Talk to me if you've done a castor oil induction.

GenRN45

1) How gross was it?

2) Did you go into labor?

3) Did your baby have meconium in the amniotic fluid?

I'm not doing this right now - but these are things I've been wondering about.

JessandtheBabe

I took 1 tablespoon in chocolate milk with a straw super fast at 7 pm. An hour later I had to start hitting the bathroom off and on for about 4 hours, nothing bad though. Then by midnight I had to camp out in the bathroom and it started getting uncomfortable and crampy, by 3 am I was having regular contractions. Unfortunately this led to 20 hours of ineffective prodromal labor so by the time I went into labor I was way sleep deprived and in a very foul mood but it did help me avoid a hospital and an induction which were scheduled for the next day.

And as for the meconium, nope, she just waited and pooped on me when she came out : )

LydiaE2

1) Very gross

2) Yes, but I was 3-4 cm and 90% effaced for over a week at that point.

3) Yes, not when the waters first broke, but in the water after DS came out there was meconium.

4) Would I do a castor oil induction again?  No way.  For me it caused a lot of issues.  My DH and I have talked about it, and we would much rather a pit induction if we need one next time.  

chicsub

Lydia, what kind of issues?  Obviously I'm far away, but as a VBAC candidate castor oil has already been brought up by my midwife. 

MallratsMom

I put a couple of tablespoons in the blender with vanilla ice cream and milk to whip it up into a shake. didn't taste a thing. In about 2 hours my stomach made noises I have never heard before. I hit the bathroom and it pretty much emptied me out in about 3 times. Yes I went into labor and no my baby didn't have any problems. Do note that I had my membranes stripped the day before so I don't know if it was the that, the castor oil or the combo. I drank the oil at around 11:15 am and she was born at 10:55pm (she was my second baby and they come much faster)

ETA: I didn't think it was that bad, but my MW told me some mamas say that and others say they have never pooped so much in their life. She also said your cervix must be favorable to  do it.

LadyDelilah

I took 2tbs in some OJ and it tasted like a$$ on a hot summer day. If I had to do it over again I would put it in a milkshake and I went into the bathroom and then into labor, unfortunately I had an emergency csec but I was good to go once I did that

LydiaE2

Sorry for taking so long to reply.

I know that castor oil can cause labor and that the biggest risks are meconium (baby), dehydration (mom) and more painful than normal contractions.  

DS passed meconium sometime after the water broke because we did not know he had passed meconium until his shoulders where out.  This wasn't that big of a deal, the peds team was already in the room since we had a vacuum extraction. DS did not get ill from meconium aspiration.

My labor was extremely painful.  My uterus hyper-stimmulated (contractions with breaks of less than 30 seconds lasting over a minute, for more than 30 minutes).  DS was handling the hyperstim well, but I was not.  Contracting that frequently is exhausting and extremely painful (I could not even get a breath in between the contractions).  My blood pressure was high, I was vomiting, and I had diarrhea.  I had refused on iv (though I had a saline lock), I was drinking water (lots of water), but it wasn't enough  I opted to get an epidural, when the nurse told me to pee before getting the epi, I tried to pee, but could not.  Without breaks in the contractions I couldn't relax enough to pee.  The epi stopped the pain so that I could breath, though my BP did not go down till after DS was born.  The IV fluids gave me some much needed fluids to counter act the vomiting and diarrhea, both of which continued throughout my labor.

If you decide to go the castor oil induction route, I would make sure to have some pedialyte on hand (perferably not red colored).  I would take the pedialyte as soon as you have your first bowel movement from the castor oil.  Pedialyte is absorbed much better than water if you are dehydrated.  Also, I would never take castor oil at night.  I would take it in the morning, when you are better rested, I was up all night contracting and sitting on a toilet holding a bucket.  

Brandy1229

It was nasty.  I took 4 TBS in OJ.

Yes, I took it at 5am, went into labor at 12:45pm, baby born at 7:15pm.

No, he passed his first stool immediately after birth.

I only did castor oil because I was 42 weeks and would have had to go to the hospital the next day for an induction.  I would only use it as a last resort again.  I was very dehydrated during labor and after birth,

PDXPhotoGrl

GenRN45:

1) How gross was it?

2) Did you go into labor?

3) Did your baby have meconium in the amniotic fluid?

I'm not doing this right now - but these are things I've been wondering about.

 

1) Not gross at all. Had 4oz in a milk shake with vanilla ice cream and OJ and couldn't taste it. I had intestinal cramps but no diarrhea, just regular poop. Cleared the decks, so to speak.

2) Yup! Took it at 5pm and had the baby in my arms by 4am.

3) Not at all.

I would definitely do it again if I went past my due date again. My cervix was already very favorable, though.

Lina1030

I would avoid the castor oil (from what I was advised and read) and have your OB/MW strip your membranes first before taking this.  It worked for me...delivered the same day...many of my friends had similar experiences as well...in labor within hours. GL