Medical inductions are becoming increasingly common due to hospital agendas and policies. These inductions are often unnecessary, yet they are strongly encouraged to birthing families, with fear tactics often used to persuade them. Why is this happening? Hospitals seek efficient ways to manage the number of women in labor at any given time and to handle the high patient volume they encounter. Unfortunately, induction is frequently their chosen solution.
As birth doulas and childbirth educators, we are dedicated to helping families avoid these unnecessary inductions because they often lead to negative birth outcomes. When the mother's body and the baby aren't ready for labor, the process can become much longer and more intense for both. Induction interventions create a ripple effect (often undisclosed by providers), leading to 1 in 2 inductions resulting in a c-section. This increases the likelihood of the baby being admitted to the NICU, complicates the mother's bonding and feeding experience and extends her recovery time.
Our goal is to empower you to prevent unnecessary inductions and ensure a smoother, more enjoyable birthing experience, resulting in lasting positive effects for you and your baby. This begins with establishing critically important foundations early in pregnancy, which we refer to as the “birthing trifecta”:
Choosing the right provider who has low induction and cesarean rates, which for most low to moderate-risk women, a midwife is the best fit
Finding a childbirth education course that builds your confidence and trust in the natural birth process, like our course Your Empowered Birth
Hiring a doula as your advocate who will act as your trusted resource and sounding board if induction starts to get brought up toward the end of your pregnancy
We primarily work with families experiencing low to moderate-risk births. In the US, only 6-8% of births are classified as high-risk, potentially requiring induction, yet 23.4% of births are induced. Given this significant disparity, it's essential for families seeking an empowered birthing experience to be equipped with the right tools.
Discover six powerful strategies to confidently achieve your desired birth without induction, even if it's positioned as "necessary" at the end of your normal pregnancy. Remember, a big baby or a single high blood pressure reading are not legitimate reasons for induction.
Move Your Body
Labor is a marathon that demands endurance, and preparing your body is essential. We highly recommend pregnancy-focused exercises such as stretching, prenatal yoga and pilates. Walking is incredibly powerful, as it applies pressure on your cervix, softening it for labor. It also promotes your baby’s descent and optimal positioning for birth.
Staying active is key. The right movements strengthen and soften your body for the demands of labor. We once had a mama who was 41 weeks + 2 days pregnant and still deadlifting heavy weights (something she was already doing before her pregnancy, so this was safe for her body), and she rocked her birth! The key is to choose movements that feel good for your body and your baby and don't force anything that doesn't.
As part of your doula support team, we will connect you with personally vetted resources such as pelvic floor therapists and chiropractors to enhance your body’s strength and alignment. We will also provide practical exercises to help your body relax and prepare, ensuring your baby is in the most ideal position for birth. With your body well-prepared and your baby optimally positioned, labor naturally happens more smoothly.
Tap Into Your Intuition
The most crucial muscle you possess as your birthing time approaches is your motherly intuition. This intuition will guide you from pregnancy into postpartum and throughout your mothering years. As you anticipate labor, your intuitive muscles will be engaged. By tuning in and listening closely, you'll find peace with the uncertainty of when your baby will arrive. You won't be swayed by external pressures and opinions about your baby's arrival; instead, you'll gain a profound understanding that this waiting period has a purpose. It effectively prepares you to embrace discomfort and trust the unknown.
Fear and intuition can often be mistaken for one another, or fear can overshadow intuition. Remember, fear is loud and overwhelming in your mind, while intuition is calm and quiet in your heart and gut. As your pregnancy nears its end, create space for quiet by taking walks in nature, enjoying baths, meditating, practicing yoga, journaling and similar activities. In this quiet space, you'll discover trust, peace and happiness as you prepare for your birthing time.
Promote Oxytocin
Oxytocin, often known as the "love hormone," is a powerful influence during the final stages of pregnancy. It is essential for initiating labor, facilitating birth and fostering positive postpartum bonding. To enhance oxytocin levels, begin with intimacy with your partner if you feel comfortable. Engaging in sex not only releases oxytocin but also introduces natural prostaglandins from semen. In hospitals, artificial prostaglandins are used to prepare the cervix, but you can naturally encourage this process through intimacy.
Penetration can effectively promote contractions, while skin-to-skin contact, nipple stimulation, kissing and massage provide alternative ways to connect if penetration isn’t preferred. A relaxed, positive atmosphere creates an environment ideal for promoting labor. In these last few weeks, make it a point to plan some fun times with your partner to celebrate the end of pregnancy and the start of being parents together.
Colostrum hand expressing is another effective method to boost oxytocin on your own or with your partner. Safely starting between 36-37 weeks of pregnancy, we recommend doing this while relaxed and warm after a bath or shower, perhaps incorporating a belly massage to stimulate oxytocin as you connect with your baby. As your doulas and childbirth educators, we guide you step-by-step in efficiently collecting colostrum. This practice not only promotes oxytocin but also teaches you how to express milk and build a colostrum supply for your baby before birth, positively impacting your birth and postpartum experience.
Stay Rested and Nourished But Distracted
When you choose us as your doulas or childbirth educators, you'll quickly discover that "stayed rested and nourished but distracted" is one of our favorite phrases as the birthing window approaches. During this crucial five-week period (from 37-42 weeks of pregnancy) when most labors naturally occur, there's ample opportunity to rest your body in preparation for labor and the postpartum phase. We want to ensure you don't find yourself anxiously watching the clock, wondering every hour when your baby will arrive.
The great news is that you'll likely be in "nesting" mode, eager to organize and clean every corner of your home as you get ready to welcome your new bundle of joy. If possible, we recommend expecting moms to stop working around 36 weeks of pregnancy or even earlier. This provides plenty of time and space to prepare your heart, mind and body for birth.
During this "rested but distracted" phase, plan regular dates (make it a weekly ritual until your baby arrives), wash (and rewash the baby's clothes if needed), dust the plant leaves, clean the baseboards, call your girlfriends, enjoy coffee dates, schedule a spa day, soak up the sunshine, indulge in long baths, connect with your baby, massage your belly, dive into your favorite novels, binge-watch a lighthearted show—the possibilities are endless! As you nest and care for your home, remember to also nurture your heart and body during this precious time.
Surrender To Timing
With our extensive experience as doulas, we confidently affirm that the key to smooth labor is trusting the natural process, embracing its timing and exercising patience. This is where the true magic of birth unfolds. Trust in your body’s wisdom and know that your baby instinctively knows when to arrive. Recent studies confirm that babies secrete a protein that signals to the mother’s body when they’re ready for labor. This process cannot be rushed, as their bodies, particularly their lungs, are still undergoing significant developmental changes in the final weeks.
Though it may be challenging, release the urge to control every detail and embrace the flow, trusting that your baby will choose the perfect moment to arrive. If fears or anxieties arise, utilize positive affirmations and breathing techniques to release them. Practices like visualization, manifestation and journaling empower you and foster a connection with your baby. Recite positive birth affirmations that resonate with you, such as: “My body is designed to birth my baby” and "I trust the natural process.”
Birth demands patience, and, unfortunately, our modern-day medicine that often surrounds birth doesn’t promote this. Most first-time mamas' pregnancies will naturally go to 41 weeks plus 3 days without intervention. As your doulas, we will empower you with confidence in the timing of your birth and continually provide reassurance if and when medical intervention is discussed.
Be Your Own Advocate
By following everything we've outlined, you've likely developed a profound trust and appreciation for pregnancy and the natural birthing process. Equally important, as you reach the later stages of pregnancy, you've hopefully established a strong trust with your birthing team. With the right provider and a trusted doula by your side as your advocate, along with a solid foundation in empowered birth education, you can confidently avoid the pressures of unnecessary inductions driven by convenience or your provider's agenda.
Unforeseen circumstances or a “bait and switch” situation with a hospital provider can occasionally arise. If you encounter such a situation, the best course of action is to advocate for yourself and trust your maternal intuition. Everything you've done during your pregnancy has prepared you to trust your body and your baby. It is healthy and normal to reach 42 weeks of pregnancy, and many first-time mothers approach this gestational date. Now is the time to rely on your primal maternal instincts and confidently decline anything that doesn't align with your comfort or natural birthing plans. Remember, "no" is a complete sentence, and you always have the option to not attend an unnecessarily scheduled induction. With the support and guidance of a doula, you can feel very comfortable with this decision if it arises.
Ready for More Trusted Guidance?
Looking for more tips or personalized support? As your doulas and childbirth educators, we’re here to help you prepare for an empowered and positive birth experience! We’ll give you the knowledge and power to understand how to select the best provider for your birthing desires, how to ask the right questions of your provider, which interventions and induction measures are medically necessary, ways to encourage labor naturally and more. Contact us today to learn more about our services!
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