About this episode

The episode explores the complexities of Pitocin, its use in labor, and how it differs from natural oxytocin.

Send us Fan Mail Pitocin gets talked about like a simple switch that “makes contractions stronger,” but the real story is more human and more nuanced. We unpack what Pitocin actually is (synthetic oxytocin), why it’s used so often in hospitals, and how its steady IV delivery can create a very different labor experience than the pulsed, feedback-driven oxytocin your brain releases during physiologic birth. We walk through the three most common moments Pitocin shows up: induction when labor ha...

People in this episode

Host: Angie Rosier

Topics covered

• Pitocin
• labor experience
• induction
• synthetic oxytocin
• physiologic birth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: hospitals

Products: Pitocin, oxytocin

More episodes of The Ordinary Doula Podcast

• E119: My Birth Stories Part 2 · April 24, 2026 · 47 min
• E118: My Birth Stories Part 1 · April 17, 2026 · 37 min
• E117: Precipitous Birth · April 10, 2026 · 31 min
• E116: Perinatal Mental Health Basics with Sadie Clark · April 3, 2026 · 52 min
• E115: Essential Oils For Labor · March 27, 2026 · 18 min
• E113: Tips to Avoiding a C-Section · March 13, 2026 · 26 min

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