being induced

[2CheekyMonkeys]

well i went to my ob yesterday and had another internal exam that showed nothing much is happening, i am 40 weeks and 4 days now, so was a little disappointed! he scheduled me in for an induction next tuesday the 15th aug when i will be 41 and 2 days. even though it is good to know i will finally meet my little one i am a little scared and apprehensive about having the induction for various reasons. i feel i have no other choice but to do it because they are booked out from wed 16th and i dont really want to let the baby get to 42 weeks due to other possible complications. i am praying that she comes between now and tuesday but it doesnt look like she will. i guess i will just have to look on the bright side and be positive, lots of other women have been induced and been able to cope

[Fi]

Hollo - Sorry to hear this. I was induced at 41 and 4 days, and I really did feel like I couldn't handle anymore, so I hear ya.
What other complications are you worried about? Anything in your family history? If you really dont want to be induced on Tuesday, why not have another chat with the OB about it, and discuss other options. Monitoring and a scan to check fluid levels should all help you get a few more days and avoid the induction - unless of course there are other medical problems.
As you say - many mums get induced, and all mums cope with it in one way or another.
I'm sure your OB wouldn't mind having another chat with you if you are feeling at all unhappy with this decision.

I hope your body kicks into gear and something happens for you anyway. Check out all the natural induction methods - noe of them worked for me, but you might have more luck!

[Kirsty77]

I was induced at 41 weeks and let me tell you it couldn't come quick enough. I had just one lot of the gel and that did the trick. It wasn't as bad as I thought, just the contractions started really quite quickly and intensely is my only complaint!

[BellyBelly]

Hollo - thats a common misconception - everyone thinks they have no choice but the ball is in your court. Would a doctor remove a mole/skin tag from your body without permission? (sorry cant think of a better example!). Same goes with this. Now if that was a cancerous mole, the doctor would say, this looks dangerous, we need to do it now. He wouldn't say, come back in a month when I have a free timeslot for you.

Induction does seem simple from the outside, read the article in my signature and you can read the real complexities of it. It leads to a cascade of interventions - one thing needs another, and another... anyway, it's your decision of course, but don't feel that you have no power. As Fi said, request a post dates scan (even though its term from 38-42 weeks) for fluid/placenta function check and this will be able to see how things are for bubs. 3-5% of babies are born on the estimated date with approx 40% born the two weeks before and 40% the two weeks after. So you have a good chance at labour happening on it's own... acupuncture can be very successful, find yourself a good acupuncturist and see how you go perhaps.

[tan1979]

Hollo, I know exactly how you feel. I've been to see the ob today and am also booked in to be induced Monday when I'll be 41 weeks. What annoyed me the most was that nothing was asked or explained to me, he just booked me in and said to turn up at the hospital first thing Mon morn. I had to ask if it would be the gel that would be used to induce me. I'm also sceptical about it and a little concerned as my baby is not engaged yet and am worried about cord prolapse if my waters are artificially ruptured. I think I'll discuss it with DH tonight and also one of the midwives who I've come to trust and see what they have to say about it. I think Kelly is right about the choice thing, they just assume you are happy unless you jump up and down about it. And if you're a first timer like me, you know no different and just accpet that what they are telling you is the best thing to do. Reading up on it has helped me alot so I'd suggest that and if you are still unsure, ask more questions before hand. Good luck, I hope all goes well, and you never know, something might happen naturally before hand, I sure am crossing my fingers!

[BellyBelly]

Yep tan they are so used to it. And most women will happily accept an induction because:

a) they want the pregnancy over anyway
b) they don't want to seem like a 'disobedient patient' or ask questions
c) they are told it's not safe to continue

There are many reasons why this happens - they manage us because we let them. They aren't used to being told we want otherwise - so we need to get telling them if we truly want the chance at a better outcome. Induction only adds risk to what could be a normal or even natural birth! I think this all comes down to better pre-natal education, reading the right information and empowerment because we crumble thinking we know nothing in comparison to their medical degree.

[Fi]

Tan - I would definitly call your midwife and have a chat about it.
I recently found out that had I called up, my midwife would have performed a stretch and sweep prior to my induction for jenna, which I would have greatly preferred. But I didn't know then! Some of the midwives are sensational, and if you have bonded with one, definitly call up for a chat, or even ask to go in and see her. After hours may be a perfect time if she is a shift worker. Even better - you may strike the chance to have a chat with a few of them at the same time, and anything they can add would help you out.
I think the more help we seek from midwives, the more power we give these men and women, who lets face it - all want to see you have as little intervention as possible! (that way less paperwork for them )

Good luck!

[David Vernon]

There is a lovely story in Men at Birth of a woman who gave birth at 42 weeks and five days, to a perfectly healthy baby. The interesting issue in this story was the sheer amount of pressure the hospital put on the woman and man to have the baby despite their being no evidence whatsoever of a medical reason to do so. There was no placental breakdown, there was no maternal nor child distress. They just wished to do so because that's what the protocol said they should do. And this is evidence based care?

It is quite possible for the pregnancy to be monitored to see if there is a need to induce, but in the vast majority of cases, the baby is induced because of the hospital's protocols, not because of medical need.

The shotgun approach to induction in Australia is one of the reasons for the alarming increase in caesarean sections. Not many obstetricians like to acknowledge that fact!

Remember, it is your body and you are in control.

With very best wishes to you and here's hoping your baby will have an opportunity to arrive when you and it is ready,


David

[2CheekyMonkeys]

thanks for your replies. the other complications i was refering to are the ones i have read about in books. babies born after 42 weeks can be bigger, and have dry skin, and also they could do their first poo in the womb and then could breath this in and get sick. if i dont have the induction on tuesday then i wont be able to have one until the week after which means i will be over 42 weeks by then. of course i would be allowing the extra days for baby to come when she chooses but then again she may not choose and i will have to be induced anyway! ahhh, its a hard choice! thanks though.

[Goof]

With DS i went over, 41 weeks. The doc told me that he was going to induce me the next day, but he gave me a stretch and sweep and i went into labour naturally at 4am the next morning. Did your OB do a stretch and sweep? Maybe you could ask for one.

I was induced with my DD. but she was 6 weeks prem and i had to have my waters broken, :eek: boy that wasn't good. And the drip put in. (They only use gel if you are at your due date i think.) The best thing i did was have an epidural. On the machine my contractions were coming thick and fast but i didn't feel a thing. It was all over in 4 hours. best decision i ever made with the epi. (not everyone wants on of those though!)

Anyways, best of luck and i hope your bundle comes sooner rather than later

[BellyBelly]

Which books have you read? Maybe the baby is coming on time but our dates were miscalculated? Maybe babies born before 42 are actually small? Who knows - there are far too may inductions these days to know real averages

The last birth I attended, she was 40 weeks and when her waters broke, there was brown staining. So the baby had passed meconium (poo) and it wasn't fresh as it's normally green - it had turned brown due to having been there for a little while. No-one would have known this should her waters have remained in tact. She went into labour spontaneously, they let her labour on her own still, without the drip until things started slowing down - it was a long birth. They have paeds come in to check the baby in this instance after it is born and they suction the nose and mouth if need be, to prevent inhalation at birth. But this doesn't happen all the time! It is more common in longer labours and this had been going on for days.

It's just one of those things, Elijah was born 5lbs 15oz and was about 9 days early I think. I doubt that in 2-3 weeks he would have grown to 8 or 9 pounds. So it's all very well and good to say they are bigger - yes they are a week or two bigger than what they would have been at say 40 weeks (they dont have hugely accelerated growth at this stage though!), but that doesn't mean they are going to be more developmentally mature. If a baby is not ready to come, maybe it knows it hasn't quite done it's time yet? If you are 41 weeks now, I don't think your bubs will do a huge amount of growing in one week. Trust your body and your baby to do this! 42 weeks is still classed as term and when you reach that with no labour yet, perhaps you can ask for a stretch and sweep as a first instance thing. It's MUCH better than having artificial oxytocin in your body.