At 04:46 PM 8/26/02 -0500, you wrote:
>We do have a weapon to combat elective inductions:  published scientific
>studies describing this as dangerous to the baby.  Both morbidity and
>mortality  are impacted by slight prematurity.

Last May I posted to Lactnet that I was going to be interviewed for a TV
news spot on elective inductions. I had one week to prepare for a 35 minute
interview.
I found published studies warning of the risk to the infant of inductions.
Even ACOG had a strong statement voicing concern and calling for a halt to
the needless inductions.

The makers of Pitocin had a warning that it should be used only with
serious risk to mother and infant of labor's progressing normally. (No
inductions or augmentations.)

I also interviewed several pediatricians who all attested to the serious
problems that they were seeing with the early inductions--low-weight
infants, undeveloped lungs, and many infants exhibiting premature patterns.
All of the peds spoke strongly against the growing practice.

I "shared" the spot with an OB whose induction rate hits about 50%. He
chuckled about it all and gave the usual reasons for inducing early.

Mother tired of being pregnant
Gramma wants to know when to come
Parents don't want baby born on leap year
Due date is Uncle Alfonse's birthday and Mother doesn't like Uncle...
Baby is big and birthing will be harder later
Parents can plan better--no suprises

He said that hospitals like the planned inductions because staffing on
weekends are predictably lighter.
And (Ha. Ha.) OBs have their weekends off. Most inductions are on Friday.
"Mom comes in at 9 and has her baby by 2:30. And everyone is happy."

Out of my 35 minute interview with the very pregnant reporter, I had under
5 minutes. I had only two complete sentences which lacked impact and for
half of my few minutes the picture was of a mother on the delivery table.
The wrap-up statement went back to the OB who told how mothers love the
convenience of planned inductions.

I was part of an "infomercial." And I didn't look/sound like I knew what I
was talking about. I had given her facts and researched based information
and the statement from ACOG and concerns of the peds... but I was not heard.

I know that some of you who have been on TV know how I felt. Fortunately
most of my friends missed it.

I talked to a few of my clients and asked why they agreed to the early
induction. The main reasons were fear of a too-big baby (one had been a
mere 6# but was predicted to be 8#. Baby had complications.), doctor
pushing for it with "Aren't you tired of being pregnant?", and "If you want
ME to deliver your baby you will have to have it this week. If not I don't
know who will deliver you."

One mother said that her OB told her, "No one takes the risk of going into
labor these days. Those surprise births are a thing of the past."

The Peds and the OBs aren't talking to each other. And OBs aren't reading
Ped literature to see what the problems are. And they aren't paying
attention to their own journal articles on the subject.

Pat Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin



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