Induction Reduction

I recently watched the documentary series "More Business of Being Born" and it made me think yet again about how birth begins. Do you know? Let me explain.

Your body is working very hard to support your baby right now. Not only have you grown an entirely new organ (the placenta) you are getting ready to make milk for when baby is born. You might feel excitement about the upcoming birth, or a little trepidation that you aren't ready and can't quite keep a good handle on time.

There is nothing wrong with you! As luck would have it, you're not supposed to decide when your baby is born. You're not supposed to have ANY IDEA! Women in my class are frequently frustrated when they don't "feel" any different once they hit the magical 40 week "due date" marker. The dirty secret? Women have never known (and neither have men). 

In the "old system" (and by old system, I mean the one used from 3.3 million years ago until about 100 years ago) went like this:
Miss a period? 
Count nine moons. (yes, actual moons. Like full moons. In the sky).
Sometime between the ninth and tenth moon, you'll have a baby!

I'm sure that ancient and not-so-ancient women all gazed at the moon and cursed the sky when they started to feel really uncomfortable. But they had only one option: wait.

So if you don't decide, who does? There is something on the border of science and magic that happens when baby is ready to be born. Baby moves into a good position, pressing his head against your cervix. Some complex chemical changes start to happen in his body once he is ready to start breathing. Those changes signal your uterus to start contracting, and once things really get moving your water may break and baby will slide down even further.

Under normal circumstances, baby decides, mama goes into labor and all is well! Occasionally, there are unusual circumstances, like an illness that mama has or some signs of fetal distress that warrant an earlier birthday. Thank goodness we live in a time when we have so many options when something goes wrong!

So what's the deal with induction? You probably have friends who have had their labors induced for a variety of reasons. Some doctors will offer an induction even before your due date, and for a mama who is uncomfortable, this can sound like a great option. However, labor that is chemically induced can cause incredibly intense contractions that are very painful for you and baby. You can get an epidural, but your baby will not get any pain relief from it.

It is worth asking some questions before you decide that an induction is right for you.

1. How will an induction affect my labor? I've heard it can make it much more painful and possibly more dangerous for me. What are your thoughts?
2. What are the possible effects for my baby? I've heard that babies who aren't ready to be born have more difficulty breathing and breastfeeding, and that the induction process is more traumatic for my baby.
3. Is there a medical reason why I should consider an induction now rather than waiting until I am 42 weeks?
4. I've heard that there are many ways of inducing labor. Can you please tell me about my options?

This is a great time to use your B.R.A.I.N.:
What are the BENEFITS of induction (for me and baby)?
What are the RISKS of induction (for me and baby)?
What are the ALTERNATIVES to induction?
What does MY INTUITION tell me about this decision?
What would happen if we were to do NOTHING right now? When would we need to decide?

Want to read more? Check out the Mayo Clinic's article about Induction.

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