Parenting

Pitocin Beats Castor Oil When Inducing Labor

ParentingPublished Sep 8, 2010
By Annie Krasnow
Castor Oil

When you get to that "tick tock" moment of pregnancy and just cannot wait to spit that kid out, there are some strategies that people swear by to help trigger labor. Some you may have heard before. Some sound ludicrous (to me). But when you are desperate and more than ready to finally meet your kid, you may be willing to try anything.

Here are some tips for jump starting your labor:

Eat Spicy Foods. People swear by this one, although there is no scientific proof. Many also suggest eating pineapple, eggplant Parmesan, raspberry leaf tea, food with curry, and evening primrose oil. Almost everyone I know also has heard of a dish at a restaurant in their area that is famous for inducing overdue moms-to-be. In Los Angeles it's Caioti's Basalmic Basil Salad. It does sound yummy, but it sounds to me that this may be psychological or coincidental. I mean, people are eating this stuff when they are already late.

Have Sex. Semen contains prostaglandins, which causes the cervix to "ripen." Um. Ripen? This really takes the romance out of the whole thing. Not that it's romantic to have sex when you are that pregnant anyway, right? At that point, it's just a lot of position maneuvering and unflattering angles.

Stimulate Your Nipples. I can't even touch mine when I'm not pregnant let alone when they're engorged, giant sacs. But apparently, oxytocin, a natural hormone that causes contractions, is released when your nipples are stimulated, so go for it. Maybe it would be fun -- especially if you have your partner help you.

Try Acupressure. Here's a guide to the two pressure points that are supposed to help bring on the baby. One is the webbing in between your thumb and your forefinger. The other is four finger widths above the inside of your ankle bone. Sounds serious or like B.S. I'm not sure.

Drink Castor Oil. This sounds a bit barbaric, but castor oil can be used as a laxative. This can lead to cramping, which can spread to the uterus, which can cause contractions. No thanks. I'll stick with pitocin (the synthetic oxytocin). If only I could tolerate stimulating my nipples.

Would you try any of these?

Image via Pictures From Heather/Flickr

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