Why Induction Matters

Dr Rachel Reed is a Senior Lecturer and Discipline Leader in Midwifery at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She has provided midwifery care for hundreds of women in a range of settings in the United Kingdom and Australia. Rachel’s Phd explored women’s experience of birth and midwifery practice during birth. She is a writer and presenter, and is the author of the MidwifeThinking blog site. Rachel is originally from the North of England but now lives in a forest in Queensland Australia.

"Induction of labour has become an epidemic. About 70% of inductions are for pregnancy lasting beyond a specified length of time. The others are for clinical reasons.The book which I recommend most highly to all the couples I teach KGHypnobirthing (after The Hypnobirthing Book of course!) is Why Induction Matters by Rachel Reed.  About 85% of babies arrive after 40 weeks and we think that the average length of pregnancy is about 41 to 41.5 weeks so the vast majority of pregnancy women, probably almost all pregnant women, are subjected to pressure from 40 weeks or even earlier to agree to induction of labour.The repercussions of induction, which includes a sweep, are profound and many women afterwards will say, 'If only I had known, I would never have agreed'.  This book is easy to read, quite short, and gives all the research and statistics that were available at the time of writing for all the various reasons why induction might be proposed, for example ‘older mothers’, IVF pregnancies, breech babies, twins, etc. etc. etc. When you are earlier in your pregnancy it is difficult to understand the degree of stress that will be heaped on you later in your pregnancy in connection with induction of labour. This book will give you the facts to withstand the emotional pressure when you reach week 40. The only figure that is missing is the MBRRACE information that stillbirth reduces after 42 weeks. It is helpful to know this too.This is the most important book for a pregnant woman. Get it. Read it. You need it!"