"Make sure to get induced...everyone does it!"

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 26, 2011

Depends entirely on the hospital and the physician. There are absolutely some hospitals and physicians that schedule all their patients for inductions at 39 weeks (sometimes even 38 weeks, but that has become less common since the position paper came out a year or two ago).

Other hospitals and physicians won't induce unless there is a true medical indication, or the mother is post-dates (and I don't mean 40 weeks, but 41+ or 42 weeks).

I've worked at both types of facilities, and many that fall somewhere in the spectrum.

I am in favor of doing it as naturally as possible, and that means not inducing labor for convenience or frivolous reasons.

LouisVRN, RN · Oct 26, 2011

I'm not an OB nurse, but as a mom who has had both an induction and a natural delivery (this past week) I did want to weight in on the subject. I had several other friends who were also pregnant and delivered within the last couple months. Out of the 5 of us 4 had c-sections. While I understand that there are many medical reasons that require c-section it seemed like an awfully high percentage that 80% required a c-section. As soon as I hit 38-39 weeks everyone began asking me when my "doctor" was going to induce me. Whether it was because my baby was measuring LGA or because I was nearing my due date I had to reassure my friends and family that this did not require an induction. My family was extremely concerned that I was going to have a midwife as my attending and that there was not going to be a doctor in the room. They also told me "take everything they will give you" in regards to medications after I had made the decision to try natural childbirth known.

My induction was a horrible experience, especially as a first time mom. I was in "labor" for 48 hours, ended up with AROM and an epidural and as such pushed for another 4 hours. My induction was minutes from ending in a c-section. My son had to be in the NICU for 5 days (although as I was induced for medical reasons I can not say this was a direct result of the induction, although I do believe as he was having late decels he was 'stressed' by the prolonged labor). I ended up feeling completely not in control of my labor or of my first son. My natural childbirth on the other hand was entirely the opposite experience. I felt incredibly empowered and felt confident that this was what my body was meant to do and could do it without intervention.

I feel that labor and delivery is probably the only time healthy people come to the hospital and they should be treated as such with as few interventions as neccessary to ensure a good outcome for mom and baby. As a friend I would encourage "Annabeth" to research all her options including the incidence of c-section with unnecessary induction of a first-time mom.

fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN · Oct 26, 2011

I'm not an OB nurse, but as a mom who has had both an induction and a natural delivery (this past week) I did want to weight in on the subject. I had several other friends who were also pregnant and delivered within the last couple months. Out of the 5 of us 4 had c-sections. While I understand that there are many medical reasons that require c-section it seemed like an awfully high percentage that 80% required a c-section. As soon as I hit 38-39 weeks everyone began asking me when my "doctor" was going to induce me. Whether it was because my baby was measuring LGA or because I was nearing my due date I had to reassure my friends and family that this did not require an induction. My family was extremely concerned that I was going to have a midwife as my attending and that there was not going to be a doctor in the room. They also told me "take everything they will give you" in regards to medications after I had made the decision to try natural childbirth known.
My induction was a horrible experience, especially as a first time mom. I was in "labor" for 48 hours, ended up with AROM and an epidural and as such pushed for another 4 hours. My induction was minutes from ending in a c-section. My son had to be in the NICU for 5 days (although as I was induced for medical reasons I can not say this was a direct result of the induction, although I do believe as he was having late decels he was 'stressed' by the prolonged labor). I ended up feeling completely not in control of my labor or of my first son. My natural childbirth on the other hand was entirely the opposite experience. I felt incredibly empowered and felt confident that this was what my body was meant to do and could do it without intervention.
I feel that labor and delivery is probably the only time healthy people come to the hospital and they should be treated as such with as few interventions as neccessary to ensure a good outcome for mom and baby. As a friend I would encourage "Annabeth" to research all her options including the incidence of c-section with unnecessary induction of a first-time mom.

could not have said this better myself. a million kudos. :yeah:

PNCC2001 · Oct 26, 2011

Inductions for non-medical reasons are way too common and involve many risks. It is amazing that adult women who have conceived a baby in the privacy of their bedroom are dictated to in regard to how to deliver that baby; and it is accepted as normal by the public and medical professionals alike.

snazzy-jazzy, BSN, RN · Oct 26, 2011

I would never recommend my friends have an induction, far from it actually. It just begins the cascade of medical interventions.

snazzy-jazzy, BSN, RN · Oct 26, 2011

Actually I am just writting up one of my follow through births. Amazing, no drugs, she birthed her baby standing up beside the bed, she walked around and rocked during the labour so she could move her posterior baby (she just instinctively did the rocking manouvres), and she delivered the placenta without synt (or pit I think you guys call it across the pond). She left the hospital 4 hours later with her family and went home.

She was 2 days overdue, now if she was induced when her body wasn't ready to give birth, well who knows... for a start she would most likely have needed pain relief, depending on how strong the synt made her contractions she may have even wanted an epidural. Which would have stuck her to the bed. As it was an induction with synt would have seen her with a CTG and continual fetal monitoring rather than the intermittent FHR monitoring that she had.

LouisVRN, RN · Oct 26, 2011

Totally agree with snazzy. My induction was 48 hours my natural labor was less than 12, pushing with the first was over 4 hours with the second was less than 30 minutes, granted it was my second but I really would never wish an induction on anyone. The being figuratively tethered to the bed with an induction contributes to how difficult making it through the contractions without pain medications. Both of my children were posterior however by listening to my body with my second one I was able to get him to turn during labor.

talaxandra · Oct 26, 2011

I've got friends who would have loved to be induced but in my (second-hand) experience it's rare here unless the fetus is in distress, the mother's at risk, or gestation's over 42 and a half weeks.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Oct 26, 2011

Induction defiantly increases the risk of complications.

Although ultrasound is a tool by what we measure dates it is an approximate or estimate date of delivery. A date given to a pregnant woman is not a date set in stone.

Women go into a normal labor anywhere from 38-42 weeks which is a huge window.

I believe unless there are complications and we need to get the baby out, we should leave women alone to go naturally into labor with minimum interventions.

Of course a lot of woman I looked after when I was a midwife want to be induced because they are sick of being pregnant especially those last few weeks when they are so uncomfortable.

In the UK if I remember correctly being induced increased the chances of a C section by over 35%

grandee3 · Oct 26, 2011

Congrats Louis, you mentioned that you have a boy, did you get a girl this time? :yeah:

njmomstudent · Oct 26, 2011

Heck no. OMG. Pitocin is evil. I have seen some people do wonderful with an induction, but I sure didn't. As far as the nurse telling her she can pick her baby's birthday... that's ridiculous. Some inductions take days. Mine started at 2000 monday and I didn't have her until 1830 wednesday. If her body isn't ready, then its going to be a long horrible process.