by Olaide Akande

Created on: September 24, 2009   Last Updated: September 27, 2009

Normally every pregnancy should last between 38 weeks and 42 weeks counting from the first day of your last menstrual period. The due date which every pregnant woman looks forward to is actually the 40th week, an average. The reality is that things don't always go as planned. This is where labor induction plays a role. To induce labor simply put is to "artificially" make contractions start.

Labor induction used to be reserved for complications of pregnancy such as preeclampsia, for women approaching 42 weeks and in any other condition in which your doctor feels the baby is safer coming out than staying in. Also if your water broke and you don't get any contractions for at least 12-24 hrs (this varies among different practitioners), then your labor may have to be induced.

Nowadays, it is common to hear women wanting to plan their baby's birth date, and requesting inductions, or some OBGYNs wanting to plan their schedule and offering inductions. Majority of women will still rather have their labor begin spontaneously than be induced. Sometimes however, labor induction may be the safest option for you and your baby.

So what does labor induction entail? There are mainly two methods employed in a hospital setting to induce labor; these are use of medications and amniotomy.

Medications

Synthetic oxytocin is the more common agent used in inductions. Oxytocin is a hormone normally produced in the body and it causes your uterus to contract. It is given as an IV infusion i.e. continuously through a vein. The rate of flow will be gradually increased until your contractions are strong and regular.

An alternative to oxytocin is use of prostaglandin pessaries. This is inserted high up into the vagina. This has an advantage over oxytocin because it doesn't involve being hooked up to IVs and one is still able to move around freely for a reasonable amount of time.

Amniotomy

This is the artificial rupture of your bag of waters. It is done with the aid of an instrument called the amniotomy forceps or hook. The doctor will pass this in between their fingers, and into the cervix to rupture the amniotic membranes. Usually, your cervix would have been dilated to an extent for this procedure to be successful.

If your cervix is not ripe at the time of planned induction, then you will need to undergo Cervical ripening. This refers to softening, shortening and opening up of the cervix in order to further facilitate onset of labor. Misoprostol is a medication that can be used for cervical ripening. It is placed in the vagina much like the prostaglandin. It is also used by some doctors for labor induction as it has been discovered to stimulate uterine contractions as well.

Another means to ripen the cervix before labor induction is the use of a Foley's catheter. This is a rubber tubing with a tiny balloon at the tip. The catheter is inserted into the vagina up till the cervix and the balloon is inflated with some sterile water. Usually the catheter will fall off by itself and this indicates the cervix has ripened.

Labor induction is abnormal labor and is not without risks to both fetus and mother. Clear medical indications exist for inducing any labor. Your role as the eager expectant mother is to understand what it entails and be sure to discuss all your options with your doctor.

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