inducing with castor oil?

[mommymurray2]

okay...i don't post on here that much, i usually post on a different site but figured i'd ask you guys too... what are the pro's and con's of inducing with castor oil... and can you do anything so it doesen't taste so bad... thanks for any advice... i am 41 weeks pregnant tommorow and ready!!!

[AugustLia23]

If it doesn't work(which happens more often than it working in my experience), you get some nasty diarrhea(think burning bottom...). If it works, you get to go into labor with the nasty diarrhea.

I did it and it didn't work. But I also wasn't 41 weeks, and my body wasn't quite ready to produce the baby yet.

It is a safe technique though, that must work at least some of the time, or people wouldn't keep doing it. If you decide to do it, make sure you take enough, which I believe is 2-2oz doses 1 hour apart, than possibly another dose a few hours later depending on if it "takes" or not. And do it in the morning, no sense in being miserable all night, labor or not!

Oh, and I made it into a fruit smoothie, which was nasty, but it is no matter what.

[I Fly]

I've read to do it in the morning - scramble eggs with one tablespoon of caster oil for breakfast, or add it to your juice. Make sure you get a good night's sleep before you do it. You can repeat in an hour if you don't have any results.

Have you tried sex? Nipple stimulation? Good luck! My #2 was 10 days past my due date, and I was going crazy!

[DucetteMama21842]

I don't have the energy to poke around right now... but I read that it causes unnatural cramping that can exhaust baby... It also puts a lot of stress on your labor... and I also read that in doing so you raise your chances of complications/interventions... something about postpartum hemorrhaging due to exhaustion... that kind of thing...


FWIW... I tried it and it was horrible. The taste was disgusting.. I chased it with orange juice. The diarrhea burned for DAYS (just the raw feeling... not diarrhea for days..) ... I can't even imagine being in labor and feeling like that.

[MamaCaveBear]

I personally will never try to induce naturally or otherwise again. I tried all the natural methods, which only led to my water breaking, and no contractions at all. Which then led to pitocin at the hospital, an infection because they love *love* to stick their fingers up there and root around, and all sorts of other awful things, all because we were trying to hurry things up. I did try Castor oil, NASTY NASTY NASTY, the runs, and then nothing.

[Nan'sMom]

IMO, induction is generally not a good idea, whether by "natural" methods or otherwise. The baby knows when he or she should be born. Are you getting pressure from care providers?

[bryonyvaughn]

Well I think you've gotten pretty good feedback on castor oil already and I have nothing to add to it.

Originally Posted by mommymurray2

...i am 41 weeks pregnant tommorow and ready!!!

Just because you are 41 weeks and ready doesn't mean your baby is.

My spontaneous labors ranged from 38w4d to about 45 weeks, averaging 43 weeks. I'm grateful they were all ready when they were born. I had one induced labor (w/o my knowledge let alone consent) at 41w3d and that baby was *not* ready.

Because of this I will *never* induce unless I have strong medical evidence my baby *needs* to come out *soon* to ensure his/her life or health. The only induction type things I'd consider would be supportive things to prepare the baby or myself for labor *not* induce it. These are either positional or nutritional. Things to get the baby in a good position can include chiropractic Webster technique, moxibustion, side climbing/descending stairs, walking with one foot on street and one on curb, etc. Nutritional/hormonal support can include EPO orally, orgasmic sex, human semen ingestion, etc. These will not induce labor, just give you or your baby what you need to begin and sustain labor.

HTH,
BV