Risks And Effects Of Inducing Labour: What You Should Know

When a woman starts her journey of motherhood, there are a lot of apprehensions in her mind. Will her delivery progress smoothly? Will it be a normal birth? Will the baby be healthy? And so much more.

By the end of the final trimester, these questions loom larger than ever. And so does her size. Sometimes the to-be-mother is so exhausted by her weight and tiredness, that she can’t really wait to pop the baby out and hold it in her arms.

And here, inducing labor becomes an option. It isn’t as simple as it sounds. You cannot just have some injections and invite normal labor. It is an artificial means to create labor, which is a complex procedure and has its own repercussions.

It is also a risky affair. So, if you do not have an actual medical condition that calls for induction, think hard before you opt for it.

Let us find out how and why the process of inducing labor is situation specific and not a standard birth procedure.

In This Article

Natural Birth vs Inducing Labour

Image: Shutterstock

The onset of natural birth is a complex yet marvelous process. When your baby is ready to take birth, your brain releases a chemical called oxytocin. It is a potent hormone that tightens the uterus and pushes the baby. It also dilates the cervix, so that the baby can be pushed out. Rising amounts of oxytocin make the body release endorphins hormones that function as painkillers.

In an induced labor, the initial two phases of signaling and releasing hormones aren’t done naturally, so the brain fails to release the endorphins. The cervix is dilated through medical procedures, and therefore the contractions are much faster, intense, and in most cases, cause unbearable pain, which is unlike the naturally phased labor in case of normal birth. As a result, you may have to take epidural, go through drips, have fluctuating blood pressure, fetal distress, and undergo continuous monitoring.

Effects Of Induced Labour On The Baby

As mentioned earlier, in normal deliveries, the body gets its signal, when the baby is ready for birth. Till the baby is inside, very important preparatory activities happen inside the womb. These include passing the anti-bodies from the mother to the baby to ward off infections, the skills of swallowing and sucking getting stronger, the growth of brain functions, accumulating necessary nutrients, etc.

But in an induced labor, the baby, as well as your body, is not prepared and the child may fail to take advantage of the essential steps of the preparatory phase. This can cause respiratory problems, difficulty in latching, irregular pulse, infections and more.

Reasons Behind Induction

There can be reasons why labor is induced.

  • Poss due date

Though it varies from woman to woman, the standard due date can be anywhere between 37 and 42 weeks. Most hospitals follow the policy of inducing after ten days of due date.

  • Premature membrane rupture

If the membrane containing the amniotic fluid ruptures and the contractions don’t begin in the next twenty-four hours, the labor should be artificially induced.

  • Size of the baby

If the baby is big in size, then the limbs and shoulder may get stuck or injured. In such a possibility, labor can be induced.

Methods Of Inducing Labour

  • Stretch and sweep method

If the cervix already looks a little dilated or open, this method can be useful. It involves insertion of a finger into the cervix and stretching it to split the membrane. It may be risky because it can infect the cervix.

  • Membrane rupture

Again, ARM or Artificial Rupture of Membrane method is useful when the cervix is somewhat dilated. A hook is used to press into the amniotic sac and make a hole for the fluid to leak so that the contractions can begin.

  • Synthetic hormones

Oxytocin hormone is released when the cervix dilatation is not as much it should. It is given in a phased manner till the contractions occur at the desired and consistent intervals.

It may result in side effects such as fluctuation in blood pressure, nausea, still birth, etc.

These were some facts related to the procedure of artificially inducing labor. In case you wish to go about it, weigh all pros and cons and then make a well-informed choice.

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