Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

A few different people tell me i should do this...


Castor oil

For decades, women have been using castor oil to help induce labor. In fact, many old school physicians and midwives swear by it. It can provide good results if you are already in early labor. It is believed to work by causing spasms in the intestines, which surround the uterus toward the end of pregnancy. These spasms, in turn, cause the uterus to cramp, which might result in labor

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

i've heard that this is extremely painful because of the cramps, and also possibly dangerous for various reasons (e.g., makes you dehydrated and can also affect the baby).

so i would personally opt not to do it... although i must admit that i am actively googling "natural labor induction" for other ideas

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

yea i am not going to do this but just wondering if anyone did it...

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

Here is a brief summary of some of the more common labor inducers:

Walking - Walking is not just a labor inducer. It will help lift your mood and spirits and provides a great form of exercise. Walking can however stimulate labor or encourage labor to progress once it has started by helping contractions become more regular. You've probably seen many photos or movies with women in the labor and delivery ward walking the halls. That's because walking helps your baby move farther into your pelvis in preparation for delivery.
Sex - Your partner will probably appreciate this one. Semen actually contains natural prostaglandin's which can help ripen your cervix in preparation for delivery. Orgasms also release oxytocin in the body which can help trigger contractions. It's worth a try and if nothing else will help relieve the stress and anxiety of waiting for baby.
Spicy cuisine - Some people swear by spicy foods for inducing labor. There is no exact recipe you can follow that will work every time, but certain spices including cumin are thought to trigger labor in some women. This is also a safe albeit often heartburn inducing way to try and induce labor.
Nipple stimulation - You should never try nipple stimulation unless you are under the care of your healthcare provider. Nipple stimulation is a very strong method of inducing contraction in the body. Nipple stimulation can lead to prolonged contractions which may stress your baby, hence you should get your doctors approval before trying and may even have to be monitored while trying this. If you are using nipple stimulation be very certain you stop stimulating when you reach a contraction to avoid hyperstimulating your uterus.
Castor oil - This is a bad tasting but traditional method of inducing labor that requires you swallow some castor oil. Castor oil generally smells and tastes very bad, but can help loosen the bowels and cause contractions in the colon which can stimulate the uterus to contract in turn.
Remember that your baby will come

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

Yes my best freind did this and spent 2 days on the loo with no baby putting in an appearance!

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

my MIL told me to do it... personally I frowned on it b/c I didnt want it to be too much stress if I ended up with diarrhea from the castor oil.... i dont recommend it

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

I've heard bad things about that. The Castor oil makes you go to the bathroom a lot and cramp up a lot and it can aslo cause your baby problems too.

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

My midwife told me to do this last week since I am 39 weeks and barely dilated. I took 2 sips and almost threw up, it is oil and it separates from the juice and sits on top, it was the most disgusting feeling in my mouth. I will not be doing it again.

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

I'm one of the few that will admit to doing it. I was a few days shy of 40 weeks, almost fully effaced, dialted a few cm's. Took it at midnight was admitted to the hospital around 4am and had my son by 5pm.
I took it under guidance of my midwife and also had an appointment scheduled at 7am that morning to talk inducing since we wanted my husband to make the birth and he was deploying shortly after my due date.
End results, didn't spend any extra time in the bathroom, painful contractions but my epidural didn't work so I think they were normal and a very healthy baby boy.

Message edited 9/18/2007 7:46:45 PM.

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?

Dh and I go walking every night. It is so embarassing now because the neighbors see us each night and talk to us about it. Tonight we went to a park to walk. We'll see if it helps.

Re: Has anyone drank this Castor oil, orange juice to bring on labor?