what does it mean to induce labour?

Answer 1

If your labor doesn't start on its own, your practitioner can use medication and other techniques to bring on (or induce) contractions. She can use some of the same methods to augment, or speed up, your labor if it stops progressing for some reason.

Some of the methods used to ripen the cervix and induce labor are:

• Using prostaglandins. Typically, if you need to be induced but your cervix is not yet dilated or thinned out, you'll be admitted to the hospital and your caregiver will start the induction by inserting medication that contains prostaglandins into your vagina. This medication helps to ripen the cervix and sometimes stimulates enough contractions to jump-start your labor.

• Using a Foley catheter. Instead of using medication to ripen your cervix, your practitioner may insert a catheter with a very small uninflated balloon at the end into your cervix. When the balloon is inflated with water, it puts pressure on your cervix, stimulating the release of prostaglandins, which cause the cervix to open and soften. When your cervix begins to dilate, the balloon falls out and the catheter is removed.

• Stripping or sweeping the membranes. If your cervix is already somewhat dilated and there's no urgent reason to induce, your practitioner can insert her finger through the cervix and manually separate your amniotic sac from the lower part of your uterus. This causes the release of prostaglandins, which may help further ripen your cervix and possibly get contractions going.

In most cases, this procedure is done during an office visit. You're then sent home to wait for labor to start, usually within the next few days. Many moms-to-be find this procedure uncomfortable or even painful, although the discomfort is short-lived.

• Rupturing the membranes. If your cervix is at least a few centimeters dilated, your practitioner can insert a small, plastic hooked instrument through it to break your amniotic sac. This procedure causes no more discomfort than a vaginal exam.

If your cervix is very ripe and ready for labor, there's a small chance that rupturing the membranes will be enough to get your contractions going. If that doesn't happen, your practitioner will give you Pitocin through an IV.

Once your water has broken, most practitioners will want you to deliver within 12 to 24 hours because the risk of infection for you and your baby increases over time.

• Using Pitocin. Your practitioner may give you the synthetic hormone Pitocin (oxytocin) through an IV pump to start or augment your contractions. She can adjust the amount you need according to how your labor progresses.

Answer 2

Inducing labour means to start it artificially rather than your body going into labour naturally.
Its usually done if you are overdue in which case the placenta will stop functioning properly or if there are complications and baby needs to come out sooner.

They can do it a number of ways a few of which are:
*The 'gel' which is called syntosin (other coutries have different names for the same drug) which they put inside your vagina around the top of your cervix to soften it and hopefully start you dilating and contracting.
* Syntosin/Pitosin drip in your arm which gives you the drug intravenously to start labour. Usually not so great as labour can start very quickly and be a bit of a shock.
* Breaking the waters to start labour.

Having been through an induction and natural labour I have to honestly say that the induction was harder than natural as you don't have the slow contractions to start with. its usually just straight into hard painful contractions. Don't want to scare you though, just being honest so you know what to expect!

I would, from experience, ask for the gel or breaking of waters before the drip otherwise you could be confined to the bed which in labour is not necessarily a good thing. Walking around helps the contractions along and helps aid pain relief. If they fail then they can hook you up to the drip. The gel and waters are the more natural of the induction methods and generally easier on the mother and baby.

Make sure that your opinions are known to the doctors and nursing staff and don't let them just decide how they are going to induce you if there is a choice. You have the final say about your body and baby!
Generally less medical intervention like drips and epidurals results in easier labours and delivery.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

Induce Means

Answer 4

To give you meds to help start contractions and labor. Some docs do it before, at or after due date depending on what they feel to do. You do have an option and sometimes getting induced can make your labor longer than if you did it by yourself but it is different in all women on how short or long it can take.

Answer 5

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RE:
what does it mean to induce labour?

Answer 6

When the mother goes over her due date and is showing no signs of going into labor soon the doctor will admit her to the hospital to start labor by using either a drug call patocin through an IV drip or breaking her water if is dilated a good bit but still not in active labor.

Answer 7

Your doctor will use a drug called pitocin to increase the length and the strength of your contractions to speed up your dilation. They will induce if a woman is two weeks overdue or if the natural labor has not progessed the dilation of the cervix.

Answer 8

That means the process is not starting on it's own, so you are given patosin to help the labor begin. It is a very natural thing for some people to have done.

Answer 9

To break your water before the baby does the doctor does this sometimes for the sake of the mother or the sake of the baby some women maybe over due and some are at there due date and there water has yet to break, but it just means making the baby come before the baby is ready on its own.

Answer 10

It means the doctor gives you some medicine to help jump start your labor.