7. Do you want to use Pitocin to push your labor along?
Pitocin, a drug that mimics the effects of the natural hormone oxytocin, is sometimes used to initiate or augment a labor that is moving at a slow pace. There are pros and cons to its use. The benefits include spending less time laboring and restarting a labor that has stalled. The negatives are that it often accelerates the baby’s heartbeat, it increases the pain for the mother quite drastically, and many people believe labor takes as long as it does and shouldn’t be rushed. The decision, largely, is yours.
