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.
Risks of Induction
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. In addition, the uterine muscle never totally relaxes between contractions, increasing stress on both the uterus and the baby.
The risk of a failed induction and the subsequent risk of c-section are for the most part tied to the degree to which the patient's cervix is ready for labor, or “Ripe” as it is sometimes said. That is, when the cervix is “Ripe,” induction of labor is much more likely to be successful.
Labor induction increases the risk that the uterine muscles won't properly contract after giving birth, which can lead to serious bleeding after delivery.
Here's what they found: About 17 percent of women who had labor induced ending up having a C-section delivery, while 20 percent of women in the wait-and-see group ended up delivering via C-section.
How Long Will My Induction Take? 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.
Your cervix is assessed regularly to check its progress. Induction is not a quick process. Once it has started, it may take more than 24 hours until your baby is born. If your cervix needs to be primed, it may take two days or more.
The time it takes to go into labor after being induced varies and can take anywhere from a few hours to 2-3 days. In most healthy pregnancies, labor usually starts spontaneously between weeks 37 and 42.
Many women aren't aware they can decline an induction if there is no medical reason (and even if there is, but that's unlikely to happen). You can ask your care provider to check your baby's health, and yours, until such time as labour begins spontaneously.
It's your choice whether to have your labour induced or not. If your pregnancy lasts longer than 42 weeks and you decide not to have your labour induced, you should be offered increased monitoring to check your baby's wellbeing.
What are the risks of labor induction? With some induction methods, the uterus can be overstimulated, causing it to contract too often. Too many contractions may lead to changes in the fetal heart rate. Other risks of cervical ripening and labor induction can include infection in the woman or her fetus.
In other words: The research showed that inducing labor after 41 full weeks of pregnancy prevented 2 out of 1,000 babies from dying during birth or shortly afterwards. Inducing labor after this amount of time was also found to lower the risk of other problems such as meconium aspiration (breathing in meconium).
This review, with only three studies with two different comparisons, concludes that induction of labour in the evening is as effective and safe as induction in the morning. However, given the preference of most women, administration of prostaglandins should preferably be done in the morning.
Do I have to get Pitocin? The short answer is no. Pitocin is only for those patients that truly need labor augmentation, for various reasons, which we would first discuss together. I do not routinely use Pitocin, and no one is obligated to take Pitocin, even when it is indicated.
Expected Length of Stay For an uncomplicated vaginal birth, the usual length of postpartum stay is 1-2 days. For an uncomplicated cesarean birth, the usual length of postpartum stay is 2-3 days. Both your doctor and your baby's doctor will evaluate how each of you are doing to determine when you can go home.
Take a long, Epsom salt bath to relax. If you're into pedicures, go get a pedicure or do an at-home manicure. Go get one last (or your first) prenatal massage. Eat your all-time favorite meal and savor the quiet.
On the first day of the induction process, the new hire should be taken through your health and safety procedures and receive any necessary training.
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].
Very occasionally, labor induction doesn't work, especially if the cervix isn't effaced and dilated. If this is the case for you, your practitioner may try to induce labor again or opt for a C-section.
Can I wait for labor to begin naturally? Nature typically prepares the cervix for delivery in the most efficient, comfortable way. However, when there's concern about mother's or baby's health or the pregnancy continues two weeks past the due date, inducing labor might be the best option.
A study published in BMJ suggests that inducing labor at no later than 41 weeks could be one of the few interventions that reduce stillbirths. A nationwide study by Swedish researchers suggests that inducing labor at no later than 41 weeks could be one of the few interventions that reduce stillbirths.
If contractions aren't frequent and strong enough, your care provider may increase the dose of synthetic oxytocin. However a stalled or 'failed' induction may lead to a c-section.