Is it Okay to Have Labour Induced?

Mums, towards the end of your pregnancy you will probably be desperately uncomfortable physically, and anxious to finally meet your baby. It is so hard to wait out those last few days till labour begins, particularly if your pregnancy has gone past your estimated due date.

Some mums begin to feel that they would prefer to start labour with an induction for the sake of convenience (knowing the exact day of the start of your labour) or for the sake of relieving the physical discomfort they may be experiencing.

I want to encourage you to allow your labour to begin on its own. It is now suspected by researchers, that when the baby has reached the stage where it is ready to live outside of the uterus it releases a tiny amount of a substance that signals the mother's hormones to begin labour. By inducing labour, we begin to mess with this "feto-placental" clock and run the risk of the baby being born prematurely. It is important to remember that your due date is only an estimation, and the actual due date of the baby could fall anywhere within 2 weeks on either side of the date you have been given. If labour is induced before your estimated due date and the actual due date is closer to 2 weeks after the given date, your baby will be born prematurely and may face some of the challenges of a premature infant.

Induction is not a risk-free procedure. An induced labour is more likely to end in a Caesarean section than a spontaneous onset of labour. This is especially true in first time mothers.

Induced labours seem to elicit contractions that peak sooner and remain intense for longer and may therefore be experienced as more painful than labours allowed to begin naturally.

An induced labour will be continuously electronically monitored and an IV will be inserted in most cases. This will restrict your movement drastically and impair your ability to use the self-help and comfort techniques that you may have wanted to use.

Having a very large baby is also not a medical reason for induction. Also, ultrasound is not good at predicting which babies are very large. As much as 70% of women who are told they are carrying very large babies, through ultrasound diagnosis, are actually carrying normal weight babies.

Induction also carries the increased risk of forceps or vacuum assisted delivery, increased risk of neonatal jaundice and the increased likelihood that mum will use drugs or epidural for pain relief.

Induction also doubles a woman's risk of for a rare but life-threatening condition called amniotic fluid embolism, where amniotic fluid enters the woman's blood stream, and is often fatal.

I must point out that there are cases where induction is indicated for medical reasons. These include: prolonged pregnancy (pregnancy lasting over 42 weeks), prolonged ruptured membranes (once the membranes have ruptured there is a risk of infection so there is the commitment to deliver the baby, usually within 24 hours), foetal growth retardation in utero and particular maternal illnesses like Pregnancy Induced Hypertension or Diabetes.

If you are DESPERATE for baby to come, there are some things you can try to induce labour naturally:

* Long walks (30 minutes or more)
* Acupressure
* Enemas or Castor oil: stimulating the bowel to contract can irritate the uterus and cause it to contract, sometimes bringing on progressing labour contractions.
* Orgasm: also causes the uterus to contract and may bring on progressing contractions.
* Intercourse: semen contains a substance that affects the cervix, causing it to ripen and efface.
* Nipple stimulation: good to go on the advice of your caregiver with this one.
* Herbal and homeopathic preparations

Remember, that the safety of most herbal and homeopathic preparations in pregnancy has not been established.

ALWAYS, make an informed decision when it comes to induction.

Kerry