July is fast approaching and we are preparing every day for the arrival of our 2nd baby girl, I must admit, this time around is alot easier. Little R came into our lives just a little over a year ago, so needless to say all of her baby items are readily available. Most of her baby clothes, some still new, are sitting in a box in our bedroom. Although, I don’t think you can ever really be prepared for when the time comes and you go into labor.
With R, I was induced at 39 weeks. Since I had high blood pressure in the 1st trimester, doctors did not want me to go past 40 weeks. So when the time came, I laid in the hospital bed for hours while pitocin ran through my veins. And 26 hours later our little R arrived. It wasn’t too bad. I had an epidural pretty early on, and I actually liked the idea of it being planned out. It helped us prepare, we had our bags packed and ready to go knowing that some hours later we’d have a tiny baby in our arms. Well, there is a possibility that my doctor will want to induce again. After doing a bit of research, I am not so sure I will be as easily convinced of an induction again.
A very recent study done by the The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists found that pitocin, which is the drug that starts labor has some adverse effects on newborns. The study says the newborns exposed to this drug had a higher risk of being unexpectedly admitted to the NICU and some newborns also had lower Apgar scores. The conclusion was that pitocin is not as safe as once thought. This is definitely something that will make me re-think being induced the 2nd time around. Although my experience being induced was not a bad one, and R didn’t appear to have any adverse reactions, I don’t think it’s a risk I want to continue to take.
What was your experience with pitocin and being induced? After reading the article, is it something you’d still chose if given the option?