Search Results for: blog when labor needs to be induced

Waiting for Labor

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One of my friends is very close to delivery. We were talking the other night about signs of impending labor and I began to reflect on my own experience. Every woman’s story is different, but I have noticed that first babies tend to take their sweet time getting ready. I delivered on a Monday, but my contractions started on the Wednesday prior. It gets stressful when you can’t figure out whether you’re experiencing the real thing or simply false labor. After all, there’s nothing false about false labor. It still hurts, it just doesn’t lead to any progress. Unless you’ve … Continue reading →

C-Section Rates Are Higher Than Ever

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I can’t believe how common cesarean sections are these days. According to an article published on businessweek.com, nearly one in three deliveries are via c-section. That is a scary number. Women’s bodies are meant to delivery vaginally and cesareans should only be performed in emergencies. The fact that the cesarean rate is approaching one third means something is seriously wrong with our health care system. Cesareans are more likely to happen when labor is induced. Unfortunately, induction is happening with more and more frequency, and for all the wrong reasons. The general rule of thumb when it comes to labor … Continue reading →

ICP: Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy

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Yesterday I blogged about PUPPP, a pregnancy-related skin rash that causes intense itching on the skin and usually appears on the abdomen first. Another pregnancy related condition that causes intense itching is Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy, or ICP. As I mentioned yesterday, ICP is a much more serious condition that involves the liver’s ability to secret bile. When bile backs up in the liver, bile acids in the bloodstream increase and deposit in the skin. The bile acid deposits cause extreme itching. Unlike PUPPP, ICP does not cause a skin rash. Another difference between the two conditions is where the … Continue reading →

Induction: What to Expect

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During my pregnancy, I had no reason to expect that I would have to be induced other than the fact that my mom did. But since the doctor assured me that wasn’t necessarily an indicator that I would need an induction as well, I assumed I would go into labor naturally. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I did, in fact, end up needing an induction. It was intimidating because I did not know what to expect and I was terrified of the IV. Those pesky little IV’s are pretty much mandatory … Continue reading →

Pitocin

Occasionally it becomes necessary to medically induce labor. A women might appear to be “stuck” in latent labor, she may be too far past her estimated due date, her blood pressure might be too high (hypertension), or the baby might be experiencing fetal distress. Sometimes the reasons are not medical in nature. If a woman is full term and her preferred doctor is going to be out of town, she might be induced so her doctor is able to deliver the baby. I have also heard of pregnant women being induced so their husbands can attend the birth while they … Continue reading →

More Evidence Against Routine Induction

A growing number of doctors have been advocating routine inductions in their patients. In some practices, this is standard procedure at 41 weeks. It was for my OB, but fortunately, I went into labor 8 days late, on the day I was to go in to “discuss” induction. In other practices, doctors routinely induce patients for various reasons, including the belief the baby is growing too large, there is low fluid or the mother is diabetic. Natural birth advocates and many midwives have long warned against routine inductions. They cite several problems that can arise from routine induction. Many worry … Continue reading →

How Common is Uterine Rupture?

I have heard countless women say online that their doctors don’t recommend VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) due to the risk of uterine rupture. In fact, every single woman I know in real life who had one c section was told the same thing by their physicians. This made me wonder how common is a uterine rupture? What is the real risk? Is this a big risk after one c section or a scare tactic? So I decided to do a bit of research. The language used by doctors certainly sounds scary. I’ve had friends told that if they attempt … Continue reading →

Mom Does Hubby a Great Favor and Gives Birth Early

My husband may win Superdad of the Year award–he’s great. But I have to say, he most certainly did not start out that way. For each of my singleton births, my husband got progressively worse. He did everything from saying: “Oh honey, you can push harder. It can’t be that difficult,” to asking me to wait before I had a contraction because after all. . .he was busy watching Sports Center on ESPN! The only reason he was not this way at the birth of the twins is that I explained to him in no uncertain terms that he had … Continue reading →