My niece Zenia hates being pregnant. She throws up for the first four months, and then she's swollen and sore and can't sleep at the end. She was so miserable at the end of her second pregnancy that she begged her OB to induce labor about three weeks before her due date. But she also IMed me to see what I thought about it.

What she requested is called "elective induction at term" - having labor induced for convenience or comfort, but not for a serious medical reason. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has strict requirements for elective induction or scheduled cesarean, including that you must have completed 39 weeks of pregnancy, using reliable dating parameters like early ultrasound and a certain last menstrual period.

So what are the pros and cons of elective induction?

Pros

• You don't have to spend "extra" time pregnant
• You can schedule child care for your other children
• Your family can all arrange ahead of time to be there
• You can choose a convenient date
• Your doctor can schedule when he or she will be available (so you can be sure you won't have a doctor you don't know as well)

Cons

• Mistimed induction can lead to unnecessary prematurity problems, like breathing and feeding issues
• Induction typically takes longer than natural labor does
• If your cervix is "unfavorable" (not very dilated and effaced), induction can sometimes just not work, and you may get stuck deciding whether to go home and try again another day or keep plugging away
• Many mothers feel that Pitocin is a more painful labor than natural labor is
• Induction increases the chance of ending up with a cesarean

If you are interested in an elective induction, talk to your doctor or midwife about your own specific pros and cons, so you can make an educated decision.