Hi, everyone, and [welcome] back to Birth and Beyond. My name is Adrianne, and I am a birth doula. On this channel. We share information
about
your pregnancy childbirth and postpartum period
Information that you can use to help you stay [informed] and just make informed decisions about your care
So today the topic of discussion is going to be induction labor inductions as well as pitocin
because they go hand in hand. In a previous video we talked about the truth about
estimated due dates and
inductions
Kind of go hand in [hand] with estimated due dates
the Topic is kind of related simply because you may be at a point where you are at your due date and
You are tired of being pregnant, and it doesn't seem like your pregnancy is ending anytime soon
So you or your doctor might be suggesting, hey listen let's do an induction
Let's schedule out an induction week from now if you know your body doesn't go into labor on its own
And so let's talk about what an induction is and how it is
How it is used like how it's done right? So what a labor induction is is the process of
stimulating your uterus using a drugs to stimulate your uterus to bring contractions on
Rather than allowing your body to naturally go into labor
Okay, and the way that this is done is by using a drug called pitocin
now pitocin is an artificial hormone that was created to replicate a
natural hormone that our body produces which is called Oxytocin
and oxytocin is
Secreted from the pituitary gland in our brains
And it's also called like the love Hormone or the cuddle [hormone]
And that's because this is [the] hormone that is released like when we're having sex
or if we're having a euphoric moment
Or you know if we're bonding with someone socially and it's like intimate
Intimate hug or even stimulating your nipples. [I] do want to add that
you may have heard that one of the natural ways to bring on labor is a stimulate your nipples or
to have sex and that is why it's because
Doing those two things
releases Oxytocin
within our brain and
Oxytocin stimulates our uterus which allows us to start contracting right, so
Back to inductions and pitocin the pitocin was created to replicate that natural hormone
So if you're going to be going in for an induction, you will be at the hospital. [this] is not something that would be done
At a birthing center, or with a midwife at home, it would be was done with an oB/gyn in the hospital
So you do you'll be hooked up to an IV machine whether it be in [your] arm or in your hand
and [you'd] be hooked up to a pitocin drip and that [is] where the
pitocin sits and your healthcare provider will regulate how much pitocin
in a period of time will enter into your body until you begin to contract at a rate that they feel is appropriate
So some things to keep in mind
with pitocin and your labor is that
Your contractions will be stronger, more
intense and just more closer together
Then if your body was to be contracted on its own. I'm just going to [so] out of
Educated guess and just say it's because there's an artificial hormone being pumped into your system
forcing your
uterus to contract and
It's not really, it's controlled some what because of the drip
But unless they turn off the pitocin you know you're going to continually get
Influx of chemical going into your system system to stimulate your uterus
So yes women [have] more uncomfortable birthing experiences.
now
one of the things that really allows for labor to progress is when
You are able to be calm and relaxed as much as possible
Right so if you're having a [very] intense labor experience because your contractions are super strong
Coming back to back and they're just lasting for a long time
it's less likely that you'll be able to get into [a] state of calm right and
a lot [of] times when if your body is not in a state of calm
your labor can stall and what that means is you essentially stop dilating and
if that happens when you have an induction for a certain period of time you
[may] be offered an epidural and the reason why you may be offered an epidural is
Because once you get the epidural you will have the opportunity to sleep and once you're able to rest
Your body and your mind it will allow your uterus
To relax and for you, for your body to continue progressing the labor experience, so I
Feel like I just said a lot
But essentially an induction is used to stimulate your uterus so that labor can be begin thus
allowing you to dilate to ten centimeters and then eventually meeting your baby and
Pitocin is the chemical [that] is used to
Stimulate the Uterus and it's an artificial hormone
Created so replicate the natural hormone that our bodies produce which is called Oxytocin; the love or cuddle hormone
I could imagine that there are some benefits of getting an induction. One, if you're just tired of being pregnant you are okay with
Dealing with whatever the contractions
And you're okay with an epidural
And things of that nature it may benefit you to go ahead and get an induction right if you're over 40 weeks
also, if there are any medical
Situations that have come up at pose a risk to yourself or your baby that might also be a good
Reason to go ahead and get an induction
if
You are a woman who
Says you know, I I want to deliver my baby vaginally, I do not want an epidural
I
want to be able to walk around,
I want to be able to use a birth ball
I want to be able to sit on my bed, or you do anything else
like move away from your bed, sit in a tub or getting the
a warm shower
getting an induction would not be something that I recommend you do because it's restrictive and
also
There's a period of time that healthcare providers usually like for you to deliver your baby once you have an induction
so if
You go, I know in my personal situation. [I] was in labor up to about almost 24 hours
I had an induction, and I was in labor for up to almost 24 hours, and they were really concerned
that I was going to
acquire an infection
When my water was broken manually which means that my ob doctor
broke my bag of waters for me which also brings on contractions and
they were just concerned. So the longer you go with your bag of water's being broken and
you just in labor from
Being hooked up from this induction, the higher you are at risk for infection
and the more likely they would be to offer you or suggest that you get a c-section, so
again if you're someone who doesn't want to c-section, you want to deliver vaginally, [you] want to be able to move around and
dance or do whatever you want to do, I don't recommend that you get an induction
Unless it's medically necessary.
and
also, if you do get an induction
It doesn't necessarily mean you will end up with an epidural or a c-section, there are some pain management
techniques
naturally that you can
use in order to manage the pain that you're having like pressure on your back,
massaging, warm compresses, and you also may be able to sit up in your bed as well
Just to rotate your position because [that] is always helpful
But that's essentially it regarding induction and pitocin did you
have an induction? What was your experience like?
Is it something they're thinking about?Share your comments below, and I will see you next time
bye
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