Pitocin use

cmonkey · May 11, 2008

Hazarding a guess: managed labor (Friedman curve) gives docs a sense of control over a process that is essentially wild and uncontrolled. I also think it's bunk, but I'm a homebirther, so take that with a giant grain of salt.

FWIW, I didn't have pit with DD until 3rd stage (and they didn't ask/tell me before giving it, which peeved me no end).

CEG · May 11, 2008

It's pretty common where I am, but I would say 90% of people are induced, so it probably is necessary. There was study in Ireland where they found that if they gave Pitocin to everyone in labor they cut down labors to less than 12 hours and reduced the c/s rate. What they didn't include was that they only admitted people at 4cm+ in spontaneous labor and every patient had one on one midwifery care so we are not exactly replicating the study in our hospitals.

Someone at my school is doing a doctoral dissertation on the effects of pitocin which I will be very interested in when it is done. We give it pretty much indiscriminately and it is a pretty important chemical in many body systems.

ETA: in case you couldn't tell it bothers me too. I am having a hombirth with my current pregnancy and a major consideration is having an "unfooled around with" labor." So what if labor stalls as long as baby and mom are tolerating it?

Belinda-wales, RN · May 13, 2008

It's pretty common where I am, but I would say 90% of people are induced, so it probably is necessary. There was study in Ireland where they found that if they gave Pitocin to everyone in labor they cut down labors to less than 12 hours and reduced the c/s rate. What they didn't include was that they only admitted people at 4cm+ in spontaneous labor and every patient had one on one midwifery care so we are not exactly replicating the study in our hospitals.
Someone at my school is doing a doctoral dissertation on the effects of pitocin which I will be very interested in when it is done. We give it pretty much indiscriminately and it is a pretty important chemical in many body systems.
ETA: in case you couldn't tell it bothers me too. I am having a hombirth with my current pregnancy and a major consideration is having an "unfooled around with" labor." So what if labor stalls as long as baby and mom are tolerating it?

The Use of Pitocin in America is horredous - You can find any studies to support your work if you look hard enough -I came from a hospital(UK) that did twice as many births as where I work now the pit use was I would say less than a third -of the hospital I work in now and LSCS rate was less- Using pitocin has got nothing to do with making labour shorter for women and eveything to do with control for doctors- the USA has a high rate of 9-5 births how convient that fits in with office hours!

OzMW · May 13, 2008

It's pretty common where I am, but I would say 90% of people are induced, so it probably is necessary. quote]
90% WOW! Its no wonder there is so much belief in the US that a woman can't labour safely without an IV and CEFM! If the IOL rate is that high then too right they can't...... That is beyond belief...our units IOL rate is about 25% which I believe is too high!
Is there a reason? Our private hospitals have high IOL rates presumably because the obs believe it is easier to manage all those women during the day rather than have 'em labouring in the middle of the night. :(
By the way whats your PPH rate?
PS CEG my heart goes out to you! Go the homebirth I say................

christine_chapel · May 13, 2008

We use pitocin for the vast majority of our moms because of inductions.

Some beg their doctors for inductions starting at 34 weeks. Others come in for an induction - "so why are you being induced?" "I dunno, doctor's choice I guess" (at 38 wks gestation no less)

we have lots of FTP c-sections, imo.

cc

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · May 13, 2008

Don't even get me started on unnecessary Pit and IOLs. :madface:

Belinda-wales, RN · May 14, 2008

Don't even get me started on unnecessary Pit and IOLs.

Dito:cry:

RNmama05 · May 14, 2008

Because L&D units exist to get women delivered. Once a woman is delivered doctors don't have to worry about her any more.

I'm not condoning this way of thinking; it's just my observation about the way things are.

Reading through many threads, many people have made staterments that "everyone gets pitocin" It's just made me curious as to why? At the hospital I work at we only start pitocin if needed. Like ROM without labor after 12 hours or so. Or progress slows. Things like that. When I asked a nurse at work she called it labor management and that it cut down on c/s but this doesn't make sense to me. Please inform me on the logic?