Why Natural Labor Induction? Facts That You Should Know

So you have been patiently waiting for forty long weeks to welcome your bundle of joy into the world; your estimated date of delivery came with anticipation – but so far, no baby has made an appearance.  You likely are beginning to wonder if you’ll be pregnant forever and likely worried that your OB will want to induce your labor – which you have heard is dangerous not only for you, but for your baby as well.

You do have options, however. There are natural labor induction methods that can help you bring on labor without invasive medical labor induction that can take away from the experience and possibly harm your baby.

Facts About Medical Labor Induction

Medical induction of labor may be necessary in some rare, emergency situations – but it is important to keep in mind that your body was designed to deliver the baby that you are carrying – and women have been having babies for thousands of years.  Medical induction wasn’t an option for women two hundred years ago – and none of us would be here today if our ancestors couldn’t give birth.  With that in mind, you must be confident in your body’s ability to do what it was designed to do during pregnancy – without the need for medical labor induction whenever possible.  Medical labor induction can be very dangerous. Let’s look first at the drugs that are used in labor induction, which are synthetic forms of hormones that occur naturally in the body.

Pitocin Used To Induce Labor

Pitocin is the most often used drug for inducing labor at the hospital and works by causing extremely intense and painful contractions. Pitocin is usually administered intravenously. The side effects of Pitocin including cramping, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting.  Mothers whose labors are induced using Pitocin often report irregular heartbeats, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, and swelling.  Some women who are induced with Pitocin develop severe bleeding after childbirth.  The effects for the baby delivered after an induction with Pitocin include irregular heartbeat, bleeding in the eyes, jaundice of the eyes, and seizure.

Cervidil – Another Pharmaceutical Used For Inducing Labor at the Hospital

Cervidil, also known as dinoprostone or prostin E2 are synthetic forms of prostaglandins that come in suppository form.  Once Cervidil suppositories have been inserted, the mother must lay down for a minimum of two hours, which restricts the common movements that help speed along childbirth, like walking.  Many women report finding it difficult to breathe after being administered Cervidil, and complain of tightness in the chest, dizziness, fever, chills, lightheadedness, and diarrhea.

Natural Ways to Induce Labor

Many natural ways to induce labor work more effectively to start the process of childbirth, without the potential negative side effects that are oftentimes experienced with medical labor induction. One of the most popular natural labor inductions is a holistic method known as maternity acupressure.

Maternity acupressure relies on differing amounts of pressure applied to pre-determined acupressure points on the mother’s body to bring about labor (and consequently, help ease the pains of labor and delivery).  Discuss maternity acupressure and other natural labor induction methods with your OB/GYN, midwife or doula and make an informed decision regarding this once-in-a-lifetime event.