Tell me about inductions

arikaleeanne · March 2011

So my Due date as changed 3 times this pregnancy I have gone from March 12 to March 19 to March 23.

DH requested this week March 14-March 28 off thinking our little man was due on March 17 not March 23 (although I have had it written on the calander since Jan when it was moved from the 19th ) And since he had already turned in the time off even though I corrected him as soon as he told me he can not move his vacation time.

Anyway DD I had one due date the whole pregnancy and she was born 2 days after it and very fast 3 hours and no epidural or any medication was given to me.

Dh wants to see if I can be induced this Thursday March 17th (and because my DR is out on vacation from the 18-21 he knows I will be able to have my dr there if I induce) since he is home and since our due date has changed so much.

My DR is fine with it and I am measureing a week ahead.

I am nervous about inducing because I have heard you can do it too soon and the baby is not ready and it can take forever (I was really hoping for a really fast delivery again)

I was thinking if I wait for nature to take its course I will have a super fast delivery again. and it will be on the babys terms not mine but in the mean time DH is burning is vacation and so if we wait for the baby to come on his own terms then he may not get any time off with the baby.

Please tell me about your experiences, and any advice or thoughts.

~Lynchie~ · March 2011

If you are measuring a week ahead why was your due date pushed back a week?

RobynK · March 2011

I'm not seeing a MEDICAL reason for an induction. Is there one, or is this all because of your husband messing up his vacation?

If there's not a MEDICAL reason to induce then don't. It's pretty simple.

mishquiche · March 2011

That is really unfortunate about your DH's vacation, but I personally would not induce unless it was medically necessary.

LauraLynneC · March 2011

I would let Nature decide when baby's done...too early and you (and baby) may face problems. Will your doctor even ALLOW you to induce early? I've never heard of such a thing...late, yes. But early? Never without sound medical reasoning.

dawnies79 · March 2011

First, how exciting you are so close! Yes

As for the induction, I would have to agree with pp. If there is no medical reason I would say it's not a good idea. As much as we would like to be able to control when and how fast the baby comes, it's up to them.

I'm sorry your DH's vacation got messed up. I hope it all works out for you in the end.

stacylu · March 2011

I was induced for Asher for some medical reasons and it was a much quicker delivery than with Julia. Pitocin started at 4ish and I had him at 11:23pm (7.5hrs). With my daughter, my water broke naturally and I had to be induced because no contractions started after 12hrs.

With her the progression took 12 hrs waiting for contractions or something to start + 15 hrs on pitocin and she finally arrived. I was concerned to induce with my secnod but my OB said with second/third babies things always went much quicker...

arikaleeanne · March 2011

Thanks ladies,

There is no medical reasons to be induced early, however since my due date has changed 3 times she is open to inducing when ever we want she figures as long as it is within 10 days (after I starting seeing her I found out from talking to other moms in this area, she is famous for moving due dates and inducing you whenever you want within reason of course.)

The joy of being in a small town in Eastern WA where there is really only about 6 OB's to choice from in this town.

thanks for your thoughts ladies keep them coming

*Bloom2be* · March 2011

LauraLynneC:
I would let Nature decide when baby's done...too early and you (and baby) may face problems. Will your doctor even ALLOW you to induce early? I've never heard of such a thing...late, yes. But early? Never without sound medical reasoning.

I agree to let nature take its course. I was too nervous about all the things that can happen with an induction. My Dr. told me a few weeks before my due date that she'd be out of town on my due date and offered to induce me early, but I had no desire to do so (and thought it was kind of strange for her to offer with no medical reason ..) I ended up going into labor 2 1/2 weeks early anyways so it didn't matter

That sucks for your DH, maybe baby will surprise you and come soon!!

ckmommy · March 2011

I'm sorry about your H's vacation being messed up but even if you did start your induction on the 17th, it doesn't mean you will for sure have LO that day. You might still end up with a different Dr despite your best efforts at planning. I personally feel that you should wait. Inductions can be tough, and unless there is a medical need, why force it?

BriAndSean · March 2011

I was in a similar situation with my little guy last year. My due date was off from the beginning though so my doctor went with the edd from the 6 week dating u/s. I was induced for medical reasons with #1 so I was fairly comfortable with the idea of induction. It's not a popular choice but it worked well for us. I waited until my due date had passed and then scheduled the soonest induction date available. DH had burned through a full week of vacation at that point but it was nice to have him home so we could spend some time together as a family of three. The induction went well. I started pit around 7am. He was born 4 hours later.

Octoberlove · March 2011

That's a toughie. I was induced for medical reasons, and even though I was 10 days overdue, my body just wasn't ready to have a baby, so my labor took forever! As in 30 hours. I was barely dilated or effaced when we went in, so I knew I was probably in for it, but didn't have a choice because of mine and my baby's health. Some people have easy, fast inductions, but if you go that route, be prepared for it being a lot longer than your last labor. And remember that the c-section rate is much higher with inductions. So if you are hoping to avoid a c-section, (and the fun recovery that goes along with that), you may want to wait it out and plan for some other extra help with the baby besides your DH.

Sending lots of good thoughts your way! No one needs extra stress or more difficult decisions when they're about to have a baby!

KNemo · March 2011

Octoberlove:

And remember that the c-section rate is much higher with inductions.

This was the point I was coming in here to make. My water broke at 39 weeks, 1 day. Like Stacylu, after 12 hours without progression, I was induced. Unlike Stacylu, I failed to progress on pitocin. 41 hours later, I was rushed into an OR for an emergency c/s.

I would opt for Mother Nature taking care of business if I were you! Your DH can still be very valuable during his vacation. He can help you prepare DD for her new sibling, he can help get the house ready for another baby, he can help you make freezer meals, and he can take some of the burden of being in the final stages of your 3rd tri w/a toddler away. GL!

iHeartHimMore · March 2011

I had a "social induction" (apparently not having a medically necessary reason for it gives it that name), but it was the day after my EDD. Ideally we would have waited, but for us it was definitely the right decision. We're self employed and because of a HUGE change to our business that absolutely had to start on 7/29, we decided to go ahead with an induction so that DH would get a couple weeks at home. I'm so, so glad we had that time as a family (and I had the help during the rough transition period!). Especially since as soon as the 29th came, he was gone working 18-20 hour days for a month straight. Clearly our circumstances were extreme.

As for the way it went... I went in closed up tight. I was given Cytotec (a pill they shove up there that helps soften the cervix) at 1:30 am and was contracting every 2-3 minutes by 3:30 am - just uncomfortable not painful. Was given a light pitocin drip at 9:30 am to help things along and went from 3 cm to 10 cm by 1:00 pm. Had an epidural around 12:30, started pushing at 1:00, Lila was born at 3:30.

kaskade · March 2011

RobynK:

I'm not seeing a MEDICAL reason for an induction. Is there one, or is this all because of your husband messing up his vacation?

If there's not a MEDICAL reason to induce then don't. It's pretty simple.

This, big time. I haven't read the other responses yet. Inductions increase your c-section rate among other things. Do some research on inductions and I don't think you'll want one if it's not medically necessary; I don't mean to sound harsh, I'm passionate about this topic and see it as an intervention to avoid if possible.

JDCSKF · March 2011

I was offered induction, because of my quick labor (4 hours) and have declined. I don't like the idea of induction unless it's medically necessary. DH hates the idea too. I know your husband took vacation, but can he take a few days sick leave for the birth?

cupcakepirate · March 2011

I didn't think you could be induced early unless it was for medical reasons?

That being said, I'm 5 days past due today and have an induction scheduled for Thursday morning and I'm pretty nervous about it since the baby doesn't feel like going anywhere. I'll be pretty disappointed if I don't go into labor naturally before then.

My doctor says the induction will be fairly quick, but you ladies stories of hours upon hours of labor make me doubt that. Indifferent

itskacie · March 2011

I was induced at 39w. I think that it is a completely personal decision and if you feel you are willing to give it a go and your Dr feels you are ready then do what is right for your family. Do your own research and YOU decide. Dont let people pressure you either way. I personally would have been a mess if DH couldnt take the time off with me and the baby when she was first home and would have done what ever I could to make sure that he was with us for the longest amoung of time.

My experience was at 5:00pm the night before the induction they inserted a catheter and a balloon to try to dilate a bit. At the time I was not effaced nor dialated at all. I contracted throughout the night but it stopped in the morning. I checked in to the hosp at 6am and the pitocin was started at 7:30. I contracted all day stalling at about a 4 for a few hours. At 10:00p I got the epidural and was at a 10 within an hour. 4 pushes later Cam was born at 11:32.

If you go into it with no grand expectations of what your birth experience "should" be I feel you have a better outcome. I think when you have an expected plan you are possibly setting yourself up for disappointment. You can give the meds a try and you dont progress, so be it. You can wait it out and see if you go into labor naturally or if you have to have a c/s to get the baby out, again oh well! It wouldnt always be ideal but in the end you have your outside baby with you and your DH, no matter what route he/she gets here.

Good luck!

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