Spontaneous labor and elective induction--a prospective randomized study. II. Bilirubin levels in the neonatal period.

The effect of induction of labor on the neonatal bilirubin levels was investigated in a prospective randomized study. Forty-three infants born after elective induction with oxytocin using the Cardiff infusion system and 38 infants born after spontaneous delivery were studied. Several factors other than oxytocin administration which could influence the bilirubin levels such as gestational age, placental transfusion and feeding routines did not differ between the two groups. There were no differences with regard to pH in umbilical vein. Apgar scores, haemoglobin and erythrocyte volume fractions of bilirubin levels neonatally. Thus there was no evidence of an association between induction of labor with oxytocin and jaundice during the neonatal period.