from one of the pregnancy daily digests i receive (the one that usually gets my blood boiling in the morning! and as cw would say, why do you even read/bother with those things?? simple, im crazy.)

"So im wondering what castrol oil is (think i miss spelled it) ?? They told me it helped to have your baby want to come out.... but when I asked my husband if he knew... been the guy he is he just told me it was enginne oil... so im still not sure what it is. Does any one know what it is and if it really works???" - 36 week pregnant "woman"

and the replies/advice to this posting:

"castrol is engine oil. castor oil is something that makes you get sick and/or have diarhea. I wouldn't recommend drinking either one." - 27 week pregnant woman

"I am pretty sure it's engine oil, and "supposedly" it works. I have never tried it (nor really needed to) though. If you drink it, it will give you the runs and may make you throw up. I would start with rubbing it on your belly. If you do decide to drink it, mix a cap ful with some OJ or some other juice" - Mother of 5 children

and finally after several of the above comments to her post:

"Please don't drink motor oil. It is called Castor oil. And as a nurse I would not recommend it. It is a laxative and will cause you great discomfort for probably nothing. There is no proof that it will put into labor or no guaranty def not worth it."

"You poor thing! Castrol oil like has been said is engine oil and could kill you if you drink it! ...CASTOR oil is a laxitave but I have witnessed 3 people who have tried this method and all they did was throw up horribly! It is slimy and nasty I have tried it myself only because my preg. cousin didnt want to do it alone:) but anyways I would go with those other methods... Exercise is refreshing and will not only make you feel good afterwards but helped me go into labor with both my kids. Sex, and nipple stimulation, also work Ive heard. as for spicy food, Im not sure if heartburn would be an awesome cherry to have on top of labor but if your used to that it may work:) Good Luck to You and Your Baby!!!!"

To clear this up for some at least the likes of this poor woman - Castrol is a name brand of engine oil not to be confused with Castor Oil...JEEZ LOUISE...and Castor oil has been used for centuries as a cure all for just about every ailment imaginable. and its gross.

the thing that gets me fired up about shit like this is, 1) are these people under the proper care? 2) are they asking their doctors these questions or are they too embarrassed? cause honey, you should not be embarrassed (i know, i know i may be ridiculing you right now, but seriously? what if she actually took to drinking the damn engine oil?) to ask the doctor that may or may not see you in the spread eagle position. 3) are they taking any action to educate themselves from appropriate knowledgeable resources (not JUST babycenter or babyzone or even your best girlfriend)? um, yeah, probably not...it upsets me that some of these women who post messages (far more serious ones than this posting) are pregnant and do not have the proper support to a) go thru the pregnancy healthfully and b) that their kid will be...well anyway...i had read a few other postings and it's ..well, yeah - why do i read these things. from women in co-dependent and or abusive relationships asking advice on what to do about their baby daddies (not what they should be doing for themselves and the health of their baby) to women who can not for the life of them find out the actual date of conception (seriously, does it matter? this is why they calculate it from your LMP because it is difficult to gauge the actual date of conception because every woman ovulates differently AND, if you are already pregnant - is that really something you should be worried about and concentrating over? a date of conception? JEEZE LOUISE)

okay thats the rant i have for today, but its still early.