Induction dates - how to choose?

juneandboo · January 2016

Hi ladies,
Tomorrow (1/21) is my due date. I'm 1cm dilated, 50% effaced, and all levels/heart rate is looking normal. I'm having some contractions and cramping, but so far baby just seems pretty comfortable.
If baby doesn't come on his own, doc wants to induce either on 1/27 or on 2/1. On 1/27, I'll be just shy of 41 weeks; on 2/1 I'll be 41 1/2 weeks. I know it's not a huge time difference, but....given the choice, would you choose the earlier date or the later date for being induced? I can't decide. Part of me wants baby out like, now, but the other part really wants to give baby as much time as possible to get the ball rolling naturally if possible (and being scared of labor doesn't help matters either, of course.) Thoughts? Earlier induction date or later?

EC2016 · January 2016

That's a personal decision. I tend to lean towards wanting baby to come on their own. Pitocin just does not sound fun to me. A lot can happen in a week though. If you're having contractions and cramps you could dialate over night. You never know.

BBEA2006 · January 2016

Maybe you can book the earlier date, see how your cervix looks and then if you don't seem favorable, push it back? I want a natural wate birth but I don't know that I have the willpower to pick a later date if given the option! Lol

melturz · January 2016

I was induced on 1/4. Pitocin is definitely not fun. I was having 2 contractions in a row, a minute rest, then 2 more in a row. I lasted for 3 hours of that before I got the epidural. I was very happy to have my little man here, but I wonder if I would have had an easier time with labor if I had done it naturally.

maureenmce · January 2016

I'm potentially dealing with this issue as well. My doctor has offered to induce at 39, 40 or 41 weeks, based on my sciatic nerve pain, but after a lot of looking into induction, I want to wait for the 41 week option and hope that labor will start on its own, naturally. This is just a personal preference, but from what I've read, for the most part, induced births are longer (just the cervadil process takes 12 hours!) and can be tougher on mom and baby, pitocin contractions wise. So, if I can hold out til 41 and extend my chance for labor to start on its own, I'm gonna try for that.

Of course, there are a million important medical reasons to get induced earlier, if you have to, so this is no judgment on anyone who chooses to be induced earlier! But if there's no major difference in terms of your health/comfort and the baby's health/comfort, I'd pick the later date and hope things get rolling on their own, in hopes it would be a quicker, easier labor. Just my two cents!

kmo8986 · January 2016

I was induced with my first because my water broke with no contractions. The labor was 26 hours and my epidural never worked. It was long and hard and I was so afraid for delivery this time. This time I went into labor on my own (only 2 days gestationally longer than my first) and I was in labor for 8 hours total. It was a breeze by comparison. I would definitely air on the side of later in hopes the baby comes on their own.

I know that is easy for me to say because I am not still pregnant, but if I were in your shoes I would have to make that call.

OrangeFox · January 2016

If you have the willpower and your babe is healthy seems like a good idea to go for the later date. In the long run you body and baby know what they need and are doing things the way they want. It is hard to not want to get things going and see baby sooner, but maybe baby just needs a few more days to develop on the inside.

Seems like if you choose the later date you have a much higher chance of going into labor on your own and not needing to wait that long anyway.

Good luck. I don't envy your decision.

sallyjackson1981 · January 2016

Likewise agree with the posts above...definitely your choice on what is best for you, but generally it is recommended to hold out as long as you can before induction unless there is a valid medical reason. Induced births tend to be more painful and can place more stress on the baby due to more intense contractions/birthing when baby might not be ready. And therefore leads to increased risk of intervention such as forceps, ventouse or even c section if baby becomes distressed.

BarrettJ89 · January 2016

I was so miserable due to my sciatic and worried that I would end up hurting myself, DS, or the unborn baby because my leg kept going out from under me that when my doctor asked how long I'd like to wait, I looked at my imaginary watch and asked if we could induce the prior day. He laughed and set it up for that weekend. I had Cervadil and Pitocin this time around. Pitocin was definitely not fun, but it got the job done. After scheduling the date, my anxiety went through the roof wondering if I was doing the right thing. Baby and I are both perfectly healthy. It's really a personal decision... Talk it over with your husband and doctor. Really think over the pros and cons, and go with your gut.

@maureenmce the sciatica completely vanished the second the baby was out. I've had no problems since she was born!

SummerOH · January 2016

I'm due 1/21 too. We won't be inducing until the first week of Feb. I was induced with my previous two and, while they were smooth inductions, I definitely want to avoid another if possible. The longer you wait, the better chance you have of a successful induction.

maureenmce · January 2016

@BarrettJ89 - Ah, that is SO good to hear! I'm happy for you and cannot wait to have this pain gone!

MeghaJake · January 2016

I was just induced today with my third. My due date is tomorrow. I was really nervous and wanted to call the whole thing off. It started with pitocin. My doctor broke my water soon after. Baby was born 6.5 hours after I arrived at the hospital.

Stcooper28 · January 2016

This is so funny because I am going thru the same thing with the same dates! I was due 1/20 and I choose 1/27. I want to give baby extra time but not enough to get overly large as I have a history of big babies in the family. Good luck!

Mommyduclos · January 2016

I was induced even though I was really hoping he'd come on his own before- medical reasons. I was so nervous from all the awful things I'd heard about inductions, but I did 2 rounds of cytotec, a foley bulb, and then they broke my water. My labor was very smooth and I didn't have to get pitocin at all! I was so pleased. That being said induction will go better the more ready your body is. Those interventions pushed my body into labor but others may need a bigger push. So I think the later date is great generally because not only do you give your body more time to do it on it's own but you also give your body more time to get ready and improve your chances for a smooth, easy induction. But honestly with either you aren't looking at an early induction so I don't think either option is bad.

l4rk · January 2016

I'm 40w4 and I'm planning on inducing at 41w5 if baby doesn't come by then. Given that due dates are just estimates, it blows my mind that people are so fast to plan induction right when 40 hits if there's no real medical reason to do so. 40 weeks is the most likely date a baby will be born (statistically) but you still have a normal, natural range that goes 1-2 weeks before and after that date.

mamabear89071516 · January 2016

I have until Wednesdsy then they will schedule an induction for me. My office won't let me go much past 41 weeks... I think I'll push for as far out as they will let me, unless a NST or ultrasound show he's getting too big...

jrouge12 · January 2016

Not a fan of inducing too soon unless there is a medical reason for it. My doctor won't induce until I'm just about 42 weeks. It means I have 2 nst appointments this week to make sure baby is ok. If baby isn't ready, who am I to rush her? So I'm putting my feet up, making headbands, planning a newborn shoot and browsing birth announcements in between naps.

stephanienjer · January 2016

I was induced at 41 weeks, because I could no longer walk without pain. Like you, I was hardly dilated at all at .5 cm. My doctor chose to use a cervical balloon with a very low dose of Pitocin. (He explained that the normal amount can be as high as 20 units, and he never got me above 6. He said the balloon would be in for 12 hours, but my water broke on its own about 6 hours in.
The balloon felt foreign at first, but then, unless I had to go to the bathroom, I forgot it was there. It felt like a more natural way to get things going. I never had severe pain from the small amount of Pitocin I had, either. I had complications later, with a nerve issue, but there is no indication that it wouldn't have happened if we had let things go naturally.

Karenin · January 2016

I'd go with whichever date had the OB from my practice I preferred! If I end up induced that's how I'm picking the date. I also know someone who works at my hospital who can tell me when the best anesthesiologists are working so I will try to get my favorite OB and the best anesthesiologist.

lrayas · January 2016

@stephanienjer thanks for posting this. I am scheduled to be induced tomorrow and am trying to remain as calm as possible. Reading positive induction stories is really helpful.

Induction dates - how to choose?

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