PITOCIN

There may be times when pitocin is truly necessary and I’m not arguing for or against that. What we are exploring here is the fact that pitocin is a powerful drug that should not be taken lightly by mothers or providers. It’s important to consider whether there is true justification for the alarmingly increasing rates at which doctors are pushing for induction. In 1990, induction rates in the U.S. were 9.6% compared to 24.5% in 2018. Some states such as West Virginia have had induction rates as high as 39.4% in recent years. Many mothers have messaged me saying their providers scheduled their induction for 38 weeks at their 30 week appointment. The issue is that induction is becoming the norm and providers are finding reasons to deem it medically necessary. 

The reason I always advocate for avoiding induction, especially when wanting an unmedicated birth, is because induction is what often starts the cascade of interventions. When forcing the body to do what it’s not ready to do, we can’t expect it to respond in an ideal way. When I hear of a mother pending an induction date with little to no medical indication, I’m not surprised to hear the birth ended up with an unwanted epidural or unwanted c-section. We simply can’t mimic the naturally occurring timeline, rhythm, and phenomenon of birth. 

The power of birth is incredible. As always, the information I share shouldn’t be read from a place of feeling fear of shame—and if it is, quite frankly that’s on you. On the contrary, this information is to help mothers understand how truly powerful their bodies are and how modern intervention pales in comparison to the fine tuned and perfected natural order of birth. Real oxytocin for the win ✨

As with ANY topic I that I share the risks of, it does not mean I think it is unnecessary or bad in all cases. I am FOR pitocin in cases where it is truly needed. Many women have been able to avoid complications with the help of pitocin. But I am AGAINST it being used so casually and without true medical necessity. Many medical providers even agree it is used too often without good cause. It often has unintended consequences and often leads to a cascade of interventions in birth. Not only that, it interferes with the woman’s normal cascade of hormones during labor, having even long lasting effects like PPA and PPD. 

That said, it is a powerful drug that is sometimes necessary:

✅If labor must be induced early for medical reasons like preeclampsia, infections, broken water etc.
✅If labor has truly stalled and baby is in distress
✅Stop post partum hemorrhage 

Times it is not *usually* necessary: 

🚫schedule/convenience 
🚫mom is past 40 weeks
🚫mom is tired of being pregnant 
🚫baby is “too big” (actually very rare)
🚫labor is not moving fast enough for the hospitals liking

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