Birth and Babies

Induction is the term used for artificially starting the labor process.  This is used for babies that are “post dates” or “late”, are expected to get too large before the expected due date, are experiencing certain complications (either mom or baby), or for moms who want to plan the date of their baby’s birth.  As with everything that changes the course of nature, induction certainly has its side effects.

As a general rule, induction should only be used when absolutely necessary to protect the mother and baby.  It carries serious risk and can create additional problems.

There are a variety of ways labor can be induced.  It is a great idea to study up on induction while pregnant so you are aware of your options and the process should this happen to you.

Here are some questions you should ask, when faced with the suggestion of an induction from your care provider:

Questions to ask before an induction: 1.   Why is this being recommended?2.   What are the benefits of inducing labor and what are the possible risks?3.   Is this something that I need to make a decision about now or can I have time to think about it and discuss it with my partner?4.   Are there ways that I can get more information about how my baby is doing? 5.   What is my time frame?6.   If I did agree to the induction, how would it be done?7.   If I did agree to the induction, would I be able to use a telemetry unit?  Would I be able to move around, use the shower or get into the labor tub?

8. If Pitocin is used, would we be able to turn it off once the labor got active and see if I could continue laboring without it?
9. What are my options?

This entry was posted on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 7:33 pm and is filed under Birth, Complications, Intervention, Pregnancy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.