Pitocin or Not?

I had pitocin with my first and third deliveries. I know that it was a little intense, but I forgot all about it once they were here. Honestly, if I had another baby, I'd do pitocin again if needed.

I would avoid an induction unless there is a compelling reason.

Induction is a risky procedure. The risks are increased from a spontaneous labor and include: infection, hemorrhage, fetal intolerance of labor, fetal malposition, forceps/vacuum delivery, increased anesthesia use, increased episiotomies, increased tearing, 50% higher risk of c-section. The baby is more likely to suffer breathing difficulties and have an intensive care nursery admission.

Pitocin is a synthetic version of the body's natural hormone, oxytocin. We don't know exactly what causes the body to go into labor. There is no benefit to you or your baby by having the induction but plenty of risks.

Doctors like to schedule inductions for their own convenience. They have you come in early in the morning, start your induction, and you either deliver or they section you by 5:00 pm so they can be home in time for dinner. They avoid coming in at night or on the weekends. I am a nurse in OB, trust me!

By the way, ultrasound is unreliable at estimating fetal weight at term, considered to be +/- 25% accurate. I am guessing your doc has ordered this ultrasound to have a reason to talk you into induction. Try telling him you are not interested in an ultrasound and see his reaction- I am guessing he will try to scare you into it. The National Institute of Health actually does not recommend ultrasound at all for low risk pregnant women because it does not improve outcomes.

Even if the ultrasound found the baby to be very large (which wouldn't be accurate anyway) the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend inducing because of a big baby because it doesn't improve outcomes at all. And there's no way to tell how big of a baby your body can delivery until you try. You are more likely to have a vaginal delivery of a large baby if you go into labor on your own than if you induce.

As for the dates and the baby being "ready," if the baby was ready then pregnancy would be 39 weeks. Pregnancy lasts as long as it does for a reason.

Here is a link to the March of Dimes website on induction: http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21239_20203.asp Currently they are trying to reduce unnecessary inductions and scheduled c-sections because of the complications for babies.

J.,

Is there a serious medical reason to do this? Are there signs of pre-eclampsia, etc.? There might be situations where pitocin could be used instead of a Caesesarin like in the case where a mom is truly overdue by more than two weeks. Do you know for sure the date of conception? For instance, did you take your basal body temp during the conception cycle? It is possible for your baby to be quite a bit younger than you might think even with all the ultrasounds and testing.

If there is no good medical reason to induce, why not give your baby the gift of an unmedicated birth? It sounds as if your previous labor experience was rather short.

My twins were induced. The doctor accidentally broke my water during an exam and labor did not start. So within 24 hours they said I needed to be induced. It was easy for me, but dangerous for my twins. It was like one long contraction. Their heart rates declined at the end. The pit drip fell out of my arm leaving a puddle on the floor and no one could figure out why labor had stopped. NO, pitocin doesn't guarantee that labor will take off on its own. I had to have the pit drip the whole time. When the IV drip fell out, labor stopped cold. They used forceps on the first twin and then punched down unbelieavably h*** o* my stomach to push the second twin out. And then they were going to put me out to manually remove the placenta! It was then that my husband saw the puddle. They rehooked the IV and I delivered the placenta.

Also, it was obvious that the twins were a bit more premature than the doc's calculation. Supposedly, they were only two weeks early. They sounded like tiny kittens when they were born and were in respiratory distress. We went on to have four more children, much wiser. Some were born at home and those were by far the best.

I guess maybe ask yourself if there is no maternal or fetal distress, is this is for the doctor's or your convenience. Doesn't everybody deserve to be born on the day they should be born? It only happens once.

Best,
Cathy

I did not have a negative experience with petocin but it seems that your other posts are stronger AGAINST it than I am FOR it. I think any medication has its risks and the risks should outweigh the benefits. I, too, delivered my children in a relatively quick time frame, each about 3 1/2 hours. Don't know if my first (with petocin) would have been that quick. With my second child, I was not given any medication. (not totally my choice - the labor part just clicked along at a quicker pace than anticipated - I just kept the mentality that "gravity is my friend!" and used that rocking chair that they gave me.) I truly felt good afterwards.

A Newborn baby is a lovely way to welcome Spring! Best of luck to you!

The way I describe taking petocin to people is this: When you use a crobar to pry open steal doors, its very intense. When you let the steal doors open with a lock & key its less intense. I dont know if this helps you but my first was completely natural & 4 hours labor (3hours at home & 1 hour in the hospital). With my 2nd I had petocin & I was miserable. I didnt plan on an epidural but I was in major pain so I got it after holding out for 4 hours then he was born an hour later.

Good luck with your decision

My first child I had a 26 1/2 hour labor. I got to see the morning nurses twice (I was stuck at 7 with her sunny side up). My second delivery pit was used to induce early because my son was getting too large to deliver. I delivered in 5 1/2 hrs almost natural (I gave in to an epidural the last hour). It went so smooth. It was quick and my body remembered what to do. I think once you have had a baby your body will go into automatic mode. I bet you will deliver fast and easy. I would not be afraid. Use your lamaze breathing and your baby will be in be in your arms before you know it. Do not be afraid. Most horror stories are new moms who have not been there done that. Your body will remember. Good luck and I wish a healthy speedy delivery. Oh one thing when you feel like pushing because it will sneak up on you inist you get checked. Chances are you will be delivering. Even if you were just checked.

I used pitocin with both deliveries. It speeds up contractions and moves the process along faster, I got an epidural with both, so I have no real complaints!

I strongly encourage you to get a second opinion if you doctor suggests petocin anywhere before 41 weeks. He may have estimated your due-date in correctly and the baby may not be ready to come yet! Please, let nature take it's course and unless there is an urgent medical need for the baby to come quickly, wait it out. Women have been giving birth for so many years without inducing it. Have you ever heard of a woman walking around with a baby in her tummy for years?

Best of luck to you - do what feels good and right to you. I just cannot believe your doctor would suggest that at 39 weeks! Best wishes!

My labor started naturally w/ my 1st. I was induced w/ my 2nd b/c I was 5 days late. I struggled w/ the decision to induce, as I like things to be more natural. In retrospect, I'm glad I induced b/c there was meconium in the water & since I was 5 days late, the baby didn't gain any extra benefits by staying in longer, and there were actually risks with keeping her in. So, I induced, had a 6 hours labor w/ 1/2 hour of pushing. My opinion...I would not induce for no reason. In my case, the dr. was concerned w/ the baby being in too long, as she has seen cases of bad things happening when the baby goes too far past the due date. If nothing happens by your due date, schedule an induction for 5 days out. Maybe you'll go into labor on your own b/4 then, but if not, you have something scheduled. The pitocin made the contractions closer together & stronger. They are more intense w/ pitocin, and the fact that they're closer together makes it worse. However, I toughed through it w/ no pain medication & I didn't get the epidural until 8cm (w/ my 1st I was 9 1/2 cm). Since your 1st labor was short, I'd guess your 2nd would be short as well (my 1st was 8 hrs, my 2nd w/ pitocin was 6). Ask the dr. his concerns. Just don't induce for the sake of inducing (I think dr's induce way too often). However, if you're approaching a week late, I personally would induce. Good luck!

I just read your response..."another reason my doctor said I should be induced is that after 38 weeks the placenta starts to break down and the amniotic fluid lowers, increasing the risk of strangulation." Wow, the dr. sounds like he's trying to push you one way. My son was 3 days late, my daughter 5 days. They are both fine. I would let your due date come & not induce 2 wks. early. I would also get a different dr. :-)

Hi J.:

I will give you my personal experience with the delivery of my only child at this point. I did not deliver until 41.5 weeks. My doctor was prepared to let me go until 42 weeks and then induce only if necessary. At 41.5 weeks labor began at 4:00am. I checked into the hospital at 1:00pm. Around 5:00pm my labor slowed down and my doctor recommended petocin since my baby was already 10 days late. I agreed as long as I was assured we would work with the lowest possible dose that would speed up my labor. Well it worked and my son was born at 8:00pm. For me the only downside was due to the fast rise in labor pain, I opted for an epidural (which was definitely not my plan), as the pain got really intense in a short period of time. Best of luck to you!!

I had a very good experience with pitocin and with the "being induced" experience for my two pregnancies. I was induced on my due date with my first child and at 39 weeks with my second child. My doctor suggested, given my age (38 and 39), that we not wait since, as your doctor said, the placenta starts to break down and that there can be other problems with advanced maternal aged women. Both nights, before my scheduled induction, I started to panic and question my decision but in the end I was happy with how things went. I decided to trust my doctor and his opinion on it all. I was given pitocin and once the contractions started I had an epidural. I hung out all day reading and comfortably waiting for things to happen. About 12 hours after receiving the pitocin, the baby was ready and I pushed 3 or 4 times and out he came (both times). I have two happy and healthy boys age 2 and 7 months. For me it was an amazing and pain-free experience and I am grateful for my doctor's care and advice. Good luck in making your decision and I hope that all goes well for you.

This is only my experience - I was induced at 40 weeks due to gestational diabetes. The pitocin did ramp up the contractions but I still only ever dilated to 3 cm and had a c-section after hours of induced labor.

A normal pregnancy can be up to 42 weeks. If you don't want to be induced, let your body do what it was designed for. Your doctor can break your water bag for a more natural induction. You can also try massage to induce.

Hi J.,
Although I respect all the experiences and opinions of all the other women who responded, I believe some of them may be slightly misinformed. My doctor would not schedule an induction with pitocin prior to 40 weeks if I were not already dilated to some degree.
To wait for "mother-nature" to begin labor or to say that your baby will tell you when it's ready, is not always realistic. Yes, women have had babies for years without inductions, but how many were born stillborn or with the mother passing away. Today's measures have decreased those numbers astronomically, I'm sure.
Then to say that pitocin is bad, but ask for an epidural, makes no sense to me. Pitocin will bring on labor, fast and hard. I CHOSE to be induced with both my children, not for convenience or scheduling reasons. The women in my family are known to have LARGE babies, 9 lbs.+. After around 38 weeks, your baby is gaining fat reserves, so it is most likely ready to be born.
I was five days past my due date with my first child, but was 3 cm dilated for three weeks with no sign of contractions. My labor lasted just under four hours, 45 min. was pushing. I did not have an epidural or even local anesthetic of any kind. I got through it with my Lamaze breathing. The pain hits a point when it doesn't get any worse, it turns into pressure. I had no complications and no tearing. I asked for an ibuprofen a couple hours afterwards.
With my second, I scheduled an induction five days prior to her due date. I was huge and I knew my baby would be fine. I had a drug-free (other than pitocin), natural delivery again in under four hours with less than 15 min. of pushing. Again, no complications or tearing.
I don't think that I'm "special" to have done this. I went into labor saying that I wasn't making any promises to anyone when it came to pain management. I put my trust in the doctors, but always stayed educated and informed.
Not to scare you, but I have a friend who was allowed to carry until 42 weeks. She went to labor on her own, but her beautiful daughter was born stillborn. They suspect that her fluids were low. This was probably 20 years ago, but she advised me to "Just do it! Your baby alive and healthy is what's most important!" I took her advice, and I will never regret any decision to be induced.
That is my experience.
Good Luck. Childbirth is a beautiful experience. Ask the doctor all these questions. They will answer honestly, and not schedule an induction for convenience, but for the safety of you and your baby.

I went into labor spontaneously with my first 4 days before the due date. My water broke in the middle of the night and 4 hours later she was born. With my second I decided to be induced on the due date, unless I went into labor sooner (but I didn't). They gave me pitocin and after about an hour, I was only having little contractions. They decided to break my water and within 10 minutes I was in full labor. I decided to have an epidural and 40 minutes later she was born. Everyone will have a different experience, but I think if you had a quick labor the first time, you will the second time also. I could have been induced at 39 weeks also, but I wanted it to happen naturally so I thought I would at least wait until the due date. Hope this helps!

I have three children. I went into labor on my own with the first and was induced with pitocin with the second and third. I really didn't notice any difference. My first labor, without pitocin, was very fast. I was much more relaxed with the next two, since the amount of pitocin was monitored and thus the rate of my labor could be controlled. I wasn't induced with the second two children until after my due date though. I'm not sure if being induced early has a different effect. Good luck.

I was induced when my son decided to take his sweet time making his appearance. (turns out he had a BM in the womb, and he was pretty grey when he was born...so I was very thankful we decided to not wait for him to come naturally)
The contractions do come faster and get to a higher intensity at a faster interval than if you were going natural. I had planned on getting an epidural anyway, so I needed to get that a bit sooner. But my son was born very quickly after that. I myself had no complications, and after being carefully checked out and monitored by the specialists..my son was perfect as well. Good luck!

Hi J.

I had petocin since my water broke and it was not that bad...are you having an epidural? If so...once the bad cramps strated they put in the epidural and I was totally fine...the cramps just come out of nowhere and if you are prepared and know that it is nothing you can't handle!

I've had pitocin for both of my deliveries because my water broke and I had to deliver within 24 hours or else risk infection. I had no complications with either delivery. Even if you chose not to use pitocin now, if your water breaks, they'll probably put you on it. My labors were 10 and 11 hours, but that's considered pretty average. 5 1/2 is wonderful, of course. If your check-up shows nothing abnormal (normal amounts of amniotic fluid, good baby size), then you could also just wait it out. Either way, I don't think you can go wrong. Good luck and have a great delivery!!

Hi J.,
Congratulations! When I was pregnant with my daughter I did a lot of research to well educate myself on childbirth and everything that goes along with it. I decided that I wanted little to no intervention and that my body knew what to do and my baby would be born when she was ready.
Personally I feel that Doctors are too quick to offer pitocin out of convenience. Often times when you are induced the contractions start off stronger and are more painful than when childbirth starts naturally.
Unfortunately often times when a woman is induced it ends up in a c-section. I think pitocin can be successful the way your doctor explained when it's just the right timing and your body is ready for childbirth.
I would suggest watching the documentary Born in America.
Persoanlly I would say don't get pitocin unless absolutely necessary. You are not overdue, you have up 42 weeks before there is concern. Although I'm sure that you are ready to have your baby and be finished with your pregnancy.
I would ask your doctor a lot of questions.
-How often does an induction end up in a c-section?
-How much time will they give your body to respond to the pitocin?
-Will he start the pitocin of at a low dosage and slowly increase it if needed?
-Why does he think this is neccessary?
-What his is reason for doing an induction?
-At what point would he break your water or would he let it break on it's own?
Breaking the water doesn't always speed up the labor process.
My water didn't break until I was pushing, 1 hour before my daughter was born.

There are many ways to naturally induce labor but they only work (just like pitocin) if your body is ready.

Walking
Nipple stimulation
Walking up and down stairs
Acupuncture
Massage

I hope this is helpful and that you have a healthy baby and the birth that you want.
C.

Yes, you are right, pitocin is an artificial stimulant used to induce labor. It brings on hard and fast contractions, which in turn can elavate your blood pressure and cause spikes in your baby's heart rate, which usually end up in a failure to progress and a c-section. I am a certified birth instructor and many of my clients who have had children before said if they were ever to be induced again, they would skip it and go for the c-section as the pitocin was horrible and made their labor awful. I feel c-sections should not be the last resort, and that there are other things you can do naturally do induce labor that are proven to work, which is what I teach my clients and none of them have ever used pitocin!!!!

I had Petocin with both my children. It was very h*** o* my body and did not let me "rest" during contractions, so I was very exhausted after childbirth. Pitocin was given to me during my labor the whole time, not just in the beginning to get it started. Make sure you are very clear with your desires or else they will do "the norm" and sometimes that is not good. Good luck and God bless!

Hi J.!

I had petocin with my first for medical reasons and I'd do it again in a heart beat! I heard the horror stories too, but it really wasn't bad at all. I was in labor for 7 hours and delivered a healthy little boy with no complications. I hope this helps ease your fears!

With my third I had petocin. My first came in 1 hour, my second, by the time I got the hospital I was dilated to 9. By the 3rd time, you'd think I would have had her in the car on the way to the hospital. NOPE! My water broke and she was early (3 weeks) and after 10 hours they gave me some. Felt like a train hit. Of course, they were also trying to give me an epidural at the same time and yelled that I shouldn't move. Gotta love those nurses and tech's. I'd live to shove a needle in their back during a contraction and see what they'd say! Anyway. it brings on labor VERY QUICKLY and VERY HARD. Good Luck. I know with each person it is different, so hopefully it will go smoothly and quickly.

i had petocin with both of my labors, because although my water had broken and my contractions had started, my labor wasn't progressing. I've heard that it makes the contractions more painful... I don't really have anything to compare it to. However, I didn't find it to be a horrible experience, despite both my labors being in excess of 14 hours.

Good luck!

I definitely would not! Let mother nature take its course. I do know that if they induce labor and the baby is not born within 24 hours ,,they will have to take it c-section. If you already have a history of normal delivery...I would just let nature take its course.
My doctor induced labor(without telling me) after I had 2 normal deliveries and that was all I could think about. I did have it within 24 hours but that is not always the case.

J., I was given Pitosin with my first son who will be 26 years of age at the end of April. My bp was way too high which was why my labor was induced. My experience was exactly what you said-a few hours after the Pitosin was put into the IV, labor began naturally and progressed uneventfully. Good luck.
S.

I haven't read all the responses, and I apologize for that, but I just wanted to throw my vote in the ring for letting nature take it's course. Not to disparage what any women have chosen, but when docs do this it bugs the heck out of me. If you wait till the baby tells you to go, you have your body's natural hormones helping along the way and the chances of needing additional medical intervention are MUCH less. That has been proven.

Not only that but it DOES happen that docs predict the wrong gestational age of the baby, and when it's taken early it (oops) ends up being TOO early...all so it can happen on some docs schedule so he doesn't have to get out of bed in the middle of the night.

Good luck and God bless. Hope you have another short labor!

Obviously you've heard good and bad here. There's a risk to nearly everything we do in life, we can only do our best to make the decisions that our right for us. Talk to your doctor, get the facts and his opinions. If you believe he is pressuring you, it is totally acceptable to get a second opinion as well. Don't let the doctor or anyone else scare you into a decision one way or the other and don't do anything you are not comfortable with. Best wishes for your delivery!

Induction greatly increases your risk of needing a c-section. So unless you want to take the risk of needing medical intervention, I would not recommend it.

The baby will come when the baby is ready and that is the best time for it to come.

I would wait and see what happens. I had to be induced with both my kids and it was not pleasant. With my first my water broke and labor didn't progress. From the time my water broke to the time I had my son it had been 30 hours. The contractions come very hard with pitocin. I HAD to have an epidural both times because it was just unbearable. My second child was a week late and they didn't want to wait too long for her to come. It didn't take as long as my son. The contractions were still very hard. Once you are on pitocin you can't really get up and walk and do anything to help labor progress either. You are kind of stuck in bed. If your last labor was short and early I would just wait. Labor generally gets shorter with each kid. Plus my gramma says that the babies come when they are ready. My cousin recently went into labor early at her baby shower. As long as you and the baby are healthy there is no reason to induce. Some doctors like to get it out of the way. Good Luck.

Hi J....

If you decide to use petocin just know that it might not work. Because of some health concerns for me I was given petocin for 2 days and nothing happened. The drs. ended up sending me home after 48 hours in the hospital with the induction and then bringing me back 48 hours later b/c of pre-eclampsia with another round of petocin. Again, it didn't work and I was given another type of induction medication. I just wish that I told the petocin might not work. BUT, just do what you think is right for you and your baby!

I would not recommend being induced with pitocin unless you are overdue and labor has not started. My doctor decided to induce with my firstborn just 4 days after my due date. I wasn't dilated at all so the pitocin was the 2nd step in the induction. As soon as they gave it to me, my baby's heart rate started dropping every time I had a contraction. I ended up with a C-section within an hour of being given the pitocin. Thankfully I had a healthy baby girl who is now 4 years old, but I honestly believe that if I hadn't been induced I might not have had a C-section.

Based on my experience, I would not be induced unless there is a medical reason. But I also know that the pitocin does not cause a problem for a majority of inductions. Either way, good luck with your decision!

Don't know many facts, but only my experience. I had my first, naturally, and was induced with petocin for the other two and it was no problem. All three of my labors went really fast and with my second one, the easiest, I received petocin at around 8:30 in the A.M. and he was delivered by 11:10 A.M. It was all very quick. While it is a nice way to plan it out and very convenient, if there is even a chance that it is unsafe for your baby, I would not do it. Make sure you ask all of the questions ahead of time. Good luck to you! : )

I had the petocin with two of my pregnices and all it does bring on the contractions and allow your body to go in to labor, with my daugther i was so ready that when they broke my water and started the petocin she was born less then two hours later. If you feel you are ready to induce then i say go for it, but other then that you could wait. I was glad i had the petocin to help, if they put the petocin at a high enough level your contractions will come fast and hard and will get you there faster, and if you have an epidural the contractions will not be bad at all, and the pain will be slim to none, my best friend had the petocin with the epidural and she felt some pain but nothing like she did with the 3 before, i never had the epidural i just had the petocin. I know i was glad because things moved along so much faster, but you have to know you are ready and only a mother knows that. Good luck to you and i wish you all the best......dont forget to let us know what you did and how it turned out.....

J. - add me to the votes against artificial induction unless there is a true medical reason to do so. Maybe your baby is not ready. If so, your body won't "take over". Artificial induction increases your chances of other interventions that are not pleasant or good for you or your baby, including c-section. There is no sound way to predict the size of you baby - a suspected "large baby" is not a true medical reason to induce.
Enjoy your new baby!

I have 2 kids (3 and 2 years) and I was induced with both. My first one I was induced about 6:30 a.m. and didn't have her until 6:45 p.m. the next day. With my son I was induced again around 6:30 a.m., but I was already having some contractions, so they turned the pit. off at 3:00 p.m. I had him at 5:30p.m. I have heard some people say that the pit makes the contractions harder and faster, but I don't know since both of mine were induced. Like I said with my son it helped the labor progress and my body took over. The only other thing I can say is when they induce you are hooked up to 2 monitors, 1 measures frequency and strength of contractions and the 2nd measures the baby's heart rate. Because of these monitors you are not able to get up and walk around like you can with other pregnancies.
I also wanted to add that anythingI or my doctor tried (ie: stripping membranes) did not work with my oldest. I was dialated at a 1 for 3 weeks.

My doctor told me the same thing when I was 39 weeks, I should have never listened to him. It was the most painful experience I've had in my life and I have an extremely high threshold for pain. I've had two other children one with epidural and natural contractions and the third completely natural no meds, IV, or anything. Out of the three the best experience was the third, the first wasn't so painful either I just gave in to the doctor when he said I should have an epidural. Try to wait it out on your own, I know you might feel anxious about getting it over with it, but it's better when you have a nice memory of your pregnancy.

Congrats on your pregnancy! Yes, I've heard all of the Petocin horror stories as well, and, after 5 days of labor and only 1.5 cm dialated, I had to go the petocin route. I can honestly say, I didn't feel a thing. I ended up taking Nubane (sp?) since I hadn't slept in 3 nights, and was hoping it would dull the contractions enough to let me sleep, and surprisingly, it did. I slept through the first few hours of the Petocin, then woke up when the Nubane started to wear off, and by that point I was 4 cm and able to get the epidural. That being said, I don't know where you stand with regards to pain meds, but if you're comfortable taking them, then I would. Like I said, I was in very little pain while on Petocin due to the wonderful "drugs" my doc. finally gave me! :-) Good luck!!!

dont do it unless there is a good medical reason that your kid needs to come out. Remember... 40 weeks is the "average" length of gestation and about 90% of all babies are born between 38-42 weeks. Your baby isn't "late" until 42 weeks. Babies cook as long as they need to and will let your body know when it's done. Inductions are linked to higher rates of all other interventions, higher c-section rate, etc. Again... don't do it unless there's a compelling medical reason.

I personally would not induce and only think about until after 2 weeks past the deadline. I was one week late with my first daughter and everything came out fine, obviously that was her real due date. Remember due dates are just estimates and as long as everything is progressing well, just wait. The baby knows when they are ready to be delivered, women have been doing theis for hundreds of years, many without petocin. Let nature take its course, unless something definitely wrong is going on. Good luck either way!!

J.,
I had to be induced with my first pregnancy and I had heard horror stories too. I didn't want the pytocin, b/c we were going all natural, but in my birth class had been advised to ask for a slow drip if inducement was needed. That's what I did, and it was just fine. With the slow drip, it felt natural -- not like something was making my body do stuff. So, if you plan to get induced, I would definitely ask them to start you low and increase gradually using a slow drip.

S.
Mom of 7yo and 4yo

As long as you have an epidural, pitocin is not bad. I always had them put in my epidural before starting the pitocin...then I waited till the pain was horrible before turning on the epidural. I had my first child with pitocin and no epidural and it was a nightmare...the pain was unreal for hours. I understand if your water is broken the pain is worse. I have read that pitocin causes higher levels of jaundice. With my 3rd son I was on the pitocin for a long time because I had them turn on my epidural before I was in much pain and so I was on the pitocin for a long time with him...Epidurals slow down your labor...anyway he ended up with high levels of Jaundice and had to be in the hospital for 5 days. His jaundice was at 24. I know everyone is different but these are my stories of how I did with pitocin....I have never had real labor....I have to be induced every time because I never go into labor. My water breaks and then nothing happens.

I heard those horror stories as well but did fine with pitocin. My water broke but my contractions were very far apart and so at Northwestern they told me I had to have pitocin. I didn't really want it but they told me that as my water had broken, I needed to deliver within 24 hrs and so they didn't give me an option. As it turned out, everything went fine and the pitocin worked well and 6 hrs after pitocin started I delivered my little sweetie.
There is a new study out that suggests that one should avoid induction prior to 40 weeks unless there is a medical reason for it as the authors found more problem births with those delivered even 1 week before 40 weeks where the body itself hadn't initiated delivery. I think the study was in an article in the New York Times www.nytimes.com Good luck.

Every one has a different reaction to any kind of medication. My first pregnancy was induced. I had no problem. My second started naturally--a week late. However, I was given a small amount of pitocin to kick it up because the doctor did not think the contractions were strong enough for the amount of time I was having them. Within half hour after getting the little boost, she was born. I had no problems pushing her out and she has not had any problems either. I also expected this time to be quicker because my last was 34 weeks and teh second is supposed to be quicker. She came a full week late-the day I was supposed to go for the ultrasound to make sure everything was okay. I only had truly active labor for about 25 minutes.

J.,

Please watch the movie "The Business of Being Born". Petocin is not good for you or your baby! It's horrible to think that your doctor is not going to just let your body do it's job. If you do want to try something to kick off your labor ask him to strip your membranes. Your doctor should be ashamed of offering you this option.

i would steer clear of it if you and the baby are both healthy. let nature take its course. typically labor with the second is much shorter. petocin gets it started but usually gives you unnaturally strong contractions. if it can be avoided i would avoid it. best of luck and congrats!

J.-labor is supposed to start naturally, not with the aide of a product made from the glands of other animals. This will increase your chance that you may have to have other intervening factors done. It is so painful and I KNOW for a fact that being induced (I did not have a choice I was laboring for 3 days and my water had broke) caused my long term recovery and the platelets in my baby not being at a normal level. To top that-the pain was so intense (you could have combined the labor pain from my other three children and did not even come close with the pain of being induced) and other woman that I have spoken with said the same thing, which also can lead you to choose pain meds. Mind you I am very holistic--no drugs and as natural as possible and did not see this coming for us.

We have taken everything away from making childbirth a natural process and way too much medical intervention. Any drug is not good for the body or baby period!!

Good luck with the birth of your beautiful new baby!!
T.
Detox Coach

No reason to induce for health reasons? Let the baby tell you when ready, not the doctor with his/her own schedule.
Pit leads to a lot of premature labor complications, if done for convenience and not for necessity.
You're almost there, enjoy your last few nights of sleep!

If you have no medical reasons to induce your labor I would let nature take care of itself.

I just feel that too many interventions are used unnecessarily. You should watch the documentary, "The Business of Being Born" by Ricki Lake. It was awesome.

J.! I am on here, too! I got your email about this this morning.

I had petocin all 3 times. Two to get the labor moving after my water broke, and one to induce labor. All of them came pretty quick.

Call me when the big day comes!!

Suzie :)