Little Known Facts about Pitocin

My water broke, but I never dilated or had any painful contractions.  I knew I was going to have a c-section because of some prior surgeries.   If you don't want a c-section and your labor isn't progressing, other than pitocin, what other choice do you have?????

Both of my babies had jaundice and I didn't have pitocin either time.     I'm not sure what the point of this post is.   Most pregnant women are nervous enough about L&D without reading all of this.   Not every woman wishes to give birth at home in their bathtub!

Amy LMAO!!!!

I agree that getting Pitocin in labor can really suck, but I don't like the implication in the article that moms who have Pitocin might not bond well with their babies.  It doesn't sound like it's really backed up by any hard scientific info, just a theory about the body producing less oxytocin when Pitocin is administered, and I don't think any of my friends who had induced or augmented labor had a harder time bonding to their children.  Heck, I had induced labor and a c-section gone awry and I still fell in love with my daughter so powerfully.  Almost all my friends had this feeling, whether they had natural homebirths or c-sections or anything in between, and those who didn't fell in love with their babies pretty soon afterward.

Oh, and Pitocin in labor might not be fun, but Pitocin administered after birth has saved many a woman from severe bleeding after birth, so I think it's very useful for that and shouldn't be demonized in and of itself.  Even homebirth midwives usually carry it, or methergine, which has a similar effect on post birth bleeding.

OP, I'm not criticizing you, but I do take issue with part of the article.  I do think labor is too often induced and while that is a good option to preserve the health of a baby or mom, it probably shouldn't be an elective procedure in most cases.

I agree with all the posters who said it depends on the situation. Really? all women who had pitocin don't bond with their kids? I gues sI should jsutw ait till whenever my old body decides to give birth and then push out 11-12 lb babies like our grandmothers' generation did.

And don't tell me, they did it so can we. I think this whole natural birth movement equates to ignoring decades, if not centuries, of medical advances.

Bring on the *****ing now

im with the posters who dont really get the point of this post..scare tactic!? Well thanks...u were successful, only there is nothing i can do about my induction next week (iugr and the longer we wait the higher the risk of still birth) 
Didnt think it was possible for me to be more afraid, worried, stressed and sad about my induction...i was wrong =(

Blanca- dont be scared! Don't let stories like that get to you.

I really dont understand why people must post or talk about things like that!  There are a lot of first time pregnant ladies on here who are already scared and really do not need to hear scarey things.

Pitocin has been used for many many years with 100% success and plenty healthy babies.

I am sure nothing was meant by the poster but please think before you post!

100% success? Tell that to all the women who end up with c-sections b/c their bodies are forced to move though labor too quickly. Women DO need to hear scary things so that they will question, research and learn about their own bodies, and not just go along with something just b/c some doctor told them to do it.

Are their times when a woman might need pitocin? Sure, but in most cases it is given to "move things along" when both mother and baby would be better off just letting their body do what it was meant to do.

well said

I read a comment recently from an L&D RN who stated that the nurses are often told to pit induce fetal distress so the doctor can do a c/s on the patient. The nurses are supposed to increase the pit faster than normal and higher than normal so it actually stresses the baby out on the monitors so the doctors can claim "fetal distress" on the records and to the mother just so they can do the quick c/s over waiting for the vaginal birth to happen.

I'm sure you'd find this to be the case with a doctor who has a HIGH c/s rate. Also I bet they do this more on women who are told they can "attempt" a VBAC too. Nothing like trying to really scare your patient into thinking they really are "broken" and can't "birth" normally.

Just read some of the things doctors and even nurses and midwives say to their patients here: http://myobsaidwhat.com

I should of explained my comment a little better. I meant that I know plenty of women who have used pitocin with 100% success with healthy babies with no c-section. Now when I reread it, it looks like I am saying pitocin in it self is 100%.