As Audax says, there are actually increased risks of older mothers having sleeping babies so his concern is not completely unjustified.
Having said that, I had DD1 at 37, DD2 at 38 and am almost 42 for this baby. I was induced with DD1 due to my blood pressure but DD2 was 9 days overdue with absolutely not discussion of induction. The only talk of induction this time - and that "induction" is going no further than rupturing membranes - has been because I'm concerned about not getting to the hospital on time and giving birth in the car. At no stage has my OB suggested that because of my age I should not go overdue.
Speak to your OB and voice your concerns. If you do go ahead with the induction, then all I can say is that mine was long and very drawn out. I chose the speed at which things progressed, and you should too. I wanted to give my baby every chance of being born with minimal intervention. You need to keep moving as much as you can, tell them you want cordless monitoring that allows you to stay on your feet moving, in the shower etc. If that's not possible (and I don't know why it wouldn't be), then tell them you will not submit to constant monitoring but will return to your bed every X minutes for checking but in the meantime you will remain mobile. You can choose the speed of your drip. You can choose how long you wait for that drip to be inserted from insertion of gels and membrane rupturing. Even if you go ahead with the induction, YOU are still in control.
I agree with your sentiments 100%. I will do anything and have any level of intervention that my OB tells me is medically required for the health and safety of me and/or my baby but having had an induction and a natural, drug free birth I would strongly suggest you try to avoid an induction if you can.
this is going to sound ridiculous (and if you knew me outside of being pregnant you would be amazed!) but I never even considered saying 'no'. how stupid do I feel??? this pregnancy has made me too soft !! ;-)
Right, so next visit (which is likely to be a different doctor anyway as every time it is a different one) I will be armed with a list of what I want to happen, or not happen and will challenge what they tell me. I have told DP what i want in terms of drugs and intevention but I know as soon as he sees me in pain he will want them to make it stop, so I had better make it clear to the doctors!
I talked to DP about being induced and he felt the same way as me. If the lodger wasnt ready to come out, making him come out early didnt feel right. I want my cervix to have as much time as it needs to fulfil its job. drips freak me out and putting anything in my spine makes me feel queasy, but if it comes down to it and there are problems, I will allow it all. I cant beleive I didnt think I could say no...........
Thanks to all of you for your replies. I was feeling a little overwhelmed and as usual BB has given me some knowledge and confidence to go forth with :-) thanks all!
It's not ridiculous, you just were bombarded with an ultimatum and you needed time to process it!
Definately make it clear to your DH, Drs & write a birth plan and give it to the hospital with backup copies in your birth bag. GL
Stick to your guns & make sure you let them know exactly what you're thinking next time you see them.
If they insist on induction make sure you find out what they are planning to do... gels? breaking your waters? drip? etc. So then you can make a fully informed decision. Go in armed with a list of questions, I know I always forget so I write them down & take them with me.
Calmbirth can be applied to inductions & c/s too. So speak to the person you did Calmbirth through, they'll be able to give you a hand with that if you need it. It's more just about the breathing & keeping focused, so will benefit you whatever happens.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks