It is becoming standard practice for obstetricians to induce labor. There is no good medical reason or research for this procedure to be carried out so widely, it is simply convenient for the doctor.

If we take a look at the medical birthing process we see that it is organized around convenience and control for the doctor. Instead of waiting for the mom to go into labor naturally, doctors can schedule them in and keep everything nice and controlled. One of the problems with induction is that once the mom has been induced she is on the clock, she has 12 hours to get her baby out. She may not have been told this, moms are often not well informed, but this is normal obstetrical practice. This 12 hour period ‘given’ to the mom is a strong factor in the alarming rising level of cesarean sections (c-sect). A c-sect is major abdominal surgery during which your baby is manually removed from your womb. The reason for this is because the earlier you enter the hospital environment in your labor, the more interventions you are likely to receive, and the more you have the more likely you are to end up in surgery. One intervention leads to another, and another, and another. Clearly, there is something not working well here.

Usually induction is administered with a drug called Pitocin, a synthetic form of oxytocin. In a normal birth the baby is the one who initiates the labor, releasing a chemical which begins the contractions. (See Elective Cesarean article for information on sequencing trauma). When baby does not get to start her own labor, she misses a crucial piece of important imprinting that will make it hard for her to start things, and to initiate in her life. She will find it difficult to feel her own impulse. What does this mean? Think about how many times a day you move through the sequence of beginning something, moving through the middle of the activity to the end, finish then integrate at the end. At the very beginning of this process what comes first is the impulse inside of you to do the activity. With an induction imprint this impulse can often not be felt.

Pitocin creates an unrelenting barrage of unnatural contractions. Normal contractions have a natural rise and fall pattern in them with a brief break in between each one.  Pitocin allows no such breaks, and this can be exhausting for both mom and baby. There is a big difference between doing something in your own time when you are ready, and doing it on someone else’s time when you are not ready. People who have been induced can find it difficult to be told what to do, or when to do it.  They can also need someone else to tell them what to do, when. It just depends on how it imprints. They can also have quite a revved up nervous system because of the Pitocin imprint, and you have to wonder about the incredible rise in ADD, ADHD, etc that we are seeing in the US. Could it be that there is a connection between birthing practices, especially use of drugs and interventions, and the problems that are manifesting in our children here?

If you have a choice about receiving an induction, it would be best for you and your baby if you declined the induction. Some moms feel safer having their babies in hospital settings, even though it is just as safe for moms to birth at home with a midwife if they are having a normal pregnancy. If you are one of those moms, get an experienced doula that you can call to come over as soon as you go into labor, and then don’t go to the hospital until you are well dilated (not too far though!). This way you will avoid most of the medical interventions and avoid a c-section.

Another good strategy is to make sure you have a good birth plan, so that when you do get to the hospital you and your team are very clear about the decisions you have made, in advance.

In most cases there is no medical reason for induction, and it is detrimental to your baby’s emotional and psychological well-being.