does castor oil really help start labor

[Rebecca]

Or will I just give myself the barfs and runs for nothing? It seems SO gross! I'm 4 days 'overdue' 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Will it help at all?

[BoxOfRainMama]

I tried it (along with EVERYTHING else in the book) when I was overdue with my son. The caster oil did make me start some really good strong contractions..... but I stalled out after a couple hours which was worse to me than had I had nothing happen because I truly thought it was "THE TIME" He was born a week later by induction.

[bwylde]

It did nothing for me (except make me mega sick) and I tried it a few times along with everything else ever suggested. I ended up going three weeks over.

[Artisan]

I was just reading in "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" that it is used regularly on The Farm. She recommended a mama start in the AM, mixing 1 Tbsp with scrambled eggs. And then before lunch one more Tbsp with juice.

I tried it, in a much higher dose, THREE times to get labor going. Didn't work. I think it works for some people, not for others. Ina May's dosage sounds much more gentle than what my MW recommended.

[bhdavison]

I think like most home induction "remedies", they will work IF your baby is ready to come out and just needed a little jumpstart. However, if your baby still needs some time to gestate, most remedies do nothing except give you false hope...as typically they will all start some cx of some intensity and then they will peter out.

HOwever, if you have a hospital induction looming over you at 2 weeks post due date, then by all means I would try everything!!!

Good luck!
Brooke

[Frazzled Mama]

It never worked for me. I tried it numerous times and all I did was poop my brains out for days. It has a NASTY texture and it made me gag too.

[chumani]

Wow am I the only one here that castor oil worked for??

I used it when my first was almost 2 weeks "overdue". My midwives had me drink 4oz. I took a nap for an hour, woke up, cleaned out!! started contractions and she was born 15 hours after taking the castor oil. I didn't have hours and hours of diarrhea either. My midwives told me that if I take it take enough to clean out in one shot rather than have irritated bowels for hours.

My next two babies came 3 and 2 weeks early.

My fourth was one week "overdue" when I finally took castor oil again. I again took 4oz (blended with frozen strawberries, malt powder and a little milk I didn't even notice the oily texture or taste). I went to sleep, woke in an hour for "clean out" started contractions and ds was born 5 hours after the first contraction at a whopping 9lb 4oz.


Best wishes and happy laboring to you!!!
Sarah

[scheelimama]

I tried it along with everything else, and it didn't work. My mw said that if you use it you need to take it in 2 doses. One to clean you out and after you're cleaned out, take another dose to keep the contractions going. I didn't do a second dose, so who knows if it would have helped. If I ever try it again, I will do it how Sarah suggested. That doesn't sound so bad!

[KKmama]

Didn't work for me, either. Pooped my brains out, aggravated my rhoids, etc.

[blessed2bamommie]

I'd check with my mw/ob. It can be potentially dangerous, is what I've read. Of course, there's a mw in the area who does it and strip membranes too. I wasn't comfortable with that and decided against her.

[Rebecca]

Originally posted by wannabmommie
I'd check with my mw/ob. It can be potentially dangerous, is what I've read. Of course, there's a mw in the area who does it and strip membranes too. I wasn't comfortable with that and decided against her.

My mw recommended it along with a list of other things to help start labor like:

evening primrose oil inserted to help soften the cervix.
blue and black cohosh tincture
some homeopathic concoction that I can't remember
Intercourse if water hasn't broken
and the castor oil coctails. Ugh.

She offered to stretch the cervix and strip my membranes and I got so scared I started shaking and sweating. Just hearing those words makes me wiggy.

[pamamidwife]

I've used it with clients and it works about 50% of the time.

I usually mix it up with root beer - keep stirring the root beer (with ice in it!) while the mom drinks the root beer/ castor oil combo through a straw. I'm stirring the WHOLE time she's drinking it. That way the oil doesn't separate.

I usually recommend 2oz and then another 2oz two hours later.

This is only for DIRE need.

[mamaroni]

second pregnancy. . .didn't work for me. I poo'd my brains out, and it hurt! From my experience, I would NOT recommend it. My son was finally born of course. . .I had been dilated to 4 for a week, and finally talked my mw into stripping my membranes. then, I went home and had sex. He was born that night.

[SaveTheWild]

Had to share funny story --

whenever I think of castor oil I remember my SIL telling me very very matter of fact about her experience with castor oil --

"Never take castor oil and then go to the mall to walk around wearing white pants."

Poor thing.

Once she got over her intense embarrassment at the public ... shall we say "display" ... it did kick in some contractions but they didn't last long.

She had my nephew about two days later (17 or so days past her due date).

[BusyMommy]

tried it twice and NOTHING at all.

boy my kids were 2 weeks late--i think it's just up to Baby to decide.

[Foobar]

"Never take castor oil and then go to the mall to walk around wearing white pants." :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL

[blessed2bamommie]

:laugh:

[Defenestrator]

One of the midwives in my area recommends bathing in it instead of ingesting it. I understand that this is a common way to use it in England. She recommends putting 4T or so in a bath and then soaking for a while. I have also heard of people making compresses out of cloth and castor oil and then placing them on the belly. Supposedly in both cases it is absorbed through the skin and works its magic without being quite so irritating to the intestines.

I like acupuncture and nipple stimulation a lot better.

[BoxOfRainMama]

[i]

I like acupuncture and nipple stimulation a lot better. [/B]


I tried both of those with my son, nipple stimulation did for me and acupuncture kept putting me in false labor and it is so expencive. My son was just a really stubborn little guy I guess (AND still is!!) :)
"It doesn't matter who you love, or how you love, but that you love" ~Rod McKuen

Pamela Roth

[Ravenmoon]

I did acupuncture first and then as a last resort castor oil.I was around 4cm 90% effaced for two weeks.I drank the whole bottle(4oz)and made it into a chocolate milkshake per my midwives advice.Felt nauseaus for about an hour,held that in because puking it will do you no good.Then took an enormous walk.Which wasn't smart because 4 blocks from home i had to go,and bad.I got home as quick as i could and then had one enormous poop and then my labor started.45 minutes later my babe was born.

[BoxOfRainMama]

You’re going to have to let us know if you decided to try it or not! I’m so curious after all these stories what you will do! :)

"It doesn't matter who you love, or how you love, but that you love" ~Rod McKuen

Pamela Roth

[firefaery]

It is my understanding that it only works if the baby's head is engaged and pressing on the cervix. If it's floating at all-no luck. It worked for me, but I had to keep going for checks and the MW let me know when his head was on my cervix. Then I took it in two doses-cleaned out once and my labor began. Best of luck, but wait till the heads where it's supposed to be!

[clewal]

It worked for my mother. She took it and after she did her thing, she went into labor with me and I was born 30 minutes later,
I tried it with my first (three times) and it never worked. It just made me go to the bathroom and made me sick to my stomach. I put the stuff in orange juice, held my nose, drank, stuck a toothbrush in my mouth and would start brushing, then unplug my nose. It was the most disgusting, vile thing I have ever done. I couldnt even look at a bottle of castor oil after that without getting sick. I still get a little quesy just thinking about it.
When I got pregnant with my second, I told my midwife that I will not do castor oil again. I almost did, but couldnt bring myself to do it. My midwife told me that it usually doesnt work on first time mothers, and generally will only work if the baby is ready to come.
It also worked on my mother's friend's daughter. But I will never, ever, ever, ever do it again.

[Saralynn]

Not that I'm a big fan of OB/GYNs but the most recent US and Australian guidelines on labor induction do still suggest the use of Castor Oil and hot baths as an alternative method to induce labor. Here are some references if you are interested:

Adair CD. Nonpharmacologic approaches to cervical priming and labor induction. Clin Obstet Gynecol 2000;43:447-54.

Kelly AJ, Kavanagh J, Thomas J. Castor oil, bath and/or enema for cervical priming and induction of labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2002;2: CD003099.

"Castor oil and hot baths also have been recommended for cervical ripening or labor induction. The mechanisms of action for these methods are unknown. Review of the literature indicates that one poorly designed study involving 100 participants studied castor oil versus no treatment. While there did not appear to be any difference in obstetric or neonatal outcomes, all women ingesting the castor oil reported being nauseated. At this time, no evidence supports the use of these modalities as viable methods for cervical ripening or labor induction."

Here's a web page that pulls together international reviews and guidelines on labor induction. I recommend reading the Cochrane reviews.

[Saralynn]

Sorry, here's that web site!

http://www.gfmer.ch/Guidelines/Pregnancy_newborn/Induced_labor.htm