Judicious use of pitocin?
Are there situations in which the benefits of pitocin outweigh the risks? Yes. Pitocin can get a stuck labor moving again. Pitocin can be useful when waters are broken and contractions are weak; in this case, the danger of infection may be avoided because pitocin helps the baby be born in a timely manner. However, for midwives, pitocin is last on the algorithm, only to be used after natural methods have failed. Midwives use: nipple stimulation, herbs, castor oil, etc. With all this said, there is a time for the judicious use of pitocin (which should be rarely, and only after alternative natural methods have been exhausted). When pitocin is needed, a hospital transfer must occur, as pitocin for augmentation purposes is only given in a hospital.
