10 things to do Instead of Induction
As
I wage a campaign against induction ALL THE TIME, so naturally those
upset with my position challenge me about what I would do "about" a mom
who was past dates....
First let me say that is not my opinion, but my conviction, after years of study and experience that giving a baby an eviction notice is not good practice. The idea that mother and baby don’t know when to start labor lends to doubting that they know how to complete it. The body that oversees the complexities of conception and can grow a baby 24/7 throughout the pregnancy, not only knows how to eject a baby, but when. Think about it...did you give your body a to do list or schedule: on Monday start the liver and finish the lungs, on Tuesday finish the eyeballs and start on the eardrums??????????????? I think not! The body knew exactly how and WHEN.
Initiation of labor is a secret process that science can’t fully explain. We don’t know enough about it to safely jack with it.....I won’t do it and I won’t recommend it. There is no such thing as a natural induction. No one knows when the right time is except baby and mamma. I absolutely will not help a mother evict her baby. If a baby needs to be born for life and death situations, I do not think labor should be started artificially at home. There are times when the hospital is the safer choice. In the hospital they will usually have the ability to deal with an emergency CAUSED by induction, where that is not as likely at home.
Here is what I would do instead.
#1 I would encourage her to read more on the topic of the length of gestation (My note: The Lie of the EDD is a good article to start with https://www.facebook.com/notes/carla-hartley/the-lie-of-the-edd-why-your-due-date-isnt-when-you-think-by-misha-safranski/10150209281648604) so that other people have less power to erode her confidence in her body....and would do everything I could to help her refuse to buy into anyone else’s fear or ignorance on the topic.
#2 I would explain the initiation of labor to the best of my ability (NO ONE UNDERSTANDS the complexity of that topic actually) and try to help her enjoy the last days or weeks of the most intimate relationship she will ever have with her child.... Those of you who have heard me talk about this know that this conversation alone might take an hour or more....and I can barely get through it without bawling.....I am so in awe of the science of labor and birth and ..... the exclusive relationship between a mother and her unborn child is AWESOME. Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.
#3 I would make every effort to reframe any anxiety with transformative language that promotes anticipation of an amazing event that is soon to take place. I always try to use language that would help her look forward to her birth without seeing it as something she needs to check off on her to do list....she is not behind.....she is right on schedule and if other people have a problem with it....well that is their issue....
#4 I would suggest that she really work on her blood volume expansion and would have already suggested drbrewerpregnancydiet.com
#5 I would also recommend that she eat dates....keep in mind that pregnancy uses up a lot of minerals...dates offer substantial mineral content ...this is the original info I read that got me started preaching Dates for Dates....http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280989 If mom feels constipated, the dates may do the trick. If not, I would suggest something like pistachios for gentle relief....nothing that might cause diarrhea.
#6 I would try to get her family and friends to give her some spa time or just me and baby time to relax... take a bath....foot massage, whatever makes her feel pampered....
#7 I would take her to lunch....put us in a different atmosphere and maybe she will think of things she wants to talk about before birth that she might not have thought of in an office setting or even in one of our homes....besides....social eating like that increases oxytocin....
#8 And on that note, see this extension as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship..... "I am glad we have more time together before the birth....it is hard to stay in touch after baby gets here." Do NOT make her feel like she is a burden to you, your family or your schedule because SHE isn't doing her job. I am not saying that you have to make every client your new best friend...but I found a little extra investment in them in that last month always seemed to pay off with more genuine communication later.
#9 And back to #1....If her friends started suggesting "natural" or any other kind of induction, I would volunteer to share with her everything I had read on the topic so that she had more than "I think" in reply....
#10 I would suggest she unplugs....no computer, don't answer the phone....don't listen to anyone who doesn’t believe she is doing the right thing to continue gestation until the baby is done with his preparation.... The slightest interference with the preparatory work of the baby can screw everything up and start a cascade of interference, which leads to interventions that lead to multiple complications and possible emergencies.
The suggestions I give are based upon my conviction that it is NEVER THE BEST IDEA TO TRY TO TRICK THE BODY OR THE BABY. The biochemistry of the initiation of labor is way above my pay grade. I read an article by a scientist who said he has been studying it his whole life and if anyone says they know how it works he doesn't believe it. An in depth study of oxytocin and other hormones of pregnancy and birth have convinced me that it is incredibly risky to fiddle with or even nudge this process.
Among the arguments I hear in favor of induction is that in this day and age moms are not as healthy as they should be, their hormones are off, and some need a little help getting started. I acknowledge that women are not at optimal health in our current situation in terms of empty food and assaults on health from our unhealthy environment.....however I think we can do more harm than good in our attempts to make up for the time we live in. For example, my research has led me to believe that due to the iffy nutritional content of our food, some supplementation is good, but I am not convinced that one size fits all prenatal vitamins are the best answer. At best, supplementation is a guess because a number of factors would come into play including geography since nutritional content varies wildly even within one state. And as for messing with hormones, that is really risky business. I have been studying this for 36 years and I would not presume to guess what a mother’s hormone levels were or what needed tweaking or when. Baby and mom have been working that out for nine months and I am of the conviction that I might mess things up if I mess with the initiation of labor in any way....chemically (drugs, herbs, etc.) digitally (stretch and sweep) or instrumentally (amniotomy). I have too many questions with no way of knowing the answers. I trust that the body that knows how to grow and eject the baby also knows WHEN to do it.
Here is my last thought.....for now.....This is what I have said to many mothers on this topic:
I imagine that the baby is in preparation for birth sort of like packing.....do not eject your baby until he is completely packed and ready to go meet the world. It might be equivalent to putting your baby in a car without being buckled up in a carseat or out in the cold on a winter day with no coat. Up until now it has just been the two of you....he might need that to stay true a bit longer.
AND the conversation going on between you and your baby may be far more profound than you know. Don’t let anyone think you need to interrupt that. Please do not give your baby an eviction notice. Wait until he says, “Ok, Mom, here we go and here I come!”
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
No induction is safe.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Only when a baby will be safer on the outside should an induction be considered. If an induction is warranted, the pregnancy and birth have now become medical and should be done in a medical setting. I have come to take a hard stand against induction and never recommend any inductions at home.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
There is no such thing as a natural induction.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Don't get caught up in the "this will work ONLY if your baby is ready" fallacy, as if there is no chance of harming baby with your attempts. If the baby WAS ready, it would be happening already with no outside induction effort.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Nudging is not nice.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Do not cheat a baby out of his job of the chemical initiation of labor. You might be messing up the whole thing if you mess with that one thing.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Trust that the baby who knows how to drive labor knows how to start it.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Those last weeks are probably more emotionally and psychologically significant than our small minds could know. Mamma and baby are saying things to each other in a biological context, so how do we know what they are saying to each other in a psychological and emotional context. We should not interrupt their conversation with our calendar or clock. He may have more to say to you before he leaves....that might not be possible to say in the new relationship.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
AROM is baby's first surgery....who do you trust to do that? And what if the AROM at home results in an emergency?
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Stripping membrances is not benign nudging. The risk of infection and other complications have now been introduced to a condition of normalcy. I will say it again, no nudging.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Castor oil and EPO are NOT safe and they are NOT natural. Do your research.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120329100904.htm
last words: There is no such thing as a natural induction. I 'm all for chiropractic adjustments for alignment, or acupuncture for the urinary system but do not ask any practitioner to trick your body into overriding its own safety mechanisms. If baby was ready, baby would be saying GO...... If baby WAS ready, baby would be initiating labor. It is that simple.
First let me say that is not my opinion, but my conviction, after years of study and experience that giving a baby an eviction notice is not good practice. The idea that mother and baby don’t know when to start labor lends to doubting that they know how to complete it. The body that oversees the complexities of conception and can grow a baby 24/7 throughout the pregnancy, not only knows how to eject a baby, but when. Think about it...did you give your body a to do list or schedule: on Monday start the liver and finish the lungs, on Tuesday finish the eyeballs and start on the eardrums??????????????? I think not! The body knew exactly how and WHEN.
Initiation of labor is a secret process that science can’t fully explain. We don’t know enough about it to safely jack with it.....I won’t do it and I won’t recommend it. There is no such thing as a natural induction. No one knows when the right time is except baby and mamma. I absolutely will not help a mother evict her baby. If a baby needs to be born for life and death situations, I do not think labor should be started artificially at home. There are times when the hospital is the safer choice. In the hospital they will usually have the ability to deal with an emergency CAUSED by induction, where that is not as likely at home.
Here is what I would do instead.
#1 I would encourage her to read more on the topic of the length of gestation (My note: The Lie of the EDD is a good article to start with https://www.facebook.com/notes/carla-hartley/the-lie-of-the-edd-why-your-due-date-isnt-when-you-think-by-misha-safranski/10150209281648604) so that other people have less power to erode her confidence in her body....and would do everything I could to help her refuse to buy into anyone else’s fear or ignorance on the topic.
#2 I would explain the initiation of labor to the best of my ability (NO ONE UNDERSTANDS the complexity of that topic actually) and try to help her enjoy the last days or weeks of the most intimate relationship she will ever have with her child.... Those of you who have heard me talk about this know that this conversation alone might take an hour or more....and I can barely get through it without bawling.....I am so in awe of the science of labor and birth and ..... the exclusive relationship between a mother and her unborn child is AWESOME. Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.
#3 I would make every effort to reframe any anxiety with transformative language that promotes anticipation of an amazing event that is soon to take place. I always try to use language that would help her look forward to her birth without seeing it as something she needs to check off on her to do list....she is not behind.....she is right on schedule and if other people have a problem with it....well that is their issue....
#4 I would suggest that she really work on her blood volume expansion and would have already suggested drbrewerpregnancydiet.com
#5 I would also recommend that she eat dates....keep in mind that pregnancy uses up a lot of minerals...dates offer substantial mineral content ...this is the original info I read that got me started preaching Dates for Dates....http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21280989 If mom feels constipated, the dates may do the trick. If not, I would suggest something like pistachios for gentle relief....nothing that might cause diarrhea.
#6 I would try to get her family and friends to give her some spa time or just me and baby time to relax... take a bath....foot massage, whatever makes her feel pampered....
#7 I would take her to lunch....put us in a different atmosphere and maybe she will think of things she wants to talk about before birth that she might not have thought of in an office setting or even in one of our homes....besides....social eating like that increases oxytocin....
#8 And on that note, see this extension as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship..... "I am glad we have more time together before the birth....it is hard to stay in touch after baby gets here." Do NOT make her feel like she is a burden to you, your family or your schedule because SHE isn't doing her job. I am not saying that you have to make every client your new best friend...but I found a little extra investment in them in that last month always seemed to pay off with more genuine communication later.
#9 And back to #1....If her friends started suggesting "natural" or any other kind of induction, I would volunteer to share with her everything I had read on the topic so that she had more than "I think" in reply....
#10 I would suggest she unplugs....no computer, don't answer the phone....don't listen to anyone who doesn’t believe she is doing the right thing to continue gestation until the baby is done with his preparation.... The slightest interference with the preparatory work of the baby can screw everything up and start a cascade of interference, which leads to interventions that lead to multiple complications and possible emergencies.
The suggestions I give are based upon my conviction that it is NEVER THE BEST IDEA TO TRY TO TRICK THE BODY OR THE BABY. The biochemistry of the initiation of labor is way above my pay grade. I read an article by a scientist who said he has been studying it his whole life and if anyone says they know how it works he doesn't believe it. An in depth study of oxytocin and other hormones of pregnancy and birth have convinced me that it is incredibly risky to fiddle with or even nudge this process.
Among the arguments I hear in favor of induction is that in this day and age moms are not as healthy as they should be, their hormones are off, and some need a little help getting started. I acknowledge that women are not at optimal health in our current situation in terms of empty food and assaults on health from our unhealthy environment.....however I think we can do more harm than good in our attempts to make up for the time we live in. For example, my research has led me to believe that due to the iffy nutritional content of our food, some supplementation is good, but I am not convinced that one size fits all prenatal vitamins are the best answer. At best, supplementation is a guess because a number of factors would come into play including geography since nutritional content varies wildly even within one state. And as for messing with hormones, that is really risky business. I have been studying this for 36 years and I would not presume to guess what a mother’s hormone levels were or what needed tweaking or when. Baby and mom have been working that out for nine months and I am of the conviction that I might mess things up if I mess with the initiation of labor in any way....chemically (drugs, herbs, etc.) digitally (stretch and sweep) or instrumentally (amniotomy). I have too many questions with no way of knowing the answers. I trust that the body that knows how to grow and eject the baby also knows WHEN to do it.
Here is my last thought.....for now.....This is what I have said to many mothers on this topic:
I imagine that the baby is in preparation for birth sort of like packing.....do not eject your baby until he is completely packed and ready to go meet the world. It might be equivalent to putting your baby in a car without being buckled up in a carseat or out in the cold on a winter day with no coat. Up until now it has just been the two of you....he might need that to stay true a bit longer.
AND the conversation going on between you and your baby may be far more profound than you know. Don’t let anyone think you need to interrupt that. Please do not give your baby an eviction notice. Wait until he says, “Ok, Mom, here we go and here I come!”
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
No induction is safe.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Only when a baby will be safer on the outside should an induction be considered. If an induction is warranted, the pregnancy and birth have now become medical and should be done in a medical setting. I have come to take a hard stand against induction and never recommend any inductions at home.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
There is no such thing as a natural induction.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Don't get caught up in the "this will work ONLY if your baby is ready" fallacy, as if there is no chance of harming baby with your attempts. If the baby WAS ready, it would be happening already with no outside induction effort.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Nudging is not nice.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Do not cheat a baby out of his job of the chemical initiation of labor. You might be messing up the whole thing if you mess with that one thing.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Trust that the baby who knows how to drive labor knows how to start it.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Those last weeks are probably more emotionally and psychologically significant than our small minds could know. Mamma and baby are saying things to each other in a biological context, so how do we know what they are saying to each other in a psychological and emotional context. We should not interrupt their conversation with our calendar or clock. He may have more to say to you before he leaves....that might not be possible to say in the new relationship.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
AROM is baby's first surgery....who do you trust to do that? And what if the AROM at home results in an emergency?
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Stripping membrances is not benign nudging. The risk of infection and other complications have now been introduced to a condition of normalcy. I will say it again, no nudging.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
Castor oil and EPO are NOT safe and they are NOT natural. Do your research.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY AN EVICTION NOTICE.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120329100904.htm
Brilliance
from my dear friend, Dr. John Stevenson. He was such an amazing man
and a avid student of birth. Learning from the mothers, he always was
quick to point out that they were his teachers when it came to home
birth.
" As a (medical) student I learned that
the post-mature placenta degenerates, with baby out-growing it
and becoming under-nourished and weak, with an increased
mortality. The typical post-mature baby was said to be skinny and
wrinkled like a senile old man, and the placenta was calcified and
unhealthy. Therefore, pregnant patients should be induced before
going beyond 42 weeks. Now I have to thank homebirth patients for
teaching me that this load of armchair obstetrics is fictitious. I
became very anxious and conferred with several consultants the
first time a patient refused induction and went to 44 1/2 weeks.
After a good quick labour she gave birth to a plump pink strong
boy, and a soft healthy placenta. Since then I have had quite a
number who went past 44 weeks and a few who got to 48 weeks,
with never any babies like a skinny wrinkled old man; and of course
calcified placentas are not overdue, they often feature in ultrasound
reports in the seventh or eighth month, calcification is just a normal
variation of no significance. It is contrary to what I know and
understand about living tissue that the placenta would degenerate
while baby is still using it. I have seen sick placentas, but not from
overdue pregnancies. Therefore I oppose induction for postmaturity,
and advocate patience. Even if I lost a post-mature baby,
which would ruin my statistics on the subject, I would not change
my approach, which is based on my belief that induction is more
dangerous than waiting for the baby to turn labour on when it is
ready. If I had time I could tell you plenty of stories that would
confirm my concept." John Stevenson
and from Gloria Lemay http://wisewomanwayofbirth.com/doctors-beginning-to-realize-that-induction-is-a-big-mistake/
The
TRUTH is that any attempt to trick the body and the baby is interfering
and that, by definition, is NOT birth trusting... Birth Trust is not a
mantra but an understanding of, and faith in, physiology.....ALL
inductions add risk, alter the birth and should only be attempted in the
presence of a medical condition that warrants intervention (different
than interference) for the sake of mother or baby.....a life or death
situation where it is imperative to get baby out. If such a condition
exists, birth has become medical and it should take place in a hospital.
The gestational theft caused by our obedience to the dictates of
doctors or midwives' protocol or license is NOT fair to babies or
mammas. Evicting a baby is not a good thing in the absence of a
compelling medical emergency. If you study the chemistry of pregnancy
and birth, you would never take the matter of WHEN into your own hands.
Editing birth is serious serious business. In addition, every method of
eviction has its own risks.....I would challenge every mother who is
being bullied to evict her unborn to do the research and decide for
herself if those additional risks are something she wants for her baby.and from Gloria Lemay http://wisewomanwayofbirth.com/doctors-beginning-to-realize-that-induction-is-a-big-mistake/
last words: There is no such thing as a natural induction. I 'm all for chiropractic adjustments for alignment, or acupuncture for the urinary system but do not ask any practitioner to trick your body into overriding its own safety mechanisms. If baby was ready, baby would be saying GO...... If baby WAS ready, baby would be initiating labor. It is that simple.
