Today inducing labor at the hospital has become a common medical intervention. Pregnant women are prescribed pharmaceutical labor inducing remedies as early as 37 weeks of their pregnancy, sometimes resulting in premature babies. Due to the risks labor induction has for the mother and the baby, labor should be induced only when there is solid and well studied reason for it.
Sometimes labor that doesn't seem to start spontaneously after forty or forty-two full weeks of pregnancy. That is why some selected methods can be used to encourage the labor to start. In general, your OB or midwife can induce labor using medications or other techniques in order to cause the uterus to contract. Currently, one out of every five births in the U.S. are induced by medical induction - and others are induced naturally, using methods that are thought to be safer for both mother and baby.
Why Would Labor Be Induced?
There are various reasons that an induction of labor might be warranted, including:
?Your OB or midwife feels that you have gone too far past your due date (usually, no longer than two weeks past the estimated date of delivery is acceptable). Carrying the baby longer than is necessary puts the mother and the baby at greater risk of problems, including stillbirth. Additionally, bigger babies can cause prolonged or stalled labor and increase the incidence of cesarean section deliveries.
?The bag of waters erupts but labor fails to start. Once your water has broken, if labor doesn't start on its own, then infection can occur in the baby and in your uterus.
?Diagnostic tests show that your placenta is not functioning properly any more, there is inadequate amniotic fluid present, or the baby does not appear to be thriving as he should.
?If you develop preeclampsia, which is a serious danger to your health that can also restrict the blood flow that the baby receives.
?If you have high blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes, or another medical condition that can threaten the health of your baby or your own health.
?If you have experienced a stillbirth at full term before.
What Happens When Inducing Labor?
When inducing labor occurs in a hospital, mostly synthetic pharmaceuticals are used. Medical labor induction works to soften (or efface) the surface and dilate the cervix. Typically, medical labor inductions use drugs through IV infusion that are supposed to speed up labor, such as Pitocin.
Other medical inductions for labor include prostaglandin gels that are applied to the cervix to cause it to thin or dilate more readily; inserting a Foley catheter into the cervix to put pressure on the cervix, which causes the body to release natural prostaglandins that cause the cervix to open; or rupturing the membranes, which involves manually breaking your bag of waters.
Medical inductions are (for the most part) very invasive and really detract from the natural experience of birth. Some of them can be risky for the baby and for the mother, as well. For example, Pitocin use has been shown to cause placental abruption or uterine rupture in some pregnant women, and result in C-section, especially in women who are giving birth for the first time.
How About Inducing Labor Naturally? Does Natural Labor Induction Methods Work?
There are many natural labor induction methods that can allow a woman to avoid the possible dangers of medical induction, including maternity acupressure. Maternity acupressure has been used by women in other countries for centuries and is now finding its way into Western society.
Maternity acupressure relies on the use of pressure applied to pressure points around the pregnant mother's body - either by the pregnant woman or by her labor coach or partner - to bring about labor. Maternity acupressure is effective for many women, and is considered to be a safe alternative to medical labor induction when inducing labor is necessary.
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