Orrrr…If you AREN’T expecting a labor induction AT ALL…because many times inductions are unplanned!
Alright, Hey Mamas! This week I’ve put together a post outlining the basics of how to prepare for labor induction through my eyes as an L&D nurse.
First off…let’s go over some basics…
If you haven’t already, please feel free to join over 100k new moms and follow me here on Instagram for awesome pregnancy + birth tips!
What is a labor induction?
An INDUCTION OF LABOR is exactly what it sounds like…you aren’t in labor…we put you into labor (or we ATTEMPT to put you into labor).
You may be induced if you…
- Are overdue (most practices consider this to be past 41 weeks, but many nowadays wait even longer, up until 41 & 6 days)
- Have pre-eclampsia
- Have gestational diabetes
- Your baby has IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction)
- You’ve broken your water early in your pregnancy, and you’ve been hospitalized for it
- You have a history of stillbirth
- You have cholestasis
- You’ve got another medical condition that puts risk on yourself or to baby to continue your pregnancy safely
NOW, inductions differ from augmentation of labor. An augmentation of labor is done when you’re already in labor.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say you’re contracting, you get an epidural, and your contractions space out after you get comfortable with your epidural. It’s been a few hours, and it seems that your contractions aren’t getting much closer, and your cervix hasn’t changed either. Your provider may suggest to start some PITOCIN, or BREAK YOUR WATER. This isn’t a labor induction, this is an augmentation.
Augmentations are similar to inductions, in that the methods are similar, but we’re more just helping your labor instead of starting it.
What induces labor?
Labor inductions can be done MANY different ways, in fact, I’ve already referenced two above! PITOCIN and BREAKING YOUR WATER. I’ll go over all the methods that we use at our hospital (and a few others that I’m aware of).
- Let’s start with the most common…Pitocin!
Pitocin is a medication that’s given through your IV to get your labor started. It’s the man-made form of the same hormone your body naturally produces when you’re in labor…oxytocin. By giving you Pitocin synthetically, we are attempting to tell your body that you’re in labor!
Every hospital is different (and every nurse is different), but generally Pitocin is started at a very lose dose (usually only 2ml/hr, which is less than half a teaspoon) and titrated up to a certain threshold. This threshold is different for every woman.
At our hospital, we may max our patients out at 40ml/hr of Pitocin, and we are only allowed to increase the dosage by 2ml every 15 minutes. I’ve heard of many hospitals who only allow their nurses to max out their patients at 20ml/hr, however.
So, let’s do some math…
If you started your labor induction at 8 am in the morning, and your nurse was ON IT, increasing your Pitocin EVERY fifteen minutes, you’d be at 40ml/hr at around 12:45 pm
Now, not every woman needs 40ml of Pitocin to be in labor.
In fact, MOST women need much less to have an adequate labor pattern.
It all depends on the woman, her gestation, her uterus, how irritable her uterus is, HOW BABY IS REACTING….and so on and so forth. There are a lot of factors that come into play when determining how far your certain Pitocin threshold is.
Our hospital policy allows us to increase Pitocin every 15 minutes, until contractions are in an ADEQUATE labor pattern. This usually means, they are 2-3 minutes apart, painful, and CHANGING YOUR CERVIX.
That’s a big one. You can be having crazy, long, painful contractions coming every 2-3 minutes, but if your cervix isn’t changing…I’m going to keep increasing your Pitocin.
Now, there are certain things that I must look out for as your nurse.
First off, I don’t want your contractions to be TOO close together. Your uterus needs to adequately relax in between your contractions, before you have another. This cannot only stress out baby but it also increases your risk for something really scary called a uterine rupture. Yuck, you don’t want that. So just know, if I see your contractions are a little bit TOO close for TOO long…I’m going to back down your Pitocin.
Second, Pitocin can be stressful to baby (any labor, in general, can be stressful for baby), and if I ever see baby start to get stressed out (as evidenced by his/her heart rate), I’m going to back down your Pitocin…or shut it off completely.
Ain’t NOBODY got time for a stressed-out baby…um no!
- Moving on to the next most common…BREAKING YOUR WATER!
Also, I must add…during your labor induction you may have SEVERAL different methods used. Totally common and okay!
Breaking your water is a form of induction, and I’ve heard of many hospitals using this method FIRST, as a means to get labor started.
We don’t typically do that. Usually, breaking your water is something that we use in conjunction to being on Pitocin. It’s usually done later, after you’ve been contracting for some time, and baby’s head is low, and well-applied onto your cervix.
This is when it WORKS THE BEST.
Now, breaking your water helps speed up your labor in a few different ways.
First off, it helps to bring baby down into your pelvis, creating more pressure onto your cervix. This increased pressure helps your cervix to change!
Second, it releases PROSTAGLANDINS around your cervix (magical labor-inducing hormones), this stimulates cervical change!
Related: Will I Poop During Labor?
Related: What to Expect the Day of Labor
- Speaking of Prostaglandins…most of the other methods that I mention below will be some sort of synthetic prostaglandin.
Or, in this case, a manual form of induction that EXCITES prostaglandins…just as breaking your water did.
A FOLEY BULB
So, a Foley bulb is a little catheter that’s manually inserted inside your cervix to attempt to somewhat DILATE it manually, and also (like I said) release some of those prostaglandins around your cervix.
We do Foley bulbs A LOT at our hospital, but I’ve also heard of certain hospitals not using them AT ALL. It just depends on your provider and his/her preference. Many providers use medications that are inserted in your cervix (which I’ll get to in a moment), instead of placing a Foley bulb.
They work really great if they are used properly and in the right circumstances.
Now, USUALLY, Foley bulbs aren’t meant to do the job on their own. I have seen some women get a Foley bulb placed, and they start contracting and have a baby WITHOUT Pitocin. But, 90% of the time you’ll get a Foley bulb placed, in addition to getting Pitocin started (typically a little later in the game).
So, let’s go over how they get in there…
First off, NO NEEDLES go inside you. I use a needle to draw up the fluid that is used INSIDE the end of the Foley bulb, and sometimes women get a little nervous at seeing the needle in action. No worries, it’s not going anywhere near you. 😉
A Foley bulb is a long (about 12-14 inch) flexible catheter about the thickness of a McDonald’s straw (you know how they are a little thicker than normal straws). It’s nice and bendy, and it’s usually made of latex, or a similar material (if you have an allergy to latex). It’s got an opening on one end that I hook a syringe up to, and the other end is a BALLOON-TYPE mechanism that can be filled with fluid (this is the part that goes in your cervix).
Your provider will get you in lithotomy position, and use his/her hands or a speculum to place the Foley bulb in your vagina, and feed it up through your cervix. This can be a bit uncomfortable (you might feel lots of cramping, and may have some contractions after the procedure). Once your provider has the balloon part of the Foley bulb through your cervix, I start to fill the bulb with water until your provider tells me to stop.
Once it’s filled up, it stays in your cervix for anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours. I know, that’s a REALLY long range, but it all depends on HOW dilated you were to begin with, and if you have any contractions while the Foley bulb is in.
Typically, if you are having your first baby, and your cervix is completely closed, or only 1 centimeter, your Foley bulb will stay in overnight…PREPPING your cervix for labor (Pitocin) the next day.
Sometimes we use Foley bulbs and Pitocin at the same time though, it all depends on your circumstance!
If you need a visual (I love visuals), I actually made a video you can check out below on how a Foley bulb works!
4. MEDS…
There are a couple different medications out there that can be used to induce labor! Most of them are inserted intravaginally and work similarly to having a Foley bulb…in that they mainly work to PREP your cervix…instead of causing you to have rip-roaring labor contractions. (Sometimes they do this, too, though)
It all depends on your provider…and your situation. AND, one method of induction may work great for one woman, and work terribly for the next.
Related: Epidural – From Start to Finish
Related: How to Induce Labor Naturally
ALRIGHT, so now that we’ve gone over WHAT a labor induction is, WHY you’d get induced, and WHICH method your provider might use, let’s go over HOW it all goes from my perspective!
How to prepare for labor induction
You’ve got your labor induction date scheduled, and you get a phone call from the hospital! WE ARE READY TO MEET YOUR BABY!
If you’re a first-time mom, you’ll probably come to the hospital at night to get your cervix “prepped” for labor overnight (using one of the methods I’ve discussed above).
If you’ve had a baby before, you’ll probably get a phone call in the morning!
Once you arrive at the hospital, you’ll go through registration and be brought up to labor and delivery. Your nurse will meet you in your room, and ask you a few preliminary questions…
- Have you been having any contractions?
- Have you been leaking any fluid?
- Has baby been moving around well?
- Have you been bleeding at all?
Once you answer these questions, and we determine there’s no immediate health threat to you or baby, your nurse will ask you to undress completely, provide a urine specimen and change into a gown.
Related: How To Help a Woman In Labor? Here’s One Easy Tip!
Related: Trying To Go Natural? A Few Tips From An L&D Nurse
Or…if you have a gown of your own you’d like to wear, then change into your own gown!
Here’s an extra cute one from Gownies! 🙂
Once you’ve changed, your nurse will put you on the monitor for a little while to monitor baby. She will hook up a contraction monitor (a TOCO), and a monitor that’s used to hear baby’s heart rate. They are both small EXTERNAL monitors, that go on your belly.
Once we put these on, UNFORTUNATELY, we can’t take them off again until your baby is on the outside.
If you have to use the bathroom really fast, it’s okay to take them off briefly, but INTERMITTENT monitoring is not allowed once we start PITOCIN (or according to your hospital’s policy).
NOW, if you’re coming in for a night labor induction to PREP your cervix for labor, we typically DO NOT have to leave your monitors on all night (unless something funky is up with baby). I would start continuous monitoring in the AM with your Pitocin…just a little tid-bit to add.
The main reason why we need to leave monitors on you the entire time is because…
- We need to see your contraction pattern to titrate your Pitocin
- More importantly, we need to see your baby’s heart rate for safeguard…in case we need to jump ship. AKA, in case we need to turn down the Pitocin, turn OFF the Pitocin, or head the operating room…
Don’t be too bummed out about continuous monitoring though, because MANY hospitals nowadays still allow you to move around your room, get in the shower, and walk around the unit. Many hospitals have wireless monitors that can be applied, instead of having to lay in the bed for the whole thing!
While your nurse is monitoring your baby, she will be going over a series of questions for our database. Just general stuff…prenatal care, what you want to do for pain, your medical history etc.
She will then start an IV on you, draw some preliminary labs, and start some IV fluids. Or, sometimes if you are coming in for a PM induction, she will not hook you up to any IV fluids yet.
Your doctor will come to see you next and talk to you a little more about your labor induction. He/she will talk about the methods that will be used, the risks vs. benefits, and scan your abdomen to see where baby is lying.
We want baby to be HEAD DOWN…we don’t like inducing BOOTY-FIRST, or SHOULDER-FIRST babies, and your provider will just make sure baby is still lying this way!
Next, your provider will check your cervix, and determine which method of induction is appropriate for you.
If you’re a first-time mom, and you’ve come in at night to PREP your cervix, but your provider checks you and you’re already 3 or 4 centimeters dilated…you probably will skip forward to get some Pitocin, instead of having your cervix prepped in any sort of way (it’s already prepped itself if it’s 3-4 cm dilated!).
If you need a Foley bulb, or any other “prepping” medication to get things started, this is where your provider would do that part…
Once that’s done, your nurse will keep you on the monitor for a little while to make sure baby tolerated that Foley bulb insertion, and if everything is okay after about 20 minutes, you’ll get to remove the monitors and go to sleep (or rest…it’s hard to sleep in the hospital the night before you have a baby).
Alternatively, if you’ve come in for an AM induction, after your provider checks your cervix, your nurse will get your Pitocin started!
If you’re a PM labor induction, Pitocin would most likely get started in the morning…or sometimes in the middle of the night if your Foley bulb comes out early.
Related: Wanna Learn More About Labor And Delivery, But Don’t Know Where to Start?
Start the Picotin
Now, Pitocin isn’t like a WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM sort of drug. I’ve already referenced earlier, Pitocin needs to be titrated to a certain level to get you in adequate labor!
This can be a WIDE range of time…
MOST women do not start feeling contractions AS SOON AS Pitocin is started…usually after about an hour, you may start to feel some cramping, followed by mild contractions, followed by stronger contractions that start to get closer and closer together.
Like I said, usually it takes at least an hour or so to feel ANYTHING, but I’ve had ladies feel contractions in 15 minutes, and others it takes 3 hours. It all depends on your body!
Once you’ve reached an adequate labor pattern (remember, PAINFUL CONTRACTIONS, 2-3 MINS TOGETHER, AND CERVICAL CHANGE), your nurse will STOP turning up your Pitocin.
Then, your body will do its thing, change your cervix, and eventually you’ll deliver!
Don’t be surprised if this is a LONG time from when we first started your Pitocin. If you are a first-time mom, my PM labor inductions typically don’t deliver until the FOLLOWING night…on night shift. It takes a LONG time (usually) for your body to get the idea that it’s time to have a baby.
But don’t stress, this is NORMAL…babies can take a long time to make appearances when they are induced!
That’s pretty much a labor induction in a nut-shell! (Find out what happens during DELIVERY, here!)
Have you been induced, or is your provider scheduling a labor induction for you? What are your experiences? I’d LOVE to hear from you!
Happy Laboring!
Related: C-Section vs. Vaginal Birth
I’ve gone through 2 induced labors and this is written perfectly! I really wish I could have read this the first time around, as I wasn’t sure what to expect. Many other articles didn’t go into depth like this one. My first induction took forever- 3 days, contractions on and off. My 2nd- started pitocin early morning, broke my water @1am delivered baby @1:30am no meds because there was no time for them lol. So much faster the 2nd time around thank goodness. Good luck to all the mamas being induced it’s not as bad as it sounds!
Hi, thanks so much for your input! I’m glad you enjoyed the article!! That’s so common with first deliveries, taking DAYS to deliver. My hope is that first time mamas read this as well to get a better grasp on their induction!
Hi there, I’m gonna be inducted in a few days. I am 40 weeks 4 days. My Hope’s were to go completely natural but baby is just not wanting to come. My question is, how often to women that are induced go for the epidural? I am really praying and hoping that I can do without any pain meds.
Hi Natalia! Epidural use is definitely more common with being induced vs. going into labor yourself…but it certainly can be done! One of the reasons why I believe Epidurals are much more common with inductions is simply the Pitocin we give makes you contract a bit differently than you would on your own. We are MAKING you contract, so some women report contractions to be more intense when getting induced. I’ve had plenty of women go natural with labor inductions, however, and it’s all about your mindset! I wrote an article awhile back referencing some tips you can use to help you go natural if you are interested:
https://mommylabornurse.com/trying-to-go-natural-a-few-tips-from-a-labor-nurse/
Good lUck!! 🙂
Great read! I actually just had my daughter in July with pitocin. My water was leaking/broke and so they had me come in to start pitocin. I was at 0 cm. For about the first 6 hours, I was very confident and handling the pain. After that, I was basically begging for the epidural. They kept having me lay down because my daughter was showing signs of stress. The nurse kept telling me their rule was for me to be at 4 cm to get the epidural. At one point I remember asking the nurse why the pain was so bad and she admitted she turned the pitocin up substantially but didn’t tell me. My contractions were 2 minutes long with 1 minute in between for a very long time. I was only dilated to 2 cm by the 10th hour. Again, begging and crying for the epidural. They talked me into getting morphine as much as I kept saying I didn’t want it. I eventually got the epidural, but it didn’t work completely. I had 12 more hours of labor and then 2.5 hours of pushing. My daughter ended up in the NICU as a result of having seizures from a brain bleed. It was a traumatic experience for both of us.
My question to you is how do I somehow take a step to help future mothers not go through what I went through at that hospital? They need to take into consideration how much pain the mother is in. I’m mentally traumatized from it and my daughter was physically hurt from it in my mind. Also, what factors would lead a woman to need a c section in that situation?
My sister and friends have had pitocin and their experiences were fine for them to go through. I don’t want my post to scare anyone who needs pitocin. Sometimes it is necessary and I don’t think my story is a typical one. I just was very unlucky with the support and care I received.
Any idea on how I can get my message to be heard by the drs/nurses? Thanks!
oh gosh, I am so sorry to hear about your traumatic experience. It sounds like either your nurse did not have a good understanding of when it’s appropriate to do an epidural, or somehow there was a rule with anesthesia or something. Where I practice, you may get an epidural at any point, we just recommend to get them after you are in active labor…but if mom is hurting bad enough and wants one, it’s completely warranted and fine to give her one at whatever dilation she is at.
In regards to how you can help future moms, I would first start by contacting the hospital to see if you can speak with someone about your experience. Sometimes there is a place on the hospital’s website, where you can fill out a form and someone will call you from the management department. I would first do that, and if you can’t make any strides you can always contact Joint Commission’s Office of Quality Monitoring by calling 1-800-994-6610 or by e-mailing [email protected] (it might be state-by-state…I’ve never personally contacted them).
You’re right in that it’s important that nursing staff hear you, and Joint Commission is all about improving patient safety, and the quality of nursing care, so they should be very willing to hear your story and guide you in what kind of steps to take! Best of luck to you!!
Hi Again,
Thank you so much for your feedback! I will look into contacting the hospital as a first step. As much as I didn’t like how the nurse didn’t tell me about the pitocin increasing, I do feel if it were up to her she would have supported me in getting the epidural sooner. It seemed moreso to be the doctor’s direction to make me wait (despite not coming in to see me or talk to me about my pain level). Thanks again and I appreciate how open and informative your posts are! 🙂
You’re welcome! Best of Luck! 🙂
i was induced after having high blood pressure at one of my routine appointments. didn’t have my hospital bag or anything. i was started on cervidil that night, and pitocin the next morning. i wasn’t fully dilated until 24 hours later. i then pushed for four hours before i asked about baby’s position and they finally checked for the first time and realized she was trying to come out crooked. ended up having to have a c-section and baby spent ten weeks in physical therapy. 🙃
Oh lord that is a rough go! I hope she was okay and no long term damage for you or her!!
Hello I just discovered your page and I’m so glad I did!! I had a c section with my first and 2 successful vbacs. I’m hoping to have another Vbac with my fourth! Here is my dilemma: my last birth was precipitous and now with this one, due to IUGR, they want to induce me at 39 weeks which is in a few days! I’m terrified to have another c section and I’m hoping for another natural birth & I don’t want to be in labor for days. Do you think it’ll take long for me to deliver my baby once I’m induced?
Since you had such a precipitous delivery the first time, probably not once you get into active labor!
This is the best induction article I’ve read! I was induced with my first and I’m going in for my second induction tomorrow morning. It is so nice to read the actual medical details of what’s going to happen, since it was all new to me last time and I was a bit too distracted to pay attention to every detail! Thank you so much for writing this article!
Aw I’m glad you liked it!!
This was the best thing I’ve read in the internet about induction. I was just in formed ill. Be induced in two weeks (39 weeks) and was bummed because I was looking forward to have a totally natural birth. But after ready this I feel a bit more prepared. I’m hoping he decides to come before than or at least have the process started but thank you for this article!!
Aw thanks so much for your kind words!! I’m glad you liked it and I hope all goes well!
I am going to be induced next week due to health reasons at 37 weeks. I am so glad I found this article. It has honestly helped me to better understand everything, and ease a lot of anxiety I have been feeling.
Have you had experience with inductions and mom’s with polyhydramnios? My fluid levels are severe and I was just curious if in your experience this has caused inductions to go faster? I have been having contractions for weeks (enough to get hospitalized twice) and have been 1 cm dilated for about 3 weeks.
I’m glad you liked it! Poly is tough and often like you’ve said makes your uterus irritable.
Hi I’m getting induced in 2 days. It’s my first baby and I’m already 4cm and 90% effaced. I’m concerned about progressing too quickly and missing my epidural window. Any advice for inductions at 4cm? Thanks!
I’m sorry I just saw your comment! I hope everything went well!
I’m so glad I found this article! AND the helpful Q&A comments!
I’m currently 36 weeks with first baby and I am over the moon excited, I’ve been mentally preparing myself for natural birth pretty much since I found out I was pregnant. My doc does a lot of scheduled inductions at 39 weeks (I haven’t scheduled one yet and we won’t unless my cervix is ready) and while I’m so excited to meet my new baby, I’ve been really hesitant about inducing because I’ve been so scared of the pain of contractions that everyone keeps telling me are so much worse and then tricking myself into getting an epidural even though that’s not what I want. I’m still hoping baby comes naturally but I definitely have WAY MORE peace of mind after reading this.
One question I do have is how normal it is where you practice to schedule inductions with no health reasoning whatsoever?
It’s not too common! Most of the inductions are scheduled for medical reasons!
I found this article so helpful and it certainly helped me stress less. I am big on being prepared and knowing what to expect. Before this article, I was CLUELESS as this is my first child (a son) and we are being induced due to gestational diabetes. I feel so much more ready and informed thanks to your article. You have a wonderful sense of humor and explained things perfectly! Thank you for giving me a general idea of what to expect!
Hello. I am being induced on Friday (second baby). I have been having contractions for 2-3 weeks… will this help with the induction process? My last delivery was natural and only took 4-5 hours (water broke at home). Needless to say, I am nervous for this whole process. My baby also has a vein varix, so that has me nervous.
It definitely could. Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with though, and check with your doctor if you’re not sure!
Thank you for writing this article. I just had a load of information at my doctor’s appointment and I couldn’t process it. My doctor scheduled an induction for me on the night of my 38w6d due to GD and hypertension – he would like to avoid me developing preeclampsia should I get closer to 40 weeks.
In your opinion, what would the differences be between an 8am and 8pm scheduled induction?
I was thinking that I – may be able – to have a good night’s rest if I were to go in at 8am compared to 8pm? Thank you~
Ariel – I’m sorry that’s a HARD thing to go through. Personally, I think that there really isn’t going to be a LOT of difference between 8 am and an 8 pm induction. I think you’ll probably be more tired if you do it at night, but truthfully I don’t know that many of us sleep well the night before we know our lives are going to change forever anyway. Also, if you have family that wants to visit, something in the morning may make more sense. If you want some private time with your baby (and partner?) a night induction may make more sense. It’s really about personal preference, although your doc may want to do it at night because that’s when they can be there for you. I encourage you to give them a call to talk more about it. Take care momma. <3
The foley bulb is definitely more then just uncomfortable. That hurt worse than my contractions. They tried inserting it, but were unsuccessful. Luckily during the process they dilated me to a 3. (Was at a 1). I’m scarred mentally from the foley bulb lol.
Yes it’s PAINFUL! Sorry you went through that :/
Thanks for this! Lots of great information. I was induced with my first and in labor for 28 hours, I pushed for 3 cause my son decided to flip sunny side up mid induction. His nose got stuck on my pelvic bone, and he came out compound. I am 32 weeks this pregnancy and MFM wants me induced by 39. I have a history of gestational hypertension and I have GD again. My OB said last time that the second time should be much quicker should I have to be induced. Is this generally true? My induction wasn’t bad last time, everything went great, it was just LONG and exhausting.
Hi Denise! Typically your second labor is shorter than your first. Sometimes inductions can be unpredictable, and for some women, it’s longer and others it is shorter. I recommend deferring to your OB, but you can always get a second opinion if it would help you feel better about it. Good luck!
Im being induced in 6 more weeks due to antibody E. Ill be 37 weeks and this article really does make me feel much better since i now have an idea of what to ecpect. This is my third baby, but first induction.. Fingers crossed i can have a successful vaginal delivery and stay as far away from a c-section as possible!
Taylor – best of luck! It’s understandable why it’s so nerve-wracking, but I know you’ll do great!
I am being induced due to too much water around the baby. Will it be more difficult or different than a regular induced l&d?
I’ll be 39 weeks when I get induced.
I had my first with no problems! Water broke and went into labor. Very smooth.
This time I’m super super scared.
Hi Marina! Sorry that you’re having issues with this pregnancy. It’s possible that this may be a harder birth than your first, but it’s tough to say. Remember that your doctor can do pretty amazing things with modern medicine, so stay positive and hang in there!