Preparing for an Empowering Induction Experience
In my early years of practice I treated many women for Acupuncture in the hope of avoiding a looming induction of labour. We would help facilitate induction, then stand back and hope for the best.
The years and my own induction experience have shown me that this period of time - the time between knowing an induction is a possible / likely outcome and the birth itself - is about so much more than trying to establish labour naturally.
It is about supporting the outcome no matter which path is eventually taken. It's about realising that for women who find themselves in this position, the desired outcome isn't necessarily to go into labour naturally, but having an empowering birth experience.
Now with many years of these treatments under my belt and my own 42 week gestation birth induction story, I can say. Absolutely - a birth that's induced for true medical need can be a sacred and empowering experience.
Birthing my daughter taught me so.
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There are plenty of reasons for medically necessary inductions. If that's the way the cards have fallen for you, that's okay.
But know this: even as an induction date looms so much can be done to step towards an empowered birth experience. Whether an induction is ultimately required or not. Let's explore some ideas that you can influence to help step towards your beautiful birth.
These are suggestions. The most important thing is to follow what works for you. Take what suits and leave the rest behind.
Between now and the planned induction date
Let your To Do List go
It can be really tempting to busy yourself with surface To Do's - and gosh, aren't there a lot of them.
But the work, for you, is much deeper. And it starts now.
If you're only a few days away from a planned induction, outsource any last minute baby related tasks. Let them fall away. Now is the time to release and let go of the List and all the thinking that comes with it.
Acknowledge the way you feel
Identify and acknowledge any particular sources of stress, anxiety, uncertainty and the unknowns you feel about this birth. Give them space. Allow them to bubble up, to exist. Let what you can go.
Birth focused meditations can help - this is the meditation I had on repeat leading up to my induction to release the fears I was holding around the idea of an induction. And also to discover the specific things that I was afraid of.
Fill your body and your mind with things that make you feel calm, centred, relaxed, open and strong
Follow the path of things that help you feel calm, centred and strong. That looks different for everyone. Some ideas:
Go for lunch with your best friend.
Have a bath.
Go to the ocean.
Meditate.
Gently stretch and move your body.
Read a novel.
Watch a comedy special.
Write.
Bake cupcakes.
Take a nap.
Light a candle.
Start a creative project: draw, knit, sew
Take a mindful walk and feel into your senses: look at the colour of the leaves, hear the birds, smell the wet grass.
Connect deeply into that deliciously calm, clear headspace.
Recognise sources of stress and let them go
Prevent interaction with anyone that feeds anxieties you may have about an upcoming birth and possible induction.
Know that every single woman I have treated as they approach labour feels a sense of suffocation from the tie that exists to her phone. The constant 'Are you in labour?' 'Are you okay?' is unsettling - women begin to question their abilities before labour even begins.
This is a time for selective human interactions, voicing communication boundaries, phones on silent and voicemail divert.
Get really clear about the specifics of the induction process
This will help put your mind at ease. Learn what's flexible and what's fixed.
Explore the potential for time between interventions.
Explore the positive actions you can take along the way - walking around, showers, stretches.
Once you're clear on the logistics you can rest your thinking brain and get to the embodied task of birthing.
Reframe what you think you know about inductions & make plenty of space for positive thoughts
Read and listen to positive induction stories and podcasts.
I have shared mine here for that very specific reason.
This will help reaffirm that even though an induced labour can be hard, you are capable of meeting it. It’s absolutely possible to have an empowering induction experience.
This is the meditation I listened to (and often slept through) for the second half of my pregnancy. It helped me lean further into the glorious possibility of it all.
Define what's important to you about your labour experience
Think about the things that were important to you for your imagined spontaneous labour experience, and consider ways in which you might still be able to apply them in an induction setting.
For me, I was keen to do early labour in my backyard - to breathe fresh air and be out in nature. Of course, with an induction, this was not possible, so I stopped on the way to the hospital and took my time to get my nature fill.
On the way into the hospital to begin the induction process
Stop at a park and breathe in the beauty. The fresh air. Find a way to ground yourself. Look around at how nature effortlessly thrives. Walk with bare feet. Take deep breaths. Ground yourself.
Once you're in hospital for the induction
Make all the waiting purposeful
Also know, when it comes to an induction, there can be a lot of waiting. A lot of waiting. Waiting for rounds. Waiting for a plan. Waiting for someone to break your waters. Waiting. Use that time purposefully:
Create a sacred environment for turning inward towards labour
When you set a calm, focused and intentionally sacred tone for the space, any person that walks into your space will be responsive to that, and meet you there. People don't ask unnecessary questions. There’s less unnecessary chat.
Things are slower, quieter and more respectful because you have created and facilitated that depth and quiet and slow.
So, intentionally create your space.
Close curtains, dim lights. Resist the urge to stay on the surface. Put your phone away. Ask your partner to do the same. Leave the TV off. Close your eyes. Slow your breath. Meditate. Listen to music. Reground any anxieties, fears.
Just you and your people. In your space. In your breath. Creating your experience.
Channel your excitement into deep strength. Don't waste it on instagram.
I’ll be honest with you, this part is not as easy as it sounds. Choosing to sink in, rather than remain on the surface is not easy.
We are wired to value 'doing something at all times' - so intentionally slowing down and turning inward requires stepping outside those societal norms.
I remember feeling really challenged by that. But it is so so worth it.
The greatest work is always on the inside.
Lean into your courage - into your induction courage.
Breathe deep, lean in, sink deep.
You’ve got this.