What to Expect When You Are Induced
Medications and Procedures to Help with Labor and Delivery
Sep 10, 2008
Every delivery is as unique as each baby that is born. While every doctor and hospital has their own preferred methods, there are some fairly common standards of practice as to when and how labor is induced.
Many practitioners consider the ideal situation for a mom-to-be to be dilated to three centimeters before heading off to the delivery, although this can very from person to person and doctor to doctor.
Upon arrival and when labor is started, the mother is usually given Pitocin through an I.V. if assistance is needed for helping the delivery progress. Pitocin makes the contractions stronger and more effective to the point where they may make you dilate more.
Medications Used During Labor
Once contractions have begun to intensify and if you have chosen to use medication for some relief, medications can be added to the I.V. Oral analgesics like Statol or Nubane might be given, or an epidural if you choose.
- Pitocin is a synthetic form of our own oxytocin, a contraction-causing hormone. Pitocin speeds up labor by making contractions stronger and more frequent. According to Dr.Spock.com, the synthetic form is usually begun at a low dose, and increased every 15-60 minutes until normal labor patterns begin.
- Pain medication like Nubane and Statol are helpful, but can have side effects on both mother and baby. If you opt to take an analgesic, you and baby will probably both be monitored for blood pressure changes and other things. Other side effects include nausea and drowsiness, even for baby. This type of medication can also slow down the labor and dilation, even if the Pitocin is trying to speed it up. So more Pitocin may be required.
- Epidurals will usually require you to be already dilated to between 4-8 cm. If you have an epidural, you and baby both need to be constantly monitored. The epidural also requires Mom stay put in the bed as she will be numb from the waist down. By contrast, walking around upright speeds up labor. So laying still and horizontal can make the labor process longer. Again, sometimes more Pitocin is added in that case.
Other Procedures and Considerations
Another aspect of epidurals is that usually a catheter must be used to relieve your bladder. Some moms don’t like this option either, but it’s necessary if you are numb below the waist.
If you are induced and your water has not yet broken, some doctors will do what is called an amniotomy, where a long crochet-hook device is inserted and your doctor breaks it for you. This is usually painless. Once the water breaks, Mom starts losing her amniotic fluid around the baby. If you haven’t delivered within 24 hours after an amniotomy, a caesarean section will probably be scheduled because the baby is more at risk for getting infection after that time. While more common, C-Sections should normally account for 15 percent or less in most deliveries, accoring to the World Health Organization.
Delivery and Beyond
Once labor is active, things usually progress and normal labor continues. Pitocin is reduced as the body takes over your natural rhythm and you move from the first stage, active labor, into the second, also called latent stage, of delivery and birth.
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