Castor Oil

I've heard it can cause bad cramping and diarrhea and sometimes not even start the contractions. I've never tried it and those side effects will keep me away. Since I'm assuming you're anxious about baby, try rocking in a rocking chair. I was told it helps break your water. I was a couple days over due with my 2nd and the night I rocked for HOURS my water broke in my sleep. It may have been time or the rocking may have helped. I'll probably try it again with Baby #3!

I used it to try to induce labor a little over a month ago. I had my husband mix I think it was 2 tablespoons (almost an ounce) of that with orange juice and vanilla ice cream. Tasted sorta like an orangecicle. After the first dose, I threw up, but I think that was because I had eaten too much right before taking it. I took three doses one day two hours apart. The next day, I took it only twice. It did cause me to have diarhea for about 30 minutes. I didn't mind though since I tend to be very constipated during pregnancy. I decided not to take it anymore after that though because it didn't do a whole lot in terms of contractions. At least I don't think so. I did have contractions for several hours for 3-4 days and then kicked into high gear for about 7 hours before delivering my son.

I would really suggest thinking about it seriously before trying it. If you are just wanting to get labor started to get it over with, it's probably not a good reason. I decided to go for it because I was already scheduled for an induction.

I hope that helps.

God bless,
A.

I can't say for sure that castor oil induces labor but I have heard much talk on it. I have heard doctors mention the use of castor oil but not on a good note. I would recommend waiting for natural labor to start.
D.

I am a 31 yr. old stay at home mom. I have been married almost 12 yrs. We have 3 boys ages 10 yrs., 7 yrs. and 4 yrs.

Well I have heard it works BUT I also read that it could cause the baby to have a bm too which is NOT good. Just a little FYI for you. My best friend went out to dinner had a small glass of wine then went home had sex and woke up at 2 am in labor. Nothing worked for me :o( Good Luck!

I've had 2 friends try it- both spent alot of time on the toilet but ended up in labor several hours later. I think it would probably be a last resort for me!I have another friend who swears by taco bell- I think it probably just has the same effect on your bowels as castor oil :)

I was a week late with my first child, I had tried everything I could think of. I finally tried the castor oil. All that happened for me was throwing up. No labor. Could have just been me though.

Good Luck!

It might work.

Or it might make you feel nauseous and cause diarrhea.

There are other things that work better, like sex (prostoglandins in the semen) or nipple stimulation.

I have used Castor Oil to induce labor twice. The first time I used it I was only a couple of days before my due date, and my doctor was going to induce me. I was scared of the induction, so I drank the Castor Oil. I mixed a whole bottle in a glass of orange juice. It was totally disgusting, but it worked. I spent hours on the toilet, and didn't get much sleep that night (I drank it around 7 pm). By 8:00 the next morning, my water had broke. When my baby was born, he'd had a bm inside me. But he didn't breathe any of it in, so he turned out just fine.

The second time I used it was this past October. My doctor said I was having a big baby, so he told me that if I hadn't gone into labor by 39 weeks, he was going to induce me. I still was afraid of the induction, so I drank the oil again. This time I drank the whole bottle really fast and did not mix it in anything. It was still gross, but not as bad as mixing it in juice. I did it in the evening again, and was up and down all night on the toilet. By 5 am I was in labor with contractions coming every 2-3 minutes and had a bloody show. My baby was delivered at 39 weeks, and my doctor was right. He was huge--10 pounds 10 ounces! The baby did not have a bm inside of me this time.

So it is up to you. You will have to decide if the good outweighs the bad. If you are truly miserable (I was with my second pregnancy--I hurt so bad I could hardly walk and couldn't hardly lay down without being in pain) and close to your due date by a week or days, then I don't see what it could hurt. If your body isn't ready, then you won't go into labor. The cramping and diarrhea wasn't that bad for me. Labor pain hurt more than the diarrhea cramps.

I don't think I would ever try the Castor Oil out. But that is just me. When I had my kids I either was moving my funiture around in the house, or having some of the best sex of my life, or I was hum... what was I doing with the third child?? Maybe Shampooing the carpets or chasing after the two other children. LOL

Just let it happen natural. When your body is ready it will let you know.

I tried castor oil at 37 weeks because I had such bad high blood pressure and pain from swollen legs, arms, etc. that I couldn't take it anymore. And, let me just tell you, that was the WORST judgment on my part. All it did was put me on the toilet for hours and gave me the worst cramps ever. I think it even made my PIH worse.

I would definately recommend NOT doing it. Even if you think you can't take it anymore -- you can. The baby will come when he's/she's ready.

:) ~E.

I used it with my last pregnancy and it worked....I had to do 2 doses though. I mixed 1oz with orange juice and 6 hours later did it again. That was Sat night and I went into labor on Sunday. My friend did it 2 weeks ago and went into labor 12 hours later but did 2 doses as well. Good luck!