How about true medical reasons as well – many are told things like “fluid levels are low,” “the baby is measuring big,” or small pelvis. Truly small pelvis is rare. Fluid levels can change, especially if you yourself are dehydrated. And the size of the baby is relative, and can only be determined when weighing the baby at birth. Ultrasound measurements for baby’s size and fluid levels can be off significantly, (and fundal height of the baby can vary depending on his position, too). Some of the “medical reasons” many women hear about for inductions are, in and of themselves, questionable.

@Em – Of course there are many real medical reasons for labor induction. Unfortunately we see a lot of women being induced today for reasons that aren’t really in that category.
Women should be able to be fully educated in all their decisions for childbirth, whether it has to be induction, or any other intervention they may need.

Inductions should of course be medically indicated for the best possible outcome for mother and baby.
As far as the dose of pitocin…everyone mother-to-be is different. It should be titrated to produce the strength and frequency of productive contractions by the qualified person monitoring the mom’s labor.
A natural labor is always preferable.

The article clearly states that there are medical reasons for needing an induction. The article also states that inductions are far more prevalent than necessary.

When I was pregnant with my son, I was informed at 35 weeks that I was 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced already. The doctor said that I could possibly give birth Memorial Day weekend last year. I did everything that I could to safely induce pregnancy. I did pretty much it all – sex, spicy food, walking, swimming, exercises, etc. But nothing happened. Then June 8th, 2011 at 10:15 p.m., I discovered that my water was breaking. It didn’t break completely, so there was leakage the whole time. I went to the hospital, and I settled in for what I hoped wouldn’t be too long of a wait. I came in at 6 cm dilated and still 80% effaced. I told them that my contractions were literally painless, but that I just had to pee every hour and that I felt the slightest bit gassy.

I progressed to 7 cm, but I still wasn’t feeling anything, and I was getting irritated and bored. Even when your labor is as easy as mine seemed to be, it still tires your out more than anything. So I told the nursing staff about 3 times prior to 6 a.m. that I was ready to be induced because I had stalled for a few hours, and I was getting worried; they had asked me repeatedly if I wanted pitocin, and I kept telling them no emphatically. I had read the most recent and updated information on it, and there was no way that I was going to allow them to give me synthetic oxytocin that still to this day HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE FDA FOR THAT USE. But I knew that if could get dicey if I waited too much longer since I had stalled for so long. The nurses never told the doctor or the message got lost in communication, because it was about 7 a.m. when the doctor came in with all these nurses and they were all flustered and worried about something. They told everyone to leave the room, and they had me turn over like I was trying to hold my knees or something, and then they started giving me oxygen.

They said that the baby was in distress, and that both of our heart rates were dangerously low. I was feeling perfectly fine by the way, just sleepy. I hadn’t known that anything was wrong, so they rushed me to the OR for an emergency C-section, but I was alone with the doctors and nurses because according to hospital policy, my fiance couldn’t be there during an emergency C-section. So they delivered my blue son at 8:10 a.m., and I didn’t see him until about 2:30 p.m. I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia, and I was pretty such psychotic when I woke up in the labor and delivery room. I was in so much pain that I was hysterical, and I said so many awful things that I thankfully can’t remember. I don’t want to be judged, but I know that my reaction upon wakening is not a rare occurrence.

I had to be sedated because I was saying things like I didn’t want my son, even though I know in my heart that I never meant what I said. That apparently was the reason that I couldn’t see him for so long, and I found out a few weeks ago by my new doctor that the reason that my labor wasn’t normal was because I had Premature Rupture Of Membranes, or PROM. Had they given me pitocin or waited even an hour longer I’ve come to find out, I would’ve died before they would’ve been able to whisk me off to an emergency C-section. So women should be wary of non-FDA approved medications that can cause more harm than good.

I had a midwife for my pregnancy who did not like any sort of intervention, but because of my increased blood pressure she suggested an induction. I thought I was a huge wuss because I begged for an epidural 5 hours in. I’m happy to know that the pitocin makes the contractions worse, I am determined to have a drug free delivery next time!

I was induced with all three of my children. They were all weighing large before delivery and I had developed Preeclampsia. The first induction was horrible because they didn’t gradually increase the pitocin, but my daughter was born healthy (9.1 lbs), 12 hours later. She was 10 days overdue. During the end of her pregnancy I had not dilated at all before being induced, so I needed cytotek to soften my cervix. I think in this case I should have waited and not been induced til my body showed some signs of being ready, like early dilation. My second went much more smooth. I was induced in the morning and had a gradual build up of Pitocin which caused only one hour of hard labor, then my son was born. He was 10 days early- healthy (8.8 lbs). The whole month before he was born, I was dilated to 3cm, so my body had already taken the first steps toward his birth. I needed the induction because of the Preeclampsia. My blood pressure was very high and could have caused seizures and stroke. With my third, which was just last week, I was induced again. Again it was due to the Preeclampsia. But I was dilated already to a loose 2. They started the pitocin gradually again, broke my water and a few hours later, after only 2 hours of hard labor, my daughter was born healthy. She was 10 days early (8.1 lbs). I wanted to go into labor naturally because I understand the risks of induction and I wanted to feel like a normal “woman” whose body worked perfectly and started labor on it’s own, but my blood pressure was 184/100 near the end, and was very close to causing seizures. The nurses kept checking my reflexes to make sure I wasn’t showing signs of seizing. During this last pregnancy my body basically went to war with itself. I developed preeclampsia, colitis (digestive problem), sleep apnea (I got no sleep in the last month of pregnancy and couldn’t drive myself around during the day because I would fall asleep at the wheel, because at night I would wake myself up by not breathing), and then finally shingles. I felt with all of these things that were happening, my baby would be safer outside in my arms than in my warring body. Preeclampsia causes the body to fight the placenta. The placenta will then calcify and become useless to the baby, by not providing nutrients/blood/oxygen. Preeclampsia is bad for mom and baby. I am glad that they offered induction. In some cases it can be harmful, I had a friend who went into a coma after a bad unnecessary C-section due to induction not working, but in some cases it is good. The main thing is that women be educated on BOTH sides, as well as understand the specific pregnancy and complications. Every pregnancy is different. To form one solid opinion on the whole matter of induction, without knowing the specifics of the pregnancy, is not logical. What you may need one time, may be unnecessary at another time. For the sake of your baby and your health, you should be open minded, and educate yourself on all aspects, not just chose certain biased opinions.

I was induced at 40 weeks. The nurse said my daughters heart rate dropped for a little bit. She said it was normal and that sometimes they can grab their cords, realize they can’t breathezb and let them go but since I was a day before my due date they were inducing me. I was in labor for 36 hours. At 12 hours they broke my water. I got a horrible infection because my water was broken for too long. My temp went up to 104 and her heart rate passes 200. During the c section they put me to sleep becaus e the epidural was no longer working. Because of all the pitocin my uterus had gone limp and they could not get it to contract back to its normal size. While the doctor is working on my uterus I am hemoraging. He wanted to remove my uterus because he could not stop the bleeding. He must have gotten it just in time because I still have it. By the time I left the hospital I had received 6 units of blood. They had to draw blood from my feet because they couldn’t get enough out of my arms. Oh and after 36 hours on pitocin. I got to a whole whopping 4 cm.

my first two births were all natural no drugs. but with my last two i was induced and my dr never told me about the risks now i’m upset but thankfully both are fine and born naural, i did end up getting epidural with both but it only work on my last labor.

I can fully understand that induction may not be necessary if a woman’s body isn’t quite ready to give birth. However, I was induced, and I had no problem with it at all. But in my situation, I was in “pre-labor” for about two weeks. My doctor kept telling me that he thought I’d go into labor on my own any day, but it just didn’t happen, as much as we thought it would. So being induced was a huge relief. And I didn’t find labor to be the nightmare most people make it out to be. The breaking of the water hurt, and I had painful contractions for about one hour before an epidural was given to me. Other than that, I’d be induced all over again!

Ironically, I was originally scheduled for a c-section, but my son turned the day I was supposed to go in. Of course, it being the military they wouldn’t do it then to save themselves money. Even though I was in pre-labor with contractions for two weeks, my body wouldn’t dilate. I was induced 2 weeks after my due date. I was on Pitocin for 36 hours, the max dose for 5 hours, and I pushed for 3 hours. I survived 18 hours without an epidural and only took it after the Folly Bulb was out. This is where the video comes in. Pitocin speeds up contractions, it does not help you dilate. Please keep that in mind if you cannot dilate and you have a choice on how to give birth. They decided that they were going to do a c-section at 29 hours because my body was only dilated to a 4, but then his head dropped too far into my pelvis. There, his head got stuck an angle and my doctor had to assist him from the bottom, while manually assisting the dilation the rest of the way. Of course by this time the epidural dosage was at its maximum and I couldn’t be given any more. Thankfully I went numb and blacked out when I started pushing, only fully becoming aware again after he was born. Even though this was a long and painful process, I would do it again any day, every day if it gave me my son. :)