Induction
Depending on
your situation, your doctor or midwife may recommend, or make the decision to,
induce labor. This usually occurs if the
mother is a small frame and the baby is large.
Inducing labor and delivery before nature does so can help avoid the
risk of the baby being caught in the birth canal and the need for an emergency
c-section. Doctors induce labor by
giving you a drug called Pitocin or Oxytocin, which causes
changes in your hormones and initiates the onset of labor. It is usually administered as an IV drip
after you have been registered in Labor and Delivery at your hospital.
Water Breaking
When your
body is ready to deliver your baby, the amniotic sac surrounding them breaks
and the amniotic fluid inside comes out your vagina. In some women it is a trickle, while in
others it is a profound gush. When this
happens, it is immediately time to go to the hospital. It means labor has begun
and delivery is on its way, so don’t be casual about it. Other women may find that their water does
not break until they are on their way to the hospital with contractions, while
other may have their water broken by their obstetrician or midwife to help
induce delivery.
Preterm Labor Signs
- Menstrual-like cramps that are constant
or sporadic
- Abdominal cramping
- Diarrhea
- Changes in vaginal discharge
- Pressure in the pelvic area that feels
like the baby is pushing down
- Backache that won’t go away
- Feeling contractions, with or without
pain, that occur within 10 minutes of each other
Signs of
Labor
- Water breaking – The rupturing of your amniotic
sac and loss of amniotic fluids
- Bloody Show – The loss of your mucous
plug
- Contractions – Different from false
labor. Upper uterus moving
downward. Increasing in duration
and intensity.
- Diarrhea – More frequent or constant
- Effacement – Checked by your doctor or
nurse, this is the ripening of your cervix preparing for delivery
- Dilatation – Checked by your doctor or
nurse, this is the process of your cervix dilating and opening wider to
allow your baby to pass into the birth canal.
- Lightening – The change in position as
your baby drops down into your pelvis
