Tell Mommy: Did You Try to Speed Up Labor at Home?

January 6, 2009

After nine months of pregnancy an expectant woman is typically ready to meet her babe, but some are more ready than others (especially those, like me, who were overdue). Even though some doctors claim that all the walking, sex, and spicy food is not going expedite a baby's debut, desperate times call for desperate measures for uncomfortable mamas. Many turn to home remedies like the infamous Castor oil to speed up the process. Did you try to induce labor at home? If so, what did you do?
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22 Comments

3 years 16 weeks

Im going on 38weeks and already went into labor at 29weeks but they stopped it in time. They put me on pills to stop my contraction, and on bedrest right after. Now im ready to to give birth to my daughter but its not happening. I walk walk an walk and nothing but contractions that come and go. Want to try the home remedies but am hesitant. she wanted to come early but the stopped her now she dont wana come @all what a bummer.

3 years 16 weeks

I passed my due date, I was over 40 weeks and hadn't dilated at all. I was supposed to go in on a Sunday to be induced but the day before (Saturday) my water broke and when i got to the hospital I was already 4 cm dilated... my point is to just wait, when you least expect it the baby will come.

jransom94 3 years 16 weeks

Hell no! I took my time

3 years 20 weeks

how does the Castor oil work? you only drink a teaspoon of it? I'm desperate, I'm 40 weeks and still not dilated at all. i have to go for the test tomorrow where they monitor the baby... i cant take it anymore, the doctor said to walk a lot and to try having sex but its just not working...

3 years 20 weeks

I tried castor oil and orange juice. That seemed to work the first time because it started contractions, they were 2 minutes apart but when I went to the hospital I hadn't dialated any so I was sent home. I'm now 39 weeks and have tried castor oil again, sex, walking, medicine ball...I have contractions even when I walk BUT not enough to send me to the hospital. This is my second child so I think I'll just wait until he's ready lol :)

3 years 41 weeks

I tried the castrol oil with my first child twice and it didnt help at all. Then i tried with my second child & ended up having an emergency induction the next day due to eclampsia. When my son was born he had had a bowel movement inside. That can cause major problems luckily he was fine. I am pregnate again and at the end but i will not try that again cause thats probably what caused the bowel movement. i have 3 members of my family that drank it and went into labor the same night and babies were fine though.But i wldnt risk that again.

cutefactory 4 years 18 weeks

My first was born at 37 weeks and my second at 36 (after going into pre term labor at 33 weeks and being put on bedrest and nifedipine). My five year old has significant developmental delays and my six month old needs to be evaluated for early intervention services because the pediatrician is concerned that she has low tone and she might need some PT. Quite frankly, I'd much rather have kept them in a bit longer.

redheadkimie 4 years 19 weeks

I took long walks and had tons of sex. My daughter was a week late and I got induced.

Boogie29 4 years 19 weeks

We tried every thing with my first (and only right now), sex,walks,spicy food. I went 11 day's over due, and my Dr. told me I could go another week before we saw any action.My husband felt so bad for me he told me to try some Castor oil, I took 1 teaspoon (went into labour 2 hours later)and after 30 hours I had my daughter. I was really reluctant to try it (I had heard all the horror stories that comes with it) but I was so fed up with being pregnant that I gave in, and I'm kinda glad I did.

FrankiLee 4 years 19 weeks

I must have walked up and down our stairs hundreds of times. We had sex twice -- once a couple days before my due date, and once afterwards -- but I was four days overdue and feeling like a whale, so it was not enjoyable whatsoever. My little girl came when she wanted! Next time around I know I won't put myself through the agony of climbing that many stairs, haha!

MissSushi 4 years 19 weeks

Yeah, my best friend had it until they day she went into labor, but she refused to take medicine for it... My sister had it for the first 3 months, and had to quit her job. They finally found a medicine that enabled her to eat. It was less then a month of being on the medicine before she was able to eat without it. Its too dangerous to both you and the baby to vomit constnatly, I would have taken the medicine. I think its silly to cause yourself so much harm and stress, instead of taking medicine so you dont upchuck everything you put into your body, water and food alike.

Greggie 4 years 19 weeks

Hyperemesis is when you can't keep anything down. I don't envy anyone who has that, although it sounds like she was "lucky" to have it only at the beginning. I put "lucky" in quotes because I wouldn't consider myself lucky even if it was only for a week, it's just that in comparison I guess it could be considered that way since it usually lasts throughout the pregnancy.

MissSushi 4 years 19 weeks

I didnt do anything to speed anything up, but I was 2 weeks early anyway. My sister is due on the 18th, but they want to induce her on the 8th if she doesnt go into labor beforehand. They are worried becuase she has been putting on more weight latley, she had that horrible condition in the beggining where you vomit repeatedly, no matter what, where youre hospitlized every week, cant remember the name, anyway, that and family history, me, I went into labor 2 weeks early and had a 9 pound 1 ounce baby, so they dont want her to go too long. Shes been dialiating and effacing for almost a month now, so they arent worried about her body not being ready.. though i admit i dont like the thought of inducing without a severe medical emergency like amniotic fluid drying up.. so many people/babies end up in distress and with c sections becuase of it.

ann418 4 years 19 weeks

Caster oil worked for my sister-in-law. She took some around 6pm and by 2am she was in labor! Could have been a coincidence though, especially since she was two days late.

SweetnLow 4 years 19 weeks

OH heck yeah! I was set to be induced but really wanted to go on my own, so I tried everything. Castor oil, Evening Primrose Oil, the Cohosh/Pennyroyal recipe, palma rosa oil, nip stimulation, eggplant parm- walking and se-x were out for me (symphysis diastasis)- but anything else went!! No luck. I still wound up with the nasty pitocin, but at least I didn't poo on the table. (I chalk that up to the CAstor Oil.) :D

bluepuppybites 4 years 19 weeks

I'll admit I did use the castor oil. Though the week I drank it and only like an ounce, I think was going to go into labor soon anyways. All I think it did was drop her into the right position to start labor, cause I had her 2 days later.

xtinabeena 4 years 19 weeks

my mom vacuumed with BOTH my sister and me to get things going... it worked both times!

mhg 4 years 19 weeks

we tried sex and long walks, not at the same time though. :) don't know if it worked, but i haven't gone past my due date yet.

mstrauss 4 years 19 weeks

Oh man, I was ready to give birth like 5 weeks before I was due and wanted my baby out! Sex really didn't work...I was just too large and uncomfortable for that and my poor poor husband was so uncomfortable. The day I went into my labor, I went for a super long walk a few hours before and I really think that's what did it I had my baby a week early. I owe it all to the long walk and my good luck charm (my mom) coming into town.

valancyjane 4 years 19 weeks

A friend of mine just had her first on New Year's Day. She was due Christmas Eve and was pretty miserable by the end, so they tried everything - even, as she said, "doing the nasty." Nothing worked ... she ended up having to be induced, because the baby was HUGE.

meandtheo 4 years 19 weeks

i sort of tried...i was on bed rest and terbutaline to fend of early contraction until i hit 37 weeks. once i was off the medication and bed rest i was ready. i walked all over town hoping to get things going... it was only two days off bed rest, medication and the walks before Stella arrived!

Greggie 4 years 19 weeks

No. First off, I'd never use castor oil regardless, the complications from it can be life-threatening. But I also never hit a due date with the only one I needed labor with so safer home remedies didn't apply either.

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