A hot topic among care providers is pregnancy inductions or forcing a labor to begin when it hasn’t begun on its own. While inductions for medical reasons are often very necessary, there are some pros and cons of inductions it’s important to be aware of.
A pregnancy induction means using medical means to get labor started. There are four ways to induce a labor; cervical ripening agents, pitocin (which is a drug to induce labor), a Foley catheter and the amniotomy (breaking the bag of waters). Click here for more information about these methods. Some inductions only need one way to get labor started, others need all four. It depends on the reason for the induction, the baby, the mother and the care provider.
Medical Reasons: Sometimes for the health of mom and/or the baby, your care provider will want labor started. Many women are induced in the United States for medical reasons including preeclampsia, high blood pressure, baby not moving enough, low amniotic fluid and placenta malfunctioning among other reasons.
If Labor Slows: Sometimes in labor contractions slow down often because of the use of the epidural or narcotics. In this situation, a drug to induce labor called pitocin is often given to speed up contractions again.
If Water Breaks: In the United States, most care providers want the baby out within about 24 hours of the bag of waters breaking due to the risk of infection. So if your water breaks and contractions don’t begin or aren’t strong enough, your care provider may suggest a pregnancy induction.
Past Due Dates: Most care providers don’t want the pregnancy to go past 42 weeks so they’ll induce if you hit that 42 week window mark. Some research shows that as the pregnancy continues the placenta starts to malfunction and the baby starts to get too big to fit through the pelvis.
Length of Time: Many inductions take several days since your care provider is forcing the body to do something it’s not doing on it’s on. However, this doesn’t usually mean you’ll have contractions for several days. Usually this means it takes several days for contractions to begin.
Increased Chance of C-section: Since your care provider is forcing labor to begin, it doesn’t always work. Some women who are induced don’t dilate and need a c-section. Pitocin which is commonly used in inductions can stress the baby out, also increasing the chances of your induction ending in a c-section.
Potentially More Difficult Labor: Inductions, particularly with pitocin, tend to make the contractions harder to deal with. This can be a problem for women wanting to go unmedicated or women who want to get as far as possible before asking for medications.
The information in this article is not medical advice. This information is not meant to treat, diagnose, prescribe or cure anything during your pregnancy, birth, or postpartum time. Always check with your care provider before following any advice from TheOnlyBabyStop.com.