There are many medications used today to induce labor. Many of these medications come with risks or side effect that you may not want to endure or risk for your child. In general, natural labor induction remedies do not have any negative side effects or risks. Some pregnant women have rare, pre-existing medical conditions that limit their choices of labor induction. But, if you have a choice, looking into all the methods and weighing the effects and risks, is well worth your time. Making an informed decision is the best path to choose for both yourself and your baby.

First, you should realize that natural methods for inducing labor work. Therefore, they should never be used during the early trimesters of your pregnancy, and should not be attempted without the approval of your midwife,. Although natural labor methods are powerful, when used appropriately, they have less side effects then medication. Never use natural induction methods during the early months of pregnancy because they could lead to miscarriage.

When you are past 40 weeks pregnant and need to induce labor, natural methods have far less risks when compared to medication. Natural labor inducing methods include acupressure, walking, sexual intercourse, herbs, stripping the membranes, and nipple stimulation. These methods help to start labor through different mechanisms; for example nipple stimulation help increase natural hormones that stimulate labor, such as Oxytocin and Prostaglandins.

Medications used to stimulate labor are synthetic forms of the naturally occurring hormones, Oxytocin and Prostaglandin The brand name form of Oxytocin is Pitocin and the brand name forms of Prostaglandin include Cervidil and Prostin E2. These medications are associated with serious side effects and risks.

First, Pitocin is known for causing uterine contractions that are extremely intense, painful, and last for a long duration. Some other side effects associated with Pitocin include vomiting, nausea, cramping, and stomach pain. More serious side effects have also been reported. These serious side effects and risks include an irregular heartbeat in the mother, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, swelling, headaches, blurred vision, and seizures. There is also a chance that after childbirth the mother may develop severe bleeding.

Unfortunately, Pitocin may also cause serious side effects in your newborn. These include irregular heartbeat, jaundice in the eyes and skin, bleeding in the eyes, and seizures. If you notice any of these side effects in the baby, you must notify your doctor immediately.

The drug Dinoprostone is also known as Cervidil and Prostin E2. Synthetic forms of Prostaglandins, such as these, also have negative side effects. These come in suppository form and when inserted, you must lay down for at least two hours to ensure that he medicine softens the cervix. Sometimes it is necessary to repeat the procedure for up to two days.

Nausea and vomiting are common adverse reactions to Cervidil and Prostin E2. Common side effects include lightheadedness, dizziness, fever and chills. Some women may develop diarrhea and a fever as well. More serious side effects include trouble or difficulty breathing and a feeling of tightness in the chest. Many pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart disease, kidney and pelvic infections, and diabetes, may increase the occurrence of negative side effects.

Before you or your doctor consider medical induction, it is important that you are informed about the risks and side effects of the medications. Remember also that the biggest, and probably the most frustrating, risk of chemical labor induction is that it could take days for the labor to start, or it doesn't work at all. As an alternative to labor induction medication, there are many natural methods for inducing labor that do not have these types of side effects.