Are you ready to induce labour?
It’s a big decision, and we’re here to help you make it.
Inducing labour is a way to start the process of childbirth early if your healthcare provider thinks it’s best for you or your baby.
If you’re a first-time mum, you probably have many questions about your pregnancy and giving birth especially if you’ve heard that there’s an option to induce labour. One of the more common questions that mothers ask is about the induction of labour methods. If you’re at 39 weeks or more pregnant and feeling like it’s time to get that baby out of there, read on!
What is Induced Labour
Induced labour is labour that happens artificially. There are induction of labour methods as a means of speeding up the birth process.
To induce labour, your doctor or midwife will help stimulate your body to go into labour. It’s usually done when there is a medical reason for it, such as your baby is overdue or if you have an infection. Induced labour is also sometimes used when it’s thought that your baby may be at risk of health problems.
It can take a few days for induction to work, and it’s not always successful. If you’ve been given a choice about whether to have an induced labour, talk to your doctor or midwife about the pros and cons of having an induction.
When to Wait and When It’s Time to Induce Birth
Depending on the situation, induced labour can be an option for mums.
It’s a question that mums-to-be ask all the time. And it’s one that doctors get asked all the time, too. But there’s no straightforward answer to this question because every pregnancy is different.
Some women come in with a due date and decide they want to induce labour when they reach 40 weeks—and some women come in at 40 weeks and don’t want to induce until 41 weeks.
For most mums, labour usually doesn’t have to be induced since the process does happen naturally.
However, there are some situations where induction of labour methods is needed, such as in the following cases:
- You’re two weeks beyond your due date. Labour still hasn’t started
- Your water has broken, but labour still hasn’t occurred
- In cases of an infection in your uterus called chorioamnionitis
- If your baby has stopped growing at their expected pace or what’s also called fetal growth restriction
- There’s not enough amniotic fluid around the baby
- If you suffer from diabetes
- Another is if you have high blood pressure
- If your placenta starts to peel away from the inner wall of the uterus before delivery (placental abruption)
- You have a medical condition such as kidney disease or obesity
In these situations, it’s recommended for labour to be induced since not doing so would pose a risk to the mother and the baby.
How Is Labour Induced? Induction of Labour Methods
Image source: iStock
Before inducing labour, your doctor will usually start a “membrane sweep” or “cervical sweep”.
This is done with the doctor sweeping their finger around your cervix to separate the membranes between the amniotic sac and your cervix, releasing hormones that help induce labour. However, in some cases, it’s not enough, so your doctor will ask you if you want to induce labour instead.
Inducing labour is a fairly straightforward process, and it’s usually done by inserting a tablet called a pessary or a gel into your vagina.
Once that’s done, all that you need to do would be to wait for contractions to happen. Sometimes, your doctor will allow you to go home while you wait for it to work.
It can also happen that the tablet or gel doesn’t work. In those cases, you need to go back to your doctor, and they might offer you another tablet or gel to help induce labour.
However, once labour starts, everything else should proceed normally.
Risks to Inducing Labour and Induction of Labour Methods
These days, inducing labour is a pretty common procedure. For the most part, the procedure is safe, and mums have nothing to worry about if their doctor recommends it.
But in cases where mums opt to induce labour even without any medical indication, there can be possible risks to the baby as it can sometimes result in a premature baby.
However, that doesn’t mean that complications can’t arise from induced labour. Here are some of the risks that mums need to know about:
- Failed induction. About 75% of first-time mums who have induced labour would be able to deliver their child successfully. However, for the remaining 25%, having a caesarean delivery might be a better option. Your doctors will talk to you about this and give you the option to have a C-section should you agree to it.
- Lower heart rate. The medication doctors use to induce labour can sometimes cause abnormal or excessive contractions, lowering your baby’s heart rate and decreasing their oxygen supply.
- Uterine rupture. This is an extremely rare condition wherein the uterus tears from a scar resulting from prior C-section surgery. In these situations, removing the uterus might be the best option to save the mother’s life.
- Infection. Some forms of labour induction can heighten the risk of infection for mothers and babies, particularly in cases wherein the membranes have to be ruptured.
- Excessive bleeding. Inducing labour can sometimes cause your uterine muscles to not properly contract after giving birth, leading to excessive bleeding after surgery.
As a rule, it’s always best to listen to your doctor’s recommendations about labour and carefully weigh the risks and benefits to find the best option for you and your baby.
Natural Ways to Induce Labour
Image source: iStock
There are also more natural ways of inducing labour, especially for mums past their due date who are excited to meet their little ones. Here are some of those methods:
- Exercise. Simple exercises such as walking up the stairs or around the house can sometimes help induce labour.
- Sex. Having sex helps reduce oxytocin, which can help jumpstart uterine contractions. It’s safe to have sex at full term, so mums and dads don’t need to worry that they might hurt the baby.
- Stimulating the nipples. Stimulating the nipples manually or through a breast pump can help release oxytocin which can cause the uterus to contract and start labour.
- Acupuncture and acupressure. Some people believe that acupuncture and acupressure can help induce labour. The important thing to remember is to get it from a licensed professional.
- Certain types of food. Some say that eating spicy food, drinking different tea, or eating a salad can help induce labour. While no medical research supports these claims, it’s okay to try those things as long as your doctor allows you to do so.
Is Induction for Labour Painful
The induction process can be painful, but it is often necessary when there are medical reasons why the mother should give birth earlier than expected.
Induction for labour pain is typically milder than natural labour pains because a doctor controls it rather than occurring naturally. Some side effects may occur during induction, including nausea and vomiting, increased blood pressure and an increased risk of anaemia (low levels of red blood cells).
All women undergoing induction should talk with their doctor about these potential risks and how they can manage these risks if necessary.
Is It Always Successful to Induce Labour
In most cases, induction of labour is successful and does not cause any complications. However, in some cases, induction may lead to complications such as uterine rupture or bleeding after delivery.
It is important to note that these risks are higher if you are undergoing a cesarean section instead of a natural birth. Therefore, you should always get your doctor’s opinion before undergoing this procedure.
What Is a Normal Cervix Opening
A normal cervix opening is when your cervix dilates to 3 centimetres or more during labour. In other words, it’s how wide your cervix gets as it opens up and stretches out to make room for your baby to be born.
Cervical dilation usually happens gradually over several hours. But if you have an epidural, it can take longer for your cervix to dilate because the medication numbs your body and makes contractions less effective at pushing down on your cervix. If this happens, labour may slow down or stop until the epidural wears off (which happens gradually).
Updated by Pheona Ilagan
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