Castor Oil - Wellsville,KS

I did when I had my son 40 years ago and all it did was to make me run to the bathroom. The stuff is so nasty that it took the whole bottle to get 2 Tbsp down. Good luck if you try it.

I have always heard that drs. dont like you to use castor oil cause it can cause the baby to poop inside of you.

I was 3 weeks over due with my last child and my mom suggested I try the castor oil. It only works if you are ready to deliver, which I was. It gives you a good cleaning out, so don't go out shopping like I did and have to rush back home. I took it in the morning with orange juice and contractions started around 5pm and my son was born before 8pm. S. H.

Nobody I know has used it because it induces diarrhea. I would try sex, walking or spicy food first. LOL! Good luck!

You brave soul! I had a friend try it and she was throwing up so much and it did not induce labor. I do believe in some of those wives tales, but I think this one is to be tossed out. I am not a nurse or a doctor, but I would not do it if I were you. I think there is nothing worse then throwing up, pregnant.

I tried it and it did not work. The doctor told me it would only work if you were going to start labor within 24 hours anyway. It did make me sick and I can still taste it :(.

Those babies get here when they are ready and it does not seem to be on our time schedule.

Good luck with your delivery!

Hi E.,

I used castor oil when I gave birth to my now 11yo. I ten days overdue. I drank it on a Thursday night (mixed with OJ because it taste horrible- and I was still gagging), my contractions started Friday afternoon while shopping (so I was out all day walking too), became intense that night, and aaalllll day Sat & Sunday. I didn't give birth until Sunday night at 9:33. It will clean you out, no doubt! Make sure you are by a bathroom all the time.

I think each person is different. I think it could work faster for some and maybe not at all for others. A natural substance likes that works with whatever it is put into so your body has a lot to do with the results. Ask your doctor and go from there. I was induced with my second child and it went a lot faster! Oh yes, and anytime you are induced in any way, the pain is worse (so I have heard). I had natural births with both of mine so induced or not, it was painful with no meds! Good Luck.

Hello,
Heck yes it works, at least it did for me. Dr. told me to put it in some kind of drink that I liked to make it go down better. Well, I liked chocolate milk. Let me tell you something, don't put it in chocolate milk. It bubbled up like motor oil. I couldn't drink chocolate milk for years, but it's ok now. But it did work, I had a beutiful daughter, 6lbs 14oz.

I had a friend that tried it and said she went into labor the next day and my sister tried it couple of times and nothing happened. I think it was just a coincidence that it worked for my friend, but who knows. I don't think it makes the contractions any harder, but I haven't tried it myself. Good luck!!

E.,

I've had 4 babies and I tried it once with one of them and it did not work. Just made me feel sick. I wish I could tell you what did work, but I was finally induced. Someone even told me to eat Taco Bell. LOL

C. B.

PS I hope your labor goes well when it does start.

My sister tried castor oil with her 1st child 43 yrs ago because was overdue by a couple of weeks...& desperate at that point. She got so sick that we still joke about it 43 yrs later! She threw up & was SICK thru the rest of her pregnancy, which was horrible! She says she STILL gags when she smells the stuff. Do yourself a favor & try ANYTHING before going that route!!! Not worth it!!!...except for a good laugh in the years to come for your siblings... Honestly, that baby is going to come when it wants to. Period. & it will be completely worth the wait! Enjoy it when it gets here. They grow up so fast. Just enjoy every minute possible!!!

I used it with my first. I drank it in a shake with ice cream around 3:00 in the afternoon and around 8:00 I started cramping. At 11 we went to the hospital we were sent home by 2 as they said I wasn't in labor I just had an irritated uterus due to the diarrhea (castor oil) I was an active labor by 3 am and delivered at 6:45 am. I have no idea if it worked or if it all would have happened like that anyways he came very fast. I know having that much diarrhea is awful and honestly my bottom hurt so bad during labor I thought I would just die but then I had my baby boy and all was forgotten. :) Good Luck.

all caster oil does is make the muscles in your lower digestive track contract very strongly. it will either make you have diarrhea or vomit. both of these things will trigger the other smooth muscles in your body contract as well (your uterus is one of these smooth muscles). caster oil will not necessarily induce labor but it is guaranteed to make you uncomfortable.

Everyone has their "wife's tale" that worked with someone they know but they're mostly "tales" and are mostly uncertain.... What IS certain with castor oil though, is diarreah. (plus it tastes/smells horrible)Being close to your due date, I'm sure you're already uncomfortable-I wouldn't want to make it worse! The baby will come when its ready and if not, you're dr will induce you. (Probably the routine way of Pitocin, a synthetic form of the natural hormone in our body that induces contractions/labor) If you're looking for a more natural method, I'd try pregnancy-approved yoga stretching. Good luck!

E.,
DON'T drink the oil! That is my advice. My younger sister had heard of this old wives tale and 1-it didn't induce labor and 2-she had painful diarrhea for several days afterwards. AFter that she was exhausted from the diarrhea leaving her body drained of necessary fluids.

She was miserable and vowed to never do something so silly again. What if she'd had the baby while she was not feeling well??

I am sure, knowing her, she increased the requested dose which is what led to her drastic effects. I have also known women who have taken the castor oil felt fine and still it never induced their labor.

Point being - while I have known many women to try it - I have never heard of its success. And it has affected different women differently.

I do know many women who have tried having intercourse with their partners to induce and that HAS worked MULTIPLE times.

Your choice - but my recommendation is to not drink the oil!
D.

Yes, the concept behind it is to move the bowels with diarrhea which in return helps start labor. I experienced it 28 years ago along with an enema. It worked and did not make my labor pains any harder than normal.

I understand that now they do not recommend it because it dehydrates the baby. I would suggest anything that moves your bowels would help. Popcorn (according to my sister in law) If you have ever gone to a Italian resteraunt that serves olive oil and bread, that is another idea. Good luck and god bless your little one

It worked for me with our first daughter but I must also add that I hadn't gone to the bathroom in a week. Dr. had me try a bunch of things to "get going" until he finally said to use the castor oil. I had my sister in law use a baby medicine doser to shoot it down the back of the my throat so I couldn't taste it, though. The castor oil did its job, that is for sure. I was sick but always attributed it to having not gone to the bathroom in a week. I "finished being sick" at 4:00 am and by 6:30 am I was in the hospital with contractions 2.5 minutes apart.
I used it at the end of my second pregnancy but to prevent a week long bind up. We didn't need it to help push along labor as I was scheduled for an induction with her.
Yes, it tastes bad. Yes, it makes you go. Would I try it again if needed, probably.
Good luck!

E., i would suggest letting nature take it's course...you're guaranteed not to be pregnant forever, i promise! everything i've read basically says there is no way to really "induce" labor yourself...i know you're miserable, but just use this time to appreciate your present life, because soon everything will be different! (personally i was in denial - i have only one child - up until the last minute and even though he was over a week late, and i was scheduled to be induced at the hospital, he came the day before on his own so the "reality" of it never did sink in, until he was here!) i do wish i had taken a bit of time those last couple days to enjoy the quiet! good luck!

My own doctor advised against it. She explained to me that it's basically a laxative and will definitely give you diarreah and very rarely induces labor. It can also give your baby diarreah and then you have to worry about jaundice and baby ingesting more bm than is normal. She did suggest primrose oil (use as recommended on the bottle) and increase your activity. I took the primrose pills for 3 days and on the 3rd day did a bunch of cleaning/rearranging of furniture and last minute prep for the baby. The next day I went into labor. She was my first child and labor only lasted 4 hours! Whew!

I used it twice while I was pregnant with my youngest son (he is 4 months old) under the supervision of my mom (an OB nurse). She said it will only work if you and the baby are both ready - no sense trying it like 2 weeks before you are due. I was 1 day overdue and took it like a shot of alcohol (I thought it tasted like drinking lipstick - yuck!). It did clean me out and it did induce contractions but they were never painful enough or last long enough to go to the hospital. So I took more 2 days later to see if I could have stronger more regular contractions if I took more castor oil. That time just cleaned me out without contractions! All in all he came when he was darn good and ready and not a minute sooner - no matter what I tried. And I did try sex, nipple stimulation, spicy food and lots of walking. Good luck!

I had a friend that did this and all it did was make her throw up and then she was sick at her stomach the rest of the day! I wouldn't recommend it!

Nooooo dont do it. It dosent really help and it will make you extremely uncomfortable. I am a labor and delivery nurse for the past 18 yrs. Evening primrose oil 500 mg is useful to take and causes no adverse repurcutions.

Yes I did with my first one because I was told it would and it never worked. Not worth it trust me. lol

Hi E.,

Walk! Walk as much as you can without getting tired or dehydrated. Walking makes the baby go down and ready for labor naturally. So try to walk every day, even if it is slow and on a treadmil.
And of course, always ask your doctor, don't try oils or other stuff without doctor's advice.
Good luck!
Mariana Abadie
www.mykidsfirst.com

There's no evidence that any home remedy actually works to induce labor or contractions except one thing...have sex.

Semen has a natural form of potocin (sp?) in it, the chemical that is given to women in an IV to induce labor in the hospital. Women who are on bed-rest and in danger of pre-term labor are told NOT to have sex for this reason. If you want to induce labor, have lots and lots of sex. It's a low level of this chemical, but it's the only homeopathic thing that really has any scientific back-up to actually work.

I am a birth doula, and while I've seen clients try it, the results weren't anything like they expected! They were physically ill from drinking it and miserable! Plus it can dehydrate you and the baby! I'd say walk, have sex, the natural things. I know that you are probably tired of being pregnant, but your body will tell you when you are ready! Good Luck! Can't wait to hear that you've had your baby :)

didn't work for me. just made me poop. a lot.

No but it will sure help you poop! lol
There are plenty of wifes tales out there (seen and heard of a ton of them) but as a nurse when their ready to come they will come.

All it did was make me puke and the only contractions I had was from the heaving. Oh god, don't go there! I did use some black cohash and red raspberry tea to help induce my labor the first time but there can be extra bleeding with that so you should consult your physicain...didn't the second...

If this is your first, nothing will really prepare you for the contractions especially when they start coming hard and fast. Outside of taking drugs (epidural - which may or may not work or another kind of push drug there is really little relief until the baby is born). I was concerned about using petocin as an inducer but we did on my second...they did a gradual and we never got to the full dose before I was in full contractions. It's easily monitored...just be clear about drugs if you want them...depending upon your progression their can be a very small window of opportunity (I went from 3 cm to crowning in 30 minutes) so my window was slammed shut!

If you want to start some movement, go walking hills...don't overdo it or you will be too tired for labor...I walked 8 hours with my firstborn the day before he was born and I was exhausted. Good luck! L. B

As a L&D nurse, I would discourage using the castor oil. A lot of times it just makes the mom very uncomfortable and usually does not induce labor. If you do decide to use it, be sure to talk to your doctor.

Increase physical activity (walking). Intercourse really does work. At least it did for me.

Castor oil works like a laxative - when this occurs prostaglandins are released in addition to other factors that can stimulate uterine contractions, initiating labor in some cases. Unfortunately, it can cause nauseating abdominal cramping and diarrhea which makes the discomforts of early labor even more uncomfortable, and may cause vomiting. I know of two women who used castor oil when they were past-due to deliver, one did induce labor but was very nauseated and vomited several times, the other was unsuccessful in inducing labor, and I believe that she was medically induced.
I would only use castor oil under the direction of a professional midwife or physician's guidance. With your practitioner's knowledge/permission, nipple stimulation can be very effective "natural" induction of labor. I avoided a medical induction (pitocin) with this method. Walking, getting plenty of rest, sitting on an exercise ball and rotating hips/bouncing gently can all assist in preparation for labor and baby's proper positioning for delivery. Hope this helps!