# Would you try castor oil again if...?



## marrymeflyfree (Jan 5, 2008)

Hi all,

I'm either 41+ or 42+ weeks here and have some legitimate needs to get labor going asap. I've used castor oil successfully in a previous birth around the same time frame and with generally the same situation physically - dilated about the same, similar quality and quantity of ctx, etc. I don't know the dose that I took the first time, but felt pretty confident it would work.

It didn't. I took it two days in a row. On the first day, I had two extremely minor episodes of diarrhea, and that's it. I'd been contracting fairly regularly all day, but I just didn't get any significant abdominal cramping from the CO to bump up my light contractions. I'd taken 2oz in one dose, followed by another ounce an hour later. It took me 30 minutes or so to get each dose down; I assumed that was the reason it was such a dud.

Tried again the next day. 2oz taken quickly and another 2oz an hour later (most of which stayed down...). This attempt did nothing. At all! I didn't have the slightest rumble, gurgle, gas, cramp, or anything. In fact, I had only one teeny poo in the 3 days that followed the attempt - and I'm quite the regular gal! I think I may be the only person on the planet for whom castor oil has had the opposite effect!

I am back to my normal regular self (finally!), and in a position of needing to have a baby in arms very soon. My husband must leave town for a little more than 6 weeks soon, in 7 days. His family is in Europe, and mine live far away and are dealing with some health issues that will prevent them from visiting for a while. We also have a 16 month old. The fact of being alone with two small and highly dependent babies shortly after giving birth is already giving me enough stress as it is - and now we're really getting down to the wire. It is beyond time.

Sooo...I am doing some other things to try to get things going, but nothing seems to be having a strong effect so far. Homeopathic black and blue cohosh, nipple stimulation, rubbing the belly, orgasm, evening primrose, yadda yadda yadda. We've even made 3 rounds of the infamous Scalini's eggplant! It's great, but the only thing it has delivered to me is a terrible case of heartburn! I'd like to try castor oil again in the morning if I don't get anywhere tonight. Would you even bother trying again after the two dud rounds? It had such a strong affect on me the first time I took it that I was surprised to have had nothing this time...my midwife wondered if I got a bad batch. I bought this 3rd bottle at a different place, hoping that was it.

Any thoughts on the CO or anything else? I've got less than a week, now, and am getting a bit desperate and depressed about it all. I know that is probably inhibiting everything even more...getting out of that hole is kind of tough. Ugh.


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## fyrebloom (Jun 12, 2006)

If you're willing to put yourself through another round of CO then I'd give it 3-4 days first. You might need a little time for LO to get into an optimal position or maybe you weren't as ready as you thought. Also all the stress you're under may be contributing to the fact you're not going into labor on your own. Stress is a powerful labor stopper. Try to rest and relax for a few and then give it another go. Hopefully you just need some chill time to release the baby and will go into labor on your own. Remember no induction will work if your body isn't ready, and if it hasn't worked yet, your probably not ready.


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## Kidzaplenty (Jun 17, 2006)

If it were me, I would give it another go in the morning. I would do the 2oz dose three times, two hours apart each time (so like at 6,8, & 10 in the morning). I can't take it alone, but mix the 2oz with about 2oz of pineapple juice (OJ would work), stir it vigorously and gulp it quickly. Have a hot, wet wrag by your side and wipe your mouth out immediately followed by a piece of bread. This is the only way I can take it. But it usually works.


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## Tizzy (Mar 16, 2007)

Try flax seed oil. It worked very well for me, I put one capsule on my cervix and took another orally two days in a row. 3 days later I started labor. However, if you needed faster results, I'd recommend upping the dosage drastically. There are also herbal remedies you can use...


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## marrymeflyfree (Jan 5, 2008)

Thanks for the replies...

As it happened, I did try castor oil again yesterday. It worked this time in that I got lots of diarrhea and a little cramping (as well as a hemorrhoid, thank you very much!), and lots of contractions all day, but no baby. (And yeah, we have been using EPO, nipple stimulation, all the usual things...) Later last night I used the blue and black cohosh tinctures, and did wake up twice with some significant cramping in the lower part of the uterus and back. Woo hoo, right?! Wrong! That lasted a couple of hours, and apparently fizzled out by the time I woke up this morning.

I don't get it, really. I know the party line is that the baby will come when it's ready, and I completely agree with that - but come on! I'm likely pushing 43 weeks here, and already dilated to at least 3cm (as of a week ago). Something should be working. My husband leaves in 5 days...I do not want my awesome homebirth to turn into a hospital induction. We're having a biophysical profile today to check in on the stubborn little bugger.

Any suggestions?


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## Kidzaplenty (Jun 17, 2006)

I hate to say it, but you sound a lot like my last birth. I tried everything to get him to come (I had developed Pre-E and NEEDED to deliver ASAP). I did the whole CO thing (as well as every other "natural" thing I could think about) at least five times over the course of a week (I was "ready" in every physical way and CO had always worked for me in the past). Would always have contractions and beginning labor but it would always fizzle out.

Come to find out he was tangled in his cord so much that he could not press on the cervix and thus maintain the labor. It litterally took Pit to get him to come. And even after being on pit for several hours, it took twice as long as my "ususal" labors to get him here.

Perhaps there is something keeping your baby from dropping sufficiently to maintain labor. One thing that did help me, in the end (when I would have contractions) was deep squats. I think it pushed him downward more. Also when I would have a contraction and I would push down on my stomach during it.

I hope you get it going soon.


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## marrymeflyfree (Jan 5, 2008)

Funny you should mention this as it has been in my head for a couple of weeks now. It's been firmly planted on the right side and has refused to budge despite my best efforts, and has been on the high side. In fact, my midwife has tried three times to sweep the membranes, but said the baby is too high and my cervix too long to be able to do anything truly effective. I've had moments where it has dropped further, but it always moves back up. I was trying not to worry about it much because it was the same with my daughter's birth; she never dropped at ALL, pregnancy went far beyond the due date, castor oil to induce - the difference being that it worked that time!

I guess I will find out later today at the u/s if there's anything obvious holding it up...


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## Kidzaplenty (Jun 17, 2006)

I hope you find that there is nothing except a baby that wants to bake a bit longer!

Keep us posted!


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