Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices - #1: Let Labor Begin on Its Own

Today we are continuing with our series on the Lamaze Health Birth Practices with tip number one, Let Labor Begin on Its Own. It is important to note that interventions such as induction carry many risks (as stated by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists):

• Change in fetal heart rate
• Increased risk of infection in the woman and baby
• Umbilical cord problems
• Overstimulation of the uterus
• Uterine rupture

Stronger more painful contractions may limit oxygen supply to the baby thus causing fetal distress.  It is also important to note that there is an increased risk of cesarean birth, increased usage of pharmaceutical pain relief such as epidural, and, because of the uncertainty of due dates, and the variation in the amount of time any given baby requires to reach maturity, early induction carries a risk of causing premature birth.



For more information, please download the .pdf document Let Labor Begin on Its Own by Lamaze and Mother's Advocate