Ripe, soft, and ready… we’re talking about your cervix by the way!

Induction, the process of starting labour before the body starts the process on its own, is very common. It’s usually used when there is a concern for the health of the mother or baby and the risk of being pregnant outweighs the risks of the induction. 

What are the risks of induction?

The most common risk is that it simply doesn’t work and the labour ends in a cesarean instead of a vaginal birth. This is higher for first babies also, as the chances of a c-section are higher for first babies in general.

Other risks include more rare occurrences like uterine rupture, issues with your baby’s heart rate during delivery, or a higher chance of postpartum hemorrhage. 

What’s the best way to know if an induction will be successful? 

Checking the cervix, of course! 

Your cervix holds the secrets to whether your induction will likely end in a vaginal delivery. And this is called the Bishop Score (named after the Dr Bishop who created this score, obviously) Most Drs won’t mention it by name, but they are checking for certain criteria when they check your cervix leading up to delivery so that they can see how “ready” your body might be for birth. 

Your cervix will do this on its own time, but when it comes to induction the ideal cervix will be:

*soft and thin

*slightly open

*in an anterior position

• BONUS: the baby should be in a low position, ready for birth. 

Your cervix will be given a score based on how many criteria it fits. The higher the score, the better chance for a vaginal delivery! 

Did you know about the Bishop Score? Were you induced or do you have questions about induction? Let us know in the comments!