Why would a doctor induce labor?

Doctors may choose to induce labor for many reasons. Maybe your water broke and it contained some fetal waste (meconium) or your baby is starting to show signs that it needs to be delivered faster. Maybe you're suffering from preeclampsia, chronic high blood pressure or diabetes; maybe your baby is getting too large; or maybe you're more than a week past your due date. (Docs generally don't let pregnancies go on indefinitely because after 40 weeks the placenta begins to lose its ability to deliver oxygen to the growing fetus).

In any case, the determination was made that your baby is going to be better off outside rather inside. (Some moms even request an induction for scheduling purposes - say, an out-of-town mother-in-law has planned a visit to help. These so-called social inductions are very controversial, and the mom must be very near her due date for doctors to even consider it.)

Induced labor is associated with an increased rate of C-sections, possibly due to the conditions that prompted the inductions, so your doctor will carefully consider the well being of both you and your baby before scheduling a procedure that may increase your risks.

Many women remain pregnant past week 40. It is not necessarily dangerous to the baby, though, so your doctor may let you wait a week or so to see if labor comes naturally. After two weeks, or if there is a condition like low amniotic fluid, your doctor will induce your labor, depending on if your cervix is ready and how seriously you need to be induced. If your doctor waits longer than 2 weeks, the placenta becomes less nourishing for the baby and there is a higher chance of complications.