What should I eat before labor induction? The best foods for labor are easy to eat and digest, filling, and energizing. That also means avoiding foods that are high in fat, greasy, or spicy, since these can be more difficult to digest.
Risks of Induction
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. In addition, the uterine muscle never totally relaxes between contractions, increasing stress on both the uterus and the baby.
It can take from a few hours to as long as 2 to 3 days to induce labour. It depends how your body responds to the treatment. It is likely to take longer if this is your first pregnancy or you are less than 37 weeks pregnant.
Before your induction:
Do not shave your abdomen, pubic area, or upper thighs for at least 1 week before your induction. Take off all jewelry. Eat and drink before coming to the hospital unless you are told not to.
“Randomized control trials have shown no decrease in infections with hair removal and, in fact, have shown a slight increase with shaving compared to clipping or waxing before procedures. Hospital infection control doesn't recommend [shaving] at this time.”
On the day of your induction:
Delivering your baby safely is our priority. On occasion, this may mean some inductions are delayed as babies arrive when they are ready. Eat a light meal. Take a relaxing shower before heading to the hospital.
This review, with only three studies with two different comparisons, concludes that induction of labour in the evening is as effective and safe as induction in the morning. However, given the preference of most women, administration of prostaglandins should preferably be done in the morning.
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.
Before inducing labor, your ob-gyn or other health care professional may check to see if your cervix is ready using the Bishop score. With this scoring system, a number ranging from 0 to 13 is given to rate the condition of the cervix. A score of 6 or less means that your cervix is not yet ready for labor.
If your cervix is not very dilated or effaced then you will come to the hospital the night before your induction to undergo 'cervical ripening. ' There are several methods that we may use with the ultimate goal to dilate and efface the cervix overnight under restful conditions.
Pharmacologic agents available for cervical ripening and labor induction include prostaglandins, misoprostol, mifepristone, and relaxin. When the Bishop score is favorable, the preferred pharmacologic agent is oxytocin.
Taking a dressing gown with you can be really helpful, especially if you're there for a while waiting for things to get going, for the same reason taking a change of comfy clothes can be helpful.
Never mind that the Royal College of Midwives has repeatedly stated that there is no need to do so, that no health professional will even notice and that pubic hair will have absolutely no effect on your baby's health. If you need a C-section, they will shave whatever needs to be shaved.
There are other hair removal methods you can try at home if you're uncomfortable with the thought of being shaved at the hospital. These methods include waxing and sugaring, electric shavers, and hair removal creams. You may use these methods to remove hair on your pubic region.
Contractions typically start about 30 minutes after you've been given the medication, and they're usually stronger, more regular, and more frequent than natural labor contractions.
Our endogenous oxytocin floods our brain, infusing our pleasure and reward center, providing pain relief, helping us to do the work required in labour, and intensifies labour sensations so that it is efficient. One of the main ways to support oxytocin release is with touch – loving, non-clinical touch is optimal.
Preparing for Induction
Please eat a light meal before you come in for your induction. This will give you some energy for your exciting day. Keeping it on the lighter side is important since you may experience some nausea during labor.
The likelihood of induction of labor varies widely by gestational age, with U.S. births at 41+ weeks for first-time mothers much more likely to involve an induction (45%) than those at 39 weeks (30%) [3].
Expected Length of Stay For an uncomplicated vaginal birth, the usual length of postpartum stay is 1-2 days. For an uncomplicated cesarean birth, the usual length of postpartum stay is 2-3 days. Both your doctor and your baby's doctor will evaluate how each of you are doing to determine when you can go home.
Most women will be able to go home afterwards, but sometimes you will have to stay in hospital because of medical reasons or the method of induction being used. You may want to pack a birth bag and either bring it with you or have it available in your car.