Inducing Labor Naturally

The last days of your pregnancy, and maybe passing the estimated due date of your delivery, may get on your nerves. Try, however, to appreciate the last days and weeks of pregnancy and to have confidence that when your body and baby are ready, labor will begin spontaneously.

Labor induction rates have, however, increased dramatically. The Listening to Mothers survey reported that almost 50% of the women surveyed had their labors induced.

If your doctor suggests inducing labor, it’s good to know it alters the process of labor and birth in significant ways.

When the labor is medically induced, the cervix often needs to be softened before pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) will be effective. Pitocin causes contractions that both peak and become stronger more quickly than naturally occurring contractions. The result is a labor that is more difficult to manage. In addition, due to medical labor inducers the uterine muscle never totally relaxes between contractions, increasing stress on both the uterus and the baby.

Because of the increased potential risks of the labor induction for the mother and the baby, continuous electronic fetal monitoring is indicated. The fetal monitor and intravenous line make movement more difficult.

Medical labor induction disrupts the hormonal orchestration of labor. Pitocin doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, endorphins are not released in response to the increasingly strong and painful uterine contractions. Laboring women do not experience the benefits of endorphins as they try to manage their contractions. Additionally, without the help of endorphins, they are likely to require an epidural. The epidural alters the course of labor, prolonging the length of both first- and second-stage labor and increasing the need for the use of instruments at birth. Without high levels of naturally occurring oxytocin and endorphins, catecholamine levels do not surge at the time of birth, and the mother and her baby are less alert and able to interact in the moments after birth.

When it comes to babies and birth, unless there is a clear medical indication that induction of labor will do more good than harm, nature beats science hands down. For both mothers and babies, it is wise to wait patiently labor to begin on its own.

If it is necessary to encourage the labor to start, natural ways to induce labor, such as Maternity Accupressure is a safe and effective method.

To discover more about Maternity Accupressure points for inducing labor go to www.MaternityAcupressure.com.