You hear all the birthy moms say to avoid pitocin, but do you know why? Having a strong why behind declining pitocin will help you to be a better advocate for yourself.

Summary

Pitocin is NOT oxytocin

It doesn’t pass the blood brain barrier. It’s the synthetic form of oxytocin. Oxytocin helps you feel attached and safe and can help you manage pain. Pitocin only causes contractions. They are not the same.

It can derail your birth plan

It can cause contractions to become stronger, longer closer together. That means you’ll have to change your strategy, fast and under more stress.

Pitocin is not regulated by your body, it’s regulated by a pump

Pitocin is controlled by a pump. Your body’s natural oxytocin will ebb and flow in a way that gives you rest and is more manageable for your body. Pitocin is pumped out on a schedule that your body just has to deal with.

Fetal distress.

Enough said. But I’ll say more. On Friday I am actually going to share a little bit more about why we can see fetal changes in baby. But we know that pitocin is a really common cause. And the reason is because it creates synthetic contractions, contractions controlled outside the body by a pump, of course these are going to be more distressing than the contractions created by your body and have a natural ebb and flow rhythm. What is common in hospitals is that pit leads to distress, leads to cesarean. Then the doctor tries to get kudos for saving your baby when they cause the distress in the first place.

Postpartum depression

Study shows… Among deliveries to women with a history of pre-pregnancy depressive or anxiety disorder, exposure to peripartum oxytocin increased the risk of postpartum depressive or anxiety disorder by 36% . In deliveries to women with no history of pre-pregnancy depressive or anxiety disorder, exposure to peripartum oxytocin increased the risk of postpartum depressive or anxiety disorder by 32% compared to those not exposed.

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Mentioned on the show

Write a low-tox birth plan

⁠Pitocin study⁠

Next Steps:

Get the advocacy skills inside⁠ Unmedicated Academy⁠

Get your questions answered in the ⁠Birth Options Workshop⁠

Are you a birth worker or entrepreneur? ⁠Learn how to launch a podcast in 2024⁠ and attend the workshop on December 18, 2023

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