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Pitocin : A Cautionary Tale
- Jul 13, 2009 at 11:32 AM
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- Comments (75) Total Views (2660) Everyone can see this journal post.
http://ican-online.org/community/users/ican-blog/blog/pitocin-cautionary-tale
Pitocin: A Cautionary Tale
The blogosphere lit up this last week with posts about “pit to distress” (see here, and here),
the practice of administering the maximum dose of Pitocin (synthetic
oxytocin) to a laboring women until the baby shows signs of distress.
Such overuse (and misuse) of Pitocin in labor raises the risk
of cesarean, traumatic vaginal delivery, and other negative outcomes.
Yet induction and augmentation with Pitocin is virtually unquestioned
by birthing mothers and their medical providers.
This week’s announcement of
Ohio’s largest jury award for medical malpractice tragically
illustrates this problem. The jury awarded a family $31 million in
compensation for their son’s severe cerebral palsy brought on by a
uterine rupture during a mismanaged VBAC labor. The complaint cited the
continued use of Pitocin despite the hyperstimulation of the mother’s
uterus as demonstrated by an inappropriate contraction pattern.
Although some might point to the VBAC labor itself as the cause, in
fact the misuse of Pitocin in this case is most likely to blame for the
rupture and ensuing disability. Use of Pitocin in VBAC labor is known to increase the likelihood of uterine rupture.
Such heartbreaking incidents highlight the need for reform in current
maternity practices. Many routine obestetic interventions are not based
on the best available evidence
and increase risk rather than safety for mothers and babies. In
addition, care providers frequently do not proivde women with full, informed consent/refusal about all interventions, despite ethical and legal mandates to do so.
In light of this reality, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should educate themselves about routine obstetric interventions, such as induction/augmentation of labor with Pitocin and consider the risks/benefits for themselves and their babies. Doing so should influence decisions about type of provider, model of care, and place of birth.
Comments:
It is unfortunate that this is the case...but it is so... I was pushed into an induced labor (against my desire) due to the *lateness* of my pregnancy...
It was miserable... they tried to re-insert my IV after I yanked it out in the throughs of full on labor after my waters broke (while on the toilet)...
OMG... MISERABLE!!!!! Hello, if I am PUSHING OUT A BABY- I do not need any more Pitocin!!!!
HELLO!!!!
Listen to the mother!!!! That is all I have to say... if they had listened to me- all would have been ok...
I'll state again that i do believe that women should educate themselves and not just take a docs word for it.
Listen to the mother!!!! That is all I have to say... if they had listened to me- all would have been ok...
I agree!
Good Article! I've always instinctually known the stuff is dangerous. Years ago, both my babies were 'late' or overdue. My doctor said if I didn't go into labor by Sunday, he would induce me the following Monday BECAUSE HE WAS GOING ON VACATION THAT WEEK. Really?? For HIS convenience?? Man, I started walking and walking that weekend. Had our girl-baby in the wee hours of Friday morning; all naturally, thank you. Woke Dr. Know-it-all out of a peaceful sleep too, Ha.
I won't bash you, I will simply help to educate you.
40% of ALL inductions of labor will end in a cesarean section, that that statistic is old. It is probably more like 50% now. Medically necessary inductions should be around 20% and c-sections around 10-15% according to the World Health Organization.
We are the only country in the world with all the technology we have, and then have the 2nd worst infant and maternal death rates(out of industrialized nations). Obviously there is an issue here. And the issue lies with the amount of interventions. (Even the head of the WHO Women & Children division agrees and has spoken out about it several times)
Now before you try and get on me, with my first I had an unnecessary induction which I was lead to believe it was for medical reasons. Which lead to a cesarean.
With my second child, again I had a cesarean.
1-2caf, As soon as my Doctor would tell me something like that, I would be switching doctors!
wow,i've had 5 kids and was induced with 2 and augmented with pit for the other 3 all with no problems. With my first my water broke with no contractions,so pit was used to bring them on. It took almost 22 hours but i had him vaginally as i wanted. My 2nd and 3rd,same thing but after weeks of meds to stop pre-term labor. Pit was started & 19 hours for #2 & 16 for #3 later they were born. #4 was a complete induction due to 2 failed non-stress tests at 37 weeks,again no problems and #5 was augmented after my blood pressure went up but i was contracting...13 hours later he was born vaginally just like all of his siblings.
I did not just "take my doctor's word for it" i had done research before hand. I'm glad i did things the way i did or i would more than likely have ended up with 3 c-sections and then told not to have anymore kids because of how close in age ours are.
I was induced with my first due to pre e and they used the pitocin, it was HORRIBLE! they started the induction on june 27th, the broke my water at 8 30 pm on June 28th, I didnt have him until 4 59 am on June 29th. It was the worst experiance of my life! I had no idea what was going on, I trusted my docs, although I was begging them to just do a c section before he broke my water, he wouldnt listen and it took me two weeks to recover, literaly, then with my c section with the twins (11 weeks early) I healed completely within a week, I was back to my self picking up my 15 month old like nothing happend.
BTW they took him 5 weeks early, I wasnt even having any contractions.
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I'll get bashed for this. I had 3 inductions and had absolutely no problems with any of them. In most standard cases this is the way it goes. I do agree that woman (whether pregnant or not) should educate themselves. Knowledge is power.
I should define what standard means to me. Perfectly healthy pregnancy no concerns for mother or baby. AND the mother has started to dialate and efface to at least a 3 and 50 percent. (Usually a csec happens when the cervix hasn't started to open and thin out.)
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