anyone else going to do natures sunshine 5w - or primrose oil?

[sweetpeamami83]

Anyone else going to be taking natures sunshine 5w? Or taking or inserting evening primrose oil? I am 36 weeks tomorrow but haven't started taking the 5w. Its sitting in the cabinet. I was having pretty constant contractions about three weeks ago and ended up in L&D so my MW suggested I wait closer to 37 weeks to begin taking it. Although things have gotten much better so I am debating if I should start taking it tomorrow at 36 weeks.

What is everyone else doing?

[Becky1551]

We are just doing RRL tea. Both MWs highly recommended that. I thought EPO was still in the good books and even bought some, but when I talked to the MWs, they said that new research is showing that it does contribute to the bag of waters breaking, which they prefer to keep intact as long as possible (they'd rather women go into labour before the waters break if possible).

[sweetpeamami83]

Originally Posted by Becky1551 We are just doing RRL tea. Both MWs highly recommended that. I thought EPO was still in the good books and even bought some, but when I talked to the MWs, they said that new research is showing that it does contribute to the bag of waters breaking, which they prefer to keep intact as long as possible (they'd rather women go into labour before the waters break if possible).

hmm. I have not heard of this. I used it last time and my water did not break until I was in active labor. Now the time before when I didn't use it my water did break before labor had even started. I am also doing RRL and have done that the past two times. I will have to see if I can find something on a correlation between epo and your water breaking.

[nrsenadenos]

I've done EPO in the past and tried straight up cohosh last time and neither seemed to do anything...so not wasting money this time on it.

[sonshinemama]

What are any of them supposed to do?

[Incubus527]

I used EPO from 37 weeks on and my water didn't break until right before pushing. I'll probably pick some up later this month.

Never heard of the other stuff though. Care to share a link?

[sweetpeamami83]

Originally Posted by Incubus527 I used EPO from 37 weeks on and my water didn't break until right before pushing. I'll probably pick some up later this month. Never heard of the other stuff though. Care to share a link?

http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/pr...-100-caps.aspx

http://diaperswappers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278287

[Octmom2009]

Nope I used/tired nothing last time and will do the same again. My DD arrived 1 week early I'm a firm believer in that you go into labor when baby is good and ready and not a minute sooner.

[Becky1551]

Originally Posted by Octmom2009 Nope I used/tired nothing last time and will do the same again. My DD arrived 1 week early I'm a firm believer in that you go into labor when baby is good and ready and not a minute sooner.

Yeah, this is kind of my sense with it, too. That's why when she said EPO can induce/cause the waters to break, I didn't want to mess with it (I am too afraid of my waters breaking and then not actually contracting/going into labour and then being on the clock w/ the risk of infection, kwim?). RRL tea I am okay with, though, because it does not bring on labour. It just helps tone the uterus to make contractions more effective.

[nrsenadenos]

As far as I understood all EPO does is soften your cervix, making it easier to dilate/efface. It does not bring on labor. I've never heard of it causing labor/breaking waters, unless I suppose you stick it in too far and rupture your own membranes or whatever. If I remember correctly 5W has cohosh in it, which is supposed to help stimulate/sustain contractions. But I tend to doubt its effectiveness as well since I took straight cohosh and it didn't do anything for me. I don't like tea, and I drank RRL with my first out of desperation and didn't notice a difference with it either.

Pretty much aside from castor oil (which my OB doesn't really recommend) if there's a natural method out there I've tried it and it hasn't worked for me, so I'm also in the camp that they only work if you were about to go into labor anyways.