Childbirth is a process which begins naturally when the baby is ready to come out of the womb. Lately, though, a number of moms-to-be are opting to induce labor manually at a time of their convenience. Most Ob-Gyn’s do not allow artificially inducing labor until after the 39th week and well into the 40th week unless it becomes medically necessary to induce labor before time. It is not safe for the baby to induce early labor until after the 39th week of pregnancy unless there is a very good reason to do so. Some of the reasons when your practitioner may decide to induce labor before the 39th week of pregnancy include:
- The placenta begins to break.
- Amniotic fluid decreases around the baby.
- An infection in the uterus, which is harmful to the baby and mom.
- The baby stops growing at the appropriate pace.
- The placenta becomes detached from the uterus walls causing placental abruption
- The mother is experiencing health problems which put the baby at risk.
These and a few other reasons can lead your doctor to induce labor before the 39th week, however, in normal and healthy pregnancies, this practice is not followed. The lungs of the baby are not fully developed before the 39th week, and the baby cannot breathe on its own at this point. For all of these reasons, it is best not to induce labor prematurely unless there is an imminent danger to the mother or the child.