Pitocin Induced Birth: Not Always What You Expect

I must admit. 99% of my life I am a strong supporter of natural birth. However, after four completely natural births, I elected to have a pitocin induced birth. There is just something about getting to 38 weeks in a pregnancy and carrying an eight pound baby on your bladder that makes a woman change her mind about natural birth. Besides, it was my fifth birth, and everyone said it would go quickly. Even the doctor said she would probably just look at me and my labor would start. But what I didn't know was that pitocin induced births can't really be predicted.

So why do women choose to be induced with pitocin?

The most obvious reasons for induction with pitocin are the complications that sometimes arise in pregnancy. Pitocin is often the chosen plan for those ladies that need to have their babies. Some complications that may require a woman to need induction would be pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and a baby in stress.

I think when a woman is overdue, or very close to her due date, she often chooses pitocin induction because she is just plain worn out. All that waddling around during the day with no rest during those long, sleepless nights causes a lot of stress for a pregnant woman. A lot of women also fear giving birth to an overly large baby if they go too far past their due date.

One factor leading to induction that I don't hear many people talk about is the doctor's schedule. If the doctor is going on vacation, many women would rather induce early rather than deliver with a doctor they are not familiar with. A lot of doctor's also encourage mothers that have already given birth quickly to be induced so that the doctor can make it to the birth. I also believe some doctors would rather schedule a pitocin induced birth so that the woman gives birth during the day rather than at night.

How pitocin induction works

Pitocin induction will require an IV drip for the mother. The pitocin will be administered in intermittent amounts which are distributed at regular intervals. The amount of pitocin will be gradually increased until the contractions are "working" as they are supposed to.

Because of the IV, the laboring mother will be required to lay on the bed to have her blood pressure and baby's heart-rate monitored during the labor.

A pitocin induction is often accompanied with the breaking of the bag of water in the mother. Some doctors break the bag of water before the start of pitocin and some break the water after the pitocin has been started.

The variety of results that may come from a pitocin induction

The result that every pregnant woman hopes for when she is induced is a quick start and end to the labor. I have a sister that was induced with pitocin for her second birth. She was the ideal pitocin induction story. She started her pitocin and a few hours later had her beautiful baby boy in her arms. Every woman's dream!

I unfortunately had a different story with my pitocin induced birth. My sister had her baby so easily, so nine days later I decided to give this pitocin thing a try. I was past my due date and was reaching the "insane pregnant lady" status. I asked to have my water broken first, before starting the pitocin. Three hours after having my water broken, I still wasn't having productive contraction, so they started the pitocin. Several hours later I had maxed out the amount of pitocin I could have and my contractions still weren't being productive. At that point I was very tired and frustrated. They started the pitocin all over again beginning once again with the least possible amount. Finally, the contractions started working and the baby came after about five and a half hours on pitocin.

A third possibility also exists with a pitocin birth. If the contractions never do lead to a birth and the water has already been broken, a woman will more than likely face a cesarean birth.

Comparison between natural and pitocin induced birth

It is pretty common knowledge that pitocin induced contractions are intense contractions. However, I believe all labors are different anyway. I did have one very intense labor with my third natural labor. I also had a fairly mild labor experience with my fourth natural birth. Both of these babies were over nine pounds, so I don't think the weight was a factor in the intensity of the birth. For some reason, a pregnant lady's body just reacts differently to different births.

The difference I did notice with the pitocin induced birth was that I just didn't feel like I knew what was going on with my body. The whole birth experience had been so long and tiring and I really didn't know when the birth was getting close. I believe with a natural birth the mother can feel and understand a little more clearly when the baby is coming. Unfortunately, even the doctor didn't make it to the birth since nobody seemed to know when the pitocin finally kicked in I started dilating quickly.

So if you are pregnant and considering a pitocin induced birth, try to prepare yourself before the experience. There is no way to know how your body will react to the induction. An induced birth will never be the same as a natural birth, so make sure induction is really what you want before committing to the process.