34- Synthetic Oxytocin/Pitocin

Transcript:

This is episode 34. We’re continuing our series on informed decision making where we’re taking a closer look at several different medical interventions you might encounter in your pregnancy and childbirth journey.

Today, the focus is on Synthetic Oxytocin sometimes known as Pitocin. And this is not a new topic for us but since I get so many questions about it, we’re going to revisit it today.

But first I want to tell you about the preparing for childbirth community that will be starting in June. I’m excited about getting this started. It’s designed to help guide you through the journey of pregnancy so that you can feel like you’ve made the most of this fleeting time. And it’s for mamas at any stage of pregnancy. Maybe you just found out you’re pregnant and want to make the most of it but it’s too early to take a full class yet. Maybe you’re struggling through that first trimester because of morning sickness and you just need some encouragement? Second trimester is speeding by or maybe it feels like a lull? And you’re not sure what to do at this point? Join the preparing for childbirth community for weekly encouragement, monthly journaling prompts and live co-journaling time, links to resources, and a place to ask questions and connect with other moms. If that sounds appealing to you, follow the link in the show notes for more information.

Ok, now for our topic of the day…Synthetic Oxytocin or Pitocin is a factory made form of the hormone oxytocin which is made naturally in the human body.

Both synthetic oxytocin and naturally occurring oxytocin are chemically identical but there are some significant differences in the way they function. Naturally occurring oxytocin is able to communicate with your brain, telling it to send in the endorphins which serve to regulate contractions and reduce stress, anxiety, and pain. Synthetic oxytocin cannot cross the blood brain barrier so no message reaches the endorphins to come do their important work. This is why women often describe Pitocin induced contractions as very strong and one on top of the other, with little break. When Pitocin is used to induce or augment labor it is given through an intravenous line.

So that’s a little bit about what it is. Now, let’s use our BRAIN to think about how to make an informed decision when it comes to using Pitocin to either induce, that is to start, labor or to augment or speed up labor. If you’re not familiar with the BRAIN acronym, I encourage you to go back and listen to episode 30 to learn more about that & informed decision making. I’ll put a link in the show notes.

B is the first letter in the BRAIN acronym. Benefits. So what are some of the benefits associated with synthetic oxytocin? It can be used to start labor, when indicated or to speed up labor. It can be turned off if necessary and it can be regulated and monitored closely. If there is a need to get labor started or to speed things up, it can be very useful. Sometimes there are health concerns for either mama or baby that are serious enough to indicate a need to move things along quickly. That’s where Pitocin does it’s best work.

R is the next letter. Risks: What risks are associated with using synthetic oxytocin? Like I mentioned earlier, synthetic oxytocin can’t cross the blood brain barrier so it’s difficult to produce the natural progression of contractions. Consequently, often Pitocin induced contractions are much stronger and longer with no complete rest in between. The pain from Pitocin is often more difficult to cope with because your brain wasn’t signaled to bring in the endorphins to help with pain regulation. It requires an IV and constant fetal monitoring which means that your movement is very restricted. There is also a possibility that Pitocin induced contractions may cause uterine rupture, particularly if you’ve had a prior cesarean. There are risks for baby, too. If things are not monitored carefully and uterine hyperstimulation occurs, the blood and oxygen supply going to the baby decreases. If that is not remedied quickly, there can be long term effects.

A is the third letter - for Alternatives:

If there is not a medical indication for starting or speeding up labor, just wait. Wait for labor to begin on its own. Wait for labor to progress naturally. If it’s a matter of getting labor started, ask your doctor about other possible forms of induction (& use the BRAIN process to assess if any of those options might be a better fit for you). If you haven’t already tried Stripping the Membranes which I talked about in the last episode, that might be a good option now. A prostaglandin pessary or a foley bulb or even castor oil could be possibilities. Again, you’ll need to ask about Benefits and Risks for any alternatives you consider and make the best decision for your particular situation. If you want to help things along, Nipple stimulation can be a good alternative. This helps to increase natural oxytocin which is the hormone needed to get contractions going. And remember, the natural oxytocin does cross the blood/brain barrier so it’s able to communicate with your brain to send in the endorphins to keep those contractions regulated and to provide a bit of natural pain relief. Don’t misunderstand, the pain of contractions will still come, it just won’t be as crazy intense as the Pitocin induced contractions that are not regulated by endorphins. In order not to inhibit oxytocin production, it’s important that you feel safe and close to the people who are present. So you might want some privacy for this one. Nipple stimulation can be done with a breast pump or manually by rolling the nipples between your fingers. Or if you really want to crank up the oxytocin, ensure your privacy and let your husband use his hands or mouth to stimulate your nipples. And as long as your water hasn’t broken yet, you can let that go as far as you want to. Semen contains prostaglandins which help to soften the cervix. If your water has broken, however, you should avoid anything entering the vagina so as not to introduce infection.

The next letter in the BRAIN acronym is I. It stands for Intuition & I always encourage that to be prayer informed. Spend some time praying & asking for the Lord’s guidance in your particular situation. Think about your circumstances and your preferences. Think about how inducing or augmenting labor with pitocin might or might not be called for in your circumstances. If there is no medical indication for it, does it line up with preferences or how it might lead away from them. Talk with your husband or another support person, then make your decision.

And the last letter. N. Now or Never? This is a reminder that timing is a consideration, too. Is it imperative to get labor started now or to move things along quickly? Could you wait a day or two or even a week if it’s a matter of getting labor started? If you’re already in labor and the staff is wanting to speed things up, could you wait an hour or two and see where things are at that point?

Well there you go. A quick overview of quote unquote how to use your brain when considering whether or not to use synthetic oxytocin to start or augment labor.

I talk more about labor induction, in general, & what you can expect if that needs to happen as well as the use of Pitocin in that process in episode 4 which I’ll link to in the show notes, if you want to go back and listen to that one too.

If you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast or found it helpful, I hope you’ll share it with a friend, and I’d love for you to leave a rating and review.

It is my prayer that these podcasts will help you grow in confidence and peace as the day draws near for you to meet your little one. I'm so glad you tuned in today.

And if you’d like to go deeper or have some help along the journey, I encourage you to check out my Growing in Confidence and Peace childbirth course or the preparing for childbirth community. There’s a link in the show notes where you can find more information about either of those.

Show notes:

In this episode we talk about the use of synthetic Oxytocin, also known as Pitocin, including benefits, risks and alternatives. You can find the transcript at preparingforchildbirth.com/Pitocin.

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Preparing for Childbirth Community information

Growing in Confidence & Peace Childbirth Course

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