Evening Primrose Oil
Under the advice of the midwife at my Ob/Gyn’s office, I’m taking Evening
Primrose Oil, which is the same thing they put on my cervix yesterday. I read online that you’re supposed to take 3 to 4 – 500 mg capsules after 38 weeks gestation. Glad I read the bottle that Richard bought because these capsules are 1300 mg each! Holy cow. Shudder to think what might have happened had I not read the bottle!
Anyway, I had some minor contractions after my exam yesterday. After I took one of the capsules, I had several contractions, back to back. Nothing too strong or even unbearable really. They just made me uncomfortable. They slowed down considerably after dinner.
I haven’t wanted to go out at all in the past few weeks because I’m so big and uncomfortable (not to mention the fact that I only have one outfit left that fits with the exception of my pajamas). For some reason, I was dying to go out to dinner last night. Richard, Ali (age 15), Max (age 4) and I all headed to Olive Garden. I was having pretty intense contractions the whole time we were there (hard to talk through them so I’d just shut up) and I couldn’t help but notice that Ali and Richard were just staring at me during each one, undoubtedly wondering if this was IT. I thought it was very humorous, but they did not. Seems everyone thinks I’m not going to tell them when labor begins so I won’t have to spend as much time in the hospital, which I’ll admit is a temptation!
Anyway, after one big one ended, Ali breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head back to her menu. I loudly grabbed the table with one hand and my belly with another and said, “Oh no! Here comes another one!”
Ali got so nervous she just about fell out of her chair. Richard knew I was kidding and we both had a good roar over the expression on Ali’s face. Poor Ali. Ha ha ha!!!
Later that night, I took another one at bedtime and had more strong contractions that woke me up. They stopped around 2:00 a.m. or so. I didn’t have anymore this morning until I sat down to work and took another capsule. Have been having steady contractions since then. It’s lunchtime now and they’re pretty strong and regular, but not really painful.
Evening Primrose Oil, according to many websites, doesn’t make you go into labor. It simply ripens your cervix. If these mild contractions are ripening my cervix, I’d have to say it’s working.
Some websites say midwives swear by it and most doctor’s don’t believe in it…but also tell women not to take it before 36 weeks gestation.
Now, if only the REAL THING would begin, I can get this kid out, hold him, play with him, and stop thinking about when it will BEGIN!!
Lots of people have asked me why I’m working this close to delivery. Gads, if I wasn’t working, I’d be driving myself NUTS wondering when the baby was coming, if he’s okay, and if everything will turn out just fine in the end. Work is MUCH better than that. 
June 14th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
Ang –
Just want to tell you how much I’m enjoying reading your blog, side by side with our work together to create my book.
I’m glad that work is helpful and distracting for you (from the pregnancy). Happy to help out!
I trust that Mason will come into the world first, before I get to give the final go-ahead, e.g. approval of my book.
Keep taking care of yourself.
My best,
Dana
ANGELA SAYS:
Thanks bunches, Dana!! Yes, it does help to keep my mind off my ever-bulging belly!
Big hugs!
Ang
June 19th, 2006 at 10:01 am
Dear Angela,
50 years ago I had a baby in England. It was an illuminating experience after having had 2 previously in (1) Stanford U hospital with spinal block, awake throughout but pain-free (2) a run of the mill Catholic
hospital in New York where usual anaesthesia was given, and when I woke up I had a baby.
Obstetrician I chose, told me to check into a Catholic nursing home in Waterloo on the Irish Seacoast, for a Caesarian the following morning. I had to agree to stay a full two weeks!!!
Was this Victorian style place, hi-ceilinged room to myself, lovely dinner in bed, and then the nursing “sister” suggested a nice hot bath before going to sleep. Was run by a Northern Ireland order of nuns, all midwives.
In the U.S.A. in those days, one did not even take a bath for the last 5-6 weeks — only showers, but they were so overwhelmingly authoritative, and sweet and loving, and the nursing home had such a high reputation, that I just let them do as they will.
Two of them put me into this huge deep old-fashioned bathtub, ran lots of hot warer, let me simmer there for a while, took me out and put me into a nightgown tucked me in bed, broughbt me a pot of tea, and each of them
kissed me goodnight on the forehead, and said a prayer for me. O.K. to ready, but lights out by 11 they said.
I fell sound asleep, but at midnight woke up and KNEW I was in labor. The sisters agreed and off I went to the delivery room. Very low tech, no stirrups, no bright lights I remembered from other two. Anaesthesia? A
cotton ball damped with chloroform that they gave me a whiff of by passing it above my nose now and then. They didn’t even call the Dr., just let him come in next A.M. and be surprised!
Once they got me ready for my nice bed again, they took me to see baby in the nursery. I was appalled — Baby was totally swaddled and put in a room with other babies with windows wide open, curtains blowing. They didn’t
believe in the firm-mattress-sleep-on-the-tummy position favored then for infants. Warm swaddling is what they did because they said baby still missed the comfort and closeness of the womb. Made sense to me!
So try a hot bath, if you have an old-fashioned deep tub and two people to put you in and get you out!
Maggy Simony
ANGELA COMMENTS:
Wow, Maggy! This is GREAT!!!!
Can I post it to the blog? Other women will love
reading this, too.
Am about to go to sleep (took the day off to go shopping and to eat lobster on the coast) but will definitely try the warm bath and tea tomorrow!! And, will make everybody tuck me into bed and give me a kiss, too. That’s the best part of your story!
Big hugs!
Ang
MAGGY RESPONDS:
Sure you can post it.
The water was HOT — heated gradually as I sat in that tub — and I believe those sister midwives did it deliberately to outwit the obstetrician’s plans for a Caesarian. Obviously their estimate of my situation was correct, or I would not have had Maria so easily and quickly. Did he feel foolish the next morning? I can’t estimate Brit’s reactions, but the head nursing sister
surely did have a smug smile on her face. I think it was part upholding the reputation of midwives, and part teaching an American that most people didn’t NEED an obstetrician in the first place! But from my view, 50 years ago we simply would not go to a midwife as the British social medicine system provided for. As an American I didn’t feel I should use their system.
Anyway, I wanted an obstetrician, and head of the local American military hopital ob-gyn department suggested the doctor I chose.
Incidentally, when I left the hospital 2 weeks later, Maria was sleeping (swaddled like an Eskimo in one of those carriers) from around 10-11 PM (big feeding as possible) until 5-6 AM. Those sisters thought the idea of getting up at 2 and 4 AM was just plain funny! (They’d seen it in movies.) They thought my Dr. Spock was funny. So I continued the wrapping-on-the back mode
of putting a baby down. If you think about it, on a firm mattress they can roll a bit, unexpectedly, and perhaps feel insecure enough to wake up.
May 5th, 2011 at 11:03 am
Hi, I am currently 36 weeks pregnany and was given the go-ahead to start taking the Evening Primrose Oil. I am a little worried as I have been surfing the net just trying to get different views on how effective it is for other mothers. I am attempting a VBAC delivery, which is mainly the reason my midwife wanted me to start using the oil to help my cervics ripen. I have not dialated at all so far and am very nervous. I hope that this will ripen my cervics, and I can have a natural delivery
November 29th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Regular ingestion of evening primrose oil supplement can aid in the production of a hormone called prostaglandin. This hormone is a substance that is also present in a man’s sperm cell, which aids in improving the quality of a woman’s cervix. Once this hormone is produced in the woman’s body, there is an increase in the production of the cervical mucus. This production of cervical mucus can thicken the lining of the cervix, which paves the way to higher success rate for conception and fertilization. The sperm cells have higher survival rate since there’s very little chance that they will be killed by the woman’s acidic uterus.