Why is Pit started on spontaneous labor?

[Katie71275]

I'm a new nurse and plan to ask my preceptor when I'm back at work Thursday as well, but for now.....I don't understand why someone who comes in with spont. labor would need Pit? (aside from "failure to progress". I work at a teaching facility and there is a clinic inside the hospital and I've seen many patients come in from the clinic to be "admitted for monitoring" who are a fingertip/1cm dilated. Some of them ARE having contractions. Have things changed? I thought that if you weren't dilated but were contracting, but baby was fine, you would get sent home until criteria was met (ctx 3-5mins apart, water breaks, etc)....

Thanks!

[MommyandRN]

I agree it's overused. With my own children, it was needed for two of them (induction). However, with the one pregnancy I arrived at 6 cm after laboring at home. They put me on pit bc the one doctor's call was over at 8 am and wanted to see me out. I agreed on the pit only if I could have an epidural. Had both, and guess what, the baby was born on the other doctor's shift anyway (after 8 am). The epidural and my lying in bed is what probably slowed it down. I had been laboring at home okay walking around and should have just stuck with my own way.

[OB-nurse2013, BSN, RN]

We don't augment everyone's labor with Pitocin. It is used to augment labor for different reasons, sometimes the contractions have really spaced out for a long period of time or sometimes the pt. may not be making adequate change so it may be used. There are a variety of reasons. I think it may be a bit over used but that's probably in the list of many things that I don't always agree with in L&D. There are times it is necessary though.