castor oil to bring on labour - does it work?

[ducdo]

I am just over 40wks expecting my 3rd child and hoping for natural delivery. Had a sweep yesterday and keen to get this baby out asap otherwise Tuesday I am booked for c-section which I want to avoid. Have heard castor oil may help to open up the bowels, even though it tastes gross. Has anyone tried it? any help much appreciated )

It gives you horrific runs (sorry if tmi) which can bring on contractions, but seriously not worth it imo, horrendous runs can dehydrate you and that is not ideal for impending labour. I did it with both of mine all I did was sit on the loo for a day each time which wore me out and nothing else

Have been pregnant twice and taken it twice and yes it worked for me.
I also know about 8 castor oil kids!

1st time i took entire bottle, mixed with fresh oj and downed it. The need to not be induced and get the baby out was stronger than the desire to be sick. It was fine. Took it at 7.30pm and had first contraction at 9.50pm, had baby 6 hours later. HAd 1 big clear out on the loo, no problems.

Baby no 2, I wasn't late but was desperate not to have baby on Xmas Day so took 1/2 a bottle in the am. Bit of toileting occored but then nothing. So before I went to bed I took the 2nd half. Had proper evacuation of the bowels and was quite unplesant. However I went to bed and woke up at 2am and had baby 4 hours later, no problems.

Would I do it again, yes, over being induced, any day. Would rather go into natural labour with an empty bowel then be induced anyday of the week. Am hoping this time I won;t have to and that I'll discover what it's like to go into labour with taking castor oil.

Good luck

PS - have you tried everythig else, sex, pinapple, nipple tweaking, clary sage in bath etc etc?

can you pput off your c,s until 42 weeks?

do not try it, will give you the runs and pain,as emskilou has said

try natural and gently ways to ripen the cervix and enourage labour...sex, nipple stim, visualistion, cauophyllum ( sp?) , walking,

A bikini wax worked for DS1. Am just about to drop dc3, and fell over the sofa last night and got stuck upside down, where gravity prevented me from doing anything apart from waving my puffy legs pathetically in the air, much to everyone's amusement, and I think that might have started something as I have been niggling ever since. Good luck.

thank you everyone for your messages - I am out walking my eldest to school each day (25 min walk each way) which I am hoping will help, also had curries, sex, raspberry leaf tea, reflexology - you name it!

hi loopymumsy, had to have emergency c-section with my 2nd child after labour wasn't progressing and she got stuck. hospital have said they may try to break my waters but not able to do full induction as risk of scar rupturing which is why I am booked for c-section at 41wks. I bought the castor oil today but waiting to see if I will go ahead with it or not, been walking again today and keeping busy and hoping things will happen by themselves...

ducdo...was your first birth vaginal?

IMHO , if it was, and your section second time was for failure to progress, then medically, there is not particularly a reason you should not go for a VBAC...can you delay c.s until 42 weeks, to give yourself every change of going into labour naturally? and have the baby and placenta checked regularly?

were your first 2 babies early, late or on time?

synto can overstimulate the uterus and can increase the risk of rupture.also if the waters are broken, and contractions don;t start, not a whole lot the hospital can do !

far better to wait to give your body every chance to start labour spontaneously , far more chance of a straightforward birth !

My first delivery was vaginal after induction at 40 + 10 days, 2nd delivery I had a sweep at 40 + 3 then went into labour after couple of days which resulted in the c/s when failure to progress. I am sure I could push the c/s date to 42 weeks but I am just so keen to get this baby out and really keeping fingers crossed that things will happen on their own and if not the waters being broken at 41 wks will get things going - I hope. I don't want a c/s but at the same time don't want to wait until 42wks which seems ages away!

if you have your waters broken, and nothing happens, then you will most likely have syntocinon drip and monitoring, which might restrict you being active, which can have implications...if you labour spontaneously, then more chance of no intervention...

i know 42 weeks seems an age. but it is really only a few days ! as long as all is well with Baby, hang on in there!

lots of sex and nipple stim and caulophyllum can help !!x

I've been told they won't put me on the drip and other than ARM they will not go ahead with any other form of induction. They will break my waters and monitor me for 2 hours. If I make progress then great but if nothing happens I will have the c/s on that day. I have a check up tomorrow and another on Monday which is the day before 41 wks so will see how I get on. watch this space... hopefully I can add a message in next couple of days to say baby has made it's entrance all by itself - I certainly hope so! fingers crossed

will send you lots of lovely birth vibes

try asking your baby to be born, and do lots of visulisation of the birth, as you wnat it x

I had a pint of Guinness, well two halves, the day before dd2 was born at 40+6.
May have been a coincidence...
All the best.

if still watching, just to say bump arrived safe and well on 26 March after curry and sex 3 nights running, I chickened out of taking the castor oil. Managed to avoid c-section and bump arrived with help from ventouse so now dealing with no pelvic floor, sore nipples and lack of sleep, but my little boy is scrummy

Well done and hige congratulations