More Labor Induction

• Healthy Birth Your Way: Let Labor Begin on its Own, is part of a fact sheet series based on Lamaze International’s Healthy Birth Practice Papers and reviews the importance of letting labor begin naturally without induction.
• The 40 Reasons To Go the Full 40 campaign by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses urges women to wait for labor to begin on its own whenever possible.
• Inducing Labour: Making Informed Decisions offers basics on induction and critical considerations and is available for purchase from Association for Improvements in Maternity Services (UK) or for Kindle.
• The Leapfrog Group’s 2014 Hospital Rates of Early Elective Delivery will help you find out how your local hospitals stack up when it comes to induction rates.

Videos on Labor Induction

• “Healthy Birth Your Way: Let Labor Begin on Its Own,” from Mother’s Advocate and Lamaze International, shows real women in spontaneous and induced labor.
• “RISK: Consequences of Near Term Birth” features two mothers of babies born near term (between 34-37 weeks) discussing the risks and medical experts discuss the importance of avoiding elective deliveries near term. Produced in partnership with the Northern New England Perinatal Quality Improvement Network.
• In “Maverick: On the importance of the Eliminating Elective Deliveries Under 39 Weeks Gestation Initiative”, a mother tells her story of an unnecessary elective delivery that resulted in serious consequences for her infant.
• Lamaze International’s Healthy Birth Practice #1: Let Labor Begin On Its Own summarizes the evidence for letting labor begin on its own.

Preparing for a Long/Difficult Labor

• The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions (4th edition, 2013), by Penny Simkin, helps build knowledge and confidence for your partner, friend or family member as she or he prepares to offer labor support.