I would go ahead and make the appointment for the induction for the 42 week mark. If you go beforehand great, if not, babies are much better being outside at that point
It's not wise to go past 42 weeks as the risk of fetal distress and stillbirth rises steeply, there is also some research that suggests the placenta can start to deteriorate although I don't think this has ever been conclusively proven.
I asked to be induced with my second and third baby. But I was already days over due with both babies and it had to due with size (big babies). My ob said she would not induce any patients unless medically necessary or after 41 weeks. I also suggest scheduling the inducement between 41 and 42 weeks so baby has plenty of time to come on his/her own.
If I haven't gone yet at 40w, I've been told they will probably want to schedule an induction at that appointment. I don't want to be induced, but if that's what my doctor thinks will be best for my baby, I'll do it. There are risks that can come with going too far over, and it's a very delicate balance once you hit your due date as to how much longer they can stay in there without it becoming a hazard.
ETA my sister and I both decided we were done on the dates of our scheduled inductions (42w) and ended up coming naturally, so you may not necessarily need induction even if you do schedule one.
The risks of fetal distress greatly increase after 42 weeks, possibly due to placental deterioration. My daughter was born on the day that would have been her scheduled induction, at 41w3d, and I would not have been comfortable going any longer for her safety, honestly.
Since you are 40 weeks, I would listen to your doctor and schedule an induction for sometime in the next week, week and a half. I knew a lady who also did not want to be induced, and refused despite her OB urging her to do so. She went passed 42 weeks, and ended up having a still birth which the doctor believes was due to deterioration of the placenta.
So you asked if you're silly OP and quite simply not only are you silly but IMO selfish. Putting a baby at risk so you can go naturally? Would you ever forgive yourself if something happened that could have been prevented? I second others recommendation to schedule the induction at 42 weeks that way baby still has time to come naturally and if it doesn't then you already have the induction scheduled before it could become detrimental to the baby.
I just scheduled my induction for this Sunday il be 41+5. Do I wanna be induced? No not at all, it was actually on my birth plan that I didn't want pitocin at all. Will I do what is best for my baby to make sure she is healthy and okay?? In a heartbeat even if it means more pain or anxiety for me. I still have the chance to go naturally! And if I don't then I can be reassured I'm doing what's best for her!
Past a certain point, it is no longer safe for your LO to stay in you because the placenta begins to break down. While I understand not wanting to induce, you are now past 40 weeks and have been asked to schedule your induction twice. Listen to your doctors. It's time to stop caring about how you get LO out and start caring about getting LO out safely. Schedule your damn induction on or before the 42 week mark (depending on what your doctor recommends) - if you go before, awesome. If you don't, then at least it's on the books already.
Most PPs have it nailed. I know you have a desire for a "natural" birth (FWIW I don't like the term, but I know the distinction), but your baby's health should come first. After a certain point, he will no longer be getting the nutrients he needs from the placenta. Please schedule your induction for 42 weeks (or before if the doc recommends it based on your personal factors) and just hope he comes before then; otherwise, do what you need to, to ensure his safety.
I lurk. I snark. I offer sound advice if you're not BSC. You may not like me. I'm okay with it.
No one can force you into any medical decisions. I too would not be comfortable scheduling an induction simply because of protocol. There is plenty of research on both sides of the issue, and there is no consistency at all among OBGYN's as to what point the pregnancy becomes riskier. Some want to induce at 40 weeks, some want to induce at 42 weeks, some don't want to induce unless an issue arises.
I've found that a good way to work with the doctor is to ask more questions about ways you can monitor for these risk factors. Often they can do ultrasounds or other tests to ensure the pregnancy is still progressing at a healthy pace. That way you can get more individualized care for your pregnancy, and if something comes up that is indeed one of the risk factors that other ladies have mentioned here, you will feel much more comfortable agreeing to the induction.
There are natural ways to induce, ask the Dr about that route or look online. A few ways my Dr told me was, walk, drink extra water, sex(he has to cum in you, its in the sperm) lol and spicy food.
I would not think about inducing until much closer to 42 and only if it's medically necessary. Going in for stress tests past 40 weeks is normal and it's not "selfish" to want to go into labor naturally.. It's letting baby tell you when he/she is ready, not you or a doctor. IMO it's more "selfish" to induce for non-medical reasons or to fit your own personal timeline because you're uncomfortable. Just remember you're in charge of your baby, no one else, make informed decisions and discuss why your doctor thinks this is medically necessary.
Deleting your original post is not cool. You didn't get rude responses, you got honest replies and opinions. I'm sorry everyone didn't just tell you what you wanted to hear as that was obviously all you were hoping for here.
Wow. Again. Why is it hard to be supportive to other moms? Calling me selfish and telling to schedule my damn induction are neither helpful nor constructive. Whether or not I am "cool" to you really doesn't matter much to me. These forums shouldn't attack people for asking questions. And it wasn't that I was asking for what I wanted to hear. I was more asking for experiences with individuals own inductions. But thank you for putting me in my place once again.
Wow. Again. Why is it hard to be supportive to other moms? Calling me selfish and telling to schedule my damn induction are neither helpful nor constructive. Whether or not I am "cool" to you really doesn't matter much to me. These forums shouldn't attack people for asking questions. And it wasn't that I was asking for what I wanted to hear. I was more asking for experiences with individuals own inductions. But thank you for putting me in my place once again.
No one was being unsupportive or attacking you. You asked for opinions and advice and that's what you got. Maybe not the opinions you wanted but that's what they were. And no you didn't ask for experiences (I would quote your OP but you DD'd it.) You asked if anyone else was being "forced" to induce. To which many informed you that you aren't being forced into anything, that your doctors are looking at your child's best interests because there are huge risk jumps after 42 weeks. I agree selfish is a harsh word but looking back the people saying selfish were not in fact say you were but that your OP made your choices seem selfish. I myself told you I've gone over due and scheduled my induction date, I didn't want to in fact I hate the idea of pitocin more than anything but that I made it because the risks are worse than a little added pain. You also got very good advice about speaking with your doctor and natural ways to induce labor prior to your induction date. Anyway I'm sorry you took things so personally but next time before posting on an Internet forum remember that people will and can say whatever they'd like, and when asking for opinions your going to get ones that don't seem so nice but you asked for them. It's like asking if your new hair cut looks nice and being mad when your friend/family is honest and says they hate it. You can't be mad you asked.
Best of luck with whatever you decide in regards to your induction and the rest of your pregnancy.
Why the DD? That's considered more rude than any of the responses you received.
You were given reasons why the doctor would consider induction. I had an induction just shy of 39 weeks. You want to know why? They were worried about blood from when my cervix dilated and whether my placenta was really okay. It was in the best interest of me and my baby. My reaction? I was happy because my doctors trusted it was the right time. If you've made it past 40 weeks, you have less to worry about; as most PPs have told you, the baby staying in too long could potentially cause even more problems to you and baby. Isn't the goal here to maximize chances of delivering a healthy baby with your health intact, too?
Wow. Again. Why is it hard to be supportive to other moms? Calling me selfish and telling to schedule my damn induction are neither helpful nor constructive. Whether or not I am "cool" to you really doesn't matter much to me. These forums shouldn't attack people for asking questions. And it wasn't that I was asking for what I wanted to hear. I was more asking for experiences with individuals own inductions. But thank you for putting me in my place once again.
Please speak to your OB or google what the placenta breaking down does to you and your baby. I told you to "schedule your damn induction" because it's a serious risk to you both. You're talking about playing with fire, it's needlessly reckless. I didn't say now, I said before 42 weeks. Your healthcare team wouldn't have brought it up to you twice if they didn't have a reason to be concerned.
ETA:
This, this, and this are the websites that are reputable that speak about going overdue. I'm fairly crunchy granola/chill about my pregnancy so far and would really like for my body to go on it's own. I don't want pitocin anywhere near me at any time. My OB allows inductions to be scheduled at any point past 39 weeks out of fear of the placenta breaking down. If my LO isn't here, I will be scheduling my induction for slightly over 41 weeks. As much as I want to go on my own, I'll take any extra pain or risk to myself if it means that LO gets into the world safe and healthy.
Wow. Again. Why is it hard to be supportive to other moms? Calling me selfish and telling to schedule my damn induction are neither helpful nor constructive. Whether or not I am "cool" to you really doesn't matter much to me. These forums shouldn't attack people for asking questions. And it wasn't that I was asking for what I wanted to hear. I was more asking for experiences with individuals own inductions. But thank you for putting me in my place once again.
You didn't ask for support or experiences, you asked for opinions which is exactly what you got. If all you wanted was support in your decision then my earlier analysis was obviously correct and all you wanted was people to agree with you and tell you what you wanted to hear. It's only when you didn't get the responses you wanted that you've decided to accuse people of attacking you. NO ONE attacked you or put you in your place. I'm sorry you can't handle people disagreeing with you without taking it personally but unfortunately that it the nature of Internet forums (and general life for that matter). I also didn't say you were uncool, I said deleting your original post wasn't cool, which it isn't.
BTW, Telling you to schedule your induction before you go over 42 weeks IS helpful and constructive, especially as poster's gave you valid reasons why!
Deleting your post does not help other women on TB who may have the same question. The better solution is to recognize you may not be approaching this in the best way and learning from it. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.
I lurk. I snark. I offer sound advice if you're not BSC. You may not like me. I'm okay with it.
Anything over 42 weeks becomes dangerous. Adverse fetal outcomes rise significantly after point. Period.
No one can force you to do anything you don't want to do, it's your body. Just ensure that you are fully informed of the risks you are taking by going past 42 weeks. If you are comfortable taking those risks then again, it is entirely up to you. I think it's unrealistic to expect people are going to only tell you things that enforce your stance, the majority of women on here are going to give their honest opinion, and yes you won't like them all. That doesn't mean it isn't helpful information. And frankly your medical professionals are the ones with the knowledge, background and research references to provide you with the most current literature on these topics. You can choose not to believe them.
Meh. I thought the "damn induction" comment was a bit over the top. Not surprised OP pushed back on that. But there was some really good information in the responses -- and the anecdote about the stillbirth gave me the chills.
Meh. I thought the "damn induction" comment was a bit over the top. Not surprised OP pushed back on that. But there was some really good information in the responses -- and the anecdote about the stillbirth gave me the chills.
The use of the word 'anecdote' with reference to a stillbirth story seems more inappropriate to me.
Meh. I thought the "damn induction" comment was a bit over the top. Not surprised OP pushed back on that. But there was some really good information in the responses -- and the anecdote about the stillbirth gave me the chills.
The use of the word 'anecdote' with reference to a stillbirth story seems more inappropriate to me.
Why is it innapropriate? Because there is a possibility? That it is a reality that it happens to moms and dads? Sorry if that reality is "innapropriate" in your mind.
No
Because the word anecdote generally refers to an amusing or witty story and I find still birth to be neither of them.
Oh And I have mentioned in another thread a reference to my friend's stillbirth so I am well aware of how much of a reality it is but thankyou for your judgement.
True. Anecdote probably isn't the best word to use as the story wasn't meant to be amusing.
anecdote |ˈanikˌdōt| noun a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person: told anecdotes about his job | he had a rich store of anecdotes.
I think @mollypuss1 was probably not liking the word "anecdote". Maybe it sounded like the word choice was minimizing the experience of loss? I didn't intend to do that -- literally meant the word to mean "personal story".
ldevier
member
Re: Deleted post due to several rude comments
ETA my sister and I both decided we were done on the dates of our scheduled inductions (42w) and ended up coming naturally, so you may not necessarily need induction even if you do schedule one.
I lurk. I snark. I offer sound advice if you're not BSC. You may not like me. I'm okay with it.
I've found that a good way to work with the doctor is to ask more questions about ways you can monitor for these risk factors. Often they can do ultrasounds or other tests to ensure the pregnancy is still progressing at a healthy pace. That way you can get more individualized care for your pregnancy, and if something comes up that is indeed one of the risk factors that other ladies have mentioned here, you will feel much more comfortable agreeing to the induction.
And no you didn't ask for experiences (I would quote your OP but you DD'd it.)
You asked if anyone else was being "forced" to induce. To which many informed you that you aren't being forced into anything, that your doctors are looking at your child's best interests because there are huge risk jumps after 42 weeks.
I agree selfish is a harsh word but looking back the people saying selfish were not in fact say you were but that your OP made your choices seem selfish.
I myself told you I've gone over due and scheduled my induction date, I didn't want to in fact I hate the idea of pitocin more than anything but that I made it because the risks are worse than a little added pain. You also got very good advice about speaking with your doctor and natural ways to induce labor prior to your induction date.
Anyway I'm sorry you took things so personally but next time before posting on an Internet forum remember that people will and can say whatever they'd like, and when asking for opinions your going to get ones that don't seem so nice but you asked for them.
It's like asking if your new hair cut looks nice and being mad when your friend/family is honest and says they hate it. You can't be mad you asked.
Best of luck with whatever you decide in regards to your induction and the rest of your pregnancy.
BTW, Telling you to schedule your induction before you go over 42 weeks IS helpful and constructive, especially as poster's gave you valid reasons why!
I lurk. I snark. I offer sound advice if you're not BSC. You may not like me. I'm okay with it.
No one can force you to do anything you don't want to do, it's your body. Just ensure that you are fully informed of the risks you are taking by going past 42 weeks. If you are comfortable taking those risks then again, it is entirely up to you. I think it's unrealistic to expect people are going to only tell you things that enforce your stance, the majority of women on here are going to give their honest opinion, and yes you won't like them all. That doesn't mean it isn't helpful information. And frankly your medical professionals are the ones with the knowledge, background and research references to provide you with the most current literature on these topics. You can choose not to believe them.
Because the word anecdote generally refers to an amusing or witty story and I find still birth to be neither of them.
Oh And I have mentioned in another thread a reference to my friend's stillbirth so I am well aware of how much of a reality it is but thankyou for your judgement.
anecdote |ˈanikˌdōt|
noun
a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person: told anecdotes about his job | he had a rich store of anecdotes.
Jamie
Anyways, i am sorry for my poor word choice there.