Pitocin linked to Newborn Jaundice **update**

[GoodyBrook]

Liver Disease in Children

By Frederick J. Suchy, Ronald J. Sokol, William F. Balistreri

 

Page 280

Induction of labor with oxytocin has been shown to be associated with neonatal jaundice.  There is a significant association between hyponatremia and jaundice in infants of mothers who received oxytocin to induce labor [209,210].  The vasopressin-like action of oxytocin prompts electrolyte and water transport such that the erythrocyte swells and increased osmotic fragility and hyperbilirubinemia may result.  Steroid administration at the initiation of oxytocin and 4 hours later may be helpful in preventing this hyperbilirubinemia [211].

 

I learned today that the use of Pitocin in labor has been linked to jaundice in newborns. 

Not one nurse, OB, or midwife ever mentioned this risk to me! 

 

I'm curious if mamas in this group have seen a connection in their personal experience...

It appears some group members believe I am spreading lies and propaganda by sharing there is a slight link between newborn jaundice and the use of synthetic oxytocin during labor.

To address their concerns:  *** Please understand that neonatal jaundice can be caused by many factors, not just the use of Pitocin during labor. ***

Let the poll continue! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GoodyBrook]

Both my pregnancies were induced and augmented with Pit, and both my sons had jaundice. 

[Chasesmum3109]

My son had it because he was premature, not because of pitocin. I also had it and so did my sister. My mom was never induced. Almost all babies have it. Where's the research stating that it's not always pitocin?

[slashteddy]

DD didn't have it, thank god. I completely intended for an entirely natural birth but I ended up actually needing pitocin - my water had been broken for sixteen hours and I hadn't had a SINGLE contraction and never dialated past two centimeters on my own. :c

[wulfeyes05]

Most babies induced or not get jaundice. My niece did and my sister wasn't induced. Both my boys did I was induced with one and given pitocin because my contractions didn't start with the other. Me, my brother, and sister all had it and my mother was not induced. My uncle had it and my grandmother was not induced.

[Chasesmum3109]

What are the causes?Hemoglobin is the pigment in red blood cells (RBCs) that carries oxygen and gives blood its color. As RBCs age and are broken down they release their hemoglobin, which is processed a number of times before it is removed by the body. Bilirubin is a yellowish-orange pigment produced during the processing of hemoglobin in the liver. Normally, bilirubin passes through the liver and is excreted as bile into the intestines, where it is eliminated from the body through the bowels. Because newborns have immature livers, they often are unable to remove bilirubin as quickly as they make it, which results in the yellowish skin tone. This is called physiologic jaundice. It is very common and typically presents between the second and third day of life, peaks by day four, and resolves without intervention within 2 weeks.

Breastfeeding jaundice and breast milk jaundice are variants of jaundice related to nursing babies. Approximately 13% of breast-fed newborns will become jaundiced during the first seven days. This is typically seen when babies are not nursing as much as their bodies require, leading to reduced numbers of stools and decreased excretion of bilirubin through the bowels. Breast milk jaundice, on the other hand, usually presents after the first week of life. This is less common. It affects about one in 200 babies, and there is still uncertainty as to what its cause might be; possibly, enzymes in mother's milk may allow bilirubin to be reabsorbed from the GI tract back into the blood. Another theory suggests that certain fats in mother’s milk may be processed preferentially by the liver, allowing concentrations of bilirubin to rise. Regardless, breast milk jaundice usually peaks at weeks two or three, and resolves without treatment.

There are many less common causes of jaundice in newborns. Any event or condition that raises the number of RBCs that need to be processed by the liver can cause jaundice. Sometimes the natural trauma during a difficult childbirth can produce significant bruising and excessive damage to red blood cells result. The use of suction to the baby’s head in vacuum-assisted deliveries often results in the formation of a hematoma and consequently increased RBCs that need to be processed. A baby can also swallow blood during childbirth, which travels to the intestines and is reabsorbed into the bloodstream. Abnormal blood cell shapes and children born with polycythemia (a disease in which the proportion of blood volume made up of RBCs increases) can create an overload of RBCs to be processed. In mother-baby blood incompatibility (also called Rh incompatibility), maternal antibodies that pass through the umbilical cord to the baby will attack fetal blood cells causing bilirubin levels to rise significantly.

Sometimes jaundice can be a sign of a serious underlying problem. Any condition that interferes with the body's ability to process hemoglobin can abnormally raise bilirubin levels such as prematurity, hypoxia (lack of oxygen), thyroid insufficiency, certain enzyme deficiencies, and infection. Pitocin, a drug commonly used to induce delivery, is associated with increased bilirubin levels in newborns. Additionally, supplementing with vitamin K during pregnancy can sometimes increase the risk of neonatal jaundice, as can mothers who are diabetic during pregnancy.

[GoodyBrook]

 

Quoting Chasesmum3109:

My son had it because he was premature, not because of pitocin. I also had it and so did my sister. My mom was never induced. Almost all babies have it. Where's the research stating that it's not always pitocin?

Of course there are MANY reason that jaundice appears. (And sometimes it appears for seeminly no reason, right?!)  This post, however, is only questioning its correlation with Pit.

 

[Chasesmum3109]

It only increases bilirubin, doesn't cause it.

Quoting GoodyBrook:

 

Quoting Chasesmum3109:

My son had it because he was premature, not because of pitocin. I also had it and so did my sister. My mom was never induced. Almost all babies have it. Where's the research stating that it's not always pitocin?

Of course there are MANY reason that jaundice appears. (And sometimes it appears for seeminly no reason, right?!)  This post, however, is only questioning its correlation with Pit.

 

[GoodyBrook]

 

Correct.  This is why the terms "linked to" and  "associated with" are used in this post. 

I don't believe I stated that the use of Pitocin CAUSES jaundice, but I apologize if this post caused confusion...

Quoting Chasesmum3109:

It only increases bilirubin, doesn't cause it.

 

[Chasesmum3109]

Yea but it's one of the less common reasonings so therefore it shouldn't even be associated with because of the small percentage. I could understand if it was one of the main causes but it's not.

Quoting GoodyBrook:

 

Correct.  This is why the terms "linked to" and  "associated with" are used in this post. 

I don't believe I stated that the use of Pitocin CAUSES jaundice, but I apologize if this post caused confusion...

Quoting Chasesmum3109:

It only increases bilirubin, doesn't cause it.

 

[Mrs.Salz]

I had a pit shot for an unnecessarily rushed third stage with DS1 and he has mild jaundice.

No pit at all for DS2 and he was yellowish for about a day.

Most babies do have jaundice though and it's not necessarily a bad thing. The vitamin K shot is much more strongly linked to high levels and severe jaundice.