Induced labour is usually more painful than natural labour. Depending on the type of induction you are having, this could range from discomfort with the procedure or more intense and longer lasting contractions as a result of the medication you have been given.
Your provider may recommend inducing labor if your health or your baby's health is at risk or if you're 2 weeks or more past your due date. For some women, inducing labor is the best way to keep mom and baby healthy. Inducing labor should be for medical reasons only.
Researchers have found that inducing labor after 37 weeks of pregnancy can lower the risk of perinatal mortality without increasing caesarean section rates. However, babies born to mothers who are induced are more likely to be admitted to a special care baby unit.
Risks of Induction
The cervix often needs to be softened before pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) will be effective. Pitocin causes contractions that both peak and become stronger more quickly than naturally occurring contractions. The result is a labor that is more difficult to manage.
Inducing labor involves intervening in the body's natural processes by breaking the amniotic sac, using medication, or both. However it's done, it can lead to fetal distress (such as abnormal heart rate).
It can take up to two or three days to induce labor, but it usually takes less time. It may take more time if you're being induced before you're full-term or if it's your first baby.
Labor induction increases the risk that the uterine muscles won't properly contract after giving birth (uterine atony). This can lead to serious bleeding after delivery. Occasionally blood products are needed for serious bleeding.
35.8% (just over one in three) of the women whose labour was induced at 40 weeks had a caesarean.
Usually, labor induction is recommended when the risks of continuing the pregnancy for the mother, baby, or both outweigh the benefits of waiting to go into labor.
Inducing Labor at 39 Weeks Might Be Safer Than a C-Section… Here's Why. Researchers say inducing labor a week or two early reduces the chances of needing a cesarean delivery. It's also better for the health of the mother and the baby.
In human and animal studies spontaneous onset of labour is proven to have a circadian rhythm with a preference for start of labour in the evening. Moreover, when spontaneous labour starts in the evening, the total duration of labour and delivery shortens and fewer obstetric interventions are needed.
Induced labour is usually more painful than labour that starts on its own, and you may want to ask for an epidural. Your pain relief options during labour are not restricted by being induced. You should have access to all the pain relief options usually available in the maternity unit.
In most cases, labor induction leads to a vaginal birth. A failed induction, one in which the procedure doesn't lead to a vaginal birth, might require another induction or a C-section.
Results. This study showed that the prevalence of failed induction was 20.5% (95% CI: (15.7–25.3%)). The odds of failed induction in unfavorable bishop score were 4.05 higher than the odds in favorable bishop [AOR = 4.05 95%CI (1.19–13.77)].
The likelihood of induction of labor varies widely by gestational age, with U.S. births at 41+ weeks for first-time mothers much more likely to involve an induction (45%) than those at 39 weeks (30%) [3].
At a Glance. A large study found that, for healthy women, inducing labor at full term rather than waiting for natural labor doesn't increase the risk of major complications for newborns. The findings also reverse the notion that inducing labor at full term increases the risk of needing surgical delivery.
You can ask for a caesarean birth even if your doctor or midwife doesn't think that you have a medical need for one. This is called a maternal request caesarean birth. Your hospital must listen to your reasons for wanting a caesarean birth and have good reasons for saying no.
How long you stay in the hospital after birth varies based on many factors – including hospital rules, insurance, and your own birth experience – but the average hospital stay after birth is usually between 24 hours and four days.
Mechanical dilation with a balloon catheter and oral Misoprostol medications are two of our most common techniques for ripening. You will stay overnight and continue the induction in the morning, as described below. Your partner may stay with you overnight, but it is not necessary.
In a patient whose cervix is already dilated, usually at least 2-3 cm, the induction process begins during the day with pitocin. From a timeline perspective, the induction process can be unpredictable, and especially for first time moms with an unfavorable cervix, can take more than 24 hours.
In many centers in the UK and Scandinavia, induction is common no later than 42 weeks. Recent studies have shown a significantly increased risk of perinatal mortality and morbidity at 41 weeks, and of stillbirth beginning at 39 weeks.