Under what circumstances should you use an oxytocin injection? Be careful when handling it

During the delivery process, if the delivery is not going smoothly, the doctor will use oxytocin to help with the delivery. However, there are certain risks in using oxytocin to induce labor. So under what circumstances can oxytocin be used to induce labor? What is the process of using an oxytocin injection?

What situations need to be stimulated?

Post-term pregnancy: A pregnancy that reaches or exceeds 42 weeks (i.e. 2 weeks beyond the expected date of delivery) is called a post-term pregnancy. Overdue pregnancy will cause the placenta to age, which will significantly reduce the blood flow in the intervillous space and form infarction, which will further reduce blood flow, reduce the oxygen and nutrients supplied to the fetus, and stop the fetus from continuing to grow. At the same time, the amount of amniotic fluid will decrease, and in severe cases the fetus may die from lack of oxygen and suffocation.

Early rupture of membranes: rupture of membranes may lead to infection of the uterine cavity or fetal hypoxia. Usually, water breaking will cause uterine contractions. If the fetus is mature and there is no contraction within 24 hours after water breaking, delivery will need to be induced.

The fetus is too large: If the fetus is too large, dystocia and shoulder dystocia are more likely to occur, so it is best to induce labor.

Toxemia of pregnancy: Pregnant women with toxemia of pregnancy often have hypertension combined with edema or proteinuria. This disease may cause epilepsy, stroke, organ failure or even fetal death in the mother. The fetus usually has developmental delay and may also suffer fetal distress or death. Pregnancy toxemia can only be improved after delivery, so once the fetus is mature, induction of labor can be performed.

The process of inducing labor with oxytocin:

Before inducing labor, your doctor will carefully evaluate the pattern of your contractions, the extent of your cervical dilation, and the position of your baby's descent. Your doctor will also closely monitor how your baby's heart rate responds to contractions to make sure he can withstand stronger contractions.

Then, if it's determined that your labor can be accelerated, your doctor will give you oxytocin (a synthetic form of oxytocin) through an intravenous drip that is connected to a pump so that your doctor can control the dosage.

Your doctor will start you with a low dose of oxytocin and gradually increase the dose until your uterus responds appropriately. Exactly how much oxytocin you need depends on how advanced your contractions are, how sensitive your uterus is to the medication, how dilated your cervix is, and how far along you are in your pregnancy. Usually, your doctor will try to get you to have 3 to 5 contractions every 10 minutes.

The purpose of giving you just the right amount of oxytocin is to trigger contractions in time to effectively dilate your cervix and help your baby descend, without giving you so much that the contractions become too frequent or abnormally long or strong. If you have more than five contractions in 10 minutes, or if each contraction lasts more than two minutes, your doctor may consider your uterus to be overstimulated, which can put pressure on your baby. As labor progresses, your doctor will use an electronic fetal heart rate monitor to monitor your contractions and your baby's condition.

What are the dangers of induced birth injections?

Oxytocin can cause the uterus to contract too strongly or uncoordinated, causing the fetus to suffocate due to lack of oxygen in the uterus. Due to the uncoordinated uterine contractions, not only will the delivery not be accelerated, but it will be stopped.

Oxytocin can cause uterine rupture. When the fetus is in an abnormal position or the pelvis is narrow, after using oxytocin, even if the uterus contracts very strongly, the fetus still cannot pass through the birth canal due to the small pelvis and abnormal fetal position, which eventually leads to uterine rupture.