Bishop Score

Some doctors are “induction happy.” They like to schedule their lives; it is a though job to be always on call. Often if they see you are getting impatient they’ll suggest and induction. Most doctors really believe that inducing is not harming the child; nevertheless inducing is indeed opening the door to possible complications, baby might not like pitocin and his heart rate may fall resulting in an emergency C-birth. You might not be able to take the strength of the contractions and you will ask for an epidural, which often opens the door for more medical interventions. One of the reasons for a high cesarean rate in this country is due to fail inductions. So ask questions and don’t seem impatient. At forty-two weeks gestation you might need to be induced.

BE INFORMED! Knowledge is power.

Find out what your Bishop score is. The Bishop’s score, is a pre-labor scoring system to assist in predicting whether induction of labor will be required It has also been used to assess the odds of spontaneous preterm delivery.For an induction to be successful, your Bishop’s Score should be greater than 9. Be sure to ask your caregiver for your Bishop Score.

Also many doctors induced on the bases of not enough amniotic fluids. In the last few weeks your amniotic fluids might be checked often, so will your baby’s heart beat. When you are getting the ultrasound the doctor or technician will calculate your levels Amniotic fluid index (AFI) .  If they say the levels are low, ask for numbers, an AFI between 8 and 5  or more with baby’s strong heart beat means all is well.  Less then five  you will be induced, The use of oligohydramnios  (low levels of amniotic fluids) as a predictor of gestational complications is controversial. 1 2.  Nevertheless, most doctors will strongly suggest induction.

Get a second opinion on your fluid levels at the hospital. Often a new inexperienced technician will miss-calculate, sometimes the machines at a dr. office are not as accurate as those at the hospital. If you are sent to the hospital for low fluids and IT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY (ask simply “Is this an emergency or do I have an hour before I go in.”  Usually once you get to the hospital it will take hours before you are actually induced, and if it is an emergency usually means cesarean.  SO ASK)

Before you go to the hospital get a good meal (once you get there they will not feed you till the baby comes.) This will only take thirty  minutes but it will make a huge difference in your energy level during the induction. If your water is intact and you feel like it, have sex with your partner as a way to ‘naturally induce”  Read the article about natural inductions.

Prepare yourself emotionally; being induced is not the end of the world. Many of my clients have successfully had a drug-free birth even when induced. Call your doula or your support team they will help. Take a moment and stay still (if you know how to meditate this is a great time to do so.) Center and tell yourself everything will be ok. Rushing to the hospital will get you off center. Low amniotic levels are not usually a terrible emergency. But remember there is always enough time to come back to center and talk to your baby.

Once you are at the hospital ask them to re-measure the levels. Ask for the numbers, if your levels are five or more centimeters tell them you want to leave. It is your right to leave, remember you are a client not a patient.