Fighting off doctors who keep wanting to induce me.

I am 21 years old, pregnant with my first child. I have had a healthy low risk pregnancy. I wasn't exactly sure when my last period was so I kind of just threw a date out there for them which made my 'due date' February 18th 2013, but according to my US my due date was guessed to be around the 22nd of February 2013. The day after my 'due date' (Feb 18th) my doctor said I need to go to the hospital to be induced. When I asked why she said it's because the US I had the week before indictated that my baby's abdomen was in the 10th percentile. Which meant she might not be getting enough nurtients through my placenta, so I needed to be induced because she would do much better outside of me than inside of me. So I went to the hospital and told them I didn't want to be induced, so they did some non stress tests which showed the baby's movement was good, her heart rate was good, and all my fluids were good which meant a good placenta. So I believe there was absolutely no real reason for me to be induced.
I went back to the hospital every other day to keep monitoring the baby, because obviously if my baby really is at risk then i will do what is neccessary to get her out of me. Every single visit they would tell me how happy and healthy my baby is. She was very active, her heart rate was always so good, and all my fluids were very good, She was thriving! But one night about 6 days after my 'due date' an OB looked at the heart monitor and showed me two spots where here heart rate had 'dropped' and therefor I needed to be induced that night. I questioned this over and over again because it sounded like a load of crap to me. I eventually got her supervising OB to come in and talk to me and she told me my baby wasn't at risk and I could go home and just come back in a couple days for my routine NST. It seems like I get these doctors who want to induce me, and when I don't go along with it, I get another doctor who tells me I'm fine and everything is ok. I don't trust these doctors at all.
So since then I've had NSTs and they all show her heart rate is very good and she is still thriving. I also believe they had my due date completely off. Maybe her abdomen was small because she wasn't fully developed yet. My OB also said a US could be off by 3 weeks so there's no way of really relling if her abdomen was that small anyways. I just can't believe they've tried to give me all these unreliable reasons to be induced when I haven't needed to. My baby is thriving and my placenta is still very good.
Does anyone else have experience with doctors who just keep pushing for an induction when it's not really neccessary? Why do they so badly want to induce me when my baby is doing just fine? She isn't even that big, only 7 pounds.

I got bullied into being induced with ds2, 2 weeks earlier than due date for reasons that would now make me question a lot more.

Good on you for sticking to your guns and trusting your instinct.
way to go mummy! :)

Thank you :)
I know this is an Australian site, but, I live in California. Orange County to be exact (right below Hollywood and LA) and when I told one of the OBs at my hospital that I didn't want to be induced she said, "Well how un-orange county of you!"
Apparently, no one researches natural birth anymore!

Maybe they are pressuring you to get you over and done with if you know what I mean.

You hold your ground. By the sounds of it you are doing everything right by having all the checks to make sure your bubba is fine.

Goodluck when the time comes :)

Next time you say 'no', tell them its so they can learn something 'new'. A pregnant mum going into labor the way nature meant it to happen. :)
Wonder if they have dealt with a natural birth yet?

Sounds like you are doing everything you should be doing and at least you are getting support from other medical staff to hold off.

how frustrating for you!
Unless things a very different over there, then you still have the right to autonomy over your own body. And it sounds like you're being extremely responsible - asking questions, checking things are ok, and getting second opinions. All good.
As to the why... for some doctors and some hospitals - and I think this is even more so the case in the US - it's just the way they do things and they probably don't know anything else.
I was induced first time round at 42 weeks because I'd been pregnant too long. Second time anoher OB wanted me to be induced as I was 42 weeks again, but I said no - we got monitored, all was fine. He couldn't quite get his head around it - the best reason he could give me was that it was hospital policy!

I think you're doing wonderfully! I was induced with dd at 41+4 because if I didn't I'd have to transfer to another hospital. Incredibly frustrating and when DD was born she and the placenta were perfect and I realised she could have gone a lot longer.

In hindsight I wish I'd been more like you and stood up to them. So I just wanted to say I think you're doing a great job, all the right things for you and your baby, and good luck for your birth!

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I am 21 years old, pregnant with my first child. I have had a healthy low risk pregnancy. I wasn't exactly sure when my last period was so I kind of just threw a date out there for them which made my 'due date' February 18th 2013, but according to my US my due date was guessed to be around the 22nd of February 2013.

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I don't have any experience with being pressured to be induced but I can totally relate to not knowing a due date. Before I fell pregnant with DS1 my periods were completely irregular. The funny thing was that when I first went for an ultrasound after getting a positive pg test they asked me how long since my last period.... I said, late February/early March (it was July). They didn't believe me. Did an ultrasound and told me that I was 12 weeks pregnant. I said that was impossible because I was only 8 weeks at the most. I knew when I'd had sex for goodness sake!!

I went back for my second ultrasound and they told me that I was 18 weeks pregnant. I said, well that's impossible because for all intents and purposes I wouldn't have been pregnant when I first had a positive pregnancy test.

My wonderful little baby arrived right on time (for him) when he was fully cooked at a healthy 6lb 12oz.

My point is, if your periods are way off and irregular (like mine were) they can only guess. Some babies are small and some are big and some are just smack bang in the middle "normal".

I hope all goes well for you and your little one and you both get your natural birth without having to be induced!

** I should add that my estimated due date was actually quite correct and that both ultrasounds were way off! The second one had me due in June and my baby was born in March?! Go figure!!

Thank you everyone for your support!
I have an appointment in the morning to 'be induced', but I'm just going to have them run all the tests again, and if everything is fine then I'll just fight them off again! I guess we'll see how it goes :)

How many weeks were you at that first scan? If it was quite early their estimated due date might not be far off correct (difference in edd from my lmp compared to scan was only ever one day). So of 22nd Feb is closer to a 'correct' edd for you, you're not even 42 weeks yet. Surely you have time up your sleeves.

hope all the tests came back fine for you and baby.

So long as baby is healthy and happy, there's no reason you should be induced.

I was at 41+3 with my firstborn and it was a terrible experience. Don't let them bully you. It makes me really angry and sad to hear of so many other women having to fight not t be interfered with.

:hug:

Well done for being so brave.

I was pressured to be induced and I "fought them off". I held off too long and my baby was stillborn at 41 (and we think 3 days). I also asked lots of questions and got things regularly checked. Be careful and remember that an induction is better than stillbirth.

kateo :comfort:

bump

I hope everything has gone well and your absent because your enjoying yummy new born snuggles - from a spontaneous labour/birth