Caster Oil????

I had a friend who did it twice and it worked. I also had a friend who did it and it turned out to be a huge mess!

L.,
I really like what Regina K had to say. Wise words. Hope you can hear what she's saying. Good luck. I love the Sex idea....and you might really surprise your husband..how fun would that be?

It worked for me. It also caused a lot of stomach cramping and diarrhea (of course, it is a laxative). I was cleaned out though before the onset of labor. Every woman and every labor is different. Just because it worked (or was horrible) for one person doesn't guarantee the same result for you.

I told my doctor what I did, and she said if I was ready it could work, but if I wasn't it wouldn't.

Good luck!

I have heard that castor oil is unsafe becasue it is toxic. Sex, walking, and nipple stimulation are all excellent and safe methods to encourage labor to happen. Acupressure or acupuncture can help too, if you can find a practitioner in your area I would give it a try. Good luck!

PS I see that someone has recommedend a hot tub or a hot bath, that is NOT safe for your baby. It is recomended that pregnant women stay out of hot tubs and do not overheat themselves.

Both my babies were 12 days late so I feel your pain but hang in there! One totally safe thing to try is to walk around the block with one foot on the sidewalk and one in the gutter - you will look goofy but you probably look goofy anyway.

and, as others have said. . .your due date is not set in stone. If your cycles are longer than 28 days your due date will definitely be off. . . . try to give yourself moments of peace where no one is touching you - it won't happen again for a while. . . and remember as uncomfortable as you are now, the baby is much easier to take care of when he's inside than outside!

A friend of mine went to an acupuncturist when she was a week late. Just a day or so later she delivered. Good luck!

Birth goes best when you let it start naturally. Castor oil has been used for ages, but there is some thought that it can cause the baby to have mec which would make the hospital staff think that the baby was in distress, which could lead to all kinds of interventions. I would research it a bit, and really think about it. I understand how you feel because I'm there too right now, but just try to spend the last bit of time enjoying the pregnancy and relaxing taking care of yourself. Rembembe you'll never have this little one inside of you again, try to treasure it.
S.

I had a friend who tried it and she said DON'T!! She said she ended up getting so sick and crampy, but the baby stayed put.
Sex didn't work for me with either of my kids, but it works for some. You can also try drinking Raspberry leaf tea or eating pineapple, both of which are said to induce contractions. Nipple stimulation is also said to work. And I've heard walking a lot can trigger it, too. You just have to try a few things and see if any of it works. Good luck!!

Steer clear of the caster oil! Not worth the end result if you end up sick and uncomfortable. I was a week or so away from my due date and took 'that' day off from work. I ended up taking a nice long walk with our dog. That evening, went out to eat spicy food with the hubby when he got home. At around 10PM, my water broke! Mission accomplished!
Best of luck!

Don't do it I know four women that tried it, including myself on my last child. All it does is make you sick, and might give you the runs. Boys tend to be a little late, all three of mine were. my second son was an entire month late, due to stress from a death in the family. Your doctor or midwife have other more affective ways to start labor If it is necessary. My advice is to enjoy the time you have to wait, all to soon you will be experiencing the joys of no sleep, and learning how to cope when both hands are full.

Out of the 5 people I know who took caster oil to get their labor going, none of them got their labor going using it and all of them had merconium in the amniotic fluid when their water broke. I personally would not take it.

Hi L.. Looks like you've gotten enough replies to make a decision, just wanted to share my experience w/you also. My 3 kids are grown now :( But, my DD was 1st. I was 2 weeks over due & miserable. I mixed a small bottle of caster oil w/a glass of O.J. & gulped it down. To this day, I have a hard time w/O.J... My DD is now 23 yrs old. But I took it at 10pm on a Sat nite, was in the bathroom off & on ALL nite, by about noonish the next day, I was told to go to the hosp. I couldn't have been cleaned out any more, lol. That was awful, but it was done before giving birth. I was in 40 hours of labor all together, her cord was wrapped around her neck twice so that didn't help.

It did work for me, but I've since told people that it's not the best way to go. I agree, when they're ready, they come. My 2nd, a Son, was only 12 hours total & not too bad. My baby, a Son, now he's another story. I was in labor for 2 weeks, dilated at 5 for 2 weeks! Then when he was ready, I barely made it to the hosp in time! So, again, they come when they're ready. I had to have my water broken w/the 1st 2 kids, but not w/my youngest, it broke, he came! Lol.

Enjoy this time while you can... Hang in there, it'll happen soon enough. And Congrats! I LUV babies!

Good luck!

Make love to your hubby.... it worked for us! My water broke and labor started litterally like 5 minutes after we were done.

I am 21 weeks pregnant and think yo uare very lucky to be newar the end. I can't wait and I have a long tiem to go still. Just sit back and enjoy some sleep and time with you little girl. Your baby boy will come soon enough.

Caster oil may very well work but I caution you; you can use it orally or topically but you may end up with an outcome you are NOT looking for. Caster oil can create tentanic contractions--these are fiercely wicked contractions that CAN reach dangerous strengths. Now, of course, this isn't the most common reaction, just one you should know about.

I also want to remind you that being tired of one situation doesn't actually equal being ready for the next. AND just because we moms get tired of our time of increase does not mean our babies are finished preparing for life in the outside world. We want to give our babies every advantage in life, if you can possibly allow yourself to hang in there and treat yourself gently, give your little girl a few more days of individual focus and care (because the birth of your baby does include a SIGNIFICANT change in her life where she's going to be immediately relegated to the back burner as soon as your wee one comes), give yourself a minute to plan out how you're going to include her in the care of your newborn so she doesn't start hating him and acting out to get your attention, let yourself be loved up by hubby before the postpartum hiatus, if you can do that, you'll probably be glad for it in the end. You know, if you can...

Remember, too, that any induction activities work best when you're body is already on the road to delivery anyway...so, do all the fun ways of spurring on labor if you're going to...I'm with the other moms...SEX...you can't lose with that one if you're hubby's any good at it...it's a win win whether or not you induce a baby. :o)

Hi L.,

I used Castor oil w/ my second and it worked imediately. Sometimes it takes a few tries (and you should wait a few days in between). Anyway, you just mix 2 ounce of Castor Oiol w/ 2 ounces orange juice and drink it. It causes diarhea (explosive!) which starts contractions. It typically takes about 4 hours from the time you drink it.

One thing to keep in mind is that if it works, you might be having diarhea during your labor which is not so fun :).

Keep us posted!

A.

Help Others -> Create Wealth
http://www.GoGiverSuccess.com

I didnt read all of your advise but try a foot and ankle massage. There are major nerves in your feet and ankles, it worked for my cousin, plus its a great excuse for it :) Good luck!!!

NO NO NO!! I took it and it didn't work! I then had terrible stomach cramping, diarrhea, and was REALLY REALLY REALLY SICK!! I even told my midwife to give out my information to other moms who might be tempted to be so silly! DON'T DO IT!!

I've heard lots going both ways on if that actually works... But My old dr says that in all his 20+ yrs of practice the only thing that consistantly put women into labor was:
Breast stimulation... Like maybe pumping or just some intimate play with your hubby!... Sex is what did it for me (thankfully) congrats on the new addition and good luck with getting things going!

Sit in a hot tub, go for a long long walk.
Castor oil will make you miserable.

A hot bath is safer and so is a long long walk.

Good luck

Hey L.,
Congrats and good luck for the next few days! Something way more enjoyable than castor oil is getting a massage. There are certain areas of the body that you are meant to stay away from while pregnant as they can stimulate pressure points that start labour. When I got to the point of wanting my daughter to arrive, I enjoyed a massage and asked her to work on those specific areas (mainly in the feet) and I went into labour the next day. Of course everyone is different and will react differently but I would suggest giving it a go! This can also help your body relax and help you through labour. Good luck!
K.

L.,
I don't have any experience with caster oil.....at least not enough to give you an educated answer...BUT.....my daughter took some when she was 5 days away from her due date. She took it in the morning, and her baby was born about 7 hours later. That may sound great to you right now, BUT....her doctor was NOT happy!!! She just about did not make it to the hospital, because she thought she was just having gas pains from having to move her bowels. She decided she was in labor when the pains were 2 min. apart.
This was not her first baby either. Everything worked out okay, but the doctor was not there, and she almost had the baby in the car!!
I would be just a little careful. Good luck, hun.....enjoy that baby boy whenever he does come along!!