The female body is designed to carry a pregnancy for 40 weeks, but sometimes it may need a little boost to get labor started. With a variety of methods available, labor-inducing drugs such as pitocin and misoprostol are the main choice for...
While a pregnancy is technically not post-term until 42 weeks, some obstetricians and midwives feel the need to induce labor before then. Possible reasons include low amniotic fluid, suspected fetal distress or large baby. If natural methods of...
Birth is a natural process that can occur without interventions in most cases. In the Western world, however, the medicalization of labor and delivery has made the use of drugs to start labor, control labor and manage pain commonplace. These are...
Labaor may be induced by drugs when it doesn't begin naturally or becomes stalled or when the life of the mother or baby is threatened if labor doesn't occur soon. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) does not recommend...
After 40 long weeks of carrying a baby, an expectant mother is often eager to speed up the labor process. Although some women experience a quick labor and delivery, many others stay in labor for many hours and sometimes days. Some strategies can...
There are many times when inducing labor is required to preserve the health of the fetus or the mom. Labor may also be induced for women who've already had a baby and live far from a hospital. In 2006, nearly one in five women were induced in the...
A pregnancy is term between 37 and 42 weeks. In a healthy pregnancy, labor induction is generally to be avoided, as it is not without risk. Pregnant women may prefer natural induction methods, such as cohosh, to conventional induction methods,...
A pregnancy is term at 40 weeks. While some mothers go into labor on their own before 40 weeks, it is best to avoid any natural labor induction techniques until the pregnancy is term. Women may attempt to induce labor themselves naturally as a...
You're done. Maybe you're close to your due date, or just a little past. But the joys of pregnancy are waning and you wish to see your little one, or perhaps just your feet. It's not clear what actually triggers labor, but there are some...
An epidural is a type of anesthesia. Epidurals block the nerve impulses from the lower spinal segments, resulting in decreased sensation in the lower half of the body, states the American Pregnancy Association. Epidurals provide pain relief but...
Labor refers to muscular contractions of the uterus that lead to widening of the cervix to prepare for delivery of a baby. Sometimes, labor may progress too slowly and induction of labor is necessary. According to The March of Dimes, labor is...
While a full-term pregnancy takes 40 weeks, not all babies are as cooperative as their mommies would like them to be, and some prefer to remain in the safe and comfortable womb. For the expectant mothers, however, it is a slightly different...
Women have three different surgical abortion options that can be performed during the second trimester. These procedures are completed within one day but side effects, such as cramping or bleeding, may last for several days following the surgery....
The National Institutes of Health defines a stillbirth as the loss of a pregnancy--because of natural causes--after the 20th week of gestation. The March of Dimes reports that one out of every 160 pregnancies results in a stillbirth. The loss of a...
Forty weeks--ten months; this is the average time a woman is pregnant. For some every second is a joy, while for others, it is the longest 10 months of their lives. This may be due to mere discomfort, or more severe complications such as high...
Pregnancy technically lasts for a period of 40 weeks. Whether it be due to medical problems, or just simple discomfort, some expectant mothers begin to wonder what they can do to bring labor on early. Before attempting any natural methods to...
For most women requesting pain relief during labor, epidural anesthesia is the preferred method. With this type of regional anesthesia, the laboring mother is conscious and awake, yet is numb in the lower extremities. This seems like the ideal...
While many of the body’s hormones are shared by men and women, there are some that predominate in females. These are responsible for the unique characteristics and qualities of women, including menstruation, breast function and pregnancy....
Whether this is your first pregnancy or your fourth, the prospect of laboring to deliver your baby can be both exciting and frightening. As you count down the last weeks of your pregnancy, remember that very few babies are born on their due dates....
A labor and delivery doctor is a physician who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology, a field commonly referred to as OB/GYN. These doctors have graduated from medical school and have completed an additional four years of training in...
A typical pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. Due to individual differences a woman may go into labor a few days or weeks before the due date and others will go a week or longer past the due date. Depending on the woman's birthing facility or...
A pregnancy is considered term between 37 and 42 weeks. Labor induction, whether at-home or by a medical worker, should be avoided prior to that time to ensure that the baby is fully developed. Any woman considering at-home remedies to start her...
Delivering a baby is one of the highlights of a mother's life, along with other friends and family members who are patiently awaiting the new arrival. Baby delivery isn't always as easy as it seems, there are several things that come into play and...
Black cohosh originated from North American Indians. It is an herb or dietary supplement generally used for medicinal purposes. Black cohosh is known by many names but is more commonly known as cimicifuga racemosa, snake root, rattleroot, richweed...
Care from midwives can very greatly. A certified nurse midwife working in a hospital with an obstetrician will use medically minded induction methods, such as Pitocin, artificial rupture of the membranes and vaginal prostaglandin preparations....
Most women are ready to have their baby and be done with pregnancy as their due date draws near. There are several ways that women have used to get labor started so that delivery can occur. Some women's doctors will induce their labor. This...
Epidurals are the most common type of anesthesia used during labor and delivery. They combine a local anesthetic with narcotics or opiates and are administered into the epidural space of your spinal cord. More than half of all pregnant women...
Labor is a painful experience. Many women in labor receive some sort of medication; medical practitioners in obstetrics are always aware that they have two patients and that both will be affected by any drugs given in labor. Common medications...
Going past your due date is quite common, and according to the website Pregnancy-info.net, 7 out of 10 babies are content to wait an extra week or two before making their appearance. You can coax him out using easy techniques, but as Marjorie...
