Want A Shorter Labor and A Healthier Baby?

Going into labor spontaneously protects both you and your newborn.

Let nature run its course. Babies delivered before 39 weeks have more complications. So in 2001, Intermountain Healthcare, Utah, whose 21 hospitals handle 30,000 births a year, began to eliminate elective inductions for first-time mothers before 39 weeks. They found that those with a low (0-2) Bishop Score (a measure of how "ripe" the cervix is), even at 39 weeks, had labors that averaged 21 hours and C-section rates of almost 50 percent. With a score of 10, labor lasted 91/2 hours and C-sections dropped to 8 percent. The result: Inappropriate elective inductions declined by more than 50 percent.

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