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Natural Birth
Dana&Pete
member
OB's Opinion on Natural Induction Techniques
Dana&Pete
member
My doula gave me two pages of things to try (Evening Primrose Oil, nipple stimulation, sex, pineapple, spicy food, teas, etc). From what I understand, these things will not start labor unless your body is ready. I showed them to my OB today to get her opinion and make sure there was nothing on there that she'd be concerned about.
She said everything looks fine except for using natural prostaglandins (EPO) and nipple stimulation. Her reasoning is that these can cause severe contractions, and that they like to be able to monitor you when using these methods in the hospital. Has anyone ever heard this? I was really looking forward to starting EPO at 37 weeks, but I don't want to go against my doctor's advice.
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Re: OB's Opinion on Natural Induction Techniques
I've never heard that about EPO. My understanding is that it's more to ripen the cervix not get contractions going.
I have heard that nipple stim can cause pretty intense contractions, but if you went into spontaneous labor at home might you also have intense contractions without monitoring? Please understand this is just speculation on my part, I'm not medically trained or anything
I took EPO starting at 37 weeks with both of my pregnanices. It never caused any contractions but by 40 weeks I was dialated to 3.5 cm with my first and 75% effaced and 4 cm with my 2nd and 75% effaced. I'd like to think that the EPO helped with this.
I have heard of the nipple stimulation causing stronger contractions. For that, I guess I say to maybe wait until you are past your EDD.
GL.
Let me get this right. Your OB wants to be able to monitor you having sex with your SO and/or him suckling at your nipple!? Did I misread that? I must have. Or is it that she is concerned about Evening Primrose Oil and Nipple Stimulation only? Because EPO isn't going to be as effective as sex, and if your OB is only concerned about using EPO (but not sex) without being monitored, I have to ask why.
When my perinatologist was thinking I was going to have to have an early induction (due to complications) he told me, since he knew I didn't want a c-section, to go home and walk a lot and have lots of sex (for the prostaglandins), but absolutely NO nipple stimulation. He cited the same thing as your OB - that nipple stimulation can bring on really intense contractions, and he didn't want that happening unmonitored.
That said, he was talking about inducing me if my baby was under stress due to IUGR, so I can kind of see why he'd want me to be monitored in that situation. I think for a normal low-risk pregnancy it's NBD.
That image made me laugh! She said that when they use prostaglandins in the hospital, they like to monitor you because it can cause severe contractions. She said separately that nipple stimulation can do the same. I thought the same thing later today about sex. I guess the difference is the type of nipple stimulation recommended for induction is more intense than that involved in intercourse.
OMG, after i finish LOLing, i will say ALL OF THIS!!!
also, if your body goes into labor while you are doing nipple stim, then you will be in labor. great. but if not, whatever ctx you have while doing it will stop. so no biggie if you are having them if you don't go into labor.
i have also never heard of EPO causing major ctx.