Posted on 06/13/2005 1:22:08 PM PDT by gobucks
Well, given how powerful even the placebo effect can be, we simply looked at the likely worst result: discomfort for a bit...; but I was initially in the same skeptic ball park.
But the pressures of late, well.... I am trying to be flexible.
Well, as a fyi, how much do you fast, how long, and when it did start, did you eat anything? I'm not sure starting a 18 labor on zero fuel is a good idea..
I kind of figured that must be the difference between then and now. I'm 27 weeks with our third and an "older" mom (37 years) so I had to have a special ultrasound and blood tests done. My OB probably would have refused to see me if I didn't have it done--not because he's a dictator but to protect himself. So I consented because I like him as my doctor and all the tests came back fine but it caused some worry for me and extra expense for me and the insurance company.
Best wishes to you and your wife and baby. I know you'll let us know when the big event happens.
I've used CO to induce at home successfully before. NOT a fun way to do it. But it worked for me. A T is not enough IMO.
Here is how I did it (this method was shared with me by other "natural birth" moms): I got a glass of OJ and a straw. Then I poured in a couple-few T into the glass. Mixed well. Drank it down through the straw. Went for a (short!) walk with my husband. After about 90 minutes, I took it again, but a smaller dose of CO. About 1/2 hour later, I was in the bathroom. For a loong time. I took the first dose between 4-5p.m. By 10 p.m. I had definite regular contractions, and had no need to make any more bathroom runs.
I did bathe a lot since I was sore from going so much. (Sorry for TMI, but you asked!) I had my big boy the next evening, about 24 hours from the onset of (mostly mild) contractions.
I think the CO works just by giving you the runs and your whole abdomen just contracts from the force of it. Kind of a miserable way to start labor IMO. But if you gotta, you gotta!
I figure that any time after 2 weeks before the due date, the baby is "done," so if I feel the urge, I stop eating. If I'm not having contractions after 24 hours, I eat for a day, and then skip again.
When contractions start, I'll let them go 8-10 hours, and then eat. If the contractions stop, then (obviously) we're not having the baby yet. Don't eat until contractions start again, give it some time, etc. Eventually, the contractions don't stop even after eating.
I've never had any problem with needing "fuel" for labor. After all, I've been storing fat for 9 months!
I really appreciate this report. If you visit my freep home link page, you'll see an old link about PCOS. Honestly, the woman system of reproduction is more complicated than nuclear physics; and I know about it.
Mrs. GB is profoundly sensitive to carbs, and her fertility magically 'appeared', for the first time once her carbs were crushed, with help from me as her coach, to less than 20 grams a day. She was lucky to have a cycle a year. Anyway, ever since I have gotten quite a bit of info about the insulin role overall in a lot of stuff, including PCOS, but I have yet to read any PCOS related pregnancy reports...so your data item, though it is of course one, is appreciated.
Thanks! What is A and T?
Sorry! A T is 1 T or a Tablespoon. That wasn't very clear on my last post.
Have a great birth! :-)
Fascinating - I'll have a look later. We have overwhelming fertility, fwiw :-).
Best of luck to you & the Mrs.
I look forward to see pictures of our newest FReeper baby soon! God Bless!
LOL, be careful with golf.
I took out power over a small area by attempting to play golf.
I'm having my third in December and I am holding onto 37 for the moment (I'll be 38 in the very near future). I find the fuss over an "older" mom funny. I think the hospital assumes I'll need a walker to get to the delivery room, and they'll just mix in the Geritol with my prenatal vitamins. Lucky for me, my ob/gyn understands my position on pre-natal testing. If it will give information useful for treating, I'll do it, but nothing that is intended just to help me "decide" whether to terminate. He knows that is not an option (his reply: "good for you!"). I just remind him to have me sign a waiver so his insurance carrier doesn't give him a hard time. I think I have the best ob/gyn in the world, and his office staff is fabulous as well... that makes all the difference, doesn't it? Especially since I'm having children during my golden years and all...
bttt
I didn't quite make that - had my first at 33. But all our family are "slow begetters like", as Kipling said in one of his stories - my mom didn't have me (her first) until she was 30, which was VERY old back then.
I took tons of folic acid because since I'm almost 100 percent British ancestry I'm at risk for neural tube defects. My OB (he was the best in the world until he died last year, so I guess Grace's OB has the title now) had a brand new ultrasound (ya gotta understand this was 17 years ago!) and he loved to play with his new toy, so we checked my girl it seemed like every five minutes. He was confident that he could pick up any neural tube problems from what he could see - loved pointing out to me that her kidneys were functioning, her bladder was filling nicely, assuring me that that was an almost infallible sign that her spinal cord was developing properly (of course all I could see was a blur . . . they've improved ultrasound a lot.) He charged a flat rate per delivery, so he could play with his ultrasound as much as he liked - I have a lot of funny blurry pictures in the baby book . . .
Of course baby was born perfectly healthy, if quite skinny. She's still quite skinny (thank heavens she took after her dad's family and not mine - we are all fireplugs).
In the lingo they're called geriatric primips;)
I have to sign off... she's definitely in labor. The Castor Oil totally worked.
Will give an update in a few days...and thanks to all for the kindness and well wishes.
Good news--good luck.
You can't fool us old Classics students . . . < g >
Please report back after the wild ride . . . < g > We'll be prayin' for ya.
Thanks for the ping!
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