The Use Of Pitocin ( Synthetic Oxytocin ) During Labor Induction And Augmentation Has Increased Dramatically Over The Past Few Decades

Pitocin is a hormone used to stimulate uterine contractions and prevent hemorrhage from the placental site. Prior

Childbirth is one of the greatest privileges on the earth anyone could have and we, as women, should feel proud to be major contributors for it. Thus, a mother has to play a key role in aiding the healthcare workers to mitigate the health crisis associated with childbirth by performing her duties faithfully. One such associated health crisis is “Premature (preterm) birth” which occurs when the baby is born too early, before 37 weeks of gestational period (CDC, 2015). The rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born across 184 countries (WHO, 2015).

When a woman gives birth there is a massive change in her hormones, and these changes evoke maternal behavior [2]. For example, oxytocin also known as the “bonding hormone or the love hormone” is a chemical messenger that is released into the brain in response to social contact, it’s especially noticeable with skin-to skin contact such as breast-feeding [2]. Oxytocin not only provides health benefits, but it also promotes bonding, such as between a breast feeding mother and her infant, and creates a desire for more contact with the individual evoking the release [2]. However, it’s not necessary for maternal behavior

For almost all of the previous 25 years roughly, the knowledge of pregnancy, labor, and delivery has changed little for some women. But change is arriving to the most traditional establishing, the hospital.

Despite countless medical advancements and technology, preterm births continue to plague the nation as a public health issue. Preterm births have become a devastating issue that has caused government agencies to intervene. There are a variety of risk factors that may contribute to a mother delivering a child preterm, such as smoking, lack of prenatal supplements, and social disadvantages, which may cause severe stress (Räisänen S., M. Gissler , J. Saari, M. Kramer, & S. Heinonen S 2013). Any combination of these risk factors may increase a mother’s chance for delivering a child preterm. During the preterm period, infants are placed at a

There are many different medications that can be administered in hopes to help expectant mothers. In addition to that, a prophylactic transfusion can take place to help increase hemoglobin levels. It is important that both the mother and child are observed throughout the pregnancy for the simple fact that many of these pregnancies result in a caseation delivery (James 2014). In some cases, the use of propranolol and LMWH are used in SCD mothers in hopes to decrease the intensity of SCD effects such as pain and organ problems in both parent and child ( Yawn 2014). Opioid is also used as pain medication in SCD women (Yawn

Expectant mothers should educate themselves more about natural birth. This is because there are many consequences and high risk associated with drug intake to release pain and caesarean delivery. This is because if more women are aware about the facts involved with using these medications, they will correctly choose what is best for their own bodies and the health of their babies.

Because the mother's blood pressure is brought down, the heart rate of the fetus can slow down. The epidural may also make you so numb that you won't be able to feel your contractions anymore and push effectively, requiring your doctor to give you a dose of Pitocin to induce labor or to use forceps. The former can cause you to contract so hard and result to fetal stress, while the former may cause bruising or lacerations for you and your baby.

A woman goes into labor and her husband wheels her into a hospital, to the labor and delivery unit. It is her first time having a baby and she is scared, and not completely sure what to expect. About seven hours later, the nurse and the doctor tell her that she is 6 centimeters dilated and not progressing in her labor, and that if she is ready, the nurses can give her Pitocin which intensifies labor and call the anesthesiologist to give her an epidural. Terrified and more than willing to listen to the medical professionals telling her what to do, she agrees to what they say. She successfully delivers, but not before her blood pressure rises and the baby’s heart rate drops, which is a side effect of the drug Pitocin. Because of the distress

The use of opioid during pregnancy can lead to the following possible defects such as spina bifida, a neural

The time leading to conception until birth is a very demanding and sensitive duration on the mental and

The use of epidural analgesia negatively affect the parent- newborn relationship, because the drug causes complications for both parties. First, the labor becomes prolong, which put stress on the mother and newborn. Also, when the newborn becomes exposed to the drug he or she tend to be sleepy and withdrawn, which does not provide the mother and child a chance to bond. This takes away from the emotional attachment a baby receives from their mother, when their initially placed in their arms. Also, the drug effects the newborn ability to be breastfed, because he or she suck poorly, and tend to be irritable when awake. Further, creating a negative mother-newborn interaction, because the newborn is withdrawn emotionally and physically from their

Pharmacological comfort measures can provide partial or complete pain relief. The epidural is the most efficient way of reducing labor pain. Opioids can be given continuously or in intermittent doses at the patient 's request or through the patient controlled pump. There is the potential for these drugs to have some effect on the fetus, such as breathing difficulties that may require assistance through the use of Narcan. Providing pain relief during the labor process is solely the patient’s choice, and as the nurse only support and encouragement should be given for however she chooses to handle the pain. (Jansen, Gibson, Bowles, & Leach, 2013)

Analgesia is offered to laboring women so they are able to have pain relief from the contractions and delivery of the infant. This often sounds appealing to women after they have endured hours of fighting through their contractions or they fear for the pain that comes with delivering a baby vaginally. The great controversy with analgesia is if administering pain medication in laboring women causes prolonged labor time compared to cases with no analgesia implementation? So the question at initiated the research was, does administering analgesia in pregnant women cause prolonged labor time compared to cases with no analgesia implementation? According to Laughon et al., (2014), a prolonged labor time can cause an infant to have an APGAR score less than seven, a higher chance of a NICU admission, birth depression, and minor trauma. It is also said that analgesia use possesses a higher risk for cesarean section, which can have a negative impact on the mother.

Childbirth is a beautiful thing. After the hours of labor, there is nothing more special than having the newly mother able to hold her child the minute after it’s born. It makes the pain that you had just experienced go away because all that matters in the world is that newborn child in your arms. During labor, every woman has her own experience but one common experience is the pain. According to Kitzinger (1978) “Labor pain can have negative or positive meaning, depending on whether the child is wanted, the interaction of the laboring woman with those attending her, her sense of ease or dis-ease in the environment provided for birth, her relationship with the father of her child and her attitude to her body throughout the reproductive