It's painful Oxytocin-induced contractions can also be very strong, and there is often less time to get used to these than when labour starts spontaneously. In addition, the increased number of vaginal examinations and other interventions (such as the insertion of cannulas) can create additional pain or discomfort.
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.
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.
Induction Massage - This is one of the least invasive methods of stimulating labor and yet one of the most effective things you can do! Many women will find that their labor starts within 24-48 hours of an induction massage when they get the massage at 40 weeks or later.
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.
It's painful
Oxytocin-induced contractions can also be very strong, and there is often less time to get used to these than when labour starts spontaneously. In addition, the increased number of vaginal examinations and other interventions (such as the insertion of cannulas) can create additional pain or discomfort.
They will feel your cervix to see if it is ready for labour. This examination will also help them decide on the best method for you. It can take from a few hours to as long as 2 to 3 days to induce labour. It depends how your body responds to the treatment.
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.
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.
Induced labor can reduce maternal anxiety and discomfort related to normal pregnancy, especially when the patient lives far from the hospital or has a history of previous pregnancy with labor abnormalities, or in case of concern for rapid labor in multiparous women.
For most people, active labor is more painful than pushing because it lasts longer, gets more and more intense as it progresses, and involves many muscles, ligaments, organs, nerves, and skin surfaces.
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.
It is well established that labor has to be induced in approximately 20 % of pregnancies [1]. However, induction fails in 20 % of induced pregnancies [2].
Babies are “due” after 40 weeks of gestation, but evidence suggests that infant mortality and complications are lowest for those delivered at 39 weeks, when a fetus is considered full term. Some obstetricians have recommended inducing labor at 39 weeks to reduce the risk of complications.
In addition, it is not an all-or-none choice: the option is not to have elective induction of labor at 39 weeks or refuse elective induction of labor completely. A woman may choose not to be induced at 39 weeks, but may change her mind at 40 weeks.
Your doctor does not have to induce your labor early if you're carrying a large baby. Early induction of labor doesn't necessarily prevent complications or birth injuries.
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.
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.
Induction and it's length depends on several moving parts, including your body's readiness for labor and how it absorbs and responds to the medication used in an induction.
The gestational age (labor induction usually takes longer if the woman is less than 37 weeks pregnant). How ripe the cervix is when the induction begins (if the cervix needs time to ripen, it takes longer for labor to begin).
If you have been offered an induction of labour for a specific reason, but you do not want this, you can choose to wait for natural labour or plan a caesarean birth instead. Speak with your healthcare professional as early as possible to discuss your options.