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May 2012 Moms
photogmommystacy
member
Huge decision to make: induction or c-section? I have no idea what to do!
photogmommystacy
member
Oh ladies...what an afternoon it has been. I'm due tomorrow and had our 40 week appointment this afternoon. For a few weeks now my OB has been saying he guesses baby will be 8.5lbs or more. This week though, he was concerned when my measurement jumped 3cm from last week. I'm pretty tall (5'11) and he said usually his tall patients don't look as big as they are. But was just curious because I'm tall and look pretty big (apparently...). So he sent me for an ultrasound which showed that baby is measuring 9 1/2 pounds!! They said it could be off a pound, so he could be between 8 1/2 and 10 1/2 pounds.
We then went back to talk to my OB who gave me two options. 1) induce on Thursday, 2) c-section on Thursday. He doesn't want me to go much farther because it also looks like I've got excess fluid in there. But he did give me the decision. He said if I was shorter it wouldn't be a choice, it would just be a c-section. But since I'm tall he will give me a chance at a vaginal delivery if I want.
I went through a terrible labor with our daughter (who was only 7lbs4oz) because I had to be induced and I have been terrified of that happening again. She wasn't ready to come out and that obviously showed. This little guy doesn't seem to be ready to come out either, so I'm beyond terrified that I'm in for a repeat if we do the induction. Also...he seemed pretty worried about the risk of shoulder dystocia which have risks including loss of arm function for the baby all the way up to death. The risk apparently comes when I'm pushing, so we wouldn't know until then.
He said the best choice for the baby is the c-seciton, but then there are all the risks/complications for me and the fact that it would be hard to delivery vaginally in the future and all the crappy stuff that comes along with the c-section.
I hate that I have to make a decision and I have no idea what to do. As of right now we'll either schedule the induction and if it doesn't look like it's going well we can go to the c-section (but what happens if it all goes well until I start pushing and then we find out he's stuck and it's too late?)....or I can schedule the c-section and if I am meant to deliver vaginally God can put me into labor before then 
.
Any advice or input or thoughts on c-sections? I am at a total and complete loss because c-section has never ever been a thought on my mind. Ugh.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Huge decision to make: induction or c-section? I have no idea what to do!
If I was in your place.... I'd be seriously leaning towards the c-section since your dr is really concerned about the shoulder dystocia. Plus, if the dr himself said the best choice is the c-section, then I'd go with that. I'm no doctor, and I would have to trust that he puts you AND baby as his best interests.
I know a c-section is not ideal, but it might be what's best for you and baby. I hate making hard decisions too, but hopefully knowing that your dr thinks a section is the best can help ease your mind.
T&P!
BFP 1: 9/19/11 , DS born 5/28/12 @ 41 weeks
So sorry you're in this position :-( A few thoughts:
First, I'd go crazy on natural induction methods now. Find an acupuncturist, pretty much everyone agrees they can induce labor, medical and non-medical alike. Go on long walks, try castor oil (my midwives said they now mix it with...something, which makes it less harsh on your system and have a higher probability of success, maybe google it if you're interested). Have an orgy with your DH. A natural induction will get things going, but then your body and your baby run the show much more so than a medical induction, so I would try that first.
Second, I'm a FTM, but if it were me I would go for the induction if I couldn't get baby moving by Thursday. As your doctor how he/she does it. Cervical ripening agent? Pitocin? Would he be open to backing off the pitocin if your body can keep up the labor pattern on its own? Sometimes you can try that and just get the induction going medically, then let your body and your baby take over, which might be easier on all of you. I, personally, would prefer the induction because the risks to baby are roughly the same (shoulder dystocia aside, I'll get to that in a minute), the main risks being coming early which would happen either way, and the risks to me now and in future pregnancies and any future babies go up with a c-section.
As for the shoulder dystocia, it is a scary, horrible problem. One which there is no way to predict. Yes, bigger babies *may* have a higher chance of getting it, but even if so that chance is very, very small. And even if they are in the tiny percentage who experience a shoulder dystocia, it is a tiny percentage of those babies who suffer any permanent damage from it. There is a lot more that goes into a shoulder dystocia than just size. Ask your doctor how he handles such a problem. Speed is of the essence, but if handled properly there is usually no permanent damage (or even temporary!). You can try things like a Gaskin maneuver (flipping to hands and knees from your back) which has a very high rate of success without endangering baby, or just deliver in a position other than on your back to decrease your risk of dystocia dramatically! I think your doctor is being a bit alarmist to bring it up just because your baby is big, again, there is no way to predict a dystocia. It is scary for doctors for that reason, it comes out of nowhere and has to be handled immediately. However, I wouldn't let that sway your decision too much. This site quotes a current OB textbook explaining how shoulder dystocia cannot be predicted.
If you still feel getting the baby out now is the right decision, then by all means, go for it. But I really wouldn't let the supposed potential shoulder dystocia factor much into your decision.
Good luck! ::hugs::
Have you thought about getting a second opinion? That would probably be my first move. Then, I'd try the induction first. Second labors tend to be easier. And, weight estimates are notoriously inaccurate. Recovery time is a LOT harder for a section than a vaginal delivery. Shoulder dystocia isn't exactly uncommon. It sounds like he might be pushing you to c-section with scare tactics. I'm always skeptical of doctors who use "baby is too big" as an excuse to do a section and then throw around death as a risk associated with not doing one. Death is a risk of child birth, period.
But, what do I know? I'm skeptical by nature.
Well I have only had c/s, and while they aren't fun, they aren't THAT bad so I wouldn't worry about the extr risk to you. Most doctors can do a c/s with their eyes closed and especially with a planned one, it's not horrible. Also from the sounds of your situation, you'd probably be a good candidate for VBAC with future births. Having a c/s really doesn't increase the risks of future vaginal deliveries that much.
However, please don't take this the wrong way, but your dr saying that because you're tall you can choose an induction but if you were short it would be an automatic c/s makes him sound kind of like a quack to me. Many, many short women are very capable of birthing big babies and it's all about the pelvis widening to accomodate baby, not how tall the mom is. You might only look big due to swelling and it has nothing to do with baby's size, anyway. There are so many factors, I actually can't stand to hear that doctors push for a c/s due to baby's size because u/s can be really inaccurate.
Is his only reason for saying the risk of shoulder dystocia is due to size? If, so I think I'd go for the induction. If there's another reason for the heightened risk, I'd go for the c/s.
Ok im not trying to tell you what to do, I will just tell you what I did. My doctor wanted me to have a c section with my first son. Im short and the baby was expected to be big. I delivered vaginally with only a small tear and he was only 7lbs 8oz. I went back to this guy with this pregnancy concerned when I pulled a muscle in my back. Asked him if he thought a c section would be better. He told me that if a woman can deliver vaginally once then she can do it again. Doctors are very quick to jump to c sections now, if it would have been 20ish years ago they wouldn't even be suggesting a c section.
Good luck with your decision ive met people who bounce right back from a c section and people who are miserable afterward so it could really go either way.
These were my thoughts exactly. And why would a shorter woman have a harder time pushing out a larger baby than a taller one ....sorry but that makes me scratch my head. Do taller chicks have stretchier vaginas/ can rotate their pelvis better or something ?
LOL!
Thanks so much for your input ladies! After doing a lot of looking into it it seems like that was kind of a stretch of an option to go straight to a c-seciton.