Induction

landes_katie@yahoo.com · June 2010

Does anyone have any experience with being induced early?? My doctor recommended that I be induced on the 28th of June at 37 weeks. Baby girl is 5 lbs right now (36 weeks) which is in the lower percentile group so I guess thats why they want her out... Does anyone have any experience with this?? Im excited and nervous at the same time!

Kersbear · June 2010

First good luck with whatever you decide and what's important is a happy and healthy mommy and baby.

If the only reason they want to induce is her size, I would wait. If everything else looks good and the two of you are healthy I would not go ahead with an induction. Inductions, like any labor, can go well or can end up in a c-section for various reasons.

I have known quite a few people though have great success with inductions. I just don't think her being on the small side is a good reason to induce.

I was to be induced at 37 weeks with my first son, but it was because it was medically necessary for me. I have a kidney disease and had issues during the pregnancy. Letting me go longer would not have been safe. That being said I started getting pre-eclamptic at 36 weeks so at exactly 36 weeks I was induced. After 20 hours of labor I was rushed for an emergency c-section because of more medical issues.

With this pregnancy, I'm on bedrest and hoping and praying I can make it to the 29th (which will put me at 37 weeks and again will be as far as I can go), but since 33 weeks and 3 days things haven't been good. So for me medically to make it to 37 weeks would be great.

Pearl723 · June 2010

Yes I had a 37 weeker...first of all, the induction failed even though I was 1 cm and 50% effaced (pretty common though, the body sometimes just isn't ready). Also, she had issues nursing because a 37 week baby doesn't have the same sucking efficiency as a 40 weeker. I had to nurse and pump after every nursing every time for 3 weeks (not fun). Also, she was tiny and lost a whole lb. before she started gaining again. She's a very very healthy two year old now, however if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have been talked into the whole "37 weeks is full term" thing. I would have just allowed them to put me on bedrest for a week or two (but depending on what your situation is, that may not be an option). There is a phenominon called "full term premies" now because so many docs are taking babies when then are "full term" but not quite ready to come out yet. If you have no choice and have to be medically induced because it is risky to continue pregnancy, then obviously this is the better scenerio. But if this is by choice, I strongly recommend, as someone who has been through it, that you wait for that nice plump baby!! Good luck.

landes_katie@yahoo.com · June 2010

Kersbear:
If the only reason they want to induce is her size, I would wait. If everything else looks good and the two of you are healthy I would not go ahead with an induction. Inductions, like any labor, can go well or can end up in a c-section for various reasons. I just don't think her being on the small side is a good reason to induce.

I thought it was strange too that they would just choose to induce... To me 5 lbs isnt that small for 36 weeks. They didn't act like I had a choice with the matter, just kind of like "we want to induce you on the 28th" .... I was like WHAT why??? And they said size, I had A BPP that day and she scored an 8 out of 8. This is all strange to me!

Kersbear · June 2010

I would write down all my questions and talk to the doctor about it. Find out if it's just her size that is making them lean towards induction. If not just her size what other issues have suddenly come up that point to induction? What would happen if they let you go until baby was ready to come? Will an amnio need to be done to check for lung maturity if it is medically necessary to deliver at 37 weeks?

If it was their wife that was pregnant and she wanted to wait until her body went into labor on it's own, what would they suggest to her? Would they go with it or would they insist upon an induction at 37 weeks?

mrsjengle · June 2010

I don't understand. They want to induce because your baby IS 5 lbs? I'm not being induced unitl 42 weeks unless this Monday the test indicate that the placenta isn't still functioning properly, then I'll be induced this Monday st 41 weeks. Do you have GD or some other medical issue? They are expecting an 8-9lb baby for me.

susie985 · June 2010

I don't think 5 lbs is small for 36 weeks. Wouldn't they want her to stay in there and get bigger? I'm only a few days ahead of you and I just had an u/s the other day that said my LO was 6.6 lbs and they said that was right on track (37 weeks). As long as your LO is healthy and doing ok in there, I would refuse the induction unless they give you a real medical reason to do it. Plus they can't tell the exact size of your LO. They thought mine was small just by feeling my belly which was why they sent me for the u/s, they also told me she was head down by feeling my belly and they were wrong for both!

landes_katie@yahoo.com · June 2010

keystonestreet@hotmail.com:
I don't understand. They want to induce because your baby IS 5 lbs? I'm not being induced unitl 42 weeks unless this Monday the test indicate that the placenta isn't still functioning properly, then I'll be induced this Monday st 41 weeks. Do you have GD or some other medical issue? They are expecting an 8-9lb baby for me.

Pretty much, I had a growth ultrasound yesterday, they came back in and said that they wanted to induce and when I asked why they said baby isnt growing well, I asked how much she weighed and they said 5 lbs which is in the 13th percentile... Other than that shes fine unless there is somthing they are not telling me...

mrsjengle · June 2010

Perhaps what they meant by not growing well is that your placenta functions are slowing meaning the baby's nutrition source is depleting. That's the only thing I can think of. Ask for clarification. If you aren't 100% comfortable with the responses they are giving you, go seek advice from another dr. Remember you are paying them they can't force any decisions on you that you aren't comfortable with. Good luck.

trickywoo · June 2010

I agree with the others that you should keep asking questions until you get a satisfactory answer. My guess is that they want to induce because they believe it will be better on the outside for the baby, so I wouldn't take their suggestions lightly, but I would want clarification. But if your baby scored an 8 on the BPP I'm surprised they're talking induction. But IUGR can be a serious thing, so find out what they're thinking ahead of time.

FWIW, I was induced at 37 weeks last pregnancy and will be again for this pregnancy due to clotting disorders and controlling the blood thinning medication I was on.

I had a great experience with the induction, but it was my second birth, so I don't know if that played in to how my body responded to the pitocin. I wasn't dilated or effaced at all and they broke water/started pitocin in the morning. I labored all day and the pain level felt exactly the same as my first birth, which I did without meds.

I had been super nervous about the horror stories of pitocin, but the nurses kept an eye on the contractions and only gradually upped the dose. I also had an internal monitor to gauge the strength of the contractions, so that might have helped them keep it all stable. If you are induced, I would encourage you to make sure the nurses monitor this carefully. I delivered a healthy 7 lb. 7 oz baby at 37.5 weeks. He didn't have any trouble nursing or any problems except a teeny bit of jaundice.

I'm hoping for a similar experience this time. Good luck!

AbJams · June 2010

I am totally lurking, but I wanted to give my 2 cents. I was induced at 39 weeks because of GD, and my baby aced like a "full term preemie" as mentioned above and I am convinced it was because she was more like 37 and a half weeks than 39 weeks. SHe was a full pound lighter than they had predicted. She had a very hard time latching, she just wasn't ready. That said, while 5 lbs doesn't seem small for a 36 weeker, if your baby has IUGR, it isn't neccisarily the actual weight of the baby but the rate of gain. IUGR babies just stop growing efficiently in the womb. So as PP said you really need to ask these questions of your doctor because if your baby is just small, yes, 37 weeks seems so early. But if it's an IUGR issue, she's better off on the outside. You can't make this decision without being more informed, IMO.

angiek941 · June 2010

landes_katie@yahoo.com:
Does anyone have any experience with being induced early?? My doctor recommended that I be induced on the 28th of June at 37 weeks. Baby girl is 5 lbs right now (36 weeks) which is in the lower percentile group so I guess thats why they want her out... Does anyone have any experience with this?? Im excited and nervous at the same time!

I was induced at 39 weeks b/c LO was small and my placenta was aged. Not trying to scare you, but my induction failed and I had to have a c/s. Now I was not dilated or thinned at all when they started, so I don't think the fail was much of a surprise. I had 2 rounds of cervadil, then pitocin. The c/s wasn't bad, and I'm recovering nicely. Good Luck!

chelseadt · June 2010

I am getting induced at 37 weeks too (which is next thursday) because my LO is weighing small too. The dr. is keeping a really close eye on her, having me get a BPP every week and 2 NST's. He says she isn't getting enough nutrients on the inside hence why she isn't growing as fast and it would be better to make her an outside baby where she can get the nutrients she needs then by keeping her inside.

I am okay with this, because she also has something else wrong, but they don't know what it is and won't be able to figure out what is wrong with her until she is an outside baby

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