before the spontaneous onset of labor. This includes
increases in the number of hormone receptors, a
surge in fetal catecholamines that prepares the fetus
Encouraging Women to Let Labor Begin on Its Own
Buckley provides powerful evidence for the risks
of not letting labor begin on its own. Many of the
critical hormonal processes preparing both mother
and baby for birth occur in the days or even hours for air breathing after birth, and a surge in maternal
oxytocin that is transferred to the baby and
provides a neuroprotective effect during labor and
birth (animal studies). In addition to the sections
of the Buckley report on the “Physiologic Onset of
Labor and Scheduled Birth” and on “Oxytocin,” see
Lamaze International’s Healthy Birth Practice #1: Let
Labor Begin on Its Own