re: OT Parents - How many had to induce on first child?

Some advice.


insurance has nothing to do with induction or no induction despite what a poster said

Nothing good happens after 39 weeks of gestation and bad things increasingly happen after 40 weeks. There is no reason to ever let a pregnancy go beyond 41 weeks.

The mechanical act of sex can stimulate contractions but is most effective if you are equipped to reach the cervix during the process.

The prostaglandins in ejaculate however are similar to the ones used for cervical ripening and induction and are the most powerful activator of labor by sex. So don't use a condom or pull out.

Nipple stimulation was used in this country for induction for years and is still used in other countries. Make sure to involve lots of nipple play with sex as it releases oxytocin (Pitocin) into the blood stream.

Failed inductions do happen sometimes. Usually due to CPD (head too large for pelvis), a tight nuchal cord (cord around the neck), or an abnormal presentation (baby has hand up by head blocking descent).

If at the end of the day the induction is taking too long or she is just not progressing well consider delaying induction one day and resting/eating overnight.To give your wife the best chance of a vaginal delivery make sure that the doc does not rupture the membranes until necessary. Once ruptured she has 16 hours to deliver before infection risk increases dramatically. So if un-ruptured and slow induction with NO FETAL DISTRESS NOTED you may be able to get the doc to agree to one more try the next day. With rupture or any signs of fetal distress that is out of the question.