why 'curry'?

[mckenzie]

what is ti about spicy curry that's supposed to bring on labour? Is it just an old wives tale or is it because it's supposed to give you upset tummy and so you'll have a big trip to the toilet?

That's what I said too

I think it's to do with the fact that a hot curry will irritate the bowel which in turn stimultates the uterus to contract (but will only work if things are "ready" to happen anyway . As I understand it, most Indians don't actually eat their curries that hot and like any of these other "methods" of triggering labour it's not going to work if things aren't ready to happen so it won't trigger labour prematurely (all that might have been a load of c**p but I sound convincing don't I?

curry worked for me with dd2 - curry on the wednesday night - baby on the thursday night!

sex works because of something in the semen.
i could not coonvince my dh to 'do it' though, wven though i was 42 weeks. babies just come when they are ready.

I believe it only works if you do not eat curry or other hot foods on a daily basis. Think of Mexican food. I don't expect it would work for me as I eat hot peppers on a near daily basis.

this chocolate chilli is a Mexican specialty. Google 'Recipe' & 'Mole' (pronounced mo-le)

here is a recipe for one from Waitrose:
Easy Mexican Mole
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 corn-fed chicken jointed into small portions
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 large onion, roughly sliced
2-3 sprigs fresh mint
Salt and pepper

The sauce
500g plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped (or tinned)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (or peanut butter)
1 heaped tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3-4 dried chillies, de-seeded and torn (or 1 teaspoon of powdered chilli)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
25g dark, bitter chocolate

To finish
Chopped coriander

Instructions
Put the chicken pieces into a casserole that will just about accommodate them, cover with water and add the garlic, onion and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, skimming off any grey foam that rises, then turn down the heat, put the lid on and simmer gently for 30 minutes or so, by which time the chicken should be perfectly tender. Strain, reserving the broth.

Put all the sauce ingredients except the oil and chocolate into a liquidiser and process to a purée. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy frying pan, add the purée, bubble up and cook for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is rich and thick. Stir in the chocolate, add the reserved chicken pieces and bubble up again. Add enough broth to submerge the chicken, bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for another ten minutes, adding more broth if necessary. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the chicken. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped coriander.

Serve with hot cornmeal tortillas, and diced avocado dressed with sea salt, lime juice, chopped green chilli, a little garlic and plenty of chopped, fresh coriander.

This recipe was first published on Waitrose.com in April 2000.

this sounds gross, but ask your midwife for a membrane sweep (she basically sticks her fingers through your cervix and tickles the membranes). mine said they are getting a huge success rate and it worked for me - and its a lot less unpleasant than being induced

well last night I had a romantic relaxing thai curry dinner with DH and even had some wine - nothing.

Yesterday and today I've been swimming - nothing.

Tonight I'm going to have sex and if I'm still here next week then I'll have a sweep on wednesday.

Keep your fingers crossed for me please.

Good on you

definitely worked for me mckenzie!
dh-not the chillies!

it worked for me, nothing spicy, just chicken tikka and within 6 hours i was in labour!! i didnt even have the curry as a way to go into labour we even joked about it thinking it was just a myth....!

Any news McKenzzie?? My sister swears by black bean sauce, she had this the nights before both her dd's were born (5 yrs age gap)...prob an old wives tale but a great excuse for a nice meal out...think when this one's due I'll try it...indian one night, mexican the next, thai, chinese - yum - prob won't work but hey any excuse for food

From what I can gather, there is absolutely no scientific evidence that curry brings on labour. To quote one expert, "you might as well bury a bit of steak at the bottom of your garden. If you do go into labour you can say that it was the steak that did it for you."

uwila - I was the same as you, tried everything, nothing helped, when I did think she was actually coming, the midwives at the hospital weren't convinced, but within half an hour of the internal check I was 9cm. The baby comes when the baby is ready, all you can do is try to relax and have lots of baths.