So because of my GD the ob has said he MAY recommend me being induced from 38 weeks.
So i really really dont want to be induced, mainly because of how much more complex and painful it can make a birth. Now i trust what the doctor will work out, but i am just wondering if there is a way of me being able to "induce" myself naturally as the time gets closer?
Not around that gestation unless your body and baby are already ready to go. Any form of premature induction (and by premature, I mean before your body and baby are ready) will carry the risk of being more painful, more difficult and riskier. Is your OB helping you to manage your GD? Is everything under control with it right now? Is the answer is yes, I'd be very reluctant to be induced for what sounds like procedures sake. In answer to your thread title, the best way to get around an induction is to refuse it.
I agree with PZ. I was induced with DD1 when I was 40+4 and it was an extremely long, drawn out process because she simply wasn't ready, and that was even when she was technically overdue.
I too would be wanting a very good reason as to why he wanted to induce you around the 38 week mark - something far more involved than simply "because you have GD". A gf of mine had her bub in January and she was 39 weeks with GD. DS was born just over 3kgs so a diagnosis of GD doesn't necessarily mean a big baby. So long as your amniotic fluid levels are good, you're ok and bubs isn't stressed I don't see the point. Women who don't have GD relatively regularly give birth to 4.5kg + bubbas.
with the GD, you are definitely able to ask for extra monitoring in the latter stages of PG rather than opting for an induction. fwiw, with my DS i was offered induction at 38 weeks but said i would prefer until i hit the 40 weeks. i ended up being induced right on 40 weeks & while the outcome wasn't too bad (had an assisted vaginal delivery - with forceps), it still wasn't what i had hoped & it would have been a c-section if the forceps hadn't worked.
this time round i found they were far more relaxed with both me & my GD - levels still controlled (with insulin) but they seemed to trust that i wasn't such a high risk because i'd had a vaginal birth previously that was considered fairly stock standard. this time i had my DD on my due date but i avoided the hospital induction it would seem by getting gastro which put me into labour (i was booked in for an induction the following week but managed to escape it!)
are you insulin-dep for the GD? that's when they are a little more wary but it depends on how many units of insulin a day you're on. i would suggest that you speak to the ob & ask under what circumstances he would want to induce at 38 weeks. bearing in mind too that scans at this stage in PG are notoriously unreliable. if your BSLs are good, you're not on a big dose of insulin & you can have monitoring, then i'd be inclined to say you'd rather wait. especially if you've had stress-free previous PG/births.
you can use raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil, clary sage etc but i'm inclined to think these things only work if your body is getting ready anyway.
fwiw, i don't recommend gastro to help induce you especially not when the whole family gets it & no one has any sleep for 48 hours before trying to push out a baby
not too long to go now - good luck (and feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about the GD stuff)
I was induced with my first b.c we went way overdue. I remember that the Dr said he 'thought' they might be able to break my waters, after two rounds of the gel. Looking back, I don't think the cervix was ripe at all and I felt I was just being pushed through. The drip was full on, majorly intense from the start and I had a reaction to it and vomited from the minute they hooked it up. So, if they do induce you, make sure that your cervix is ripe before they even try to induce you further. More gel or more time for the gel to take effect.
Alternatively, I would definately recommend acupuncture to get things going more naturally. I saw my acu last night and the local hospital refer women to her, b.c she's got a good success rate of getting women into labour. Even if you see somebody to try and get your body more ready to go into labour. There's also some acupressure points that you could get your DP or DH to massage (it's not pleasant, as they're quite tender), Do a google search and there's a few videos on youtube showing you where to massage, such as near the ankle. That's why a lot of places won't give you a massage in first trimester, as they don't want to press the wrong points and bring on a miscarriage.
Good luck and I hope you get into labour naturally
You can try sex, jumping up and down, acupuncture, etc, but ultimately if your baby and body aren't ready, then they won't work. You never know, though, you may be ready at around the 38 week mark anyway.
Can you find out other options - such as increased monitoring from 38 weeks?
I hope things go well for you!
I too have GD and I am still diet controlled no insulin! This is also my third pregnancy but my first time with GD so I have done a lot of research into induction. At my 36 week check up the doctor said I wouldn't be induced unless I went the usual 10 days over my due date.
They did an ultrasound and said the baby is already roughly weighing in at 3.7kg and has a massive head (lol) Even with bubs being on the larger side they are happy to let me be!
I personally was ready to refuse induction anyway if they had of suggested it, I have birthed 2 babies spontaneously naturally drug free before and they were both 3.7 and 3.9kg so I don't have small babies anyway! Unless your sugar levels are sky high and the placenta is not functioning as it should then there is no reason to be induced from all the research I have done!
I tried EVERYTHING with DD and nothing worked, even 2 doses of the prostaglandin gel did nothing, and I was told to go to bed for AROM in the morning. 14hours after the gel I SROMd and went from 1cm to 9 in an hour.
I was 41+3, birthed at 41+4.
I really think that it cant be rushed if bubs isnt ready.
Hope your GD is under control and you get the birth you want!
I agree with the PP. GD shouldn't be the reason for induction if your GD is well controlled and your baby isn't at risk of macrosomia. I would ask for extra monitoring and wait until 40 weeks before you discuss induction.
I had GD with #1 and Went into labour naturally at 39 weeks 2 days and had a normal sized baby. My GD was controlled with diet and exercise so there was no need to even discuss induction. I would refuse it unless your OB can give you a good reason why..
My sister had GD and she went into spontaneous labour at 40+11 (or 12?). She was very strict about her diet and managing the GD, though it does get harder and harder near the end.
Every time the OBs at her hospital tried to medicalise the birth she just brushed them off "Of course I'll still have the baby at the birth centre", "Yes this baby probbaly is big, my first one was and I birthed her fine", "No, I'm perfectly happy going to 42 weeks thanks" etc. Educate yourself and just state calmly what you want to do. When you're actually stating the safest things for mother & baby then my sister found at least that the OBs never argued with her. She said they seemed a little bemused at times because normally the the conversation would go "You need to be induced" "Oh, okay". They didn't mind her saying she had other plans, but you need to state them and not take everything the OB says as fact.
Avoiding being Induced (advice wanted)
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(i was booked in for an induction the following week but managed to escape it!)
(and feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about the GD stuff)
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