"natural" labor induction methods...

[beautiful_mama]

Ok, i am sure I risk getting a huge lecture from my m/w for posting this ( she is on these forums btw ) but I am simply curious...

I took castor oil with my last baby 5 days past my EDD,...my labor started about 7 hours after, was quick, REALLY quick (1 hour and 58 minutes)
and hard...


And this was my first non-medically induced birth minus my first which was PROM so I have no others to compare it too. My m/w had mentioned that she thought my labor was the way it was because of the CO I took....hmmmmm


Ok.....SO, my question is, who here has ever used such tactics to coax babies out...and who here has considered it, and who here thinks it is foolish and why :
AND if you have, and it worked,...did you go fast and hard like I did?

Don't worry I am not entertaining this for myself...at least not for the next 2.5 weeks
I am simply curious.

My m/w has kind of given me that *eye* when I have mentioned it this time,...not sure why, but I plan to ask more in detail when I see her, but first I wanna hear from all of you

[KarmaJoy]

Castor oil is one thing I haven't tried. I have tried the more "encouraging labor" techniques. Some absurd. I have taken countless long walks up steep hills, I have tried walking with one foot on the curb and one foot off, I have tried acupuncture, I have tried sex, and spicy foods. My cycle due date was Aug 25, then pushed back to Sep. 9th by the ultra sound so I thought for sure I would go before Sep. 9th but he is just sticking in there! I don't have the guts to do Castor Oil just from stuff I have heard and herbs like Blue or black cohosh make me nervous so I am not trying that either. If anyone has any other ideas I would try most anything just to pass the miserable time.

[mamas2atti]

Let's see...first baby tried castor oil. NADA.

Second baby went 42 weeks and I tried (and I'm probably forgetting some):
Sex
Walking
Birth Ball
Acupuncture
Acupressure
Reflexology
Black & Blue Cohosh around the clock
Chiropractor
Anything anyone ever told me they ate that put them into labor
Castor Oil

Went to mw at 42 weeks to she if she could break my water to get things going but ds was still way too high and she feared cord prolapse.

So it was pitocin for me but only a 2.5 hour labor.

[Daisie125]

Honestly, I'd go to the hospital and get a pit drip before caster oil *shudder*. I don't know why, but it totally skeeves me out. Not to mention that I don't like things that mess with my digestive system, I have a hard enough time keeping things moving properly down there

I've only made it to my due date, so going past my due date would probably tick me off something awful, but I think I would probably tough it out until 42 weeks... maybe some heavy walking, sex or something along those lines, but caster oil is where I draw the line.

[HeatherB]

I'm also rather leary of the "induction" methods such as castor oil and the cohoshes. There are so many possible complications, including a quick and hard labor. I'm definitely of the camp of "encouraging" through natural means, but not actually trying to "induce." The difference, to me, is that some things just "help" and won't get anything started that's not already happening.

[alyrie]

I'm a 8 days past EDD, and I've tried:

blue/black cohosh
castor oil (3/4 of the bottle yesterday)
sex
nipple stimulation
power walking 3 miles just about every day
walking up and down stairs and my steep driveway
spicy foods
evening primrose oil (not really an induction method)
Acupressure
Birth ball

And tomorrow, my midwife will be stripping my membranes and massaging my cervix with something (I told her to do whatever she could think of, pretty much).

[debra_lea]

With my son I walked a LOT. Every night my husband and I went on a LONG walk. I took evening primrose orally for a few weeks and I also took black cohosh (maybe for a week- can't remember). I delivered on my due date and my labor was 4 hours.

Because my labor was so quick my midwife says no cohosh unless she is present.

[beautiful_mama]

Originally Posted by alyrie

I'm a 8 days past EDD, and I've tried:

blue/black cohosh
castor oil (3/4 of the bottle yesterday)
sex
nipple stimulation
power walking 3 miles just about every day
walking up and down stairs and my steep driveway
spicy foods
evening primrose oil (not really an induction method)
Acupressure
Birth ball

And tomorrow, my midwife will be stripping my membranes and massaging my cervix with something (I told her to do whatever she could think of, pretty much).

OH WOW you took a TON of castor oil! See when I did it I only took 2 TBSP's....thats it! And I have tried it with my other kids and it didnot work, so thats why i am skeptical that it even might have had anything todo with labor...maybe labor was coming ANYWAY?!?!

I had also used EPO, and I had been getting my chiro adjustments for over a week (hips adjustments...) and I had a massage and my MT rubbed that spot on the back of your calf that is sore if you are ready...REALLY hard....and then I came home, ate dinner, had some wild sex with dh then ate those 2 tbsp's of CO in a frosty from wendy's...

that was at 8pm

labor started at 3:45am


I wonder if it was really even a factor now, kwim?

SS all you mamas out there are OD big time udos to you for hanging nin there every day...I would be on here bawling like a baby if I go OD!! You guys are troopers

[skydancer]

I admit it...(please don't flame me)

I did try the castor oil and it worked. I was 5 days overdue and scheduled for induction within the next couple of days. I had a previous experience with pitocin which was not good and really wanted to avoid that. I took 3 tablespoons in the afternoon, was in labor that evening, and had my baby shortly after midnight. Out of my three labors, it was by far my fastest and the only one that I didn't stall out on at 5 cm. To me, it wasn't any more intense than other labors...just more productive.

I didn't find the side effects to be too bad. I was in the bathroom 3 or 4 times during the early stages of labor, and I did throw up one time after that, but those were all the negatives. On the positive side, I felt completely cleaned out, didn't vomit during transition, and didn't have any worries of pooping during delivery (I know...not a big deal, but still...).

Castor oil is definately NOT something I would do unless I was overdue and my options were becoming more limited. I am a firm believer that it won't help if your body is not ready already, but I did have a positive experience with it.

BTW...we tried just about every other natural technique known to humans before trying castor oil (with the exception of cohosh).

[jazzybaby9]

Sex gets everything started for me. Then after about 6 or so hours of regular contractions, I'm back to normal... I did dialate 1cm last time tho. I love progress!

[True Blue]

Why are you all being pushed to induce by your care providers at only a few days to week "late"? The average pregnancy when left alone is closer to 41 weeks than 40 weeks...40 weeks is an arbritary time period assigned by men long ago.

[beautiful_mama]

Well, *I* am not being pushed, but *I* have a few reasons personally to want labor tocome on well before 42 weeks, my last baby was 10 lbs 4 ounces 5 days overdue....yeah....so while I CAN handle a larger baby I really don't WANT to have an 11+ lb'er...either kwim?

Also, I have a dh who works no kidding almost an hour formhomeand my last labor was 1 hour 58 minutes and i have no one comingto help me once labor starts...so if labor begins while I am alone with my 23 month old and my 3 & 5 yr olds...thats gonna be kind of tough. SO I might consider this option (trying natural type methods...) later if I pass my due date

[J-Bean]

My midwife suggested "S-E-X, beer and pizza" yesterday and then asked if I was taking a tsp. of flax seed oil daily. I haven't been but started today. I've been reluctant to try to do anything out of the ordinary to get things going...but after thinking last night was the night with a good solid set of contrax and then nothing....I just downed a tsp. and am hoping for some action...not castor oil type action hopefully though...which I believe she was not into. So, maybe try 1 tsp flax seed oil in your drink or straight up...it's normal to use when not pregant anyhow.

[ATD_Mom]

I'm envious of all you walkers! I have so horrid pelvic pain I find myself waking up crying at night, just from the pain of trying to roll over! All exacerbated by walking, so it's out of the question for me. Sex, too, with DH 4 hours away! Jeesh. I'll have to take notes on some of your other suggestions.

[alyrie]

My midwife isn't pushing me at all. I've been begging her for things I can do. I know, it's horrible and babies will come when they're ready, etc, etc.

I'm a college student and one of my teachers has cancelled classes this week, so I only have one class on campus (easy to make up, the other is not). Since there is no class I'm worried about missing this week, I've been trying to get her to come now so I don't have to take so much time off. The plan was to only take off 2 weeks, but I'm having to take off tomorrow due to my non-stress test and I had an appointment today. I'm not missing anything in my other class, but I really didn't want to have to miss 2 weeks of my other. It was so convenient (so I thought) for her to leave for a conference the week of my due date. blah to that.

That probably didn't make any sense...

And yes, I did take a crapload of castor oil. My midwife said if I wanted to go that route, I'd better do it right or not bother. "doing it right" involves 2 heaping tbsp once an hour for 4 hours. It sucked, and did absolutely nothing for me. If anyone wants a bottle of castor oil. I'll mail it to you. I bought 2 just to make sure I had enough... *gag*

[jmhammond]

I did castor oil with my son when I was 3 days past 40 weeks.

It was awful.

No one has mentioned here yet I think there is a link b/t castor oil and baby passing meconium.

My son did not come until 3 days AFTER the CO, AND had passed meconium.

I highly discourage it. IMHO...

[stacyg]

Originally Posted by skydancer

I did try the castor oil and it worked. I was 9 days overdue and scheduled for induction within the next couple of days.

I didn't find the side effects to be too bad. I was in the bathroom 3 or 4 times during the early stages of labor, and I did throw up one time after that, but those were all the negatives. On the positive side, I felt completely cleaned out, didn't vomit during transition, and didn't have any worries of pooping during delivery (I know...not a big deal, but still...).

Castor oil is definately NOT something I would do unless I was overdue and my options were becoming more limited. I am a firm believer that it won't help if your body is not ready already, but I did have a positive experience with it.

BTW...we tried just about every other natural technique known to humans before trying castor oil (with the exception of cohosh).

:
I took it - it worked - was not bad at all - no meconium in water.
I too am a firm believer that if your body is not ready it will NOT work.

[beautiful_mama]

Originally Posted by jmhammond

I did castor oil with my son when I was 3 days past 40 weeks.

It was awful.

No one has mentioned here yet I think there is a link b/t castor oil and baby passing meconium.

My son did not come until 3 days AFTER the CO, AND had passed meconium.

I highly discourage it. IMHO...

Actually from what I have read there is some descprepancy in the statistics that say it can cause meconium passage, simply because most moms who entertain taking (and eventualy do!) tend to be post dates to begin with, and meconium passage tends to be a sign of post maturity anyway

[indiemamma]

OK mammas:

First of all, don't start trying the cohoshes or castor oil until your cervix is ripe and soft... that means using Evening Primrose Oil. You can take it orally and also put the softgel capsules in your vagina (just pop 'em up there like a tampon). When you find out that you are soft and maybe starting to dilate, then is the time to start with the cohosh and castor oil.

I went 10 days "past" my EDD with my first and was being thretened with a C-section (induction was out of the question because of my asthma). So I walked hills every day (starting 2 days after my EDD), took the EPO morning and night (orally and vaginally). About 8 days after my EDD I started drinking Black and Blue Cohosh tea (yeah, from the nasty roots... I was happy to find the tinctures this time around!) every hour and then after having contractions off and on for about 24 hours, I took 1 TBS. of castor oil. I had really intense (flu-like) bowel movements that night until my system was empty and by then had a great contraction pattern. We checked into the hospital at 7am and I was 4cms!

SOOO my natural induction worked that time, I think. It was still a long labor for me, but I was happy to totally avoid the C-section and Pitocin!!!

[IslandAndy]

She has said lots of sex when we've talked about it.

I think we have the same mw, and I have never been pushed or threatened about big babies either. The ONLY thing she has said was she would do is a NST at the BC at 42 weeks.