My due date is tomorrow and if baby hasn't decided to come by 1:30 (my appt time) I need to decide when I want to schedule an induction. My OB will let me go to 41 weeks, no later. So here are my concerns and questions.
Just so you know, my first came 10 days early. My water broke, I progressed quickly, and delivered her naturally about 4 hours later. It was so fast and easy! I was just expecting this one to come much the same way, so this is really taken a toll on me this week.
Concerns about inducing: It's not natural and I fear that my highly envisioned short labor will be long and painful and I'm going to want to give in to an epidural. Also the risk, although small, of there being complications or possibly needing a c-section.
Concerns about waiting: I'm sooo uncomfortable! I'm worried that the baby is going to be to large for me to deliver naturally (I tore pretty badly with DD and she was average size). Also, I'd hate to "wait it out" until the 25th, then have to be induced anyway.
Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences or anything I'm not considering. Thanks!
UPDATE!
Just wanted to let you know that Carly Josephine arrived ON HER OWN on saturday at 40w 5d. Labor was quick, drug free, and with a few pushes she was out and perfectly healthy. Thank you all for you support!!!!
Fishie Kisses
04-17-2011, 04:08 PM
I'm curious, why will your dr not let you go past 41 weeks?? I would insist on NSTs long before induction. I can comfortably go to 43 weeks with my dr before he gets concerned. I very strongly urge AGAINST induction unless there is a real medical reason. The contractions with Pitocin are INTENSE. And what IF your dates were a bit off? You may not even actually be due yet.
cheezpoofs
04-17-2011, 04:14 PM
I'm against elective inductions that are not for medical necessity. If it makes you feel any better, my original due date was March twenty-ninth and I'm still waiting for my baby to make his/ her appearance. My adjusted due date was April first, but either way, I've been waiting a long time for this little one. Inductions are one intervention that will make other interventions more likely; so if you truly want a natural birth, I advise that you do not have an induction unless it becomes medically needed. Your doctor can't FORCE you to have an induction even at forty-one weeks and you always have the right to refuse one. I'm sure your little one will be here soon. They can't stay in there forever. :2cents:
kannondicarpo
04-17-2011, 04:14 PM
nak
My first was 11 days early.
My second was 5 days "late".
My third was 13 days "late".
I'm working on be pregnant forever!!! :giggle:
Hang in there mama. All of mine were born naturally and on their own time. I understand how you feel. I was starting to go crazy this last time but she came covered in vernix. Not at all what I was expecting for almost 2 weeks "late". Try to distract yourself, enjoy your little one while she is your "only" for these last few days. :wub:
:hugs: mama. I'm rooting for you! :)
kannondicarpo
04-17-2011, 04:17 PM
If you need some inspiration -- my birth stories are linked in my signature.
I'm against elective inductions that are not for medical necessity. If it makes you feel any better, my original due date was March twenty-ninth and I'm still waiting for my baby to make his/ her appearance. My adjusted due date was April first, but either way, I've been waiting a long time for this little one. Inductions are one intervention that will make other interventions more likely; so if you truly want a natural birth, I advise that you do not have an induction unless it becomes medically needed. Your doctor can't FORCE you to have an induction even at forty-one weeks and you always have the right to refuse one. I'm sure your little one will be here soon. They can't stay in there forever. :2cents:
:hugs: mama. It'll be SO worth your wait. :goodvibes: You are a rockstar!
AcrossTheUniverse
04-17-2011, 04:29 PM
I would wait it out as long as possible. Inductions are no picnic, the contractions feel differently, and if your body isn't ready your labor will be longer (I've had 2 inductions with baby #1 and baby #4 for medical reasons). If you've already made it to 40 weeks chances are you will be seeing your baby soon, and if you wait a bit longer you will get the birth experience you want. I also firmly believe that babies know when they are ready to be born, and if your LO hasn't kicked in the labor process yet, he/she still needs some cooking.
I would try to focus on getting to 41 weeks mama, and maybe encourage your body with natural methods (evening primrose oil, red raspberry leaf tea, nipple stimulation, etc...). If you are still pregnant at 41 weeks then you can re-evaluate if an induction is really necessary or if you are willing to give your body more time.
My 2nd came on her own 12 days early, and my 3rd came on his own 2 days late! Every baby is different!
cheezpoofs
04-17-2011, 04:29 PM
If you need some inspiration -- my birth stories are linked in my signature.
:hugs: mama. It'll be SO worth your wait. :goodvibes: You are a rockstar!
:blush: Thank you! I'm trying to be a rock star for my baby's health and my own. I want a natural homebirth and I am doing everything in my power to ensure that I get just that (barring any medical problems). I just know that waiting until he or she is ready is best and though it's hard to be patient, I just have to wait until baby is ready and decides to be born. I had a fantastic labor and delivery with my son and he was born at forty-two weeks plus three. I never expected this little one to be early either. My kids just take a little longer to reach their beautiful perfection than the "average" forty weeks. :surrender: I know it will be totally worth it.
Ellasundies
04-17-2011, 04:29 PM
Concerns about waiting: I'm sooo uncomfortable! I'm worried that the baby is going to be to large for me to deliver naturally (I tore pretty badly with DD and she was average size). Also, I'd hate to "wait it out" until the 25th, then have to be induced anyway.
Just because you tore with #1 doesn't mean you will with #2. I also think the whole 'baby will be too large if you go past due so you should induce' is a very poor one. Babies growth slows down a LOT at this point in your pregnancy, in fact babies can even start to loose weight while in there (obviously you don't want them to loose a ton which is why you want to start doing NST's at that point). So it's a poor reason for an induction IMHO.
I personally would start doing NST's and refuse an induction unless you start to see some problems. Pitocin contractions are NOT fun I would avoid it at all costs.
AcrossTheUniverse
04-17-2011, 04:32 PM
I agree about the tearing. I tore with my first who weighed 8lbs 5oz, but not with my third who weighed nearly 11lbs. You just never know!
misskira
04-17-2011, 04:39 PM
I agreed to induction with my first. They thought he was close to 11 pounds. It was my first and while I was educated and knew about interventions and such, I agreed to the induction 10 days before my EDD. My body wasn't ready, I never could get into "active" labor, and I ended with a csection. And he was under 9 pounds by the way. I know lots of women have successful inductions, but the likelihood of csection does statistically go way up.
This time I'm only 38.5 weeks and I'm already having to fight off one CNM (out of a practice of 6) and the consulting OB to schedule my section. :( It sucks. I really wish I hadn't agreed to that first induction.
Fishie Kisses
04-17-2011, 04:40 PM
I agree about the tearing. I tore with my first who weighed 8lbs 5oz, but not with my third who weighed nearly 11lbs. You just never know!
I tore with my first who weighed 7lbs exactly...not with my 2nd who weighed 8lbs 10oz!! TBH, it has absolutely nothing to do with their "size". It's head circumference aand how they come out. Heck, DS2 was nearly 2lbs heavier but I didn't even have to push with him
USMCgirl_05
04-17-2011, 04:40 PM
I have had 2 inductions and I would definitely not choose it on purpose :hugs: It was very scary for me and the contractions with pit are very intense! Remember any time you start intervening with the body's natural processes there is a higher chance of more and more intervention being needed.
I am already sick of being pregnant and I'm only halfway there! I know how uncomfortable it is, it really does suck. But you are SO close! I would not even schedule one at 41 weeks, your OB has no right to tell you when to have a baby. Unless there are other medical concerns that come into play.
TwinKristi
04-17-2011, 04:57 PM
I've always been one to support "waiting it out" until my neighbor and friend lost her baby almost 6wks ago. She was induced at 42wks and I guess there was a cord compression issue during the delivery and they lost the baby. That's one of the risks with overdue babies.
I would look at what your bishop's score is come 41wks and go from there. If you're favorable than it might be an easy induction and everyone is happy. If you're unsure on your dates or truly unfavorable than that's something else to consider completely.
Good luck!!
justineybean
04-17-2011, 04:58 PM
:hugs: What a hard decision. I was induced at 41w5d. This time I am determined to go to 42 weeks before we start talking induction (although my care providers will do NST at 41 weeks just to be sure everything is okay). My induction was by breaking my water which really got my labor going although it slowed a lot about 15 hours later and then I got pitocin for a few hours before DS was born. I honestly think if we had waited a day or two he probably would have come on his own. I'm hoping to wait until 42 weeks this time (actually, I hope LO will come on his/her own before then). I agree with PP, you are so close! Hang in there and try to wait as long as you can to avoid induction, assuming everything is okay with your baby.
Mirasmom
04-17-2011, 05:23 PM
Just a thought- chances are if you ARE induced this time, it does NOT mean a longer labor. Your body has already done it once and it will open up faster....They'll break your water before they start pitocin...however, it IS much more painful and you might want an epidural....just some things to consider. You could always see, if you do choose induction, if they would just break your bag of waters and WAIT on the pitocin if you don't go into labor on your own after that? Just a thought.
rachelmaria
04-17-2011, 05:37 PM
I'm an advocate of natural birth. Granted I've only got one birth under my belt, unlike most of yall ;), but I did a ton of reading, and read nothing positive about inductions. As for the weight of the child and tearing, my thinking is this: if your child gains weight at the end of pregnancy, it's not on it's head or shoulders -- it's fat on it's thighs or something of that nature. I tore pretty darn bad and my girl was born two days "early" (which is uncommon for a first baby, usually).
As for your doctor giving you an ultimatum, I'd not be frequenting that OB any longer. He/she should know that the typical gestation period for humans is around between 38-42 weeks, so forcing a baby out at 41 weeks could be too early for your wee one. He/she will come when it's ready. ;)
:hugs: I sympathize with discomfort. My ENTIRE pregnancy was very uncomfortable. :giggle2:
kts1120
04-17-2011, 06:35 PM
Wow, ladies! Thanks for all the input. My OB doesn't think that I'll make it to 41 weeks anyway, but this baby has shown no interest in being born. My cervix is still pretty high.
Question: What is NST? I'll ask about that at my appt tomorrow and about seeing if they will break my water.
I know that she mentioned starting with cervadil the night before and seeing if that gets things started before they do the pitocin, but I hadn't thought about them just breaking my water.
Ellasundies
04-17-2011, 06:59 PM
I would certainly think twice before having them attempt at starting an induction by breaking my water.
You may or may not end up with more gentle contractions (compared to pitocin) but the problem with breaking waters is that you end up on the hospitals clock. Most hospitals will only let you labor for so long after breaking your water before they say you need a c-section due to risks of infection.
Personally if I HAD to go with an induction I would prefer very low doses of pit and see how that goes.
Ellasundies
04-17-2011, 07:00 PM
Oh and NST stands for Non Stress Test. It's a test they do on babies to determine if they are stressed in utero or not.
kts1120
04-17-2011, 07:10 PM
I would certainly think twice before having them attempt at starting an induction by breaking my water.
You may or may not end up with more gentle contractions (compared to pitocin) but the problem with breaking waters is that you end up on the hospitals clock. Most hospitals will only let you labor for so long after breaking your water before they say you need a c-section due to risks of infection.
Personally if I HAD to go with an induction I would prefer very low doses of pit and see how that goes.
OH! Hadn't thought about that. There is so much to think about!
I just had a nice bowl of ice cream and am heading to bed. Baby is moving like crazy so maybe something will get started down there. I'll update tomorrow after my appt.
Mama_scoutski
04-17-2011, 07:19 PM
All of this advice is AWESOME! I would look into the stats of inductions leading to cSections... I heard recently it was OVER 40%. So... yes that isn't fun. I have not been induced, but I have talked to many moms, and they have said it is way more INTENSE with the Pit, and it is very easy to opt for epidural or whatever other drug. I have only known one mama to go on pit without the ep, and the labor was from start to finish, 1.5 hours.
Remember, once you start interevening on such a natural process.... It usually continues.
And, if your OB drops your care after 41 weeks... who cares? when you go into labor... go to the hos after your labor has progressed, chances are the same OB will be delivering the baby anyway. That's what I would do.... actually I would probably have an unassisted delivery at home :giggle2:
Mirasmom
04-17-2011, 07:28 PM
All of this advice is AWESOME! I would look into the stats of inductions leading to cSections... I heard recently it was OVER 40%. So... yes that isn't fun. I have not been induced, but I have talked to many moms, and they have said it is way more INTENSE with the Pit, and it is very easy to opt for epidural or whatever other drug. I have only known one mama to go on pit without the ep, and the labor was from start to finish, 1.5 hours.
Remember, once you start interevening on such a natural process.... It usually continues.
And, if your OB drops your care after 41 weeks... who cares? when you go into labor... go to the hos after your labor has progressed, chances are the same OB will be delivering the baby anyway. That's what I would do.... actually I would probably have an unassisted delivery at home :giggle2:
Most of that info is on FIRST TIME vaginal births. Just FYI. :goodvibes:
I also can't understand why if you've already had a vag birth why would you need cervadil.....has the dr been checking you?? Almost all births after the first the cervix will already be soft and somewhat dilated and won't require a cervical ripening agent....
misskira
04-17-2011, 07:33 PM
Another possible method is a foley bulb induction if you aren't too far dilated for it. I'll be asking to go that route before an automatic csection (no pit induction due to vbac). If the foley bulb works, then I'll allow them to break my water if needed. Last time I had 2 does of cytotec for induction then they broke my water. It didn't do much for me. I never got to pit since they wouldn't let me eat and they were still concerned with size. But one of the drawbacks to them breaking my water before I really got into labor was that I was "on the clock". Which was another reason we didn't due pit... I only had 8 hours before they started to get anxious about the broken water timeline. Sigh. So many factors in all of these decisions, wouldn't a crystal ball be nice?
Mirasmom has a good point about this not being your first... your body knows what labor is and will hopefully respond better than a first time mom's.
dornmama
04-17-2011, 07:33 PM
I've always been one to support "waiting it out" until my neighbor and friend lost her baby almost 6wks ago. She was induced at 42wks and I guess there was a cord compression issue during the delivery and they lost the baby. That's one of the risks with overdue babies.
I would look at what your bishop's score is come 41wks and go from there. If you're favorable than it might be an easy induction and everyone is happy. If you're unsure on your dates or truly unfavorable than that's something else to consider completely.
Good luck!!
:hugs: Just some food for thought but pitocin contractions are MUCH harder on the baby then natural contractions. Add that to the fact that they probably broke her water to "speed things along" and you've got the recipe for what caused their poor babies death. Not saying it wouldn't have happened if she had been allowed to go into labor naturally but unfortunately she'll never know now. I had a full term stillbirth that may or may not have been prevented by allowing myself to be induced before he passed away. That's a pain I will have to live with for the rest of my life but even with that I would never suggest a mama get an unnecessary induction unless NST's (or mama instinct) proved it warranted. :hugs:
doubleddog
04-17-2011, 08:06 PM
I would certainly think twice before having them attempt at starting an induction by breaking my water.
You may or may not end up with more gentle contractions (compared to pitocin) but the problem with breaking waters is that you end up on the hospitals clock. Most hospitals will only let you labor for so long after breaking your water before they say you need a c-section due to risks of infection.
Personally if I HAD to go with an induction I would prefer very low doses of pit and see how that goes.
I agree with this. There are a lot of risks that come into play with breaking water early in labor. Besides being on the clock, there is just a generally higher risk of infection, so you may be pressured to be on antibiotics. There is also a risk that when they go to break your water the cord will come out before the baby, in which case they have to immediately rush you to surgery before the baby suffocates. So, multiple reasons for your chance of having a c-section to go up.
Personally, I have never had a truly natural delivery. I am proud of how I did when I delivered DD, but hope to do better this time. She was born after my labor stalled out at home in an attempted home birth with suspected broken waters (although I don't think I was ever tested to see if it really broke) and I transferred to the hospital and was given pit to get things rolling again. They gave it to me very gradually and I don't think the contractions were that bad. When things kicked into gear they shut the pit off and I labored on my own. Given, it was my first baby so there was nothing to compare that birth to, but I managed fine and really don't think the contractions fit the description that a lot of other people have of horrifying inductions. I had a great experience and never used any pain meds at all. With the exception of the pit it was totally natural. I moved around a lot in labor, had wonderful nurses and doctors and overall a wonderful experience.
After that experience I have mixed feelings this time around. I know that an induction can be a fairly pleasant experience. I know it is possible to avoid an epidural and other pain meds during an induction. But at the same time, I am having a REALLY hard time trusting my body this time. I can't wrap my mind around the idea that my body knows how to go into labor and get all the way to the end on it's own. I don't think I'll be over that hurdle until after the baby is born when I realize that I did it because that's something I've never been through before. For that reason I really really really want to avoid an induction with this birth. I need to know that I am capable of going into labor on my own. Also, there are some things I wasn't told ahead, like that jaundice is more common in pit babies. Not a fun thing to have to worry about in those first few days.
Hope that helps. Basically, I can't tell you what to do, but I hope my experience helps your decision-making process easier.
Loveme2x
04-17-2011, 08:57 PM
Ugh! With my first, my OB insisted on scheduling an induction for 41 weeks, too! My pregnancy was completely medically unremarkable. I scheduled it, and spent weeks completely paranoid about it. When his office called to reschedule for a day sooner (guess that date didn't work for OB, beca]se it's all about him afterall) I said "sure" but in that moment I had already decided that I would absolutely NOT be showing up. I was too ticked off to even courteously decline, I figured my jerk OB could just it there and wait for me at the hospital...:giggle2: Fortunately, DS came on his own 5 days 'early' and intervention-free.
This pregnancy, my m/w suggested NSTs as well as biophysical profiles if I go past 40 weeks, so you may ask about both. Good luck, hoping you're in labor now or very soon!
Mamatoabunch
04-18-2011, 09:31 AM
Starting an induction w/ breaking waters and possibly pit, will make it very hard on you and your baby. Also, breaking waters can lock baby into a less favorable position, especially being limited to bed.
hilaryisinked
04-18-2011, 09:47 AM
I'm curious, why will your dr not let you go past 41 weeks?? I would insist on NSTs long before induction. I can comfortably go to 43 weeks with my dr before he gets concerned. I very strongly urge AGAINST induction unless there is a real medical reason. The contractions with Pitocin are INTENSE. And what IF your dates were a bit off? You may not even actually be due yet.
:yeahthat: I was induced and I will never do that again unless I'm like 43 weeks. It puts you at a greater risk for a c-section and induced contractions are really bad.
CamilikinsMama
04-18-2011, 12:56 PM
Just wanted to say that the few days AFTER my due date were my most patient days of waiting for DS :) Hugs mama, that babe will be here soon!
purna079
04-18-2011, 01:10 PM
nak
. Try to distract yourself, enjoy your little one while she is your "only" for these last few days. :wub:
:hugs: mama. I'm rooting for you! :)
This is what Im trying to do :)
Sent from my iPad using DS Forum
kts1120
04-18-2011, 01:19 PM
Okay, just returned from the OB and am feeling SO much better! I am dilated between 2-3 cm (I've been barely 1 for weeks). My cervix is still far back, but the doctor expects me to go on my own in the next few days.
They did go ahead and schedule the induction for next Monday (41 weeks), but I'll deal with that if I need to.
I finally feel that my body is doing what it's supposed to!!! Thanks for all the support and I'll let you know when it's go time.
tygr2410
04-18-2011, 07:14 PM
Yay! You're making progress! It's only a matter of time so hang in there :)
And as for ur doc "not letting" you go past 41w... They can't drop you, and certainly can't force you, so don't feel like u have to.
(and my cervix always stays way back till active labor so I don't think it moving forward is a huge indicator)
