Daniela Knaan
UX/UI Designer at - AdobeThe end of your pregnancy is coming nearer, you feel heavy and tired, and there are only two things you want- get rid of the heavy baby belly, and finally meet your new baby!
The last few weeks of waiting can really be hard, both physically and mentally.
If you like to plan everything (like me), it surely drives you crazy not to have a clue when your baby will arrive.
You could just get everything ready by week 36, and relax, but if the waiting gets too long and your baby doesn`t want to find their way out until week 40- well, I get it. Happened with my first.
If you are really having a hard time, there is one thing that may help you see things differently…
The watchful waiting and the intense wanting of the big day to arrive are all part of nature’s plan. When the baby, uterus, placenta, and hormones are ready, labor will start. Additionally, all that preparation sets the stage for an easier labor and a fully mature baby who is physiologically stable and able to breastfeed well right from the start.
Saying “No” to Induction
Let`s have a look into the reasons for letting labor start on its own!
1. Important things happen in the last weeks of pregnancy
During the last weeks of pregnancy, our placenta produces more antigenes to be passed to our baby in preparation for the dangers of the outside world.
Our baby matures, develops a better sucking reflex, stores fat and iron, and simply become stronger for survival outside our body with each day!
Who are we to decide that they are ready to be born? If you think of it with reason, you will understand that it is just wrong to interfere…
Our body feels when it is time, and will produce hormones that soften the cervix and make everything ready for labor. All kinds of induction carry the risk of a near-term baby. Near-term babies are prone to many risk factors due to the immaturity of their systems, and they are more likely to have feeding issues.
Under certain conditions, the benefits of induction may outweigh the risks
- intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), where the baby is not growing adequately due to a failing placenta
- maternal diabetes if the baby is thought to be at risk of rapid growth and potential hypoglycemia after it is born
- preeclampsia that is worsening and putting the mother’s health at risk
Those are major health risks for the mother and baby, and induction should be evaluated by a qualified person.
But those are not the same as a doctor suggesting “Hey, your baby seems to be ready to come out now, why not induce?”- or implying the baby might get too big or the blood pressure a bit too high, without real medical evaluation of the condition.
2. Induction may be unsuccessful
When the body gets ready for labor, it activates receptors for oxytocin, so the hormone can work properly. Oxytocin is the hormone that starts labor. So when there are no such receptors, then no single sort of induction will be successful from the beginning. This applies majorly to first-time moms whose cervix is not ready for birth and whose bodies never went through the process of getting ready for birth. When such a woman also has a long firm cervix, their chances of vaginal birth would drop to 50%!
3. Natural ways of induction are neither safer nor proven
There are several kinds of “natural induction” :
- Castor oil is suggested to induce because it leads to diarrhea and this triggers the body into labor
- several herbs are supposed to have an inducing effect
- Homeopathic
- Acupuncture
None of these methods is really proven to work, nor are they free from side effects, and they carry the same risk for near-term babies as conventional medical induction.
4. Medical induction carries inherent risks
Synthetic oxytocin does not trigger our body as the natural onset of labor does.
And because there is no play-together of important hormones and processes, birth will not be the way it would be without induction…
- Induced contractions are much stronger and faster than natural contractions, and there are no resting phases in between, which can lead to increased stress in the baby
- Increased risk of fetal distress – mother and baby will have to be monitored close which makes moving around very difficult. If you cannot move during labor, it is very difficult to manage.
- As a result, You will be more likely to choose an epidural to manage the pain.
- All the above lead to increased risks of assisted birth or even c-section.
- Babies that were born with induction, with assistance or with c-section are often sleepy or even traumatized in the sensitive first time after birth, which can lead to feeding and bonding issues.
- Hormones for proper bonding and natural initiation for breastfeeding don`t get triggered with synthetic induction
- Studies suggest a potential correlation between induction and ADHD later in childhood
- Risks for the mother as a result of induction are uterine rupture-more than 4 times more likely than without induction, postpartum blood loss, and postpartum depression
5. Birth is an intelligent process
Birth is a delicate scenario of so many hormones playing together- both mothers and babies. It is a complex scenario and yet so well and intelligently planned by nature, no artificial imitation could ever get it right. Every hormone that is released has its impact on something, the baby triggers the mom’s body, and the harmony between both bodies makes the incredible happen.
When your baby is ready to be born, their descending will awake reactions in your body that soften and prepare the cervix.
Your body will activate receptors for oxytocin so labor can start. Contractions get stronger over time but stay manageable.
Endorphins are released to make it possible for you to manage labor pain. They get to peak the moment your baby is born and are responsible for the strong feeling of bonding and falling in love.
Oxytocin and prostaglandins are also at peak the moment your baby comes out, to give you the last boost of energy to push and so you both be fully alert when you first meet.
Catecholamine is released in the baby`s body so they don`t feel pain going through the birth canal. This hormone also activates memory, so when your newborn first gets to know the smell and taste of you- he will remember it.
Synthetical induction increases the need for an epidural because of the strong labor pain. Both the synthetical pitocin and the epidural interfere and prevent strongly the release and delicate balance of hormones that make the process of labor and birth smooth, and possible. (1)
Conclusion
It is understandable that those last weeks are difficult to manage, and that it is easy to be “seduced” into the thought that your baby is ready and you decide when you give birth.
But it is important to see the whole picture, and have all the information before you decide and go forward with such a decision.
God and Nature intended for things to be as they are, and sometimes we just have to trust and rely on them.
Let them have their course, in order to prevent unnecessary risks for both you and your baby.
Resources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595289/
https://sarahbuckley.com/epidurals-risks-and-concerns-for-mother-and-baby/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/labor-induction/about/pac-20385141
