Possibly inducing, advice?

sammiesamstin · January 2012

DH will be deploying a couple of days before my due date, and will be gone for at least the baby's 1st yr, if not a little longer. We're debating inducing (if I don't go into labor early) as it's our 1st and he'd like to be home for birth. Soonest Dr. will induce w/ no issues is 1 wk early, leaving us 2-3 days as a fam before DH leaves. Just wondering if anyone ever induced w/ their first just due to timing, instead of being past due date/medical reason, and how it went? I don't want to do something that would hurt the baby, but at the same time, DH could be gone before he's born, and not back until R&R, sometime late this year.

Any experiences/info would be appreciated. Like I said, we may not even have to worry about it, but I would like to be prepared if it's a route we choose. Thanks!

meltoine · January 2012

I definitely understand where you're coming from in wanting YH to be there. But personally, I would never induce early for anything other than true medical necessity. Babies come when they come because that's when they're ready. While it's likely that if you're only a week early your LO will be just fine, it's possible and indeed likely that you may not react as well as expected to the induction and could end up with a very difficult birth or even a c-section to recover from with your DH gone.

NSL · January 2012

Having been the parent of a NICU baby (born at full term+) don't do it. Many babies do fine when they come early, but some don't. You will never forgive yourself if your child has medical problems stemming from an elective induction.

pesci12 · January 2012

I understand that you want your husband there, but honestly I wouldn't do it.

I had to be induced at 36 weeks due to low amniotic fluid. I had a horrible experience. DD ended up in the NICU at another hospital 45 minutes away because the NICU where I delivered was full. I couldn't visit her until I was discharged 2 days later. I know it probably sounds weird, but it was seriously traumatic for me.

A lot of babies have no issues, but because of my personal experience I would never have an unneccessary induction.

Emilia0101 · January 2012

NSL:
Having been the parent of a NICU baby (born at full term+) don't do it. Many babies do fine when they come early, but some don't. You will never forgive yourself if your child has medical problems stemming from an elective induction.

THIS

DowagerCountessofNJ · January 2012

I had an awesome induction because I was "late" but even with my awesome experience if I were in your shoes the next time I wouldn't do it. I'm a big believer in babies having their own time table (as long as they're healthy).

The last few days before deployment are always crazy as well. I didn't even see my husband the 2 to 3 days leading up to his deployment...he was busy getting ready with the unit and they weren't allowed off post. It sucks but I would make peace with the fact that he's not going to be there and make arrangements for a family member or friend to be there for you.

Gismo123 · January 2012

I agree with all previous posts. Induction should ONLY be done when medically needed, not for schedule convinience. Not trying to sound mean but this is what comes with being in a military family.

The_Spanish_Inquisition · January 2012

Ditto all pp. We're trying for #2 right now and most likely DH will not be here for the birth, so I understand your anxiety.

I would never induce for a non-medical reason, and frankly, I judge any doc who's willing to do it let alone recommend it. Induction absolutely SKYROCKETS your chances of c-section and complications.

I have a coworker who's wife was recently induced on a Sunday night "because Doc M only delivers on Mondays". I wanted to vomit when he told me that. Sadly, it's pretty common around here. She ended up not progressing and getting a c-section on Tuesday with a different doctor anyway. So there was no point in forcing that baby out before she was ready.

FWIW I know one other mama in addition to the one above who was induced (this time for a medical reason), and both ended up with c-sections for failure to progress.

BeckyTheEngineer · January 2012

I did have an induction, 5 days after due date, for my second child. It was for medical reasons, and I had a great induction experience. The details are on the birth stories board. I hope that you won't need to make this decision, but I think that your timeline is too tight for this to be a great course of action. Sure, his dates could change, but there is a lot of last-minute stuff your husband will have going on before he leaves. Even if everything goes perfect, you will probably be trying to leave the hospital right when he is leaving, which will be extra-stressful for both of you.

If I were you, I would try to have someone (a friend, mom, sister) come out to stay with me around that time, so I would have some help. That would probably make your husband a lot more comfortable with leaving as well. My husband returned from deployment a week before my due date (first child) and that is what I did.

jb2rn · January 2012

dont do it! if your body is not ready it could lead to a c section and a sick baby.

Shannda20 · January 2012

Well I may get ripped apart for this but I was induced to make sure my baby came while my husband was home on leave. My mom was two weeks late with all of hers so I wasn't waiting (she had some big babies too). Everything was perfect (started at 1am and he was born before 5) and we got a week together as a family before he had to go back. Also he was a big baby so I would get induced again before he got bigger.

I do agree that leading up to deployment is very busy and I hardly saw my husband too. When I did he was running around gathering his gear and packing his foot locker.

Possibly inducing, advice?

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