when to start taking EPO

[~Debbie~]

When is the right time to start taking EPO?
I vaguely recall reading on a thread somewheres to starting taking it about 36? ish weeks.
And, should i start taking orally before ...... well... not orally? IE, orally at 36 weeks, not orally at 38weeks? (sorry, cant think of any other word other then NOT ORAL - but, you know what i mean....)

[Celsie]

M2B - You've just hit the 3rd trimester and already thinking about getting the little one out! LOL

Do you really have to insert too? Can't you just take more orally?

Celsie. xoxox

[~Debbie~]

M2B - You've just hit the 3rd trimester and already thinking about getting the little one out! LOL

Do you really have to insert too? Can't you just take more orally?

Celsie. xoxox

Celsie - no, i not desperate yet.
Its just that i really dont want to go late. Couple days, ok, but, week? My mum is flying over on the 08th, and i want to be home from hospital for at least a couple of days before she arrives, and she cant change their schedule cause it works perfectly in with either shearing or lamb marking!! So, if i go late, then mum and dad cant delay their flights.....sounds all very superfisical (sp??) i know.

[Celsie]

LOL Fletch - That's a funny story!

So, do you just use the ones that you buy over the counter, or do you have to buy special ones? Are you going to take anything else or just EPO?

Celsie. xoxox

[Celsie]

Oh, that's so sweet that you'd go to so much effort to have Pebbles here for your parents.

Celsie. xoxox

[Janie]

I'm planning on starting the EPO at about 36 weeks, both ways! I don't have a drama with inserting it, esp. if it means a better/sooner labour LOL. And I figure there's going to worse things going up and coming out than a few little capsules!

Fletch, I asked my Ob about using the EPO, and he was of the same opinion as JP - typical male PMSL! Though he did say it couldn't hurt, and if I was game, he was fine with that

Celsie, I'm drinking the RLT too, but not having the tabs, just the tea. I saw my Ob almost two weeks ago and asked him about it, and he said he was happy for me to start it there and then. He said he didn't mind whether I used it or not, but he had never seen a woman who's taken it have a bad labour!!!!!!! That was enough for me, I've been guzzling it haha! Seriously, at this point I'm only having one or two cups a day, but I plan on upping that to three in a couple of weeks. And I just bought the Cenovis bulk pack of EPO, I figured that would be enough to see me through.

[Celsie]

What does the Raspberry Leaf Tea do? I'm only new the all the natural therapies out there, so please don't mind me asking lots of silly questions... LOL

Celsie. xoxox

[Janie]

Not silly at all Celsie, in fact Fletch and I both started up threads about a month ago in the Labour and Birth thread asking all these same questions

RLT is a uterine tonic, as far as I can tell that means that it helps to the uterus to contract more efficiently during labour. Therefore possibly making it shorter? Or at least helping it not to go on and on. It certainly does seem to be popular, and what my Ob said about it sold me LOL! I figure he's seen ALOT of women labour (and he's not the sort that arrives 5 mins before the baby pops out) and if he thinks it's that effective then it's worth it.

I told someone who has two kids about it the other day, she was asking what it does and when I told her she said "Do it! Even if it only cuts ten minutes off your labour, it's worth it!" I'm not sure if that was meant to make me feel better or worse ROFL!

Here are the links to the threads I mentioned

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ad.php?t=32327

What does RLT actually DO?

This is an excerpt from one of the studies shown in the second thread, hopefully this explains it better than I did LOL

Raspberry leaf was found to cause a relaxant effect on the uterus. It was believed that this relaxant effect caused the uterine contractions of labour to become better coordinated and more efficient, thus shortening the length of labour. It is also commonly assumed that women who take raspberry leaf throughout labour will have an improved second and third stage of labour. Consequently there is supposed to be a reduced risk of bleeding after birth.

It also states later on in the study that it can increase BHs, which I think might be the case with me. But then again, maybe that was just going to happen anyway????

[Janie]

Oooh Fletch, I'll have to look into the Clary Sage, though I'm hoping I go at about 38 weeks and don't need it ROFL! Yep, I love my Ob too, he might not push the natural stuff, but he is very happy for me to use it. The funniest thing was when I asked about the EPO and we were discussing prostins, he said "you can get them from him (indicating DH) or from me"!!!!!!!! We ****ed ourselves laughing and he clarified by saying "no that's all sterile down there, I'd give it to you in gel form". It was very funny.

Celise, I'm with Fletch, what harm can it do? If you're worried, check with your HCP (I did) but I figure it's all worth a shot!

[Ozziehoffy]

I had all good intentions of doing this...but well...guess what!! Never got around to doing it!! I did actually try the Raspberry leaf tea, but ugh I didn't like the taste of it!! So, I just decided in the end that when my body was ready it would be ready and left it all to nature.

OMG Fletch, I can't believe you are that close already!!

[Celsie]

Thanks for your replies girls. I think I'll be giving it a go. Who wouldn't want a faster easier labour?!?

I was telling my husband about having to insert the EPO, he gave me a look like I was absolutely crazy! LOL

I hope it works well for both of you, I'll be keeping an eye on you both to see how you go!

Thanks again! And sorry M2B for hijacking your thread!

Celsie. xoxox

[Ozziehoffy]

Celsie, lol @ your DH...they do think we're crazy at times don't they.

[Celsie]

He thought I was crazy enough when we were TTC and I was doing vaginal temping because orally, my temps were all over the place... the things we'll do for a baby!!! LOL

Celsie. xoxox

[~Debbie~]

finally ! I have a chance to get back to this one...
No dramas Celsie about hijacking the thread - you asked heaps of good questions! Thanks!!
So - summary is:
RLT - start taking at about 30weeks? Does it make a difference if you drink the stuff, or take the tablet form as to how early you start taking it?
EPO - 34 weeks orally, 36weeks 'up there', and perhaps 2 tablets orally, and 2 or 3 to be insterted.

Thanks

[Sair]

My midwife gave me a paper about RLT and it says to start no later than 32 weeks for best effect, I assume you don't want to start too early though but it doesn't say the earliest week to start. 2400mg each day in tablet form and 4-5 cups a day in tea form. Unfortunatly he didn't give me anything on EPO so I am taking 4 a day orally and 1 internally at night although I tried 2 last night, I found a lot leaked out with 2 and none leaked out with one so my guess is that one is just as effective as 2. I hope so anyway as I am ready to go now, I can't cope any longer!!!

[Karina]

I started using it from about 35 weeks, i think. Cant remember how many orally, but I also used two up there then I put on a pad because it was really a yuk feeling when it dribbled out lol. The midwife at my antenatal classes talked about it a bit. My actual labour in terms of what they count was 8.5 hours. I have no idea if it was easy or fast since I really have nothing to compare it to as I've only done it once lol.

I also started using Raspbery leaf tablets from about 32 weeks. I used the dosage on the bottle which was 2 tabs 3 times a day (this is Blackmores brand).

[Meluchja]

Forgive me ladies for being clueless but what is EPO.
With DD I was taking the RTL pills and drinking the tea, and I swear by it, but I'm now also very interested in the EPO, could someone please fill me in.

[Sair]

Evening Primrose Oil, hopefully someone else can fill in what it does properly, it does ripen your cervix and help with labour as raspberry leaf does but I don't know much further than that I am afraid.