i was just woundering if any 1 has actuly used this ? and what it exacly does. i.ve tried looking it up on how it induces labout and crnt find anything about it but my friend said she heard of it .
2007-10-19 08:43:24 · 8 answers · asked by amie 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
The intended purpose of Castor oil is for use as a laxative. It is not normally recommended for pregnant women to take it. Some of the possible side effects are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramping, and dehydration, none of which are particularly pleasant when you aren't pregnant and even worse when you are. There has long been an Old Wives' Tale that taking Castor oil will bring on labor, but no scientific studies support that. Some women will swear by it, saying they took it and within 24-48 hours were in labor. However, the theory is that they were ready to go into labor anyway and would have if they took the Castor oil or not. I have heard of some midwives and doctors who will use it while the mom-to-be is under medical supervision either at home or at the hospital if labor has already begun but isn't progressing. Supposedly, in some cases, the intestinal cramping from the Castor oil will jump start uterine contractions. I have 4 children who were all born past their due dates. I tried lots of things to get labor kick-started, such as eating spicy food, driving down bumpy dirt roads, having sex, lots of walking, nipple stimulation, and scrubbing floors on my hands and knees. But, each baby came when he/she and my body were good and ready. No matter how badly I wanted each baby to come quickly, I had no desire to ingest a substance with potential side-effects as Castor oil. You can take Castor oil in OJ, but I understand that no matter how you take it, it tastes very bad. It won't hurt you, but can cause you to feel pretty bad and if you do go into labor, you won't likely feel at your best. Additionally, there is some indication that taking Castor oil can cause the baby to pass meconium before birth which has a potential for aspiration into the lungs and can cause infection and other health concerns. This can happen to babies regardless if mom takes Castor oil or not, so the studies on this have not been conclusive.
2007-10-19 09:29:33 · answer #1 · answered by sevenofus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/castorOil.html
Please note!
There is a vegetable oil called CASTOR Oil, made from castor beans, which is sometimes used to get labor going or for other medicinal purposes. There is a petroleum product, i.e. motor oil, called Castrol Oil, which could be toxic. Please do not confuse them!
Please also note - some of the recommendations here are for 4 oz. of castor oil. This is 2 or 4 times the general recommended dose. Some moms have tried it and had a riproaring really fast labor with lots and lots of diarrhea. It probably makes more sense to figure out your body's ideal tolerance for castor oil by starting with a smaller amount, maybe one tablespoon, and working up to more each day. Some women have found castor oil so untasty that they couldn't stomach it a second time, so there's a gamble here either way. Good luck!
[much more at link]
2007-10-19 09:15:41 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A friend of mine took 1 or 2 T of castor oil in the evening, and her son was born in the morning. But she said she was up with diarrea all night long before the labor. I wonder what the orange juice is for? Maybe to make it taste better?
2007-10-19 09:26:04 · answer #3 · answered by gar_fanatic 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it sounds like you are ready to have a baby!
I must say my 1st daughter was 12 days late so when I was ready to have my 2nd daughter I knew I didn't want her to be late!
I will say I actually tried this little experiement. It was disgusting...the texture is like swallowing a big juicy booger. So to be nasty but the stuff is nasty. It was so awful that I only kept it down about 10 minutes. But I will tell you that night I started having small contractions and eventually my daugther was born about 24 hours later. The contractions seemed to be rougher with her. Not sure if it was from the oil/oj mix or if they were just rougher naturally.
2007-10-19 08:55:33 · answer #4 · answered by lacy o 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The professionals will tell you that this doesn't work, but it worked for me. I took one spoonful of caster oil followed by a bath, and labour started 3 hours later. I now have a happy and healthy baby girl.
2007-10-19 08:51:35 · answer #5 · answered by Jessie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My room mate drank just plain caster oil with all 3 of her babies and had them the same day .... so yeah it works ... But i wont try it unless you know that they baby is healthy .... and not to early
2007-10-19 08:57:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
From what I have heard all it induces is a bad, really bad, case of the runs!
2007-10-19 08:46:49 · answer #7 · answered by Proud Mommy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it will make u sick
2007-10-19 09:11:07 · answer #8 · answered by jnbstanton 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋