Elective induction is not the safest standard procedure in a low risk healthy pregnancy; Especially first time pregnancy.
Your entrance into Motherhood matters, the way you experience labor and birth, the first moments meeting your baby, the energy around you, it all matters and makes a difference in your postpartum journey, motherhood journey and life.
Knowing, understanding and advocating against the risks that come with forced labor is one way to prevent unnecessary birth trauma and the waterfall of intervention.
Elective induction in a healthy low risk first time pregnancy has a 50% higher chance of ending in cesarean birth due to the waterfall of intervention.
The waterfall of intervention:
When the maternal and fetal health are directly affected by hands on actively managed labor causing distress, exhaustion, forced contractions while baby is unprepared to decend, improper fetal positioning, improper maternal positioning working against the pelvis instead of with it, hormonal interference due to vaginal checks, constant monitoring, positioning, negative energy and all of the above.
Reasons a Healthy Low risk Mother may opt for Induction:
-Scans depict baby will be too big by xyz date.
-Provider predicts narrow pelvis and suggests induction before baby grows to xyz weight.
-It is the standard experience they have witnessed and do not know their options.
-They fear risking out of midwifery care at 42wks & allow methods of induction to force labor such as repeated membrane sweeping, oral and vaginal induction tools such as CO & EPO.
-Standardly getting exhausted in the end stretch and using natural induction methods to force labor such as evening primrose oil (EPO) and castor oil (CO) or herbal remedy tinctures.
-Prodromal labor Confusion, Misunderstanding or Exhaustion.
-To have "control" over when baby arrives.
Risks that come with forced labor induction in a healthy low risk pregnancy (especially first time mothers):
-Pre rupture of membranes (release of amniotic bag of fluids before active labor begins, causing maternal stress to mother & fetal distress with potential risk of infection) leading to emergency.
-Causing radical contractions by irritating the cervix and uterus sending mixed signals to brain and body which can lead to stalled labor, elongated traumatizing labor/contractions, exhaustion, distress in mother and baby, waterfall of intervention using further induction methods and potential belly birth.
-Unnecessary emergency circumstances that could be avoided given the chance to allow imminent labor to begin on its own without forced stressful tactics on the mind and body.
-Cortisol (Stress) interference with the natural hormonal process of labor.
-Mainstream induction models often require bedridden labor which can be less progressive and comfortable than upright active labor without chemical/hormonal interference, often leading to other methods of induction, prolonged labor, trauma, episiotomy & belly birth.
We see women fleeing the mainstream medical model of hospital birth to literally put themselves in a time frame of midwifery care before they must seek medical attention from the mainstream model last minute or birth alone if they exceed the out of hospital providers legal limit of assistance. ⁉️
Tell me how that is empowering in the last weeks of pregnancy when you are more stressed not knowing where you will ultimately labor and birth and with whom professionally supporting you - The system sets us up for Risk & failure if we are not as or more prepared, educated and empowered as the medical provider. And even when we are, we are still at risk either advocating for our rights, facing medical Disparities, seeking a respectful and empowering team, hoping for a low risk transfer if needed, praying divine timing takes the wheel before the mainstream medical model does, praying we are safe if we are put in a situation to freebirth without a medical professional who fully supports the birthplan/contract and safe if emergency unfolds.
Most females I know are not focusing on childbirth education in their adolescent years leading into womanhood let alone learning the entire anatomy, physiology & psychology of the science behind pregnancy, birth and postpartum to ensure they have an empowered experience.
It is our job as birth educators, medical providers Obstetricians & Midwives, Doulas & Monitrices to empower each other to work together as a sacred family in this mission to honoring the life incarnating onto this planet and the mother portals bringing life. This is not just a job, this is a miraculous ritual we participate in as a collective. It is our job to create connection, genuine safe spaces and bonds with each being we divinely cross paths with.
Drop a comment and tell us how you are #raisingstandards in the new age birth world!