Castor Oil to Induce Labor

Did it. Gave me terrible diahhrea. Just want to caution on inducement and pitocin. All 3 of mine came c-sect. Never had a good labor. Middle child was induced and water broke at the same time pitocin drip was started. He was left in too long without oxygen. Born with numerous health issues, Group B beta strep, lack of oxygen....was in ICU 10 days and needed various therapies. Mostly due to the fact he was in there not getting oxygen and the sack was no longer protecting him. He has great difficulty learning and retaining mostly everything, which I believe is due to the long term oxygen deprivation. Beware of inducement and do some research if you are considering it. Thanks for the opportunity to share on such an important subject.

my friend tried this but it did not help. I don't recall her getting sick from it, but I do know it didn't speed things up.

Good luck to you!

Okay, I know you have gotten a lot of responses, but nobody told you to walk on sand. Go to the beach and walk on sand...it is known to induce labor...it did for my friend.

Hi M.. I have always heard that castor oil works and when I was pregnant, my midwife did advise us that it was an option, but it should be a last resort option because of the side effects of having loose bowels. It would not have any adverse affects on the baby. What she recommended was nipple stimulation and walking. Nipple stimulation stimulates the uterus to contract. The night I went into labor, we sat and watched TV as my husband "stimulated" my nipples for probably an hour and good enough, I went into labor that night. Also, my aunt was told the same thing 5 months ago that her son was going to be over average after her 3D sonogram and he was only 7 lbs. To avoid C Section - avoid the C Section prescription - Pitocin to induce & Epidural to relieve the pain caused by an pitocin induced labor. If you go that route, chances are much higher you will end up getting a C Section. I highly recommend finding a doula who will be there for you during your labor. It's not too late. They will help your through your labor & help prevent having to have a C Section. Best of wishes! & I almost forgot, reading another response just reminded me. Sex DOES work. Another recommendation from my midwife & it worked for my cousin. Sex causes the uterus to contract & apparently the male secretion is said to help speed along the process.

What is the accuracy rate of 3D ultrasound? Through ultrasound my doctor thought my first daughter was going to be 9 pounds and she turned out to be 7. I was a 10 pounder myself and my mom had me in the hospital through unmedicated vaginal delivery...and that was back in the early 70's. I've heard of people having as large as 11 pound babies vaginally. The key is, you need not to be afraid. If you are calm and visualizing a natural birth, you will have it.

I don't recommend the castor oil. Though I haven't done, I know friends who have and they had an awful experience with their labor. It will cause extremely hard contractions and you might not make it in time to the hospital. Try instead to keep your body well hydrated and relax. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and stop the junk food at this point. If you put quality food into your body instead of high calorie/processed/high fat foods, your baby's weight gain should be minimal.

Think positive. You will have a vaginal delivery.

Hi M.,
The biggest risk of castor oil, in my opinion, is that it can cause your unborn baby to have a bowel movement while still in utero. Castor oil can also cause uncoordinated, irregular contractions that make labor last even longer, in the long run.

May I ask why you are in a rush go into labor? Normal pregnancy is 38-42 weeks.

Personally, I feel like one of the greatest gifts you can give your baby is letting he or she choose his own birthday. Let your baby initiate the labor process when he/she is ready because only she knows when she is ready.

Remember, also, that ultra sounds can be off by as much as 2 lbs in either direction this late in the game. SO, if they said you have an 8 pounder, you could end up with anywhere from a 6 lb baby to 10 lbs! Don't let them scare you with "big baby" tactics into a c/s. Your body knows how to grow a baby, and your body knows how to get a baby out. Doctors are NOT gods.

Hang in there!
A.

My midwife told me at 39 weeks that I could do anything to help induce labor if I wanted to (walk, sex, nipple stimulation) and she said if I get desperate that I could do castor oil. I think is was something like 2 oz every 2or4 hours (not sure if that is correct, its been 2 years!!) I couldn't even take the whole first dose it was soooo bad!! I did get some down at like 8pm and by midnight I was in the bathroom with diareah and at 4 am my water broke. We went to the hospital at about 5 and I wasn't really contracting at all so they gave me pitocin and she wasn't born till 10:42pm!! So I'm not really sure if it was worth it!! Although it was not bad be cleaned out and not have to have a bm for awhile after having her!! I don't think the castor oil really makes you contract I just think after you are cleaned out the baby has more room to move down. All in all I don't think it was horrible but not sure it was worth the 18 hour labor!!! Not sure if this helped at all but good luck to you!!

Hi,
I am a birthing Doula, some of my client's say it works. I suggest walking,and using a birthing ball. I have my client's use the ball it encourages a rotation motion of the pelvis, which helps with fetal descent.It is like squatting which opens the pelvis. Try everytime you sit do it indian style if not using the ball, it will help with stretching. Perineum Massage-Nornmally started in last few weeks of pregnancy. This is a useful exercise to help deal with the pushing stage of your labour. When you are close to due date, or get up and feel like this might be the day!! Eat very lite have small meals.

Have A Great Birth Experience,
N.

I did it with my last pregnancy. I don't know if you have already had your baby or not, but I thought I'd share. I had no ill effects and it worked great. I will do it with my next pregnanct also. I did a little one morning some more that night and then finished it off like that the next night and had her the following morning at 6:24. Some of my friends did it closer together but she went to the bathroom a lot and said her butt hurt. A friend of mine just last weekend took two different doses and it just pushed her over and she went into labor. I never got sick to my stomach or anything, it was great. Good luck. Let me know if you try it and what you think.

Nothing helps really, when the baby is ready she will come. Talk to your Dr about scrapping your membranes they did that to me and I was a week over due and the next day I was in active labor and then she came!!

Hey M. I tried castor oil for my first child and I had no side effects, but it also did not force her out. If you baby is getting to big you should discuss this with you doctor. The doctor thought my second child was getting two big and they induced me 2 weeks early. When he was born they found out he was just very long. But my doctor was ver sympathetic with me about not being comfortable and not wanting a c-section. I could barely walk after I would go in for my check-ups, because even though I was not dialted my son was still pushing to come out. With my last child I was on medicaid so my doctor couldn't induce me unless the baby was in danger, but to help me progress she would strip my membranes every visit, in hopes that it would either cause my water to break or I would start dialating more.

Hi M.,
My water broke when I was at 39 weeks. I wasn't having any contractions, and by the next morning, the contractions had come, but they weren't very hard. So, my midwife suggested Castor Oil. The first thing I would say is drink it in something- I tried to do it straight the first time and almost gagged. It tastes like, well Oil. I have to say, it didn't really do much for me. I was in labor for a long time, and finally did have to go to the hospital to get Pitocin. After I got an epidural (I didn't really want one, but when you're in a hospital bed on Pit, there aren't too many ways to deal with the pain), then the Castor Oil kicked in. Fun! My daughter was born 2 hours later.
From what I've heard, it just gives you diarrhea. Then, since your bowel is contracting, it's supposed to make your uterus contract too. I've heard many women get diarrhea when they go into labor anyway, so I don't think it's that bad.
I've heard the same thing as an earlier poster about 3D sonograms not necessarily being accurate on weight. And the walking sounds like a great idea. My husband and I did that to try and strenghten my contractions too.
I don't know what my advice would be. Castor Oil didn't necessarily work for me the way I wanted, but it wasn't harmful in any way either (just a bit embarrassing). Just stay positive. Have you talked with your OB (or midwife) about how you don't want a C-Section and are there any things you can try? Are they talking about a C-Section already? There are also some herbal things you can take to help get your body ready for labor. If you call a birthing center they should be able to help. If they can't, let me know, and I'll check and see what they were. Good luck!

I didn't try castor oil, but did try having sex (MANY times), survived the atmospheric change of Hurricane Wilma at 38 weeks, and had my membranes stripped... O-U-C-H!!! I also walked around 2+ cm dialated for 3 weeks and went past my due date! I lied to my Ob/Gyn so I could go to the hospital at 40 weeks and have a stress test and U/S. At that point, the baby was 9lbs! (As other posts have said, I always thought that the U/S weight was off, but in my case IT WASN'T!)
I opted to be induced two days later... It's a good thing... induction couldn't have been smoother. I was 5+cm before my epidural and didn't feel anything worse than menstrual cramps. I went in to the hospital at 7am, was induced at 8 am and was ready to push at 2 pm. My daughter was delivered after only 20 minutes of pushing... at 9lbs 5oz... No C-section! Recovery from delivering a big baby was tough... stitches and other parts VERY SORE. Next time, I will insist on delivering earlier for a smaller babe... OB/Gyn agrees.
Don't be afraid of induction at this stage. In my case, I think DD needed the little "push."
Good luck for a happy and safe delivery.

Sex, or at least orgasms - have fun :)

I tried castor oil and it worked for me within an hour or two of taking it, my water broke. I vomited and had diarrhea really bad through labor until about an hour before I pushed her out and it all stopped :) Also, I only pushed for lsss then five minutes and she came right out. She is 2 years old and totally fine. The taste of it is very gross but it's definetly YOUR choice, no on else's. Everyone else can have their opinion but do what you think is right. It's your body and your baby, just remember there are negative side effects when taking castor oil. Good luck!

Hey girl, I def understand why you are ready to begin the labor process!! I never tried castor oil but I did do the various pleasurable stimulations with my husband and alone. A few days later my water broke and I was only at 38 weeks. I also kept busier than usual-yard work,etc. Good luck and congrats!

M.,

With my 2nd child, I was overdue 9 days. I was miserable, ached, tired, and all around hurt every inch of my body. I questioned every way to go into labor. Sex hurt too much, and I could barely walk. After hearing about the castor oil from person after person, I mentioned it to my doctor. He strongly did not recommend it. There runs a risk of the baby becoming distressed due the dehydration that can be caused by the diarrhea / vomit.

I did not do it. I waited it out in my misery and went into labor on my own the morning they had me scheduled for induction. I understand your fears, however, your babies safety is top priority. I dont mean to sound harsh in that statement, but as a mother whom has had a baby in NICU after delivery for almost 3 weeks, I am very strong on baby safety first.

I hope you consider all aspects before trying anything. Good Luck to you.

~ Amanda

Hello there, well here it goes, i started the castor oil when i was 36 weeks preg and needless to mention that i took like 4 bottles it didnt work, lets put it this way, for some women it works for others like me dont, i guess is just the fact the baby will come when baby is ready, finally 4 weeks after my so called due date i got tired took 2 bottles straight, no OJ with it, no Baking soda in it no nothing but the oil straight from the bottles, yes its nasty, but it finally made my baby decide to come and he did, i was in labor @ 9:45 am complete, jumped from 1 cm dilated to complete in one hour and even though the epidural didnt work on me was a very short time that i was been tortured practically but baby finally made its day view, i honestly dont think that the castor oil made a difference during labor, i just think its a matter of time, try it out maybe it will work for ya.

i tired it with my first son ( 8 yrs ago) it did not induce my labor, it just gave me diareah really bad.with my second son i did nothing. with my third son i tried eating alot of pinapples , having lots of sex and walking alot...that seemed to work. he was a week early...good luck...try nipple stimulation too.

I tried Castor Oil with my second baby. He was almost to the 2 week overdue point where I would not have been able to have a Birth Center birth, which I really wanted. The Castor Oil didn't work for me however. The day before I would have been overdue (past 42 weeks), my midwife gave me Blue Cohosh which you can buy at a health food store (like Mother Earth). Four drops in an 8 oz glass of water was all it took. I went into labor a few hours later and gave birth to my son 4 hours after that.

Hi M. ...

I tried the castor oil with my daughter and it did begin my labor. :0) Yes , it cleans out your bowels but that's what it does , along with stimulating other things. It had no effect on her and I didn't vomit from that , either. It worked for me !
It will not work unless your body is really ready for labor , though , which it sounds like yours is. Best of luck in whatever you decide. ~ A.

Hi! My cousin, who was living with me at the time, tried using castor oil and she regretted it afterward. She ended up in the hospital with severe, unbearable cramps, but she didn't go into labor. They kept her for several hours, but then sent her home. She ended up going into labor a few days later though, not sure if it had anything to do with the oil though, and her baby was perfectly normal. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it! Hope this information helps!! Good luck with your baby! :)

Dear M.,

Let me first say that I understand. I was very worried about my baby being large and causing an emergency c-section.

But you should know what very large babies are delivered vaginally every single day in the US with no problems at all. You didn't mention the baby's estimated weight or how far along you are, which concerns me. You should know that the most common things that keep babies in the hospital after birth are jaundice and lack of lung development- both things that manifest up until a week before your due date. The lung issue is particularly serious. You should really rely on your physician's judgment as to when that baby should come out, no matter what extra measures you might like to take.

That being said, there are many things you can do to speed things up that have less negative side effects. Nipple stimulation is a good one, having sex, walking reasonable amounts, and having your membranes stripped at your doctor's office are all very effective. Castor oil is not ideal- the diarrhea and dehydration are hard on your body during a long labor.

I hope you will discuss this with your doctor before you do anything.

All the best.

I have heard nothing positive about using the castor oil. Tastes horrible, doesnt work, or had bad side effects, ie. vomitting, diarrhea, etc. and god knows when u are pregnant you do enough of that on your own. LOL. I tried every other method, sex, swimming, baths, being extremely over active, and nothing worked. Finally I talked to my OB, who suggested being medically induced due to the fact that I was trying everything else and sat at 2cm for about 2 1/2 weeks. So I picked the day, when in at 6:30am, started pushing at 2pm and he was born at 5:03p. I would definitely talked to your OB about all options before trying anything on your own first. And I also had the 3D ultrasound done and they were like 2lbs. off what my baby was born at. They had him bigger than what he actually was. So dont take the baby's weight from those to accurrate. Good luck and may you have a happy, healthy, beautiful baby!

Meagan,
My Best friend tried castol oil and it did not work! don't do it it gave her diarrhea and also the baby while in side of her because of that witch the doctors were very concerned when that happened not exactly sure on the details but i know it wasn't a good thing!Good luck and i hope the baby comes soon.
H.

edited response:
have you talked to your doctor about inducing?

i am more concerned that you are so eager. If you are past your due date and uncomfortable, talk to your Doc about inducing. Its safer for everyone and you can let family know when to expect everything. My babies were both over 9lbs so i feel your fear. but please dont take anything, talk to your Doctor.

having sex works. Worked both times for me. :)

I don't have experience with using castor oil to induce labor, but I do have big baby experience. My first was delivered by scheduled c-section because her weight was estimated to be 9lbs10oz on Ultrasound. It turns out this u/s was correct, but they can be off by a pound or more. I was coerced by the midwife and doctor to schedule a c-section for my babies safety, but I have since found out that research supports that the opposite is true. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynocology Does not recommend automatic c-section for a large baby. A recent study (Birth. 2006. Dec;33(4):278-83 found that unless your baby is over eleven pounds, the baby is more at risk of dying if delivered by c-section than by vaginal birth.
You contradict yourself, you say that you are not at your due date, but you are well past full term. Post term is over 42 weeks, until you have past 42 weeks you are not really past full term. Babies who are born before they are ready can have serious breathing problems. I also caution you about medical inductions (pitocin, cytotec, cervadil) as these are dangerous and should only be used for a true medical reason. Research has actually linked the use of inductions with an increase in amniotic fluid embolism, a condition that is almost always lethal for the mother.
Your body will grow a baby that is just right for you to birth and it will come on its own time.

I took castor oil and it worked for me. My due date was Aug. 30th. I drank the oil (with OJ) on Aug. 25th and had my daughter on Aug. 26th. My doctor recomended me to take it. She also told me to have sex the same day. Not only did it clean my system out, I didnt have to worry about the possiblity of having a bowl movement during labor. I had no side effects and my baby girl was just fine.

M.,

I don't know about Castor Oil, but I "walked" my girlfriend and myself into labor. I would just get out and walk 2-3 miles a day, at a slow pace of course and my son was 3 days early and my girlfriend was 4 days early. However, be careful, my daughter was a scheduled c-section and they took her 1 week before my due date, she has had several issues with her lungs and after doing some research this is fairly common. Apparently that last week or so is very crucial for the final stages of lung development.

Good luck!

Well M.,I can not speak for everyone because everyone is different but I must say that I did the Castor Oil thing with no side effects at all for my 1st pregnancy because my little darling was 11 days late. It tastes horrible but it did work. I gave birth and all my appointments where at a Birthing center (God bless them for they are Wonderful!!!) and everything was natural. I was given the Castor Oil at about 6pm and my water broke at 8:50pm. My daughter was born at 10:55pm. So it did something right. for my second baby, also late but this time 10 days late, I was told to put the gel of the inside of some kind of vitamin (sorry but I forgot which one)to help me dialate and bring on contractions. It also helped.I delivered a healthy 8lb 6oz baby. I recommend if you are not going to a Birthing center to just call one up and asked them for advise of what you should do. They believe in the Natural approach and it's alot better both for you and the baby. I think the number is 305-754-BABY but I know the one I went to has a website www.MiamiBirth.com and there you can confirm their number. It's better you call than email them because they are really quite busy.
In any case M., I hope that I have been helpful. Good luck with the new addition to the family!
Best of Luck!
LRS

I tried EVERYTHING when I was pregnant, and NOTHING worked!! It was so frustrating! No the castor oil did not work, it did give me diarrhea at 2am though! I know you don't want to heat this b/c I didn't when I was in your position, but the baby will come when shes ready. As far as a c section is concerned, I had to have one (I was in labor for 2 days, and only dialated 3 cm!) it really isn't that bad. I'm actually glad I had one. I know every women wants to have a baby vaginally, but if they say c section, don't sweat it. Now I'll never be late again, I'll be able to schedule when I want my baby born. Good luck!! I hope everything works out for you

know this is an ol dpost, but as I am reading through some of the responsees, I have to laugh. Iam an ob charge nurse. First thing I want to state is that, YES just waiting is a much better alternative than ANY induction. But castor oil is safe for both you and the baby. A baby WILL NOT pass any bowl movements until the baby is 40 weeks or greater. There should be mo fear of the baby having a bowel movement if you are not overdue. I am 36 weeks pregnant now, and with my last pregnancy I took castor oil to indue labor, I took it being 38 weeks, 3 centimeters and 75% effaced, I took it at 8am and was in labor at 11:30 that night. I also had nipple stimulation and sex with my husband. I think all the combinations contribuated to my labor. This pregnancy I fully intend on taking it again if stripping my membranes tomorrow morning doesnt woek, as I have had many many medical issues during this pregnancy and both the doctor and I feel its time he comes out. So to anyone wondering if they should take it, I always advise to ask your doctor, but in the end it is always YOUR choice to make. And never try to self induce before 36 weeks. If your body and baby are not ready to come, then this method withh not produce any results for you keep that in mind!

M., I have been a doula for 9 years and I'm in school right now for nursing. Castor oil does work, but only if taken correctly, otherwise it just leaves you with a tummy ache and still pregnant and miserable! There are other natural alternatives.Also,a large baby should not be an automatic requirement for a c-section!
There are way too many these days!!!! I have had sucess with the castor oil many times before. The way I have done this is to blend,in a blender 2oz with oj and some strawberries, (this only helps it go down)the flavor cannot be improved,it's yucky!
Wait 3-4 hours, if nothing,repeat once more. If that doesn't work, you need to wait for your body to be more ready. Good luck and if you have no sucess, write me back there are other things to try.This works by stimulating your bowels releasing prostaglandins and hopefully jump starting your labor. If all is going well, I hope you can labor at home, too many people rush right in. Good luck, let me know how it goes. S.