Benefits of Spontaneous Onset of Labor ~ 6-16-12

Many of us have heard about the dangers of unnecessary inductions, but how many of us have heard of the BENEFITS of allowing labor to begin on its own? With all the talk about inductions, the methods and medications used, what is or is not considered 'medically necessary', the convenience for moms and caregivers and so on, we can easily forget that not only are there risks associated with induction, but that there are great benefits to simply letting nature take its course and let labor start on its own. 


One of the biggest, and most obvious, benefits of letting labor start when your body and baby choose is avoiding an induction. 


Here is just a quick overview of our nations stats when it comes to inductions.

Labor Induction: Alarming Statistics In 2005, 22.3 percent of all U.S. births were induced — a 50 percent increase since 1990. A national survey by Childbirth Connection showed that 21 percent of U.S. women who gave birth in 2005 tried to self-induce labor because they were tired of being pregnant. They wanted to induce to avoid a medical induction, to control the timing of their birth, or because their caregivers were concerned about the size of the baby.
Elective induction rates vary widely among hospitals (12 percent to 55 percent) and among individual physicians (3 percent to 76 percent). But more than four out of 10 mothers (41 percent) reported that their caregiver tried to induce labor. For some women, an elective induction can almost double the risk for a cesarean, depending on the individual physician’s practice style and medical specialty. And all of these statistics are even more frightening when compared to the World Health Organization’s recommendation that appropriate induction rates in any geographic region should not exceed 10 percent.

         (http://mothersadvocate.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/labor-induction-exposed/)  



We have discussed inductions during a previous meeting, which you can find the notes for here. Most of us know there are different methods of induction ranging from 'natural' techniques to chemical options. With every type of induction, there are risks since you are, after all, trying to start a process that isn't quite ready to start yet. Medical induction usually requires staying confined to the hospital bed with continuous fetal monitoring. This inhibits the laboring moms ability to get up and move into different positions to help with comfort and to help baby move down into a good position. Pitocin is a common, and probably most widely recognized, drug used to medically induce women in the US today. This medication is synthetic oxytocin, which is the hormone that triggers the uterus to contract in labor. The pitocin label clearly shows and spells out that it is not intended for use in pregnant women. Many negative side effects have been reported with pitocin use during pregnancy, including: nausea; vomiting; more intense or abrupt contractions of the uterus, severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); blood clotting problems; changes in heart rate; heavy or continued bleeding after childbirth; irregular heartbeat; pooling of blood in the pelvis and ruptured uterus. There have even been side effects reported to the fetus, including: bleeding in the eye; irregular heartbeat; seizures and slow heartbeat. (http://www.drugs.com/sfx/pitocin-side-effects.html)



Another benefit of letting labor being on its own is simply knowing that your baby is really ready to be born. When labor starts on its own at term (37-42 weeks), it is thought to be due to the baby’s mature body sending signals to the mother’s body saying that their lungs are mature and ready for life outside the womb. In a study, UT Southwestern researchers found evidence that a substance secreted by the lungs of a developing fetus contains the key signal that initiates labor. The substance, called surfactant, is essential for normal breathing outside the womb.

"We found that a protein within lung surfactant serves as a hormone of labor that signals to the mother's uterus when the fetal lungs are sufficiently mature to withstand the critical transition to air breathing. No one really understands what causes normal or preterm labor. There may be several chemical pathways that lead to labor, but we think that this surfactant protein, which is also produced by the fetal lung in humans, may be the first hormonal signal for labor," said Dr. Mendelson, who is co-director of the North Texas March of Dimes Birth Defects Center at UT Southwestern.

(http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/news-releases/year-2004/fetal-lungs-provide-a-signal-initiating-labor-ut-southwestern-researchers-find.html)

      Many times women are induced or schedule a c-section due to being what they believe to be 'postdates', when in reality, due dates are not 100% accurate. Due dates are typically measured from a woman's last menstrual period (LMP), and assumes that every woman has a 28 day cycle and ovulates on cycle day 14. Obviously, this is NOT true for many women and, therefore, their due dates are not accurately calculated from the beginning. The ’40 weeks’ (or 280 days) of pregnancy comes from Naegele’s Rule, which was NOT based on actual stats or empirical data, but on his personal beliefs based on pregnancy being stated as 10 lunar months in the Bible. (http://doulamomma.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/pregnancy-really-isnt-40-weeks/) Even when women have ultrasounds and are given a measurement and/or weight and 'due date' estimate, it has been found that ultrasounds are not very accurate in measuring baby’s size, weight or calculating due dates. (http://icpa4kids.org/Wellness-Articles/the-due-date.html)

      

      Finally, and most importantly, spontaneous beginnings to labor is actually good for babies.  The ‘stress hormones’ in the baby, catecholamine and adrenaline, are triggered during labor, which clears the baby’s lungs and changes their physiological characteristics to promote normal breathing, mobilizes readily usable fuel to nourish cells, ensures that a rich supply of blood goes to the heart and brain, and may even promote attachment between mother and child.  (gentlebirth.org/archives/lbrygood.html)

      I wonder how many mothers would still consider elective procedures if all of this information was widely shared with pregnant women? So, please, feel free to share this blog post with all of your friends and family that you know are expecting or even planning and hoping to get pregnant soon. Knowing the TRUTH about birth and the options each family has is essential to having the best birth for you. 

sSuggested reading:
 The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth buy Henci Goer


 Additional links
 40 Reasons to Go the Full 40
 Consumer Reports: What to Reject when you're Expecting