Holiday Inductions and Why Saying No Can Protect Your Natural Birth Plan

It's induction season! As the holiday season approaches, many women find themselves juggling excitement, plans, and the inevitable holiday due date questions, Will you have a Thanksgiving baby? What if they come on Christmas Eve? For some, these questions spark conversations with their care providers about elective inductions, a scheduled start to labor without a medical reason.

But before you agree to an elective induction, let’s talk about what’s really behind the push to schedule births during the holidays and why, if you’re low-risk and aiming for a non-medicalized birth, this might not align with your birth goals.

Holiday Scheduling vs. Your Baby’s Timing

It’s no secret that hospitals and providers tend to have their own agendas during the holidays. Staffing is tighter, providers want predictable schedules and the pressure to fit birth into their holiday plans can trickle down to pregnant women. Some of the reasons include,

• Convenience for Others: Many care providers offer elective inductions to make their schedules more manageable. This may benefit them, but does it benefit you or your baby?

• Reduced Staffing: Hospitals often operate with fewer staff during major holidays, leading to a push to “clear the schedule” ahead of time.

• Holiday Avoidance: Some providers may subtly (or not-so-subtly) steer women away from laboring on Christmas or New Year’s, perpetuating the idea that induction is your best option.

  
  

While these reasons may make sense for your provider or the hospital, they ignore a critical truth. Birth is not something that can or should be micromanaged for convenience.

The Rarest Birthdays in the U.S.

Statistically, some of the rarest birthdays in the U.S. fall on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. This isn’t because babies “decide to wait”—it’s because inductions and scheduled cesareans are either delayed or pushed earlier, leaving natural births to happen only when labor begins on its own.

When you consider that the natural start of labor is a finely tuned process between your baby and your body, it raises the question: Why interfere without a medical reason? By scheduling an elective induction, you might be prioritizing a “convenient” timeline over your baby’s readiness and your own body’s natural rhythm.

Why Elective Inductions Around the Holidays Are a Risky Bet

If you’re aiming for a low-intervention or unmedicated birth, choosing an elective induction can derail that plan.

1. Induction Is a Cascade of Interventions

Elective inductions often start with medication to ripen your cervix, followed by Pitocin to stimulate contractions. These interventions make labor more intense, often leading to:

• Epidurals, which can stall labor further.

• Continuous monitoring, which restricts movement.

• Assisted delivery (forceps or vacuum) or even unplanned cesareans.

What starts as a simple “schedule adjustment” can quickly spiral into a birth experience far from the one you envisioned.

2. Your Body May Not Be Ready

Induction forces your body into labor whether it’s ready or not. If your cervix isn’t favorable, the process can take longer, involve more interventions, and increase the risk of complications for you and your baby (ask you doctor about the BISHOP score).

Elective Induction Season: Why the Holidays Are No Time to Rush Your Baby

As the holidays draw near, many pregnant women are faced with a decision they didn’t expect: Should I schedule an induction? Care providers often bring this up around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, framing it as a way to make life “easier” for everyone.

But before you agree to an elective induction, let’s talk about what’s really behind the push to schedule births during the holidays—and why, if you’re low-risk and aiming for a non-medicalized birth, this might be a decision you regret.

Holiday Scheduling vs. Your Baby’s Timing

It’s no secret that hospitals and providers tend to have their own agendas during the holidays. Staffing is tighter, providers want predictable schedules, and the pressure to fit birth into their holiday plans can trickle down to pregnant women. Here's what’s often left unsaid:

• Convenience for Others: Many care providers offer elective inductions to make their schedules more manageable. This may benefit them, but does it benefit you or your baby?

• Reduced Staffing: Hospitals often operate with fewer staff during major holidays, leading to a push to “clear the schedule” ahead of time.

• Holiday Avoidance: Some providers may subtly (or not-so-subtly) steer women away from laboring on Christmas or New Year’s, perpetuating the idea that induction is your best option.

While these reasons may make sense for your provider or the hospital, they ignore a critical truth: Birth is not something that can or should be micromanaged for convenience.

The Rarest Birthdays in the U.S.

Statistically, some of the rarest birthdays in the U.S. fall on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. This isn’t because babies “decide to wait”—it’s because inductions and scheduled cesareans are either delayed or pushed earlier, leaving natural births to happen only when labor begins on its own.

When you consider that the natural start of labor is a finely tuned process between your baby and your body, it raises the question: Why interfere without a medical reason? By scheduling an elective induction, you might be prioritizing a “convenient” timeline over your baby’s readiness and your own body’s natural rhythm.

Why Elective Inductions Around the Holidays Are a Risky Bet

If you’re aiming for a low-intervention or unmedicated birth, choosing an elective induction is likely to derail that plan. Here’s why:

1. Induction Is a Cascade of Interventions

Elective inductions often start with medication to ripen your cervix, followed by Pitocin to stimulate contractions. These interventions make labor more intense, often leading to:

• Epidurals, which can stall labor further.

• Continuous monitoring, which restricts movement.

• Assisted delivery (forceps or vacuum) or even unplanned cesareans.

What starts as a simple “schedule adjustment” can quickly spiral into a birth experience far from the one you envisioned.

2. Your Body May Not Be Ready

Induction forces your body into labor whether it’s ready or not. If your cervix isn’t favorable, the process can take longer, involve more interventions, and increase the risk of complications for you and your baby.

The Pressure to Induce

The push for elective inductions during the holidays can make it seem like they’re your best or only option. But let’s be clear, You can say no.

• If you’re healthy and low-risk, there’s no medical reason to induce simply because it’s the holiday season.

• Providers are obligated to explain the risks and benefits of any procedure, including induction. If they aren’t, ask why.

• Your baby and your body know the best timeline for birth. Trusting that process often leads to a healthier and more satisfying experience.

Why Patience Matters

Birth is one of the most significant events of your life and your baby’s. While the holidays might add external pressure, your job is to protect this sacred process. By allowing labor to begin naturally, you lower your risk of unnecessary interventions, increase the likelihood of a smooth, healthy labor, give your baby the best chance to arrive when they’re truly ready.

If you are interested in learning more about birth doula support, taking a HypnoBirthing class or hiring me as your doula, fill out this contact form or email julia@motherbirth.net.