Inducing labor for babies who are larger than usual may help prevent injuries to them during a vaginal birth. Large babies can be injured during birth when their shoulders get stuck in the birth canal. A European study has found that inducing labor significantly lowered the risk of injuries to the babies' head, shoulders, and collarbones.
The study was conducted at 19 medical centers in France, Switzerland, and Belgium between 2002 and 2009. Women who were having a single birth and whose baby were expected be larger than 95% of all babies were randomly assigned to either receive induction or to be followed normally and allowed to give birth without induction.
There were 409 women assigned to the induction group and 413 women assigned to the group that were followed until birth started naturally. Labor was induced in the induction group between 37 and 38 weeks along the pregnancy, which is about two weeks before the women's due dates.
The researchers found that inducing labor greatly reduced the chances of shoulder dystocia, which is when the shoulders of the baby are caught in the birth canal. Eight cases of shoulder dystocia were seen in the induction group, compared to 25 in the control group. Shoulder dystocia can cause several problems, including damage to the nerves of the arm and breaking of the collar bone, as well as bleeding in the skull. None of these problems were seen in either the induction group or the group that was allowed to give birth without induction.
The incidence of cesarean delivery and problems with the newborns within the first few weeks after birth was also the same for both groups.
Inducing labor carries some risks, however. It has been linked to a greater risk of needing a cesarean section and, if done too early, can carry the risk of a baby being born before his or her lungs are fully developed.
