You went in for a routine appointment and came out with a date. That’s a lot to take in, especially if you’d been picturing labor starting on its own.
An induction uses medicine or other methods to start labor instead of waiting for it to begin on its own. Care teams usually suggest one when a health concern in the pregnancy makes it safer for the baby to arrive sooner, or when your due date has passed (NICHD). It doesn’t mean you lose your say.
Four questions to bring back to your OB
- 1Why this date?
- 2What happens if the baby comes first?
- 3If I have diabetes, who manages my blood sugar during labor?
- 4Can I still move and use my comfort techniques while I'm monitored?
What the day might look like
If your cervix isn’t ready yet, the first step is usually softening it. That might be medicine called prostaglandins, a small balloon catheter placed in the cervix, or your provider stripping the membranes.
Then labor is started or strengthened, either by breaking your water or with oxytocin (Pitocin), a hormone given through an IV (NICHD). Your care team will explain which steps make sense for you, and you can ask why at each one.
Where your second birth plan comes in
This is why we write two plans. If an induction is the likely alternative, we decide ahead of time what you want to keep: who’s with you, how you’d like to move, what helps you stay calm during the waiting. Then the date on your calendar becomes something you’ve already prepared for.
Your OB or MFM team knows your situation best. Bring these questions to them.