Pitocin question?

I should read up on this, but why is it that most people don't want to take Pitocin to help the contractions along? Is it just the pain or are there added complications?

Re: Pitocin question?

From what I have been told, it makes contractions come on really intense and right after one another- making it impossible to adjust to them. Therefore, you are more likely to need an epidural. Also, I believe it leads to a higher rate of needing a c-section.

Re: Pitocin question?

I've never had it, but from what I've read & learned it's the pain & that once it's introduced as an intervention it *could* result in a snowball effect leading to more interventions (epidural, c-section, etc).

This isn't always the case, as I know quite a few people that had them & epis & went on to deliver vaginally, but sometimes getting an epi after pitocin can slow dilation & bring labor to a halt - with the wicked contractions. After time the docs may start pushing for a C rather than wait it out, which is believed to be part of the reason C rates are so high these days.

I've also read that pitocin can potentially put a baby in distress by lowering their heart rate - which may ultimately end up in a C as well.

Again, I don't know the stats on how often either of these situations occurs, but it's enough to make me want to do everything I can to avoid it. HTH

Re: Pitocin question?

I had pitocin recently when i had my DS, they made the contractions way more intense, and they were 1.5 minutes apart the entire time. i do think it can lead to more complications, b/c my contractions were so far apart, it put my DS into distress b/c everything was happening so quickly. Grant it i was only in labor 6.5 hours.

Re: Pitocin question?

Re: Pitocin question?

It's like speed for contractions! The only way I can describe it (at least for me). I was induced a week early, the broke my water and started the pitocin pretty much at the same time. My contractions were immediately at 1.5 minutes apart and INTENSE! I didn't want pain drugs (i.e. demerol, etc...) but was asking for the epi about 40 minutes after they started to the Pitocin.

Everyone's experience is different, you can adjust to the contractions, it's not impossible. Since this was my first child, I adjusted just fine considering I had nothing else to compare it to.

In the end, I had a very easy induction (you can read my birth story). From start to finish it was 5.5 hours of labor, and 40 minutes of pushing.

Re: Pitocin question?

HI
I really dont know
I had a great experience with DS
I was on pitocin very, very low for about 3 hours; (9am-noon)
got epidural around noon
dr. increased pitocin and DS was born at 9pm

i barely felt ANY contractions until the very end

ETA: DS was 2 weeks early and i was 4cm dilated when i got to the hospital to be induced

Message edited 7/17/2009 9:14:50 AM.

Re: Pitocin question?

thanks ladies! that definitely helps!

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i dont have anything to compare it to, but the contractions were very painful and intense even with the epidural. i was on pitocin nearly 24 hours.

Re: Pitocin question?

I was given pitocin after my epidural because the epi caused my contractions to slow down. It intensified my contractions, but I wasn't in too much pain because of the epi. Luckily, DS wasn't in any stress when I got pitocin and he came out fine!

Re: Pitocin question?

I agree with many PP.

I have heard that the chances of having a c-section are much higher if you have the pitocin. I don't know why... maybe your body just isn't ready for delivery yet.

For me, I had to have pitocin with DS. But I already had the epidural, so it wasn't a problem for me. I didn't have any of the pain because of the epi and he was never in distress.

Re: Pitocin question?

I just had Pitocin and had no real side effects from it.
My water broke, but my contractions were not very strong so they started me on Pitocin to make them stronger.
The contractions weren't really bad until I got to 7 cm and at that point I got the epidural anyway.
At no point was there any distress to the baby and I was in labor for a total of 6.5 hours from water breaking to delivery, with one hour of real pushing.

HTH

Re: Pitocin question?

The pitocin makes the contractions really intense and worse than normal contractions.
From my experience, before you get the pitocin, get the epidural and you'll be just fine

Re: Pitocin question?

Posted by Gertyrae

I just had Pitocin and had no real side effects from it.
My water broke, but my contractions were not very strong so they started me on Pitocin to make them stronger.
The contractions weren't really bad until I got to 7 cm and at that point I got the epidural anyway.
At no point was there any distress to the baby and I was in labor for a total of 6.5 hours from water breaking to delivery, with one hour of real pushing.

HTH

Re: Pitocin question?

Posted by Belladonna219

Posted by Gertyrae

I just had Pitocin and had no real side effects from it.
My water broke, but my contractions were not very strong so they started me on Pitocin to make them stronger.
The contractions weren't really bad until I got to 7 cm and at that point I got the epidural anyway.
At no point was there any distress to the baby and I was in labor for a total of 6.5 hours from water breaking to delivery, with one hour of real pushing.

HTH

Same here with my DS which was my first time having a baby so I dont have anything to compare it to. I thought it was a breeze and I HOPE for the same with DD in Sept.

Re: Pitocin question?

Well for one, there is the whole controversy with potocin correlating to Autism; another thing to blame. That is what my dr. said to me before hand just to put it out there. I asked her why people don't like potocin and her answer was the above as well as the intensity of the contractions.

In my experience the contractions were the EXACT same as my contractions when I went into labor on my own. They might feel more intense b/c when you are induced w potocin, you're strapped and stuck in a hospital bed watching the clock go by slowly vs laboring at home and getting your mind off of the pain as much as possible! That makes a HUGE difference! I was so close to having an epi and that something I never experienced. When being induced I totally recommmend an epi. Had I not gone naturally before, I wouldn't gotten an epi in a heart beat.

Then again everyone's story is a different story!

Re: Pitocin question?

I wanted to die from the pitocin contraction...

I was FINE and in labor from about 1am to 9pm the next day dealing with the contractions. I started pitocin around 1pm. They upped my pitocin A LOT and my epidural stopped working sometime in the evening. I think i was on the max dose. I was having contraction right on top of each other, so bad that I couldnt even speak between them cause the next one would start. Looking back, I wish I could have be able to verbalize this, because I wound up just screaming and crying. Everytime I would get a word out the nurse would be yelling at me to push again.

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i HAD POTICIN WITH MY daughter and It made me have HORRID pain. The pains were so and nothing I experienced before. They gaveme demerol that m ade me dizzy then I had to wait for an epi and that calmed things down but boy the potocin I do not wish for with this baby

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I also was fine when they gave me pitocin. DS heart rate did keep dropping and he gave us a couple of real scares, but I dont know if it was due to it or not. They didnt start the pitocin till after I had the epidural, so if the contractions were stronger, I wasn't feeling it anyway. I had a really easy and quick labor

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its supposed to make them more intense. which i cant imagine b/c contractions are already insane i would imagine...

i think i also read that sometimes it prolongs things?? not sure about that..

Re: Pitocin question?

i was induced recently with DS two days after my due date. They gave me Pitocin but I had a great experience! The started pitocin around 3pm and the contractions came very quickly and did get very painful very fast, I didn't want the epidural but after 2 hrs of being in that kind of pain I asked for the epi, I couldn't have done it without it. But my labor progressed really well and i had DS at 8:27pm. All in all I wouldn't be scared to get it again but I would also get the epi sooner this time!

Re: Pitocin question?

I had Pitocin and had no real side effects from it. My water broke at home on Friday night at 10pm I didn't have contractions after that happened. Called the Dr and she said stay home until you feel them. At 5am Saturday morning I went to the hospital they were starting but not really strong at all. they checked me and said my since my water broke last night that my fluid level was getting low so they started me on it. Few hours into it yes the contractions did start and they were painful at times but I did get the epi which was wonderful and then a few hours later I pushed my little one at in 20mins no problems at all up and walking in no time.

Message edited 7/19/2009 8:14:26 AM.

Re: Pitocin question?

I had Pitocin with DS when I was 4cm. I was having contractions 3 minutes apart but then it started slowing down to every 7 minutes. It was a very low dose and I already had an epidural at that point. DS was born with no issues and I didnt feel anything through the epidural.

Re: Pitocin question?

Re: Pitocin question?

Pitocin is just the synthetic hormone of oxytocin which is what women produce when they go into labor. Sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad. It's understandable to use pitocin when inducing but sometimes drs don't understand when to back off of it. When your water breaks you it tends to trigger you to produce more oxytocin and if your already on the synthetic version your contractions can get real intense and close together very fast. You only need enough pitocin to continue to make cervical change but since everyone's magic # is different drs like to see you contracting every 2 minutes and that is what they consider adequate. That might not be healthy for everyone's baby and body. Also I have found that women who are on high doses of pitocin for a long period of time are at a higher risk for a post partum hemorrhage.