How to Avoid Being Induced

The rate of induction (medically initiating the onset of labor) has doubled in the last ten years and it’s commonly agreed upon by professionals that there is a direct link between patients who receive C-sections and patients who are induced. For the sake of the baby’s health, it’s wise to avoid an unnecessary induction, which often results in a C-section. Women who are induced sometimes give birth to premature and unhealthy babies, requiring more visits to the NICU. Pregnancy and childbirth carry a certain amount of risk, especially if you’ve hired a doctor and plan on giving birth in a hospital. Let me explain. When you hire a doctor, he has the ultimate say over your labor and delivery. When you give birth in a hospital, there is a certain protocol you are expected to follow, so that the final result will end not in a lawsuit, but in a financial profit for the hospital and yes, hopefully produce a healthy infant and mother. Although we often fool ourselves into believing so, the medical personnel do not always make decisions that are in the best interests of the mother and baby. Granted, some expectant mothers need a doctor’s expertise, but this article is geared toward the majority of women who will carry a healthy baby full term. Reasons for inductions are varied: most people will say that there is a true medical need for inductions, while others claim that some doctors pressure women to consent to inductions as well as patients who persuade doctors to schedule inductions. Any way you look at it, the increase in inductions means that childbirth is often a managed process, not a process initiated by the baby. Has the female body evolved and changed to the extent that one in three women need C-sections and one in five need to be induced? This trend is only getting worse. The main question a woman should ask throughout her pregnancy, labor and delivery is “ Is this absolutely medically necessary in my case? Inductions, like C-sections and many other interventions during birth should be the absolute last resort a woman should receive if she cannot birth naturally or if she has a serious reason that the health and life of her baby would be in jeopardy if she waited for the onset of labor. Discover a few ways you can avoid being induced.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Basic knowledge of labor and delivery

1. Have a homebirth. A little over 1% of the population chooses homebirth and these are often the women who end up with healthy babies and satisfying birth experiences. The public can learn a lot from these courageous families who choose to give birth at home. You must embrace natural childbirth if you opt for a homebirth. There will be no potentially harmful drugs administered to you during labor and delivery.
2. Know the date of conception. If you are planning a hospital birth, try to be as accurate as possible about your conception date and due date. Estimating within one week should be sufficient. One way you can do this is through familiarity with your fertility cycle. Following the Natural Family Planning (NFP) or Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) can help pinpoint the probable date of conception. You want to know your due date so that you can share this information with your doctor and be an advocate for the baby’s health. The goal of any pregnancy should be carrying the baby to term in the most healthy way possible, not trying to take a shortcut because of convenience.
   
   During a routine ultrasound, measurements of the baby will help estimate the due date. Miscalculations are not uncommon. While pregnant with my fourth child in 1993, I submitted to two ultrasounds. One estimate revealed a September 18th due date and a later ultrasound estimated October 13th. Can you see the discrepancy? Those are big differences! Because I was following NFP, I knew my due date was very close to September 25th. During the first ultrasound, I told my doctor that I was sure September 18th was a little soon. He preferred to rely on the machine and told me we could adjust that date later. During the next ultrasound, the machine estimated a due date of October 13th. Again, the doctor took his cue from the machine, so I basically kept my mouth shut. Had the ultrasound date been before September 25th, I would have pleaded my case more strongly.
   
   As long as the date was beyond my due date, I felt safe that he would not be flagging my records to consider an induction. Guess what? My daughter initiated labor during the morning of September 25th and was born later that afternoon. She weighed over eight pounds, and appeared to have spent forty weeks in the womb.
3. Say no to your doctor, if you believe the baby to be in strong health. I know of several women who skipped their last appointment, hoping that labor would initiate without the help of drugs; they tried to use time to their advantage. If you are persuaded to arrive at the hospital to be induced and know that the only reason for doing so is an estimated due date, do not consent. Resist the temptation to have an induction because you are impatient or tired of being pregnant.
   
   There is no reason why you have to interfere with your baby, who might enjoy another week or so in your uterus. Perhaps he’s cozy and not ready to make his entrance into the world. Who are you to mess with him or her? Mess with the baby now, and you may pay a price later on in the child’s life. However, if you, along with your doctor determine that you have a major health concern, an induction may be a suitable course of action. I would not make the decision lightly. You will need to determine whether you are being bullied, or if there is a valid concern.
4. Arrive at the hospital as late as possible, when you are well into labor. Let labor initiate itself and spend most of your time at home, where you are comfortable.
   
   I suspect that there is so much fear surrounding pregnancy and childbirth to the extent that people are in a semi-panic state and schedule inductions. Many people believe that “doctor knows best.” The irony is that this quest for manipulation of pregnancy and birth as well as trying to produce the perfect baby can backfire or result in a slight disappointment – and people do not understand the repercussions, which are manifested in the newborn.
   
   If you are seeking a safe and satisfying birth experience, you will want to hear dozens of secrets and tips for a healthy, shorter, less painful birth by listening to my inspirational childbirth CD titled YOUR BODY, YOUR BIRTH: SECRETS FOR A SATISFYING AND SUCCESSFUL BIRTH (Terra Publishing, 2007), available through my website www.yourbodyyourbirth.org or Amazon.com.

Tips & Warnings

• Homebirths do not traditionally involve inductions.
• Know the date of conception.
• Do not consent to an induction simply because of a "due" date.
• Arrive at the hospital as late as possible, after labor has initiated.
• Be patient and let labor start naturally.
• Listen to the inspirational childbirth CD YOUR BODY, YOUR BIRTH: SECRETS FOR A SATISFYING AND SUCCESSFUL BIRTH.
• This article does not constitute medical advice. Expectant mothers should investigate the risks, benefits and necessity of inductions. A good question to ask your doctor or consider: "IS THIS ABSOLUTELY MEDICALLY NECESSARY IN MY CASE?" In fact, this question should be asked of all medical conditions and we should seek drugs and intervention as needed, not as desired.