Being Induced or Waiting for Labor to Start
Why Going into Labor on Your Own is Better for You and Your Baby
Oct 13, 2009
When mothers reach their ninth month of pregnancy, nearly all of them are quickly growing tired of being pregnant. It is no surprise then that more and more mothers are choosing to be induced, rather than waiting for labor to start on its own. What are some of the reasons why women today decide to be induced?
Benefits of Being Induced
Several reasons why mothers choose to be induced. One is selecting the day of your birth. This is helpful if you or your spouse/partner have limited time off from work. Military families may also have to work around a short leave schedule so being induced may be convenient.
Some mothers like to be induced so they can schedule their birth during the daylight hours. While this may not completely prevent the labor from extending into the evening, it might mean that most of your labor happens during the day, especially if this is your second or later baby.
Labor inductions also allow you to select your care provider, which is desirable if you have a large number of providers in a group practice and you have a favorite.
Sometimes there are medical reasons for being induced, such as if the mother has high blood pressure or her amniotic fluid level is very low toward the end of her pregnancy. You care provider may also recommend an induction if you have a history of fast labors to avoid having an emergency childbirth.
Benefits of Waiting for Labor to Start
There are many advantages for both mother and baby by going into labor without the use of pitocin. Research shows that when comparing spontaneous labor or those where pitocin is used (either to induce labor or increase the strength of contractions), babies have a higher Apgar score and mothers have fewer cesareans when they go into labor on their own.
Mothers who are planning to have a VBAC can also increase their chances of having a vaginal birth if they wait for labor to start rather than choose to be induced.
Going into labor on your own also has the benefit of being able to reduce medical interventions that are part of the package when mothers are being induced, such as IVs and continuous fetal monitoring. Mobility and walking during labor is more likely when you wait for labor to start since inductions often require laboring in bed.
Since labor inductions are also known to be more painful than spontaneous labor, mothers may be more able to avoid epidural analgesia if they go into labor on their own.
What to Consider Before You Decide to be Induced
One important thing to remember before you choose to be induced is to find out if your body is ready. You care provider can do this by using the Bishop's score. The Bishop's score looks at a number of factors including your gestation and cervical effacement and dilation to help determine if your body will respond well to being induced.
You should also strongly consider avoid being induced before you reach 40 weeks since inducing your labor earlier than that has been shown to increase your chances of having a cesarean.
References:
Fisch, J. "Labor Induction Process Improvement: A Patient Quality of Care Initiative," Obstetrics and Gynecology, April 2009.
Raba, G. "Obstetric outcomes in oxytocin-related and spontaneous deliveries," Ginekologia Polska, July 2009.
Oqbonmwan, SE. "Review of vaginal birth after primary cesarean section without prostaglandin induction and or syntocinon augmentation in labor," Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, July 2009.
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