Natural Remedies

Induce Labour Naturally with Castor Oil and Enjoy the Joy of Motherhood

A woman is blessed with the ability to be a mother, to give birth to a human being, to be the pioneer of a legacy. As the pregnancy is a challenging time and you reach the end of those nine months, labor is the bittersweet ending of long experience.

Sweet because you shall have your baby in your arms soon, bitter because labour is painful after all! Sometimes though, labour is more excruciating than you would have expected. That is when your nine months are over, and you haven’t gone into labour yet.

What do you do in this case? The best option that you can try is using castor oil to induce labour. Castor oil is an effective natural remedy to induce labour and help you get rid of the complications associated with it.

Types of problems caused by a complication in labour

Various types of complications can be caused by the delay in labour pain, such as: –

  • Foetal Distress
  • Excessive Bleeding
  • Umbilical cord prolapse
  • Malposition
  • Shoulder Dystocia

Causes of complications by labour pain

Some of the complications that you might experience are caused by: –

  • Emotional causes such as stress
  • Insufficient oxygen levels
  • Large baby
  • Pregnancy-induced hypertension
  • Slow cervical dilations

Symptoms of complication in labour

Following symptoms indicate complications during labour: –

  • Weak breathing
  • Poor skin colour
  • Low heart rate
  • Breathlessness
  • Medical conditions

What is castor oil?

Castor oil is derived from castor plants and has about 90% ricinoleic acid (RLA), a substance our body recognizes as an irritant.

People have been using castor oil for years as a laxative, or for better blood flow. It has been mentioned on the Egyptian papyrus scrolls! Cool, right?! Anyways, castor oil also works wonders as a moisturiser. This is helpful to make your hair soft and hydrated, gets rid of dandruff as well.

Also, the anti-inflammatory properties of castor oil are helpful to get rid of inflammation.  Apart from this, the kitchen uses of castor oil are that it is an excellent preservative and flavouring agent. 

Also, there is more than one type of castor oil. We have our organic castor oil, Jamaican castor oil, cold pressed castor oil and black castor oil.

Now that we have established the uses of castor oil let us talk about this secret weapon I’m sharing with all expecting mothers. Your nosy relatives did not share this information with you, did they?

bout this secret weapon I’m sharing with all expecting mothers. Your nosy relatives did not share this information with you, did they?

Why use castor oil to induce labour?

Our intestines, uterus and immune cells have individual receptors called EP3 receptors. These receptors bind with the ricinoleic acid in castor oil and cause contractions. So, if you aren’t pregnant, consuming castor oil would still cause contractions of the uterus and intestines but also causes diarrhea. We’ll get to the side effects shortly.

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Are you still cynical? Let’s talk statistics then

A few studies say that approximately 57 percent of mothers go into active labour within 24 hours of castor oil consumption. Although it is most effective, first-time mothers do not seem to go into labour after consuming castor oil.

How to use castor oil to induce labour pain

It is better to try two tablespoons of castor oil to see how your body takes it before you take it in a larger quantity. Once you are ready, have about a quarter of a cup of castor oil.(1) This gradual increase is good for your body; overdosage would cause diarrhea.

Castor oil is a potent oil with several health benefits, but its overdosage might lead to complications in your pregnancy. To know about the exact quantity that you can ingest, you must consult an expert.

  1. Mix it with orange juice or any other juice to try to hide the taste and odour of castor oil.
  2. You could rip it off like a band-aid too! Just drink it at one go and have a glass of juice right after it. This will help reduce the ordeal of consuming castor oil.
  3. Mix it with coconut water and consume it.
  4. Whisk it with a couple of eggs. Viola! You have scrambled eggs.

Attention: Drink loads of water. Castor oil consumption can lead to severe dehydration. Since diarrhoea is a possible outcome, this also leads to dehydration. Mothers can have a tougher time during labour of dehydrated.

You can also apply castor oil topically. Take a few drops of the castor oil and massage it gently near your pelvic area. It would help relax the muscles and stimulate labour pains.

Precautions

You have to be careful about castor oil consumption. Inducing the labour only makes it longer; you might even experience painful contractions, and if your little one isn’t ready to come into our world, then you cannot force him/her. The most important thing is to ask your healthcare expert before consuming it.  Your labour date, pregnancy complications and other health issues play an important factor in how you are trying to induce labour. Your baby is on a schedule, don’t force it.

Side effects

Apart from the above-stated complications, castor oil tastes terrible, and readers you can expect:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting and diarrhoea
  • Dehydration
  • Intestinal cramping
  • Fatigue
  • And it tastes so bad!
  • What about your baby?

It sometimes causes abortion. The baby can pass its first stool while still inside you causing unnecessary complications. You might feel discomfort too.

Although there isn’t enough proof for it, a few researchers say that castor oil also causes intestinal contractions in the baby.

Other Home remedies to inducelabour pain

  1. Make sure that you exercise regularly during your pregnancy as it can help get your heart rate up and induce labour pains.
  2. Nipplestimulation is an excellent technique to induce labour pain. It helps contractsyour uterus and induces labour pains.
  3. Red raspberry leaf tea is an excellent concoction that helps to strengthen your uterus muscles and help with the labour pains.

Conclusion

Your baby needs its own time to grow and will tell you when it’s ready, do not force them. But if you are desperate to meet your young one, then here are all the details you need to know about the consumption of castor oil to induce labour.

It is an entirely natural way to induce labour pains but you need to consult an expert before using castor oil as it’s overdosage might lead to some complications.

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