It is a hectic time of year. Everybody's trying to wrap up business so they can relax at Christmas. And guess what? That includes people who attend births. Nobody wants to be away from home on Christmas. I totally, totally understand that. As a nurse, I worked many, many holidays and as a midwife I would sometimes be the one on call on Christmas.

I didn't wanna get called in, so I totally get it. But I knew it was a part of the job. There are some unethical things that are done every single year, just before Christmas. And I want to help you not fall into this trap here on the Tuesday before Christmas. Let's dive in.

So let's dive right on into our content for this week because this is an important topic that I guarantee you there are people listening to me right now who are dealing with this. As I record this, it is Sunday the 17th. I know right now labor floors across the country are starting to fill up. They're starting to fill up tonight, and then they will get fuller and fuller over the coming week.

Why? Inductions is why. Because, see, just like you, nobody wants to be away from family on the holidays. The majority of doctors and many midwives too are gonna find any excuse that they can to get their patients delivered this week because every baby that comes this week is one less that will ring their phone on Christmas.

Yep. That's the truth. 'Cause see, inductions make babies come one way or another. If they won't come vaginally because your body's not ready, then you'll end up in the OR with a C-section. And they don't really care how your baby gets here as long as it gets here because they don't wanna catch your baby on Christmas.

I got a little curious about birth dates. I thought, I bet you there are not very many Christmas babies. So I looked it up. I found a graph from the UK showing birth rates by date, and the results were exactly what I expected. Most of the graph was filled with warm oranges and reds—except for three pale yellow dates: December 25th, December 26th, and January 1st.

You connect the dots. This doesn’t happen naturally. This is a function of the world we live in. Nobody induces on Christmas Eve night or on Christmas day. It’s not about you—it’s about convenience for the care providers.

Your baby doesn’t have a calendar. They don’t care what day it is or what your plans are. They don’t care about your doctor’s schedule or need to avoid being on call for Christmas. The holidays don’t magically make your baby’s lungs ready to breathe or make their reflexes ready for nursing.

Elective inductions override God’s timing. Nearly every induction is elective at its core. They ignore that if a baby hasn’t come yet, there’s a reason. Labor is harder when it’s forced. The baby might not be ready. Your due date might be off. Is it worth a NICU admission or a C-section just for convenience?

How do you know if your baby is ready? Are you in labor? No? Then your baby’s not ready.

Your doctor or midwife has a calendar. They know the more patients they deliver this week, the less likely they’ll have to work on Christmas. But that’s not your problem. They chose this unpredictable line of work. It’s unethical to induce for convenience, no matter how it’s presented to you.

If your induction is scheduled for this week and it’s not for a real medical reason—it’s elective. And even if there’s a reason, the timing is suspicious. If it were truly urgent, it wouldn’t be “scheduled.”

So what do you do? You say, “No, thank you.” You don’t have to justify your decision. “No” is a complete sentence.

This all goes back to choosing your provider wisely. Hospitals often prioritize convenience. But home birth and birth center midwives? They don’t play by that schedule. They let babies come when they’re ready.

Don’t let guilt or pressure sway you. Feeling bad for your provider is not a reason for induction. Put your baby first. Trust God more than you trust your doctor. He already knows your baby’s birthday—and it might just be December 25th. And if it is, that’s okay. It might even make your baby one of the few born on that special day.