When it comes to birth, the only thing we can really be sure of is to expect the unexpected.

Birth plans are wonderful and important for working out what you would like to try for, where your comfort level is, ensuring your team and providers are aligned and supportive, and as a roadmap for birth partners to advocate for you.

However, as anyone who has given birth will tell you, there are parts of the experience that end up beyond the plan. That doesn’t mean that unexpected things that arise are always negative; they are just different. So, in the spirit of being compassionate truth-tellers, something that is at the core of all we do at Needed, we are launching our series of birth stories, covering a vast spectrum of birthing experiences but all celebrating positive outcomes even while sometimes dealing with complicated circumstances, with the idea that knowledge is power and the more you know, the less you might be blindsided by your own birth story.

Mother of Two Tracy Berry Shares Her Empowered Induction Stories 

Needed: Tracy, can you start by telling us about your journey to motherhood?

Tracy: “I had a lot of health issues, mostly due to endometriosis. But I also had several bowel obstructions that led to me needing surgery, a partial small bowel resection. As a result I considered myself kind of a sick person, one whose body just didn’t serve me well.

On top of this mistrust of my body, the bowel obstructions were excruciatingly painful, just horrible events. They were very traumatic and it really impacted both how I felt about my body and hospitals.  Even now, if I walk into the room at Cedars where I went with my first obstructions, I just start crying without even having a thought in my head. It’s a trauma so deeply ingrained in my body. 

I needed IVF to get pregnant. This really compounded feelings that I was always a patient, always feeling like my body was failing me. All of these physical issues and trauma made me feel like I was not going to do well in pregnancy and birth, I had a lot of fear.”

Needed: How did you prepare mentally for childbirth given your health history?

Tracy: “By some grace of God, I somehow got connected with Doula Lori Bregman. I can’t remember exactly how – it might have been through Amy Budden, the incredible hypnotherapist I use. During my pregnancy, Lori coached me to reframe my perspective. She said, ‘When you're getting contractions with birth, you’re used to pain that’s not supposed to be there. It’s a bad pain. This is going to be a productive, good pain that’s supposed to be happening. It’s not something to fear.’

“She helped me see it as my body doing what it’s supposed to do, as opposed to doing something wrong.”

Needed : You chose to have inductions for both of your births. Can you explain why?

Tracy: “I chose induction because of all the health issues and IVF.  I was an incredibly anxious pregnant person. The hormones of pregnancy give me a lot of perinatal anxiety, and that coupled with my lack of trust in body and trauma around my health, I find it all really stressful. 

At the end of pregnancy, I get very, very anxious. So I wanted an induction around 39 weeks, because stillbirth was a huge fear for me. Through the IVF process, I got deeply involved in the IVF community. But in doing so, I also heard many traumatic stories. I just wanted to get her out. Every time I went to an appointment and heard her heartbeat, I was like, ‘Can we just get her out where her heart’s still beating?’

Interestingly, I’m actually like a bloom of sunshine postpartum. I know most people fear the postpartum period, but for me, I feel like I can breathe again.”

Needed: How would you describe your first birth experience?

Tracy: “It went as well as it possibly could. I always say this: I would give birth every single day if I could. Don’t get me wrong, it was incredibly painful, but I wanted to experience that pain. I had these images in my head from movies that pushing was going to be horrible, painful, and dramatic, but for me it wasn’t.

Instead, as my labor progressed I had the epidural, and I had such a great doctor, Dr. Finke, who’s so funny and charismatic. Lori and he get along so well. It was actually a great time with great people, Lori, Dr. Finke, my husband and I were all there, just laughing and chatting between pushes. It was nothing like I had ever envisioned. I never even knew that was possible.”

Needed: How did this experience affect your view of yourself?

Tracy: “I left that experience with my body having done everything it needed to. Everything went according to plan, my body did it. I had a breathing, healthy baby on my chest.”

“It was the most affirming experience of my entire life. I was suddenly a changed woman. I am a healthy person who birthed a big, beautiful baby.”

Needed: How did your second birth compare to the first?

Tracy: “What was interesting about this time (*Tracy is newly postpartum) was that I was already more dilated. I wasn’t in pain at all. I didn’t have the same pains at the end of this pregnancy, partially because of what I had learned from the end of the last pregnancy.

But with epidural this time I felt very numbed out, I was not ready to push. I was like, ‘I don’t know how to push a baby out of me right now.’

It was so funny because in many ways the labor was so easy, and then the end was harder. As opposed to the other one where it was so hard and painful at the start, and then the end was so easy. It just goes to show, it’s always different but amazing in its own way.”

Needed: What role did your doula play in your birth experiences?

Tracy: “I think it’s so funny that doulas are so popular for home births and people don’t think of them for hospital births. In my opinion, you need a doula more than anything in a hospital birth, and Lori proved that so much. She has taught me how to advocate for myself in a way I never knew how to.

I wish doulas existed for every type of medical setting because you need that guide in so many other ways. I now question doctors. I don’t see them as all-knowing beings. I don’t see what they suggest or say as the end-all. I say no. ‘Do I have to do that? Can I do this?’ It's not black and white. They are just human. It is a conversation; they aren’t God. And that was a really important lesson for me.”

Needed: What advice would you give to expectant mothers about birth?

Tracy: “I went into it saying if this turns into a C-section, God willing, all I want is a healthy baby. I feel like that mindset actually set me up to have a good experience, because even if it had turned into a C-section, all I needed was just a breathing baby, to feel like everything had gone to plan.

I really want to shout out Lori again for everything. She never once questioned me when I said I wanted an induction. She never once was mean. I’m sure she asked me why, but in a very open way.

I think a lot of people feel judgment for wanting to get induced or wanting medications, it does feel like the easier way out in some senses, I guess.

I think it’s so important in our culture to be very accepting of whatever someone wants, what makes them most comfortable, because truly, that is what’s going to lead to their best birth.”

Needed: How has your birth experience impacted you as a mother?

Tracy: “It has bled into every other area of my life. I’m sure just becoming a mom does that to a lot of people anyway, but I don’t take no for an answer now. I stand up for what I want. I know what I want more clearly. I feel that confidence. I just have to say, however it happens, there is nothing like getting that breathing body on your chest.

That’s what I love – a birth teaches you something that you needed to learn. It’s like the universe is figuring out what you need to know and using this experience to shape that so you can be the best mom you can be. It’s like that last lesson you needed to learn before someone’s relying on you.”

Some Needed Facts about Inductions

Birth induction is a medical procedure used to stimulate the start of labor before it begins naturally. It’s typically considered when the potential benefits of delivering the baby outweigh the risks of continuing the pregnancy. While inductions can be necessary and beneficial in certain situations, they also come with risks and considerations that expectant parents should be aware of.

How Common are Birth Inductions?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the induction rate in the United States has been steadily increasing over the past few decades. As of 2020, about 31.3% of all singleton births in the U.S. were induced.

Methods of Induction There are Several Methods Used to Induce Labor, Including:

• Mechanical methods (e.g., membrane stripping, Foley catheter)
• Pharmaceutical methods (e.g., prostaglandins, oxytocin)
• Artificial rupture of membranes (breaking the water)

Reasons for Induction Common Reasons for Inducing Labor Include:

• Post-term pregnancy (beyond 41-42 weeks)
• Preeclampsia or other hypertensive disorders
• Gestational diabetes
• Intrauterine growth restriction
• Premature rupture of membranes

Success Rates and Duration The Success of Induction can Vary Based on Several Factors:

• A 2014 study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that about 86% of induced labors resulted in vaginal delivery within 24 hours.

• First-time mothers tend to have longer inductions, with a median time from induction to delivery of about 15-20 hours.

Risks and Complications While Generally Safe, Inductions can Sometimes Lead to Complications:

• Increased risk of cesarean section, particularly in first-time mothers
• Uterine hyperstimulation
• Fetal distress
• Postpartum hemorrhage
• Increased need for pain management

Impact on Mother and Baby Induction can Affect Both the Mother and Baby:

• A 2018 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that elective induction at 39 weeks in low-risk nulliparous women did not significantly increase adverse perinatal outcomes.
• However, induced labors are often described as more intense and painful than spontaneous labors.

Factors Affecting Induction Success Several factors can influence the Success of an Induction:

• Bishop score (a measure of cervical readiness)
• Gestational age
• Parity (number of previous births)
• Body mass index (BMI)

Alternatives and Considerations Before deciding on induction, alternatives and considerations include:

• Waiting for spontaneous labor
• Natural methods to encourage labor onset
• Weighing the risks and benefits with healthcare providers

Understanding birth inductions is crucial for expectant parents and healthcare providers. While they can be necessary and beneficial in certain situations, the decision to induce should be made carefully, considering individual circumstances and with the support of your provider.