Dr wants to induce. What are my rights

[Fire Fly]

Ok, heres the story.
I have antibodies in my blood from a blood transfusion back when i was 7. This has made me similar to a Rhesus Negative person. So with my last two pregnancys ive had to have monthly bloods and ultrasounds done to make sure bub isnt anaemic and my blood levels stay stable. Both pregnancys have been fine with no change in levels (both meaning my second child and current pg).
So i had an appointment yesterday as im down to weekly and the Dr says 'youve gone to term now so we should book you in for an induction'. Ive said NO!.
I asked him for what reason do you want to induce me when im only 3 days late and a normal pg is 37 to 42 weeks so im happy to go to 42 weeks. Plus i have a second date which is the 1st of July so according to the U/S im not even due yet. My bloods havent changed in the slightest and bub is doing well so again i ask why induce. I said if you cant give me a medical reason then the answer is NO. My other two kids came when they were ready with no worries so this one can come to.
He just said due to my bloods and the hospital classes a normal pg up to 41 weeks.

Thats is not good enough im afraid. I said to do another blood and i bet it is still stable. He declined.

Its really starting to stress me out because i know if she hasnt come by next appointment then he will really push the subject. Have i got every right to say no? He cant force me to do anything im not comfortable with can he?

Im thinking with the next appointment im going to ask for another U/S to be done and bloods and go from there. If the dates still say im due 1st July then ive got more time up my sleeve. Plus it worries me that if she is indeed due on the 1st and he wants to start mucking around with forcing her out then how traumatic is that going to be for us both. I cant see how he can rush things along if she isnt ready. He said she isnt even engaged yet so how can induction work if she aint in the right spot kwim.

My labours and deliverys are hassle and drug free so i expect the same with my last. Any thoughts people??????

[aussienic]

You can always say no.. Change Drs if you want.. he may be thinking things might change and effect the health of the baby. I don't know what I would do in your situation..

I guess ask for more bloods and scans to be done before a final decision is made

[doulacara]

You have every right to refuse induction and no he cannot force you to be induced.

Trust your instincts and change care providers if you feel you need to.

[BellyBelly]

You are the one in charge here not him. He has his views and you pay him for that but you don't have to agree with them. Inducing introduces a whole new set of risks, and if there is not a direct risk to you or your baby now, why introduce more risks? You have to choose, and if he does not respect your decisions now, it's not a good preview to labour... will he respect them then too?

[Roudysmum]

Like the other ladies have said you have every right to say no your doc cant force you to do anything, I have noticed you are from NSW which i have just moved from to Qld, and I found that in NSW the docs take your EDD from your AF but in Qld they take it off your ultrasound as they belive that it is more accurate, so stick to your guns, and do what you think is right for you.
Good luck.

[mbear]

Oh hun....i would stick to your guns too. 1 Jul isnt that long away. What harm can another 4 days do?

[becmc]

He sounds like an awful ob. How can he refuse to do your bloods if you requested it??

[LizzysMum]

I agree with you and the other ladies. If he cannot prove to you there is a reason then you have every right to say no.

How rude to decline more bloods when you requested them! Probably because they are fine!!!

Good Luck, will be thinking of you.

[Julie Doula]

Echoing everyone else here.

You're not 43 weeks pregnant yet? Check.

Baby's heartbeat is good? Check.

Your blood pressure is fine? Check.

Plenty of amniotic fluid? Check.

Happy placenta, happy baby? Check.

Baby moving well? Check.

Blood results good? Check.

Your intuition says all is well? Check.

You don't want to? Check.

Reason to induce? FTW virus (Failure To Wait). That's not a reason to induce. Not good enough.

I read a great story yesterday. A woman 43 weeks pregnant was under pressure to be induced. Her Ob rang her at her home and ordered her to present herself next morning for induction or he would bail out of being her care provider. She sought out an independent midwife and got a second opinion. About 48 hours later she went into labour naturally and gave birth at home with this midwife attending.

Firefly, you sound confident in your body's health and capabilities and you sound like you are ready and able to take back responsibility. A different opinion from a care provider with a different model of care might be all you need for your confidence, that you are clinging to so bravely, to soar.

Good on you, hope it all goes really well. Blessings for your birth.

[Fire Fly]

Thankyou ladies, all comments have put me at ease a bit. At least now i know im not makeing the wrong decision.
I will defenitaly be asking for more bloods and another ultrasound to be done. Then if the dates according to scan still show due date to be 1st July then i will insist on going of that date.
The sonographer said i ovulated late so that is why my date is a week behind. I dont trust my dates as i only had one period and got no idea as to what my cycle was so i dont have much confidence in LMP. Before DS was born my cycles (i had 2 before falling again) were 35 days. So doesnt that say the scan is correct if going of that?

As for changing obs, that isnt an option as im actually going through the midwifes at the hospital but because of my blood disorder i have to see the ob there. Thankfully its all free so im not wasting my money, just my patience. I will be standing my ground now, i just wasnt 100% sure i could.
I was so so sure that i was going to go early again so its put me of a bit. By the way, bub is in my pelvic area but is laying to me right, is this ok or should she be lying with her back to me. Id assume that when she does go to the back to back position that she is ready to come out? I dont bloody know .

[Beach Mama]

Glad you are sticking to your guns hun - I will be with number two as i ended up induced, not ready and a c/s! Bub will turn back to your tummy during labour (i think!!)! Back to back is posterior and pretty painful from experience!!

[Cynthaz]

My son came 1 day before he got to 43 weeks. I just kept saying "no" when they mentioned inducing.

They can't make you do it. I was able to have a scan which showed that baby was just fine so I felt comfortable waiting.

[BellyBelly]

Dating ultrasounds are not very accurate especially at this stage - their genes have well and truly taken over now and baby is growing at its own rate... your most accurate EDD is by your LMP and even that can be off if you dont know when you ovulated and all that.

[*Efjay*]

Kerrie has gone into Spontanous (sp?) labour!

[Julie Doula]

Yippee! Sending happy birth day vibes ....