My midwives stripped my membranes, I did cohoshes, castor oil, sex, tons of walking and squatting.... nothing worked. I gave up, agreed to be induced in the hospital, and went into labor the night before my induction appointment! DS was born 1/2 hour before I was scheduled to start pitocin - exactly 3 weeks after his EDD.

My 2nd was born 10 days after his EDD. DH and I had sex in the morning (for the first time in weeks) and I started contracting within minutes of his climax. I'm sure it wasn't a coincedence, but I'm also sure it wouldn't have helped if I wasn't ready to go into labor anyway.

My method this time, since I'm sure to go past dates again? I lied about my LMP. My official EDD is 5 days past what it would really be if I told the truth about my dates.

[mamabain]

to avoid possible induction due to pih this last time, i used natural prostoglandin (sex) starting week 38 (every day). i drank 2 cups of red raspberry leaf tea every day. then, when my blood pressure went up even more, i tried nipple stimulation. one nipple, twiddling it for 5 minutes out of every hour, for just 3 hours one evening. that night my braxton-hicks changed in intensity, frequency and pressure. about 12 hours after last nipple stimulation, i was in active labor. i had katya at 5 pm the next day . i truly believe it worked!

i'm not sure it would have done anything if my body weren't ripe.