It's your choice whether to have your labour induced or not. If your pregnancy lasts longer than 42 weeks and you decide not to have your labour induced, you should be offered increased monitoring to check your baby's wellbeing.
Inducing labor should be for medical reasons only. If there are medical reasons to induce your labor, talk to your provider about waiting until at least 39 weeks of pregnancy. This gives your baby the time she needs to grow and develop before birth. Scheduling labor induction should be for medical reasons only.
If the woman is less than 39 weeks pregnant, induction can result in a baby born with significant health problems, especially breathing difficulties. When labor is induced before 39 weeks, the baby is more likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Can I request an elective induction? Elective labor induction is the initiation of labor for convenience when there's no medical need. For example, for women who live far from the hospital or birthing center or who have a history of rapid deliveries, a scheduled induction might help avoid an unattended delivery.
An induced labour can be more painful than a natural labour. In natural labour, the contractions build up slowly, but in induced labour they can start more quickly and be stronger. Because the labour can be more painful, you are more likely to want some type of pain relief.
When a woman and her fetus are healthy, induction should not be done before 39 weeks. Babies born at or after 39 weeks have the best chance at healthy outcomes compared with babies born before 39 weeks. When the health of a woman or her fetus is at risk, induction before 39 weeks may be recommended.
You may be tempted to ask your doctor to induce labor – or even to perform a cesarean section. But be patient. Unless there are medical complications, your body will let you know when it's the right time to go into labor.
Induction is not a quick process. Once it has started, it may take more than 24 hours until your baby is born. If your cervix needs to be primed, it may take two days or more.
Risks of Induction
The cervix often needs to be softened before pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) will be effective. Pitocin causes contractions that both peak and become stronger more quickly than naturally occurring contractions. The result is a labor that is more difficult to manage.
However, the proportion of cesarean delivery was significantly lower for the induced group (18.6 percent), compared to the other group (22.2 percent).
If you have been offered an induction of labour for a specific reason, but you do not want this, you can choose to wait for natural labour or plan a caesarean birth instead. Speak with your healthcare professional as early as possible to discuss your options.
If someone is over 37 weeks pregnant and their waters break with no signs of labour, they may be offered the choice of an induction or 24 hours to wait and see if labour starts . It always remains the woman's decision to accept or decline an induction.
Early term: Your baby is born between 37 weeks, 0 days and 38 weeks, 6 days. Full term: Your baby is born between 39 weeks, 0 days and 40 weeks, 6 days. Late term: Your baby is born between 41 weeks, 0 days and 41 weeks, 6 days. Postterm: Your baby is born after 42 weeks, 0 days.
Experts think this pain is related to your baby growing larger and dropping down into your pelvis before birth (a process called engagement). With your baby's head lower in your pelvis, there's more pressure on your cervix and the nerves around the lower part of the uterus.
Most babies (91%) in Australia are born at term (37–41 weeks). This is similar across the states and territories and has been stable over time. Almost 1 in 10 babies (8.3%) were born pre-term and of these the majority were born between 32 and 36 completed weeks.
Your doctor or midwife will recommend being induced if they think it will be better for you or your baby than to wait. It is generally more painful than labour that starts naturally but the usual pain relief options will still be available to you.
No, the induction process itself is not painful, but you might feel some slight discomfort. You may be kept in hospital if you have prostaglandins (although some hospitals may offer you to go home), and you will be kept in if you're having your waters broken.
As oxytocin levels increase, more endorphins are released. When labour is induced, the artificial oxytocin used to stimulate contractions does not cross the blood-brain barrier. Your body doesn't receive signals to release the endorphins and you experience more intense pain.
Reasons to induce labor include: Nearing 1 to 2 weeks beyond the due date without labor starting (postterm pregnancy). When labor doesn't begin after the water breaks (prelabor rupture of membranes). An infection in the uterus (chorioamnionitis).
Babies usually weigh an average of 3 to 4 kg by this late stage of pregnancy.