An OB's perspective on induction.

[minkajane]

This is the website of an OB in Indiana, specifically her page on induction. She has everything timed out, from when she gives the Cytotec (1-3 pills ORALLY!) to when she breaks the water, to when the baby will be born (before 5pm). She admits that she does not and will not attend births outside of the times she's on call or office hours, but claims that she still makes it to the births of 90-95% of her patients. So all her patients are induced at 39 weeks and if they haven't delivered by 5, it's off to the OR. It sounds like the only time a woman escapes this treatment is if she refuses induction (who would with the scare tactics of this OB?) or goes into labor naturally before 39 weeks.

This quote specifically just blows my mind.

Induction of labor does not cause any more or less pain than natural labor. Induction of labor will produce contractions that are no different from the contractions produced during spontaneous labor. Both contractions are a result of Pitocin either produced by the body or given by IV. Most women in spontaneous labor will usually need additional IV pitocin to achieve adequate contractions to deliver vaginally. If you are planning on an epidural during labor, contraction pain is eliminated. No matter whether you are induced or have spontaneous labor, contractions must be of a sufficient force to achieve a vaginal delivery.

"Since we're going to give everybody Pitocin anyway, it doesn't matter how the labor began, the pain is going to be just as bad either way." I think it's very telling that she refers to "Pitocin produced by the body" instead of oxytocin. She does not see contractions caused by oxytocin, only the kind caused by Pitocin.

[nia82]

[Kidzaplenty]

[lifeguard]

Wow - what did women do without iv pitocin - since most women need it anyway? Crazy!

[sonicfrost]

I think the reason most women "need" pitocin is so that they have their babies by 5pm

I'm shocked by this OB...and feel very bad for her patients..

[Sk8ermaiden]

This just makes me sick sick, sick. I feel so terrible for all those women.

[tracymom1]

Wow. With that attitude she's bound to get sued someday.

[RomanCarmelMom]

I'm surprised doctors get away with practicing like this. Unnecessary intervention for the doctor's convenience that often results in unnecessary operations?? When is the medical community going to wake up? Why are State licensing boards letting OBs get away with things like this?

[caned & able]

Are there any scientific studies to back up her treatment of women and children this way in labor and delivery? Why do women put up with this? If no one went to her, she would have to change her protocol. But I am sure women flock to her to deliver. And the hospital she works in is delighted with her labor and delivery management. This is why education for young women needs to be done, but will they listen?

I notice that she selectively uses some studies for her protocol on labor induction and uses the word "believe" a lot. Where is the science in that? It sounds more like a religion.

BTW, cytotec has NEVER been approved for use by the FDA in pregnant or laboring women. It simply seems to work. So it is used. Sometimes with catastrophic effects.

[Belia]

That is just horrifying. I would imagine that because she has had 3 children of her own, she probably feels even more of an expert on this topic and why such hyper-management of her patients is no big deal.

I literally feel sick to my stomach.

[wombatclay]

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[Bea]

I think this is a great website...really!

There's nothing like being able to get an honest picture of you're OB's delivery of care prior to commiting to them. Think of all the bait and switch stories you've read of Dr's 'Uh Huh-ing' their way through a woman's plans for labour and delivery here, seemingly onboard with her ideas and ideals, then bullying them into all sorts of interventions wjen the time comes.

At least with this Doc, you can see up front exactly what she's all about and steer well clear!

[minkajane]

Here's the weird thing - I can't find a link anywhere on her page to the induction page. I linked there directly from Facebook, but when I go to the homepage and go through all her categories, I don't see it anywhere. Maybe she gives out the URL just to her patients?

[Sk8ermaiden]

I was just about to ask the same thing. I can't seem to get to it in any way.

[annekh23]

Yikes, I guess if you do this to all your patients, have it done to yourself, then you aren't going to see the difference in pain and the difference in contraction patterns.

I confess that of induction, natural and c-section, the natural labour was actually the most painful for me, but then she was posterior and labour hit very fast, got fully dilated in 2 hours, shame it took longer than that again to get her out! It really was horrific, worse than hip surgery I needed because of it, worse than anything I've experience - oh and contrary to her opinion that epidurals kill the pain I had a combined spinal epidural, they were prepping me for a c-section but also preparing for regular labour too whilst they figured out if the baby was in distress, when the spinal wore off after a couple of hours even though they kept topping up my epidural it was still horrible.

Even though that labour was horrific, you could pull the trace from my notes and compare it to my pitocin induced labour and quite clearly the contraction pattern is different, I'd heard of double peaked contractions, but I had quadruple peaked ones! There was also a noticeable increase in strength every time they upped the pitocin then a slight decrease until the next increase, nothing like the steady increase of my natural labour.

I can't compare the pain from pitocin contractions to regular contractions with a well positioned baby but I'm prepared to believe the many women who've told me how much better it was!

[JennTheMomma]

Wow! I guess this OB doesn't care for evidence and research that says just the opposite. Glad I'm not her client/patient. Even my OB with my first birth, who was male, said that Pitcoin contractions are way worse than normal ones. Glad I have a Midwife!

[emnic77]

Most women in spontaneous labor will usually need additional IV pitocin to achieve adequate contractions to deliver vaginally.

One has to wonder how a health care provider in a specialty like this would be able to pass any sort of educational exam with such an abysmal lack of understanding of the basic physics of childbirth.

[tessie]

Has she changed her site? Because whilst the comment about most women needing pit (which is obviously wrong) is the same her other comments seem different from what has been posted here? She says her c/s rate is under 25% for one thing?

Not that I'd fancy her as a dr is she was suggesting induction at 39 weeks without a good reason.

[turnquia]

I think the page is a fake. TBH... the way she "talks" to you on that page is not the same as the other pages on her site, and you cannot find it through her site normally just through round about way or facebook. We've all seen fake sites set up before to look like the real site, the induction page to me the language doens't seem as professional as her other pages....

... I dunno I hope its my naive thinking that there is no way someone out there exists let alone would post about it openly on the internet.

[Kidzaplenty]

I never thought about it, but it would make sense if it were faked by someone that did not like her, maybe a disgruntled patient.