Introduction
In certain situations it may be necessary to support the birth of the child with medical measures. In this way, the beginning of birth can be artificially induced or accelerated by inducing contractions. In order to ensure that the birth process, which is still absent or insufficient, is properly initiated, pain-stimulating substances are applied.
Depending on the situation and the reason for the induction of labour, both medication and natural homeopathic remedies are suitable for this purpose. Certain behavioral measures can also have a positive influence on the beginning of labor and the birth process. It is always important to have an individual approach to the choice of suitable contraction inducing measures as well as a thorough indication check. For this reason, medical supervision and the involvement of the midwife in the induction of labour is indispensable.
WHEN do the contractions have to be induced?
There are numerous reasons for initiating labor, whereby maternal and childhood reasons are distinguished. Overshooting the due date (>41 weeks) or so-called transmissions (>42 weeks) are among the most common reasons for inducing labor. Maternal reasons include liver or kidney disease, high blood pressure during pregnancy and the associated potential risk situations such as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.
Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy also frequently leads to induction of labor, not least because of the often above-average size of the children, as well as a reduction in the complication rate during the birth process. In case of a premature rupture of the bladder, the induction of labour is performed after the natural beginning of the birth has failed to take place in order to prevent possible vaginal ascending infections. Fetal indications for induction of labour can be, for example, growth retardation, i.e. inadequate development of the child’s size, as well as the well-founded suspicion of an oversized, so-called macroscopic child.
The elective induction of labor after the 39th week of pregnancy is also controversial. It is a method of accelerating the birth of a child without any health risks or medical reasons making it necessary to induce labor. Do you have any further interest in this topic?
The time until the birth actually starts after taking tocolytic drugs is always individual for each woman, regardless of the medication used. It can be as little as a few hours, but several days of waiting for the onset of action are not uncommon. If it is an acute emergency situation that requires immediate child development, measures to induce or promote labor are no longer an option. In such cases, the pregnancy must be terminated immediately by means of a Caesarean section.
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