I had one of those days where I had a list of things to do while out on the town, had my 10 month old in tote, and because of forces out of my control, got none of them done. I planned my outing to go something like this: get the oil changed in my car, go to the bank, and pick up dog food. NONE of this happened. I was waiting around way too long at the oil change shop when they said I was next in line (they lied). During this time the baby got cranky and by the time we were out there (without the oil change), it was nap-time so we did not proceed to the bank or the dog food store. What a HUGE waste of my day. When I got home I was really worked up and frustrated and then yelled at my husband who unfortunately works from a home office and is available to yell at whenever the mood strikes me, poor guy. On top of this, the baby would not go down for her nap when we got home so she was still cranky. Great.
When daddy stopped work for the day and was able to lend a hand in childcare, I was able to breathe and reflect a bit. My anger subsided and this feeling of ”it’s okay, it can wait for tomorrow” took over me.
This got me thinking about all those mommas that are being persuaded into labor induction and this made me sad. In my first pregnancy my OB asked me if I’d like to schedule a cesarean when I was about 17 weeks along. There was no medical reason for this, it was for convenience! This is when a light bulb went off for me and I got the momma sixth sense that something was very, very wrong here. I immediately proceeded to change providers and practically ran to a natural birthing center where ended up having a non-complicated, peaceful, water birth.
What about the mommas who do not know that there are birthing choices? Do women think that it is normal to schedule a date to induce labor? To schedule cesareans?
It seems that many young, healthy women that I’ve had conversations with recently do not believe it is possible to have a natural birth. They were told for one reason or another that they aren’t “allowed” to. That they “have to” schedule inductions to not pose any “risk” to the labor process. These women pack their bags, do their hair and makeup before they leave for their scheduled date at the hospital, get induced and often receive an epidural when they get there, and with one or two pushes the baby is out.
Is this what birth has become? Do we have our babies like we shop online? For convenience? If there is no MAJOR medical reason why you need to have your labor induced, please stop to to think of the risk you are really putting your baby in by inducing.
Why would labor be induced?
There are several possible reasons. Those nearer the top of this list are cases where the benefits may outweigh the risks. Those nearer the bottom of this list, the risks are more likely to outweigh the benefits.
- If the baby or mother has a SEVERE health condition which makes it riskier to continue the pregnancy than to induce; severe pre-eclampsia, diabetes with complications (it is estimated that this rationale for induction only applies to 3% of pregnancies)
- Water breaking. If mom is more than 35 weeks pregnant, and it’s been more than 24-48 hours since membranes ruptured, most caregivers recommend induction to reduce risk of infection.
- A baby that’s “overdue” – pregnancy lasting over 42 weeks.
- If baby or mother has a MILDER health condition.
- A pregnancy lasting over 41 weeks.
- The baby is “too large.” (Although this is a common reason for physicians to recommend induction, research seems to indicate that there are not significant benefits to inducing labor)
- Convenience or preference. Of the mother, or the caregiver. The risks outweigh the benefits.
Summary of induction risks.
All of the forms of induction can lead to stronger, more painful, and more frequent contractions, which may lead the mother to use pain medications she might otherwise not require. These powerful contractions may also limit oxygen supply to the baby, so increase the risk of fetal distress. Also, due to the uncertainty of due dates, and the variation in the amount of time any given baby requires to reach maturity, early induction carries a risk of causing premature birth. There is a significant increase in the chance of cesarean.
Questions to ask your provider if induction is recommended:
1. Why? What are the reasons why it would be better to deliver the baby sooner?
2. How? Could we start with one of the non-medical options and see if that works?
2. When? Is this something that needs to happen today? What would happen if we waited a few more days? Another week? Is it possible that it can wait for tomorrow….
Think about it, challenge providers, do your research. Only you know what’s best for yourself and your baby. 
Much love,
Amy
You are 100% right! Birth in this country has turned into a nine to five business, women need to stop blindly following a medical system that has time and time again failed them. Education is key, women have to educated themselves and their sisters, blogs this one help spread the word…there are alternatives! Keep it up Amy!
Great way of looking at things. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. The only thing I might add is regarding the #2 reason for inducing – women also need to know that as long as nothing is inserted into the vagina after her water breaks, the chances of infection are very, VERY slim. However, these mommas also need to know the early signs of infection if they choose to wait up to 72hrs for contractions to start.
GREAT post!
These days the only option women think they have is whether or not to have pain meds. If only they knew…
Excellent info! I don’t believe that I was unneccessarily induced with either of mine when it first came to it. I was 41.5 weeks with my first and I had GD…. seemed to me like a good idea to get induced. She ended up only being 7 lbs and 7 oz, so I guess that was ill informed on my part. I don’t really regret it, though, because it definitely didn’t end up in a csection and I used zero pain meds.
When I was pregnant with my second child, I had severe kidney and bladder issues that hospitalized me for a week (one month before my due date). I was induced on my due date for continuing problems. I don’t regret that at all, and definitely didn’t use any pain meds that time either.
I consider both of my births a success. They could have begun on their own, which is probably true since both of my labors were very short even with just a small amount of pitocin (7 1/2 hours with my first; 5 hours with my second).