Pitocin – a nurses perspective

Pitocin is such a powerful drug and should be used with care.  I always encourage my doula clients who are being induced that they should request that the pitocin be upped VERY slowly and then stop upping it when the pressure waves start.  Just let your body take over at that point. 

When a mom doesn’t ask for this the nurses tend to come in every 15 – 30 minutes and up the pitocin.  They don’t even tell mom what they are doing.  They come in and up it and leave. 

I read an interesting post by a L&D nurse today about pitocin.    It sounds like the nurses have a lot of leeway in how fast they make changes.  I also found it very telling how nurses can be a very good barrier between the OB and patients.  In this case the OBs wanted mom to be checked every 2 hours.  But the nurse said “NO!”    Good for her!!!  I love nurses like this, protecting the mother’s space.