Jump start labor?

kayybee++

37 weeks 2cm and having back contractions. In labor but not active labor. Wanting to speed things up, how effective is castor oil?

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Elbug said:

You're not full term yet according to new guidelines so absolutely not. This could be prodromal labor that does nothing to your cervix and can continue for another week or more. That would suck but would be better for baby. Plus shitting yourself doesn't sound like a pleasant part of labor. Not everyone has a bad experience but quite a few do. Castor oil also increases the chances of baby pooping in utero which can be dangerous.

All of this plus dehydration. Go bounce on a ball or take a bath, listen to some hypno tracks and chill out.

marriedinaugust

I'm also voting no, I would want that baby to cook much longer. I've heard prod tonal labor sucks but it is better than an undeveloped baby.

mb314

I agree with others - you're not full term and I wouldn't use Castor Oil at this point.  I know the back contractions aren't fun, but you need to be more patient. 

I would use Castor Oil only has a last resort - like if you're facing induction but want to see if you can jump start stuff on your own.  Other, less unpleasant ways to get labor started or speed up include walking, sex (although at the end that seemed as unpleasant as Castor Oil), nipple stimulation, etc.  But none of these, including Castor Oil, are going to do any good if your baby isn't ready to come out.  Give it more time. 

sschwege

I don't know that I would ever try castor oil under any circumstances, as my MW said, it's pretty harsh.  But I sure as hell wouldn't be doing it at 37w.  Please don't do it!

soulcupcake

*I* would and have used castor oil, but only at full term. It's what my midwife and I used for the birth of my youngest. I would only use it under my provider's care and knowledge. My current midwife's first go-to for inducing labor is not castor oil.

You're not in active labor, and you should relax and allow him/her to reach term.

soulcupcake

And as for castor oil leading to passing meconium. It's a correlation. The majority of women who are more inclined to use castor oil are late term or post dates. Post dates babies are more likely to pass meconium due to having mature bowels. They could have passed it before labor, which is not uncommon after, say, 41 weeks.

And there haven't been studies that prove castor oil passes through the placenta. This explains its mechanism.

kaileemariep

Um no!

jennypolkadots

Why would you want to deliver your baby nearly a month early for no medical reason? I am so confused right now. 

JCWhitey

No. 37 weeks is not full term and 2cm means NOTHING!!! I had a girl on my son's bmb who was 4cm for three weeks and delivered at 41 weeks after being induced. Stop getting vaginal exams, they won't tell you anything about how close you are to delivering.

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JCWhitey said:

No. 37 weeks is not full term and 2cm means NOTHING!!! I had a girl on my son's bmb who was 4cm for three weeks and delivered at 41 weeks after being induced. Stop getting vaginal exams, they won't tell you anything about how close you are to delivering.

Yep! I walked around at 6cm-7cm, 100% effaced and contractions every 2-10 min for three weeks. I STILL wound up needing augmentation because even after my water broke my kid was nice and cozy. Weirdest labor ever.

Aarg

Ok I totally voted NO and mobile said yes... Ugh.
I agree with everyone else.

Big NO from me as well. baby is not full term and it means absolutely nothing. I have been 2cm and 50% effaced since 33w. I would much prefer to let baby cook longer. So much brain development happens I the last few weeks!

soulcupcake

DebateThis said:

JCWhitey said:

No. 37 weeks is not full term and 2cm means NOTHING!!! I had a girl on my son's bmb who was 4cm for three weeks and delivered at 41 weeks after being induced. Stop getting vaginal exams, they won't tell you anything about how close you are to delivering.

Yep! I walked around at 6cm-7cm, 100% effaced and contractions every 2-10 min for three weeks. I STILL wound up needing augmentation because even after my water broke my kid was nice and cozy. Weirdest labor ever.

This. I've walked around at 5, 6 and 7 cm without being in labor. That's typical for me. I didn't start labor until 7.5 cm with my first and nearing 8 cm with my second. I was 7 cm with ruptured membranes with no contractions. No labor to speak of.

My midwife with my third baby had a client that was 8 cm for two weeks. It was her 5th baby. They eventually decided to rupture her membranes and baby was born 10 minutes later.

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aeonlux said:

DebateThis said:

JCWhitey said:

No. 37 weeks is not full term and 2cm means NOTHING!!! I had a girl on my son's bmb who was 4cm for three weeks and delivered at 41 weeks after being induced. Stop getting vaginal exams, they won't tell you anything about how close you are to delivering.

Yep! I walked around at 6cm-7cm, 100% effaced and contractions every 2-10 min for three weeks. I STILL wound up needing augmentation because even after my water broke my kid was nice and cozy. Weirdest labor ever.

This. I've walked around at 5, 6 and 7 cm without being in labor. That's typical for me. I didn't start labor until 7.5 cm with my first and nearing 8 cm with my second. I was 7 cm with ruptured membranes with no contractions. No labor to speak of.

My midwife with my third baby had a client that was 8 cm for two weeks. It was her 5th baby. They eventually decided to rupture her membranes and baby was born 10 minutes later.

I need to read your birth stories! Did your labors all go fast?

LilTiger15

personally, I would keep baby in as long as possible.  I would only try natural methods to try and jump start labor at 40 weeks.