When to Intervene During Labor?

Posted by Brenda Lane Aug 14, 2007

One question I hear frequently from expectant mothers is how do you know when medical intervention should be used and when to keep trying other methods. This is not an easy question to answer, but let's take a moment to examine it from many angles.

First of all, most of us would agree that childbirth itself is a natural event and there is not need to intervene in most cases. Women's bodies are wonderfully designed to labor and give birth to babies without resorting to medical science for help. Women can labor in a give birth in 2 hours or 2 days and they are both very normal and natural. What often seems to get in the way for our culture today is that we have placed time limits on how long mothers can labor without feeling pressured into receiving pitocin, having their water broken or having a cesarean. Though all of these interventions can be helpful, the bottom line, when should you call it quits?

I have seen women require 48 hours to labor. Their bodies needed that time in order for everything to fall into place. Not only does the cervix need to rotate, thin out and dilate, but the baby needs to rotate and mold in order for birth to happen. For some mothers, that can take many many hours of contractions. Long labors are not at all uncommon with a first baby. As long as the baby's heart rate is strong and reassuring as indicated on a dopplar or fetal monitor and the mother is doing well during labor, there should be almost no limit placed on that mother before resorting to intervention, except her own preferences or desires.

In fact, research is starting to show us that even longer periods of pushing (which was always believed to be a particularly challenging time for a baby) are not harmful to babies.

It may be that our limits are imposed by medical institutions simply because we are taking up space in a hospital. Or even that the types of comfort measures available to mothers are so restricted that she feels unable to continue any longer.

If you are interested in this topic, be sure to also talk with your care provider about their philosophy and reasons to intervene.

Brenda