So my niece Zenia, who was so miserable at the end of her pregnancy, decided she was more afraid of Pitocin (a medicine to induce labor) than of remaining pregnant a few more days, and declined her doctor's offer of elective induction.

But by the time Zenia's due date got near, her doctor told her she was 2 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced, and if he had an amniohook he said he might have just broken her waters in the office that day. I think he was kidding, but the point was that her exam just felt like the baby was ready to come. Once I heard what her doctor said, I changed my tune about induction for her.

I had been worried that if Zenia tried to induce labor and her body wasn’t ready, it would take a very long time, or maybe wouldn't work at all. Sometimes our inductions in the hospital can take three days if we have to use medications to "ripen" the cervix first. I don't wish that on anyone - it is exhausting. But sometimes I can just tell by the way the cervix feels and how low the baby is in the mother's pelvis that induction will go well. Plus Zenia had a pretty smooth first labor, and second labors in general are about half the length of first ones.

So she went in Thursday morning and got Pitocin started at 10 AM - and Alec was born by 4 PM! They went home less than 24 hours after the birth, and she is so happy to not be pregnant anymore. A happy ending to a common dilemma.