- With Mayo Clinic certified nurse-midwife
Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
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Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
Mary Murry is a certified nurse-midwife in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Murry, a Cincinnati native, has been a nurse-midwife practitioner for more than 20 years and is an instructor at the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. She was a contributing reviewer and writer of the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book.
Her research interests include adult female survivors of sexual abuse, women's perception of pain in labor, and obesity in pregnancy.
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Pregnancy and you blog
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Dec. 16, 2011
Induced labor: Making an informed decision
By Mary M. Murry, R.N., C.N.M.
Ideally, labor begins naturally. Sometimes, though, induced labor can be the answer to your prayers. You might be one to two weeks past your due date, or the baby might have stopped growing as expected. Perhaps you have high blood pressure. The decision to induce labor usually comes down to the fact that you or the baby will be better off if the baby is on the outside.
If your cervix is firm, the induction might start with a process called ripening. You might be given oral medication to help your cervix prepare for labor, or your health care provider might place medication in your vagina. In other cases, a device — such as a catheter — might be placed in your vagina to soften your cervix. If your cervix has already begun to prepare for labor, ripening might not be needed.
The next phase of induced labor is intravenous medication — usually oxytocin (Pitocin) — to jump-start your contractions. The medication is delivered through a pump at a specific rate and amount. Over time, the dose is increased until your contractions are regular, frequent and causing changes in your cervix.
Induced labor is meant to mimic naturally occurring labor as much as possible. Expect contractions to start slowly, gradually gaining intensity and frequency. Those first hours of induction might be somewhat boring, as the medication forces your body to do something it wasn't ready to do on its own. You might watch a few movies, knit a baby blanket, or visit with friends and family. Once the contractions become frequent and more painful, you might need to turn all of your attention to working with the contractions.
Inducing labor isn't without risks and shouldn't be taken lightly. If your body isn't ready for labor, the benefits of induction must clearly outweigh the risks. Discuss it with your health care provider and work together to make an informed decision. Don't hesitate to ask questions — and continue asking until you're sure you understand the situation and you're comfortable with the decisions being made.
4 comments posted
January 6, 2013 2:13 a.m.
Elizabeth, your pregnancy is not the usual pregnancy is it? It sounds like you have had a very difficult time of it. Your situation is unique. An infection or blood clot can be very dangerous to you and your baby. Keep asking questions until you are comfortable with the plan and feel it is best for you and the baby.
- Mary@Mayo
January 4, 2013 1:08 a.m.
I'm 35 weeks pregnant with my third baby and have had a bit of a rough pregnancy. I have a picc line to receive nausea medication as well as reflux meds and fluids. I've needed the picc line since my first trimester, but have had complications (migration, infection, superficial blood clot). I recently had a five day stay in the hospital due to a staph infection and my second superficial blood clot. Fortunately the infection remained localized, but called for four weeks of IV antibiotics. My doctors have been monitoring this pregnancy closely and the baby has appeared to be doing well despite my issues. My doctors are recommending an amnio at 37 weeks and delivery shortly after if the lungs appear to be matured, but recent info on the mayo clinic site has me concerned about delivering before 39 weeks because of possible brain immaturity. I know my doctors are concerned about me having further complications, but I'm also concerned about my baby's brain development based on recent findings. Where is the greater risk? Delivering before 39 weeks or delaying delivery and risking another infection or picc line complication? If you have any additional material that might help to inform me even more, I would greatly appreciate it.
- Elizabeth
July 7, 2012 5:09 a.m.
Seems like most people I know who are induced, end up having c-sections. This includes myself. Nurses I have talked to seem to agree. Wonder what the statistics are on this?
- Amy
February 18, 2012 8:52 p.m.
I'm 41 weeks and 3 days, and I'm 2 cm dilated, 30% effaced, with a soft cervix. My only other child was induced at 41 w 5 d with a completely unfavorable cervix, and ended up a successful vaginal delivery with epidural. All testing shows healthy baby with lots of fluid (@ 17 a few days ago). Should I wait until 42 weeks or go ahead now with induction? I'm inclined to wait, but wonder if it's pointless anyway given my history.
- Jessica
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