This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of "Expecting Better" by Emily Oster. Shortform has the world's best summaries of books you should be reading.
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If you go into labor early, you may need to medically delay labor to delay the risks of premature birth.
How exactly is a delay of labor done? In the hospital, a few things will happen:
- You receive tocolytics (eg magnesium sulfate) to suppress contractions and delay birth for 1-2 days.
- You receive steroid shots, which speeds up fetal development.
- Steroids result in 30% decrease in fetal death.
- You can get transported to a hospital with a higher-level NICU, with more sophisticated equipment to handle very preterm infants.
What about bedrest? Oster argues there is no evidence that bedrest works at preventing preterm birth. It also entails risk from taking leave from work and medical risks like muscle atrophy and weight loss.
How to Delay Labor: How It’s Done Medically
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Here's what you'll find in our full Expecting Better summary :
- Why much parenting advice you hear is confusing or nonsense
- The most reliable way to conceive successfully
- How much alcohol research shows you can drink safely while pregnant (it's more than zero)
- The best foods to eat, and what foods you really should avoid
