Contractions take time to develope

With the first child the development of labour usually takes a few hours longer than with subsequent children. Time is a key factor in every birth. To be able to relax, let go and surrender to the birthing process, you need peace, calm and patience. Mother and baby need time to produce all the birth hormones, which work in perfect harmony to set the birth process in motion and guide it. This is, of course, much easier to achieve in a home environment or at a birthing centre.

In hospitals, women whose cervix does not dilate within a certain timeframe are diagnosed with ‘weak contractions’. As part of routine clinical practice, women are urged to hurry up, and when they are not able to they are led to believe that they are unable to ‘produce’ sufficient and effective   contractions.

The real reason, however, is a time-measurement system based on average figures. Women who take longer do not meet the standard and are regarded as patients who need to be given medication.
780 minutes (13 hours) was the guideline mentioned during a question time in the Bundestag. According to a statement from the German Midwives’ Association (DHV), this time limit is no longer binding.

That means that this time-measuring  system is being used regardless whether the different births  take a shorter or longer time.
Women are out of luck if they give birth at the same time as many others and the staff have to work hard to get the women through the same time measering system. This leads to more medical interventions, as  staff numbers are rarely increased.

The tendency in hospitals to administer labour-inducing drugs on the grounds of ‘weak contractions’ runs counter to the body’s natural hormonal development, particularly in first-time mothers.
It also contravenes children’s rights, which apply to children before, during and after birth. For example, the right to life, to healthcare and to protection from violence (Articles 1, 24 and 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)).

Newborn babies are in a state of hormonal interdependence with their mothers during the birthing process.
As the baby determines, to a certain extend and in cooperation with the uterus, the development of the birthing process, it "knows" the arrival of the next contraction, and adjusts to the proceding.

However, if artificial labour-inducing drugs are administered, the baby must adapt to the frequency and intensity of the contractions set by the staff of the labour ward.
The mother on her side feels shorttaken by this sudden change and tries to align with the increasing pace of the contractions.
If the mother runs out of breath because the breaks are too short, the baby also has no time to recover.

The result is stress for the baby, accompanied by poor heart sounds. (It is well known why the use of a CTG is mandatory during induction or intensification of labour.)

This is followed by increased medical Interventions up to an (emergency) caeserean. And all of this without any (originally medical) necessity. Labour-inducing drugs are manufactured artificially, even though they are said to mimic natural hormones. They cause more severe pain than natural contractions.

This can result in what is known as a ‘storm of contractions’, which is often a dramatic situation for the parturient.

Unsupportable pain and short intervalls between contractions are cropping up, a regular breathing is impossible for the mother, she may be vomitting. The pain does not stop.
The little child in her womb may perceive this condition in mother's body as being life threatening. It has lost totally the controle of ist birthing process, and most probably the emotional contact with mother has been disrupted in this moment. An oxygen deficiency may occur. We can only fathom the short and longtime consequences the child will suffer in the future, and the mother as well.

The expectant mother’s freedom of movement is restricted because the CTG monitor gets in the way. This usually results in a lying-down position during labour, which has been shown to take longer, is more painful, and is also more dangerous for the baby, as gravity cannot be utilised.

Pain-relieving medication is frequently administered. This has a negative impact on the progress of labour and can lead to circulatory problems. Consequently, medication to stabilise circulation becomes necessary, with further, unforeseeable consequences.
This chain of interventions (intervention cascade) in the natural course of childbirth often culminates in a caesarean section due to the baby’s poor heart rate.

In our view (GreenBirth), this is a worrying misdevelopment , particularly given that around 50% of all CTG readings taken before and during labour lead to misdiagnoses (figures from the German Society for Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2014). Two hours before the birth, 90% of all CTG readings show abnormal results. Source: “Against the Trend – How to Successfully Reduce the Caesarean Section Rate”, AKF brochure 2018, p. 12. Every woman has the right to give birth at her own pace, in tune with her baby. The time she needs for this must be respected.

The birth is completed once the umbilical cord has stopped pulsating and the placenta has been delivered. Time constraints: Raise this issue when you register at the hospital. Ask about the staff-to-patient ratio and the caesarean section rate. You can also ensure that your baby’s umbilical cord is allowed to pulsate before it is clamped. If mother is willing then the baby should be put against the breast to take mother's smell and feel the softness of her skin. It must not necessarily suck already as babies are sometimes exhausted, too. This will also prevent your baby from being taken away immediately after birth for a paediatric examination. This can be done an hour later.

10/2026