"She said that she wanted to take Castrol to induce her labor...."
By lisado
@lisado (1227)
United States
July 30, 2007 7:09am CST
My sister, as much as I love her, can be a dingbat at times. She was at a baby show at her friend's house, and at the time she was about 7 months pregnant herself. I didn't go, so this is what she told me when she got home. Since she didn't understand what she was talking about at the time, she repeated it, not knowing how silly it was at the time. It was while we were living in Florida, and it was around the beginning of July, so they were both pretty much tired of being pregnant, not to mention the heat.
Talk went to old wives tales about inducing labor during the baby shower. They started talking about drinking Castor Oil to help induce labor. I've heard of this, but have also heard the dangers, which is a totally seperate conversation.
Anyway, my sister came home and told me that her friend said that she wanted to self induce her labor by drinking Castrol. She curled up her nose in disgust. I looked at her like she had grown a second head. "She wanted to drink WHAT!?!". She repeated that the girl said that she was thinking about drinking Castrol. I started laughing. My sister asked what was so funny. I said I think you mean. CASTOR OIL, not CASTROL. She said, well, whatever. I said, no, there is a difference. Castrol is a motor oil and Castor Oil is a vegetable based oil!
She felt like of stupid once I explained it to her, but I thought it was hysterical. Maybe it's just me. Anyone else have any urban legend or old wives tales gone wrong to share?
3 people like this
10 responses
@GuateMom (1411)
• Canada
30 Jul 07
Yuck, motor oil? I also heard the castor oil theory when I was pregnant, but could never bring myself to try it, although both my boys were rather late (2 weeks and 3 weeks!). You might want to tell your sister a better method (and not so unpleasant) is just tea made with orange leaves, cloves, a cinnamon stick and a dash of pepper. That got my second born on his way and it tasted pretty good!
As for wives tales, there are tons around here. For example, they say that you shouldn´t lie on one side during the whole pregnancy, because the baby will "stick" to that side of your uterus and will have difficulties being born.
Also, after the baby is born, even if it is super hot outside, you are supposed to wear a wool hat and two or three sweaters or else your milk will get "cold" and the baby will get sick and die!
@sugarcrystalz (60)
• United States
30 Jul 07
Haha, I've never heard the cold milk one before- that's hilarious!
@LadyDulce (830)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Actually when you're pregnant, especially past the second trimester, it's best to lie on your left side, due to a major artery that can be compressed by the baby's weight. It CAN restrict blood flow to the uterus, but not always. And the temperature of the milk is more for comfort or preference than health reasons. My son would never drink warm formula; he always had to have it room temperature. And after he hit about 6 months, he had to have it cold.
Blessed Be
@surveygrrl (1270)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Oh my gosh. That is funny but I seiously hope that she didn't drink it.
I heard that you can take it to induce labor but if the bby isn't ready it will just give you a serious upset stomach and the runs.
I was getting desparate when my son was a week late but I just tried things like walking and walking. I was already eating spicy food because that's what I craved. Nothing worked anyway.
I hope that word got back to her through your sister and she didn't end up drinking that.
Lol, about how the wivestales change through the grapevine.
@surveygrrl (1270)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Oh I just reread my post and when I said....I heard that you can take it to induce labr I wasn't talking about Castrol.
@mkirby624 (1598)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Haha I never knew what castor oil was...I always thought of Castrol too!!!
I've heard it can give you horrible diarhhea and not do a thing for labor...but in other situations, it *has* induced labors. I guess it all just depends.
@lisado (1227)
• United States
1 Aug 07
I've heard that in some Castor Oil does cause women to go into labor but often it causes the baby to have a bowel movement, which can make them very sick if they breathe it in before or during birth. It can cause abdominal cramping and diarhhea in the mom, too, I believe. I never wanted to try it. If anything bad is going to happen, it's gonna happen to me. lol If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any, so there was no way I'd take a chance like that on my health or my baby's. I just couldn't stop laughing at my sister because she was the only one I knew that didn't know the difference between Castrol and Castor Oil. :)
@princessmom1011 (719)
• United States
3 Aug 07
I actually drank a whole bottle of castrol oil with my daughter when i was 1 week away from my due date and well the next day i was indeed in labor cant tell you if it was from that or not but i can tell you it causes diahrrea like you wouldnt believe. and also it is the most disgusting thing i have ever tasted it was like pure vaseline mixed with something being poured down my throat!
@taylorblue (1286)
• Canada
4 Aug 07
I was going to do that but they said i shouldn't because it would just make me sick....so I wouldn't do it...
@alstaxidermy (269)
• United States
31 Jul 07
I actually did have a friend (also of teh ding bat variety) who drank Castrol - the stuff for cars- in an attempt to expedite her labor. She was so terrified of going into the hospital to be induced when she became way over due that she went for it! Funny thing is it didn't work. She and her daughter turned out fine, she spent three days there after having her stomach pumped and still ended up delivering via c-section when she failed to dilate. It just goes to show that people will believe anything they hear sometimes, even if they need to work on how they process the info!!
@jbb316 (1779)
• United States
31 Jul 07
I know this girl who was 30 weeks pregnant and she was tired of being pregnant. She actually did drink Castol Oil. And it did induce her labor. 8 hrs after she drank it she was in the hospital in labor. But since she was only 30 weeks pregnant, the doctors gave her medicine to stop her labor. She was not too happy about that but she didn't understand what a baby born at 30 weeks is like. They all have to stay in the hospital and alot of them end up with different problems attributed to being born premature. Anyway, she ended up going back into labor again at 34 weeks and finally having the baby. So I guess the old wives tale is true. The Castor Oil really does work.
@LadyDulce (830)
• United States
31 Jul 07
Castor oil is usually used as a laxative, but like most laxatives, it CAN induce labor. Stimulant laxatives are the ones most known for it though; it just depends on how sensitive your system is. I went into labor about 3 weeks early, but I also waddled about five miles every day, up to the day I went into the hospital.
Blessed Be
@Atanness (31)
• Philippines
31 Jul 07
castrol oil, pretty cool. i wish we could use that in the hospital. hahaha joking.
@sugarcrystalz (60)
• United States
30 Jul 07
Haha, that's great! I wouldn't want to drink either one, though- that's definitely NOT the way I'd want to go into labor.
I think wives tales are interesting. They're usually so stupid that you have to wonder how some people believe them in the first place. I like the one about how you can't lift your arms above your head because the umbilical cord will wrap around the baby's neck the best.
