Although the pregnancy had been coming along fine, and my doctor seemed willing to let me go as long as 42 weeks to try to go into labor naturally, at my last (yesterday) appointment my fluid levels were down to 6, and apparently 5 and below is considered dangerous.
I'll be 41 weeks on Thursday. My baby has been head down for months but still has not dropped, and I'm 0 dilated and 0 effaced. Not a good candidate for induction. My doctor is unsure why the baby still hasn't dropped - at this point she's wondering if the shape of my pelvis is causing problems, but although she would clearly like to give me more time for it to happen naturally, she's concerned there's some other issue at play.
I go back today to see if I can bring my fluids up by drinking water, but if not we're going to be presented with what she describes as "not a lot of great options". Induction - which I am not a good candidate for. Or a c-section.
So my choice will be whether to try an induction at this stage - which will likely be long, painful and difficult with great odds of ending up in a c-section, or else just go ahead and schedule a c-section.
I'm not vehemently opposed to a c-section (for a long time I thought it was inevitable due to a giant fibroid) but I would also prefer to deliver vaginally if that's an option. I'm also not a glutton for punishment.
I realize on occasion people do get induced a 0 dilated 0 effaced and have successful vaginal deliveries, but I think that's pretty rare. I guess I'm just wondering what other people would opt to do in this position?
Re: Induction vs. C-Section - what would you do?
I'd probably have the c-section if I was in your situation.
:Blog:
I had a friend go through 38 hours of induction and end up with a C. Turns out, she had a tilted pelvis and her dr said he could have told her she was going to need a c-section?!
Even so, she has no regrets about any of it. If you are hoping to go vaginal, why not try?
I agree with this. That way your aren't in labor for 36 hours or something before you have a c-section, but you still can labor for a bit to see if progress is being made. Some women might be closed very tight and open up quickly with a push. I would try induction first.
I just went through something similar, only I was favorable for induction. I had a growth ultrasound at 39 weeks, and DS was estimated at 9 lbs 10 oz, and the doctor didn't feel comfortable keeping DS in any longer. He presented me with two options - induction or c-section. I knew I wanted to avoid abdominal surgery if at all possible, so I opted for an induction.
I made it all the way to 10 cm, and pushed for an hour, before they realized he wasn't descending at all, and he recommended a c-section. At that point, I knew I had done EVERYTHING that I could to do things the "natural" way, and I have absolutely no regrets about the induction OR the c-section. When DS came out weighing 10 lbs, 15 oz, I was secretly glad I didn't have to deal with the massive tearing that I had with DD (who was almost 3 pounds smaller than DS).
I would suggest trying the induction, but be mentally prepared for a c-section.
Thank you all for the good advice - a lot of what was said makes so much sense, and it's encouraging to hear stories of women in my situation who were successfully induced.
I'm heading to the doctor's in a few minutes, so I'll know more once they check my fluid levels again. I'll give an update then!
This. If I end up in the same boat, I plan to at least try the induction, but I'm not going to keep at it for days on end. I figure 12 hours in i should have a pretty clear idea if progress is being made or not and then I can opt for the c-section at that time to avoid exhausting myself. But I'm VBACing, so I know what a c/s is like and personally I really really want to avoid another one.
Thanks everyone! After drinking OBSCENE amounts of water, literally nearly making myself sick, I got my fluids up to healthy levels, so it turns out I don't need to cross this bridge just yet after all....going back to the doctor on Thursday, so we're still hoping to have some progress to labor or at least a shot at a successful induction.
It's a relief to not have to deal with this, but also frustrating to just be back to the endless waiting game!
I would try the induction first for sure. Since you are not dialated they will most likely start with a gel inserted into the cervix to soften it and get things going that way (hopefully). Then move on to pitocin. I had an induction, no they are not fun. They are long and they are painful, but I think much better than a c-section in the long run.
You could also talk to your dr and have a Plan B ready. So if you haven't progressed after a certain period of time with the induction you could move directly into a section.
Diagnosed with PCOS March '10 - Started 1000mg of Metformin
After 3 unsuccessful Clomid cycles, FSH+Ovidril+IUI+Progesterone=BFP!
Time to make Emilie a big sister!
May '16 2.0: Letrozole+FSH+Menopur+Ovidril+IUI+Progesterone=BFP! first beta-45.44, second beta-148
I delivered my baby last week (40w4d) via c-section after being induced. I stayed overnight and was treated with Cervadil for 12 hours (only 2cm, 60% effaced). My water was broken and Pitocin was started the next morning. I successfully dilated to 10cm and 100% effacement, but my baby was also head down but up high and wasn't exactly centered. I turned throughout my 14 hour labor trying to get her into the correct position, but after an hour and a half of pushing, we were making no progress. So, I had to have a c-section. My doctor and I were fully aware that a c-section was very likely since I was making no progress for going into labor on my own.
I know vaginal deliveries are supposed to be easier to recover from, but my c-section hasn't been that bad. The contractions from the Pitocin were very painful and I'm glad I got to experience labor and pushing with this one, but my next one will be a scheduled c-section.