On Monday I will have to make an appointment for a medical induction on Wednesday. Of course I'm trying to avoid it at all costs by trying more natural things like sex, acupuncture, acupressure, blue and black cohosh, castor oil, walking, ball sitting, you name it! I'm 10 days over due and had an NST that came out perfect, as well as fluids that were above what the midwives wanted. I just don't see the urgency of getting him out if he's perfectly fine...
So, my question is, if I do end up at the hospital needing a medical induction, what is the most natural way of going about it?
Thank you in advance!
Re: Help with induction
According to her ticker she'll be 42 wks. on Wednesday.
Yes, I will be 42 weeks on Wednesday
I asked for a membrane sweep at my Friday appt. and the midwife said my cervix is too high up and couldn't do it. I'll try for it again on Monday.
unfortunately, many MWs operate under the guidance of an OB and could face serious sancture for "disobeying" protocols, like permitting a momma to go past 42 weeks without transfer to the OBs, who likely would be a hurricane force to reckon with.
IDK if that is the case with the OP, but this is very common.
- Hopefully your MW knows how much you want a natural birth. If she doesn't, now would be a really really good time to talk to her about it
Having an induction doesn't mean all your natural birth plans go out the window. It means you just need to be a little more creative.
- Ask your MW about your options. Can you try AROM or a foley bulb induction before going to Pitocin?
- If you do need Pitocin, know your Bishop score. Start with cervical ripening if you need it. Preferably Cervidil -- if your MW suggests Cytotec (misoprostol), read up on it on your own and decide whether you're comfortable with it.
- You'll likely need to be on constant fetal monitors. Ask if your hospital offers telemetry (wireless monitors). If not, make it clear that you will NOT be lying in bed, that you will limit your movement to what you can do while tethered to the monitor, but you will be changing positions, moving around, etc. within those limits.
- Ask about a low-dose Pitocin protocol. See https://nursingbirth.com/2009/07/09/pitocin-protocol-for-labor-inductionaugmentation-decoded/. Make sure your husband or other support person knows about this, too, and can keep an eye on your Pit levels for you.
- If at any time, your contractions start coming really close together/on top of each other, ask to have the Pit turned down.
- Once you reach 6cm dilation, ask if you can have the Pit turned off for a bit, to see if your body picks up a regular contraction pattern on its own.
- Above all, believe that you can do this, regardless of what interventions get thrown at you. We all know about the "cascade of interventions" and the problems it can cause, but it is always within YOUR power to stop the cascade.
Good luck! I know the feeling of not seeing the urgency, but hospital policies are hospital policies. Personally, when I was in that situation, I thought it was better to take an induction at 42 weeks (especially since I got to schedule it with my favorite most-supportive OB) than to refuse the induction and likely go into labor with a less-than-supportive OB who would be *very* aggressive with interventions if anything started to look the slightest bit "funny." I had a really positive induction experience and would make that same decision again in a heartbeat if I had to.
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)
That was very helpful! Thank you so much!
I had another appt today and everything was great! I'm 1-2 cm dilated, and 80% effaced. She wasn't able to do the sweep again, but was able to push around. I guess when my midwife called to schedule my induction, the Dr. wanted me in ASAP. Does no one read charts anymore?? Had she read it, or asked the midwife, she would've known that baby is FINE, and I'm FINE. So they agreed to let me go in on Wednesday am. As a last ditch effort I'm doing castor oil again. Hopefully this will give my little guy the jump start he needs...