# pls help- natural induction and overstimulated uterus?



## cchrissyy (Apr 22, 2003)

I'm due this week with baby #2, and I had a hard labor the first time around and suddenly I am wondering if it's because of all the natural labor induction stuff I did last time.

After weeks of evening primrose oil (and being dialted to 4cm), I began black and blue cohosh and nipple stimualtion, and red rasberry leaf tea. All at one time, in a hot bath.

Labor started hard, with contractions close and regular, no early labor phase at all. It lasted 6 hours like that, plus 2 to push. It was deathly, unbearably hard all along, being in the tub didn't help, and pushing felt no better. At the placenta stage, I hemoraged.

since I'm about to give birth again, I've been reflective on if I can survive this, or if I need an epdirual







then it occured to me that maybe last time was artifically hard because of the herbs I'd had. Is that likely?


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## wasabi (Oct 12, 2004)

I can't speak for the black and blue cohosh since I didn't use either of those but I did take EPO and drink RRL tea and do nipple stim and took castor oil and my labor was the same length as my first two. EPO is just for ripening and RRL is just for toning. It's not a labor inducing thing you can drink it all through pg. Nipple stim shouldn't really do anything that an orgasm wouldn't. None of these things should do anything if you're not ready. I certainly haven't heard of them artificially stimulating a labor to the point you're mentioning. But as I said I didn't do the cohoshes and I know they are stronger they could be the culprit or you might just be a fast laborer. Hopefully someone else can give you a bit more info about whether the cohoshes might have caused your abnormally strong/fast labor and abruption.

good luck
robyn


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## Full Heart (Apr 27, 2004)

Yes, nipple stimulation, castor oil, cohoshes can cause over stimulation. Rarely, but it can. Castor oil more often than the cohoshes, but still way less than pit or cytotec. I had 2 of the types of labors you had. I seriously wanted to die. I asked dh to kill me. Both were born with a nuchal arm that we attributed to the pain. Only 1 of those 2 times did I try to induce so I think the pain did come from the nuchal arms. Those little elbows can cause a lot of pain!

Anyhow. With one I did the epidural. But my labor was 36 hours long. The other was 5. I knew the 2nd time around I was in for the same sort of pain and thankfully it was a short labor. I was able to look back and say, I did it! I didn't need the epidural! And that gave me the strength to face another labor with the fear that it could happen again.

I understand the fear. What I did the last time was avoid things I thought would over stimulate me...namely the castor oil. I paid close attention to my body and as soon as I felt pain increase I knew I wasn't in a good position. That helped immensly. I really followed my bodys cues, even when It meant saying no to suggestions to change position, get checked, stuff like that. I also hemmoraged with my the hard labor when I had the epi so I took precautions with each subsequent labor because it terrified me. I Also passedout when I hemmoraged, and I passed out when I had the 5 hour difficult labor. So with the other births I made sure Dh never left my side. I made sure I ate even when I wasn't hungry. I made sure I drank alot and paid close attention to my uterus. It hurt like heck to massage it, but the fear of hemmorage was worse.

Michelle


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## kirei (Dec 2, 2004)

I don't know a lot about this sort of the thing (the effects those herbs can have, and such) .. but I can tell you that I induced with castor oil when I had my baby, and... WOW. It was intense. My stomach kind of hurt occasionally after taking the castor oil, and I felt violently sick... but once the castor oil, uh, "took effect" (as in, sent me running for the bathroom :LOL ) ... contractions were IMMEDIATELY 1 -2 minutes apart. I had no early labour either. From that point on, my labour was 5 hours, including pushing (which took maybe... 20 minutes? I don't actually know, but it was really really short).

I have no idea if my labour would have been different without the castor oil.


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

I had two births that were similar. One was a spontaneous labor and the other one I helped along with cohosh, EPO, sex, nipple stim, and squatting. Oh and I had my membranes stripped with each of them, too.

Both labors started very fast and hard, the kind that you see in the movies where suddenly the woman bends over in pain because she's in labor and the next minute she's doing her breathing exercises. The cx were off the charts (I had hospital labors), and both were born after 8-10 hours of labor. So I don't think in my case there was any difference once labor actually started.

I think the interventions just ripened my cervix more with the seccond one, although that is hard to tell for sure since I had preterm labor earlier in the pg. I was at 4cm before labor started with #2.

I wouldn't blame those things for how the labor went. Sometimes things just happen.

Darshani


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## Quindin (Aug 22, 2003)

My midwife adivised me against cohoshes because of the extremely strong contractions it can cause.

I also tried nipples stimulation the last time, and they caused very intense contractions, and I am not doing that again this time.

I have been taking EPO and RRL tea for 2 weeks and hope they will help me have an easier labor. Who knows... maybe these might help me not go past the due date







Still, I am more afraid of having a violent birth than of going 2 weeks past the due date - I have history of hermorrage and would like to avoid it this time.


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## Maprilynne (Oct 22, 2004)

I don't have any medical reasoning for this, but I personally feel that my labor was longer and harder than it needed to be because I did so many natural labor stimulating things. I have sworn them off this time around. I can't tell you the result because I am due about the same time you are, but I really do think that i made things harder on myself by doing all of the induction techniques. HTH
Aprilynne


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## mwherbs (Oct 24, 2004)

I have had fast and slow labors and no herbs for any nor drugs for that matter. i think it is a collection of things including the baby, aging of the placenta, health of the tissues, time in the pregnancy, your muscle tone and how sensitive you are. Fast births seem like no fun and you barely have time to even think straight but on the other hand no time to get fatigued or let a bunch of fears seep in---all you have is to deal with each contraction as it comes and surrender to birth-- ultimately it all comes down to surrender to the process. I think that no matter how this next labor goes you are going to be far more prepared than the first time. you really know what you are getting into and know you have traversed this place before.


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## cchrissyy (Apr 22, 2003)

well, I really am hoping that it was something I did wrong last time that made things worse, so that it will be in my power to not do those things this time and therefore have a better expereince. I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to homeopathy, really, and almost certaintly took too much of the cohoshes in my impatience to get labor going that time. Telling myself that, anyway, helps me hope this time can be diferent!

All I've done this pregnancy is EPO (oral and internal every day), and a cup or RRL tea or "pregnancy tea" each night. Last time, I had a Dr and he OK'd any herbal thing I wanted to do, but warned against nipple stimualtion as likely to be too strong.
I'm due thursday, with a midwife this time but delivering at the same place.


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## cchrissyy (Apr 22, 2003)

Posting now as 40 weeks and a day.
I've been doing lots of reserach on the naturla induction things, and I do believe I screwed up last time around and had a hypertonic uterus.
I trusted "herbal stuff" too much and lost track that even a "natural induction" is still an induction, which as a natural childbirther, I never wanted an induction but I took herbs to get exactly that! dumb!


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