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During my induction, they definitely turned the pit off/down to help with my son's heart rate. But I would think you could make that call on your own as well.

Everyone's body will react different to pitocin. I have attended births where the lowest dose (I think it's 6 units) will put a mama into active labor in a very short time, and others where a full dose gets almost no reaction. Most care providers will start with the lowest dose and increase as needed.

During my own induction I did ask at one point to have the pit turned down. When they did the contractions ceased. They also stopped it twice to let me eat dinner, and they stopped then too.

@T.H.O.U.: I think it's always good to remember that it's your birth and your body. You can always ask for anything and something like that, they should be willing to do.

The issue with pit is that it usually puts the contractions off of the charts and for most woman it's not a gradual intensity like when your body goes into labor on it's own. It feels like going from 0-60 in minutes, so it's harder to deal with. At one point they had me on the highest dose. I remember telling my husband that I wanted to die. However, the contractions were coming at a normal pace, just destroying my pain threshold

@T.H.O.U.: Yep, you can definitely ask/tell them to turn it down.

In my experience, they had to jack it WAY above the normal maximum (normal max was 20, they had me at 28/29....not sure what units they were using) for my contractions to fall into a regular pattern. That led to contractions that were double-peaking, lasting 90 seconds, with only a 30 second break. It also led to fetal distress, but when they tried to turn it down, my contractions slowed and spaced out to the point that they were no longer effective...hence, csection (well, it was also due to maternal fever).

Mine was a classic case of the 'cascade of interventions,' but, I wasn't comfortable going past 42 weeks without inducing.

@T.H.O.U.: I ended up needing a small dose 6 then 8, before my body kicked into labor on my own (water had broken 18 hrs before). I never needed a higher dose and was able to manage without an epi. I'm not sure I would have been able to if they had turned it up much more and I was clear with the team that I wanted as little as possible. They were great about respecting that.

My doctors orders for my induction were for the pitocin to be at the lowest level possible for the first 8 hours (I was there overnight) and then for the pitocin to be bumped up gradually from there. She called it a "gentle induction." I was in full blown transition by the time the nurse came in to bump up the pitocin, and I begged her not to turn it up, but she did anyway and didn't believe me when I said I didn't need any more pitocin!! I felt so powerless, but was too busy having a baby to fight with her.

I had an induction at 42 weeks- and they stopped the Pitocin so I could go in the birthing tub for a bit to relax- although at the time I didn't know it would stop all contractions and I would have to start over again (knowing that now- I wouldn't of stopped!)

@T.H.O.U.: my midwife told me once they start it, it's highly unlikely they'll stop it because they don't want you to stall. They did turn mine down at one point early in labor because I wasn't getting a break between contractions but during transition I begged for them to turn it down and they wouldn't.