Castor Oil, does it really work?

**kristyp** · 18-02-2005 13:46

Hi, i have read a few comments about Castor Oil working, I am 39 weeks pregnant, and really really wanting it out, my first one came at 37 weeks, so i thought this one would be early. What is this Castor Oil Trick, how much do you take and how??? With something? Please help me get my daughter to come out..

**mummyb** · 18-02-2005 19:26

hello
i had my second baby 2 days late after having my first 5 weeks early .
by 39 weeks i was beside my self i have never been so uncomftable ,my husband didnt get it but the midwife did.
i was told castor oil will only give you the runs and the last thing you want during labour is atummy ache.
i tried everything and the best thing was walking as hard as it was .
it really got things going i had contractions everytime i walked around the house on the night i had my ds i walked up and down the hall about 30 times .
also try sex,i know who can think of sex at atime like this but it does get the uterus to contract so maybe it could be akick start.
bumby car rides and of course rasberry leaf tea i hiope by the time you read this you will have babe in arms .

**jaspasmum** · 23-02-2005 20:00

hi!
i had my son nearly five weeks ago. i was 9days over and more than ready for bubs to come out!i went to see the midwife when i was 40+6 and she suggested that if nothing had happened by that night, to take castor oil in the morning...well night came and went so i reluctantly took the oil in the morning...

well OMG!!! i took 100ml castor oil, mixed with 100ml of orange juice, with a tablespoon of bicarb soda. you stir it around and drink it while its still fizzing. contractions started within a couple of hours and were quite regular at 10 mins apart. they continued on throughout the night getting a bit irregular but by the morning they were at 5 mins and incresing in intensity. that went on all that day and night, so we went to the hospital but they sent me home as i hadnt progressed from 2cm dilated. they kept going all the next day and night and by then id had more than enough so off we went to the hospital again and they were going to send me home again as i had only dilated another cm!!by then i was absolutely exhausted and had had enough of the pain so i said i did not want to go home. i had bubs that next afternoon(after my waters had been broken).

so after all that.......im not sure whether the oil made things happen quicker or whether they sent me into labour before my body was really ready and thats why i was contracting for so long. it did make things happen though!
it really was disgusting . drinking it made me heave, and once it kicked in i didnot move off the toilet for a few hours. if you are going to take it make sure you stay at home becausei cant stress how grose it really is!
maybe take half of what i had and see how you go.
good luck and let me know!!!

**kristyp** · 25-02-2005 07:19

hi, well thanks for replying!! i will be trying that today! so i will reply now as i am not sure how my reply will go if i start going into labour. So thanks, and fingers crossed, i wont be crossing my legs as i really want it out! hehe,. but lets hope it works for me.
thanks
Kristy

**Hokey Pokey** · 25-02-2005 17:54

Good Luck Today!!!!!

A few I know have taken it and it has worked for them but they also got horrid nausea, runs and tummy pains

I was told the best is sex, as the male semen has same hormones that the gel that they use in hospital to induce you with has

**kristyp** · 27-02-2005 15:02

hello peoples.

Well much to my dissapointment, the castor oil didnt work, for a moment i thought it was working as i had the runs for a couple hours then cramps every 7 minutes for hours, not cramps that were buckling me over, but your general mild ones, i thought well maybe this is the start, and the morning may bring something on, but naaaaaaaa........

The past two nights i went for a LONG walk, had cramps again, last night, but this morning, nothing...........

So when i see my midwife on Wednesday, i will see what shes thinking, i really would love it to come by then though......... so any other ideas would be lovely!!!!!!!!!!!!

CYA
Kristy

**redbaby** · 04-03-2005 13:31

Bugger! I took castor oil to bring on labour with Scarlett at 17:00. Contractions started at 22:00 and she was born 3 hours later! Very intense!

**kurtsmum** · 04-03-2005 17:52

I took castor oil with my second pregnancy, I was 10 days overdue and really wanted him out (my daughter was 14 days over and had used all her oxygen, didn't want that to happen again), I took the castor oil just before going to bed, woke up at 5am with pains, went to the hospital at 7am and had my baby boy at 8am. With my last pregnancy I was so tired of being pregnant by about 8 months, tried the castor oil at about 38 weeks but didn't work this time, maybe my body wasn't ready.

**Mumoffour** · 07-03-2005 14:56

castor oil isnt recommended anymore to bring a labour on because it can have the same effect on bubby as it has on you. meconium in the amniotic fluid around bub wont do him/her any favours and can lead to problems during and after birth. I had a really spicy dish of tandoori chicken the night before i was due to be induced and the contractions started as soon as i put my fork down!!

Sex is also a good idea..

**Steph83** · 22-03-2013 17:21

I took Castor oil with my 3rd pregnancy. It made me go to the toilet, but no vomiting or nausea. I took my last dose just after lunch, started having contractions at about 8pm but they stopped at 10. I went to bed woke up at 2am with more contractions and had my baby at 6am. Good thing about going to the toilet all the time is you dont need an enema.
I actually came back on here as I want to bring on my labour again with this bub but I cant remember how much I had, is 100mL the standard?