Does Synthetic Oxytocin Make Labor Harder?
Yes and no. Synthetic oxytocin makes contractions similar to transition-like contractions. Transition contractions are extremely strong, long, have multiple peaks, and only have about a minute in-between them. This may sound impossible, but during transition (cervix dilated 8-10 centimeters), transition contractions are doable. Transition typically lasts less than two hours and your body has had a chance to adjust to the strong contractions with strong endorphin levels. However, if you’re experiencing transition-like contractions while you’re only a few centimeters dilated, it changes everything. Your body hasn’t had a chance to build up endorphin levels, you probably haven’t figured out a good coping technique for labor, and you will likely have transition-like contractions for longer than two hours. But, many women go without pain medicine even though they are on pitocin. If you are committed to a natural childbirth, but need synthetic oxytocin, you can still labor without pain medic
