Labor Induction
kuri1989
member
So I know, I'm only 38 weeks, but my doctor is already talking to me about inducing labor...as early as one day and as late as one week after my due date!
I'm kind of torn between both sides...because he insists that at a week and a half past my due date that it starts to pose a risk to DS. So, they just cut off the last half week and induce labor at a week after. The same office induced one of my friends a couple of days after her due date and not only did she end up having to have a c-section due to fetal distress but her baby came out premature. (I started using this office before this happened, and have a different doctor)
But at the same time, doesn't my body and baby know what's best? Everything I have read says that 42 weeks is perfectly normal, and that the average first time mom delivers about 8 days after her due date?
So, as much as I want DS here, and to stop the whole uncomfortable aspect of pregnancy...I want DS to be as happy and healthy as possible.
So should I let my doctor or my body decide when that is?
Note: I am 1 cm dilated...so it's not like I'm not making any progress.
Re: Labor Induction
My main fear is to be induced without being dilated any farther or effaced like I should be. Because that more than doubles the chances for a stressful, long, hard labor and/or a c-section.
And the way my doctor was talking, I didn't feel like I had a choice. I didn't feel like he was asking me whether I wanted to be induced or at what point I wanted to be. I felt like he was telling me what was going to happen and there wasn't anything I could do about it.
It's totally up to you.......has he talked to you about getting your membranes stripped ( nto sure if that's the correct term or not) but supposedly that can help labor along....I got that done the day before thanksgiving and then got induced the day after. Not the most comfortable thing to have happen but some women will go into labor fairly quickly after getting that done. Not sure if it helped me or not but like I said everything worked out for me but like you my biggest fear was that the labor would be long and/or I would end up with a C/S but I know my dr. wouldnt have suggested an induction if she didnt think my body or baby was ready for it.
No, he didn't really discuss options or what he thought was best. He just told me that they didn't plan on waiting longer than a week after my due date to induce.
Most of what I know, I find out on my own...because if I don't ask my doctor specific questions about everything, he doesn't tend to give me any more information that the main points.
And I wish I could say that I felt like my doctor had mine and DS's best interests at heart...but this is the same doctor that was trying to shove prescription anti-depressants down my throat when I didn't need them.
I feel insane to have stayed with this doctor, but my insurance doesn't give me a choice, and I don't plan on using this office the next time around. Although, I suppose that because of everything, it's pushed me to do more research and read up a lot more on stuff.
Is there another doctor in that same office you can schedule an appt with?? I hope you go into labor naturally and then you wont have to worry about being induced. Being induced either goes great (like me) or can be really bad just like you have read about. I hope it all works out for you!!
Yes, there's actually several, 5 I think. And I've gotten in to see all of them except one.
The doctor my friend had is the nicest doctor there that I've met. But she tends to push people through a little faster than they need to go (come to find out, not just my friend).
There's one doctor there who I just do not care for at all, he was socially awkward and doesn't seem to know what he's talking about a lot of the time...plus he gave me a lot of grief for having gained extra weight when I quit smoking?!
There's the doctor I met with yesterday who instilled all these ill thoughts in my head...he's nice...but I think that most people recommend him because he was "better-looking" than the doctor I actually prefer. *rolls eyes*
Then there's the doctor that I want to have all the time, but my schedule doesn't usually allow for me to to get in and see him...but I've made my appointment that I'll have if I go past my due date with him. I feel he's a lot friendlier and understanding.
You have to do what you think is best. I was induced 1 day after my due date because my BP was dangerously high. I did not take an epidural until I was already at 10 because I was afraid of having to have a C-Section. They thought I was at 6. I was already at 10 so I waited for it to catch up with me to push.
I was 1 cm and 90% effaced when they started Cervadil. 12 hours later at 2am they started Pitocin. I was still at 1 cm and 90% so the Cervadil did nothing. I had her at 7am.
So far I haven't spoke to anyone that didn't have a good reason to be induced. And the reason is never "I went a week over."
From where I stand right now, if I see no physical need to be induced and the baby is fine, I don't intend to let them do anything as early as a week after.
My original due date was December 7th even! So why in the world would I want them to induce me around the 9th?
I was due 11/30/09 and ended up being induced on 12/9/09. I was induced b/c I had gone far enough past my due date that my Dr. felt that it was in our best interest to go ahead with an induction. There are things like hardening of placenta and such that become a much higher risk after 41 weeks. My Dr. did monitor me more that last week and and I had an NST just to make sure the baby wasn't in any kind of distress and a late u/s b/c I was measuring ahead and she wanted to check my fluid. Also with late term babies there is a much higher chance of a bm in utero b/c their digestive system should already be working. I went in for cervidil the night before and was 1cm and not effaced at all. The next morning I was 2cm and 50%ish effaced. When she broke my water there was meconium in the fluid and so they put me on amnio infusion to basically wash everything out and have less of a chance of my baby swallowing the meconium.
The farthest I ever progressed was about 4-5 cm and maybe 60% effaced after 12 hours. I did end in a c-section but I'm not sure my baby had any desire to be born no matter how long we waited
And by having the amnio infusion and c-section Leah luckily didn't swallow any of the meconium and didn't have any lung issues after birth.
So I guess what I'm saying is that I wanted a vaginal birth, and for my water to break at home, and labor there, then go to the hospital after the early labor was over, and try and go as far as I could w/o the epidural. That isn't at all what happened but I ended up with a healthy baby so that made whatever happened worth it.
I wouldn't push to get induced and I think waiting 9-10 days after you're due date is ok (unless other health concerns arise) but don't be scared of an induction either, they don't all end in horror stories.
I want the same thing, and I've already come to terms with the fact that it may not happen, because DS is going to do what he wants to do. Lol!
But I agree, waiting at least that should be fine...unless there is reason to believe something is wrong. But I just don't see why they're trying to push it so soon...they won't even try to take into consideration the fact that they may have miscalculated?
So....my sister is an OB, and my BFF former college roomie is, too. I can honestly tell you that it might be something as stupid as your OB wanting to go on vacation or wanting to be home for his kids' birthday party might be the motivation behind him saying he's going to induce you.
SIL and BFF don't (usually) do things like that, but they both have admitted to me to encouraging a wavering pg woman to be induced a little early just to fit into their schedules. Sometimes, it's just because they are on call that particular day/weekend, and they know their patient would rather have them deliver the baby than the next doc on call. That's nice and all, but they have a HUGE slant toward a medicalized birth (induction/c-section) rather than vaginal. With a vaginal birth, they have to hang around and wait. With a C/S, they can go in, cut, and be out in 40 min.
That said, I did have an induction with DS1, because I was on Lovenox for the pregnancy and it causes reduced fluid levels. I was induced on my EDD and had absolutely no problems. He was out (vaginally) in less than 12 hours from when I was admitted to the hosp.
With DS2, I was already at 4 with a very low baby and probably would have progressed on my own. I did accept a small amount of Pit, though, since he was pretty well on the way. DS2 was born very quickly after that. My OB barely had time to get in the room. She just kicked off her shoes and grabbed some gloves. No gown or anything.
MY OPINION? If this is your first, I would wait until there are TRUE REASONS for you to be induced. High BP, low fluid levels, LO in distress, etc. There is no way a doc can discern right now that you will need to be induced in 2 weeks or more. That sounds very fishy. If you're at 1 cm, you actually have made some progress, so might as well let your body try to prove itself before you give in to the medical "help" of induction. Esp if you don't want a C/S unless you have to.
GL, and stay strong. And remember, you can ALWAYS fire your OB and get someone else. ALWAYS. Even if you're already in labor. Might want to do some research to see if there are ANY other OBs around that your insurance will cover. A phone call to them wouldn't hurt, just so you know your options.
I was worried about my newest OB with this last pg, and so I considered going back home (6 hours away) to deliver. I stressed about it, but once I callled the insurance companies and explained to them my dilemma, they helped me map out a plan. They ensured my old OB was still in network, and checked the home hospital for me. Once I had some options, I totally relaxed about it and did end up delivering here. But that was after I gave my OB a piece of my mind about her tendencies to knee-jerk recommending a C/S. She actually got a lot better after she found out I was informed and had an opinion of my own.
GOOD LUCK!
Oh see I was charting so I pretty much knew my conception date within a day or two for sure. I adjusted the date of my LMP at my initial prenatal appt so that it accounted for the fact I normally had a 32 day cycle and ovulated on day 16 or 17, so the date they had for my due date was right and not based on the standard 28 day cycle. My early u/s confirmed that my dating was right b/c I think it was within a day of what I was saying.
I did it for the sole reason that they wouldn't try to induce me too early when they thought I was like 10 days over and maybe I was only 5 or something. But when she induced me at 10 days+, I really was that many days over my due date.
Thank you!
I really feel like I can tell my doctor "no" and be okay with it and know that I'm not making a bad decision. I was so worried that I was being horrible by not wanting to be induced if there wasn't anything potentially wrong.
And in the end, I may be getting all worked up for no reason. Since I am dilated 1 centimeter and I think I've lost a bit of my plug here and there...but I figured that it was better to be prepared.
Yeah, LO was a surprise.
And although I have a good idea of when he was conceived...I don't know an exact date. And the date I thought it was, was almost 2 weeks after the date they tell me we conceived...which I suppose is also another reason why I'm not going along with his plan all that willingly.