OB Shares The Vital Questions You Should Ask Ahead Of An Induction

So, you’re pregnant. That baby has been cooking for a while now and the end of this long, long, long physical ordeal finally seems to be coming to an end. But one appointment, your doctor mentions the word you’ve been dreading — a word that is practically a swear in some birth spaces. Induction.

It’s a word that comes with a lot of baggage for a lot of people, and with information and misinformation swirling around all over the internet, it can be hard to know how to approach this as a mom-to-be.

Fortunately, we have a few favorite medical professionals who share their wisdom with us on TikTok, and Dr. Fran (@pagingdrfran) never seems to miss when it comes to sound pregnancy and delivery advice. So when she offered a list of questions to ask about inductions, we fixed our posture and took a listen.

She offers this advice for anyone faced with the possibility of a labor induction, either elective or for a medical indication.

“I work a lot in high risk obstetrics,” she explains, “So I manage a lot of inductions. These are the things I think you should know before you go into your own induction.”

This breaks down to a series of questions focused around how to schedule the induction, how an induction works, how labor is augmented in an induction, and what options are available to support your comfort during an induction.

• How do scheduling of inductions work at the hospital?
• Do I have any control over the date/time for my scheduled eIOL (elective induction of labor)?
• How often are eIOL bumped or rescheduled?
• What methods are available to ripen my cervix? How do you choose? What is best?
• When do you typically start the augmentation of labor part of induction?
• What is the average length of time for an elective IOL (induction of labor) if my cervix is unfavorable?
• Can I take a break during my induction?
• Am I able to eat and drink during my induction?
• Can I get an epidural at any point during my eIOL? Is anesthesia available 24/7?
• How often will you check my cervix?
• Are internal monitors routinely placed?
• What are other pain management options throughout the induction process?
• At what point do you consider breaking my water if it doesn’t happen spontaneously?
• Can I opt to go home if it looks like my [elective] induction isn’t progressing?
• What can I do to increase my chances of a successful induction?
• Do you follow the current ACOG recommendations for failing an IOL before recommending cesarean?

That last one may not be immediately apparent to non-doctors. We certainly didn’t know it off the top of our heads, so we looked it up. Apparently the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) only considers a c-section after a minimum of 12 to 18 hours of oxytocin administration following membrane rupture. That is, of course, as long as mom and fetus aren’t showing any troubling signs of danger or unnecessary risk.

“Whether medically indicated or elective,” Dr. Fran concludes, "you deserve to be informed going into the process.”

This here is social media at its best, folks: experts sharing their knowledge and advice to people who may not otherwise have access to another professional opinion. It’s like the NBC “The More You Know” campaign for the 21st century.