Castor Oil. Friend or Foe?.
By stardustw83
@stardustw83 (435)
United States
January 8, 2009 5:24pm CST
On Tuesday my husband and i went in to be induced. I am currenlty 39 weeks pregnant and have high blood pressure this is one reason why they wanted to induce my labor. So we went in and they started pitocin that didn't work so they used a gel to try and soften my cervix which meant an over night stay in the hospital. That didn't work either so in the morning they gave me a pill which was supposed to soften my cervix and that didn't work so they wanted to put me back on pitocin again but i said no i would rather go home after a night stay in the hospital i was soo tired from not being able to sleep. So last night i went online trying to get ideas on how to induce my own labor in a more natural way. Natural is better right?
well one of the ways that most sites state is to use castor oil. Well i didn't know that castor oil is a laxative (just call me ms.nieve) so after i found that out i did a little more research and found that there has been a connection found between taking castor oil and finding maconium (baby poop) in the amniotic fluid. So my thoughts at this point are to not take it not to mention that if my cervix was ready then the pitocin would have worked already. I have been trying to use my exercise ball and other things i can do while in my room as im on bed rest and not allowed to really do anything to physcial. Let me know what you think would be the best way to induce labor or at least help soften the cervix.
3 responses
@KatieDidit (989)
• United States
9 Jan 09
My oldest son was three weeks late when he was born. I was anxious to get him here. I'd heard about the castor oil too. One I hit my due day I drank a bottle of it. It didn't work. I drank three bottles, one each week and none of them worked. Finally was admitted to the hospital and had labor induced. No Meconium staining.
My second son was late as well. I only tried it once with him that last week. Once I was three weeks late with him they tried to induce labor. It didn't work. Two day's later they tried again. It still didn't work. Two days later they said one way or another I had to have him that day because of my blood pressure. They induced a third time and this time he came. I don't remember when in that week I drank the castor oil but he did have the meconium staining. Whether it's coincidence or not I don't know.
What I do know is that because of the meconium they called the neonatal team before I'd even finished delivering him and the second he was born they whisked him away. They tried to intubate him but fortunately his lungs were just fine and he was screaming to hard for them to get the tube down him.
It's hard to wait, especially the closer you get. But if I had it to over again I wouldn't take the castor oil knowing that there might be a chance it causes the meconium staining. It happens frequently without taking castor oil too obviously but why take any unnecessary chances.
1 person likes this
@stardustw83 (435)
• United States
9 Jan 09
thank you for sharing your experince. I greatly appreciate it. This is why i still haven't used the castor oil. We have a doc's appointment today so we will see what he says. If he says that we have dilated while being at home then im sure we will be going into the hospital if we haven't i think i will opt to just come back home and then my husband and i will try making love to start everything and see if that works =)
@KatieDidit (989)
• United States
9 Jan 09
That's a much more fun plan than the castor oil. I know after I drank it I spent hours in the bathroom and that was no fun at all!
1 person likes this
@kezabelle (2974)
•
15 Jan 09
No matter how desperate I was to meet my baby I would never take castor oil its dangerous for the baby and IMO not a risk worth taking!
Generally babies come when they are ready even a medical induction wont work unless baby is ready, I was induced both times first daughter it took over 24 hours before the gel sent me into labour second time it worked almost straight away even though I was only 38 weeks but id been having contractions allready and she was def ready to come!
good luck x
1 person likes this
@stardustw83 (435)
• United States
16 Jan 09
well it really wasn't a matter of being desperate. The doctor wanted to induce because i ended up with pregnancy induced high blood pressure and it was getting bad they had put me on bed rest the last two weeks i was pregnant but that didn't work and then we went ahead and induced how ever that didn't work so i went home and ended up going back in two days later tried again and still nothing to find that the baby was actually wedged and not able to move into the birth canal so i ended up getting a c-section
@jessi0887 (2788)
• United States
12 Jan 09
Have you considered nipple stimulation? I didn't do that but my sister inlaw did. It worked for her. You will have to read up on it.
1 person likes this
@stardustw83 (435)
• United States
16 Jan 09
lol i didn't do that but my mother did she said it worked for her as well i ended up actually having a c-section because my baby was wedged and didn't move into the birth canal
