Long Labors May be Needed
No one likes a long labor but it is often beneficial to mothers.
Long labors are not uncommon, especially with first babies. Here are some of my personal experiences with longer labors.
It is not uncommon for several of my doula clients each year to have very long labors. By today's standards, that may mean anything more than 8 hours. The truth is that not many women labor spontaneously (without being induced or augmented with pitocin) in a shorter period of time than a typical work day.
In today's "quick fix" society, very few mothers are "left alone" to labor without artificially speeding up the labor pattern with pitocin. In fact, a national survey reveals that pitocin is used in the majority of births in the US today.
What has happened is that any labor that takes longer is considered to be a complication. Care providers push pitocin as a way to speed up long labors and mothers who do not want to use pitocin often have to fight for it. The reality is that pitocin not only alters the course of labor but makes labor more painful and introduces other interventions such as continuous monitoring.
I have noticed that there are a few situations when pitocin and/or an epidural can be helpful, especially if the mother is losing steam after many days of laboring. However these situations are few and far between. Mothers can benefit greatly from staying at home, eating, drinking, resting, taking walks, showering and/or tub baths with an occasional period check on the baby at the birth center or hospital when they are having a long labor. See my article on Long Labors for more information about why letting nature take its course is often the best strategy.
Did you have a long labor? Did you have a choice about using or not using pitocin? Share your story with us.
Warmly,
Brenda
