Devil in a bottle

Last night, at the suggestion of my doctor, I took it upon myself to try an old wives' trick for triggering labor. Castor oil. I quickly downed two tablespoons, which according to the packaging, would take between six and 12 hours to, well, trigger any "activity," shall we say.

First, I should say for those uninitiated folk, Castor oil -- which I learned last night -- is not a mild laxative, but the devil in a bottle. After throwing up numerous times and, well, other things, I thought I was going into labor. Contractions started. And they were painful. So, about 1 a.m., we called the hospital and I spoke to a midwife who said that she never recommends Castor oil for specifically this reason; some people react so violently to it -- and it can produce FALSE labor.

I was up until a little after 3 a.m. when I was finally able to doze for about half an hour before getting sick again. So I was up again until about half past five when I was finally able to drift off to sleep until seven.

I think it's safe to call this a failed attempt at this point. A horrifying and very painful failed attempt. And really disruptive for the rest of the household. In two shifts, I had E, my mom and dad up. Oops!

Let my dreadful experience be a warning to all: Beware Castor oil, particularly when you are 40 plus weeks pregnant.