Why do people do that?!

[bcblondie]

A friend I used to work with, she's about a week "overdue" and 1cm dilated.
Someone asked on her facebook how long they'd "let" her go. She said she's likely being induced monday.
I had posted before that when the lungs were mature they will release a chemical to send her into labour.
On this induction thread I now posted saying "I hope he doesn't make you wait that long. Induced labour sucks" because statistically it's more painful and less effective. But I didn't want to get all preachy on her.

Then someone wrote " I was induced and thought it was pretty sweet. They did it at noon, and by 7:30 I had a baby!"

I understand maybe she's just trying to ease her mind in case she DOES need to be induced. But I REALLY want to write that a 7 hour induced labour is not the norm. Heck a 7 hour NATURAL labour is not the norm. Especially for a first baby.

But I don't want to get her all anxious, especially when it's this late in teh game and she's probably made up her mind.

I just hate that people encourage others to get induced. Maybe baby isn't ready yet! Get an NST and let him bake a while longer!

Would you say anything more?

[Pinoikoi]

I don't think I would say anything more.. but I agree with you on several points. Inductions SUCK. My first took 20 hours, the second took 18, and my first all on his own labor took less than 3 hours.

Pretty darn convincing.

[MaerynPearl]

my induction was 21 hours... my natural labor was 8 1/2 from the first contraction to holding her... less than 4 hours between strong contractions and holding her... and less than 3 hours between getting to the hospital to be sure it was real labor and having her.

[bcblondie]

Thanks girls. Yea I didn't say anything more. I had a natural homebirth. 3.5 hours from the time I woke up, thinking I had to poop, til baby in my arms. My midwife showed up just in time for me to start pushing. lol.

I just wish people would research things like this. It's a huge decision! Why not get an NST and wait a couple more days?

[CoBabyMaker]

Sadly, most people in our society have succumb to the herd mentality. This is the way it's done and women are told to trust their doctors because they must know better since they went to school. It's down right PAINFUL to talk with most people about maternity care and childbirth!

That being said it's also because there is no set "normal". A friend of mine was induced at 37 weeks (for low fluid) and had a 5 hour labor and just a few pushes. I went on my own, had a long (50 hour) back labor ending with c/s. Birth is just unpredictable.

[bcblondie]

I agree! My other friend is 19 weeks and I was talking to her today about her plans, and I didn't want to seem pushy but said that she should really research the pro's and cons to each (natural vs interventions) and was very relieved to hear she was totaly on board with the whole natural process. Likely because her mom birthed her and her 2 siblings naturally, even though her doc was pushing for a section since she "wasn't progressing fast enough" UGH. Bugs me so much.
My friend is young, and this pg was a suprise. But she's clearly a very smart young lady. Doing her research. And I'm glad I won't have to be biting my tongue every time I'm around her. lol.

[RedOakMomma]

I think going overdue is really scary for some women, even natural-birth-minded women. I think most of us, once we're in a community of mothers, know someone who has lost a baby very late in their pregnancy. I don't blame moms at all for getting edgy. In fact, other than all the stories here at MDC of late-term birth loss, I just talked to a neighbor who's DOCTOR lost a baby at 41wks+.

Would I induce? No. I agree with the NST (and possibly ultrasound) approach. In fact, I fought to go well past "twin" due with my twins. BUT, I get why others are worried, scared, frustrated, and worried some more. Birth loss is a powerful fear. Once you know someone who lost a baby past term, I think it's hard to go into that territory yourself. And since we can't (always) know why other women are anxious to induce, I don't feel I'm in any place to judge them, yk?

[bcblondie]

Yea that makes sense. I myself went 6 days early so I don't really know that fear. But I fully expected to go 2 weeks overdue since I myself was born at 42+ weeks. (i know, it's not genetic. lol)
But I guess if I went overdue I'd be researching my odds of late term loss vs loss from induction or csection complications, and I'd make as educated a decision as I could. I wouldn't just blindly trust doctors. In fact I don't trust doctors at all. Hence my homebirth. lol.

[lillymonster]

I don't like that people rely on induction, mostly because mine was a horrible horrible painful experience that ended in a c-section. I get kind of upset too because people just get another c-section schedule when they are 30 weeks because they had one last time - no questions asked

But I know why I got induced - I it was suggested because I was AMA and at a higher risk of losing my baby if I ran late, but I agreed because I was miserable. I had hypermesis and then horrible (TMI) hemorrhoids that I had to go to the ER for because they burst and I lost a lot of blood. I was so ready to be done with pregnancy. So I can understand being just so ready to be done that you don't care how the baby gets out.

I know how painful and long induction can be but for other people, I know someone who was induced at noon and had the baby at 3 with 20 minutes of pushing. I had 3 hours of pushing with back labor.

[bcblondie]

Aw I'm sorry you had such a rough end to your pregnancy. Mine went pretty smooth and I expected to go overdue, so I wasn't "done done done." It actually ended before I was quite ready. I had some shopping to do yet that week. lol.

[MammaB21]

I just had a similar situation on FB where a friend of mine posted about her induction date to come and was hoping she would go naturally before that. Someone actually posted and said something along the lines of, "I hope you don't go naturally! Induced labors go so much faster!!!" Uh....huh? On what planet? I so badly wanted to post something in direct response but I chose to bite my tongue instead and just wish the mom good luck and hopes to a natural birth. I just can't believe that some people actually believe this stuff and are pushing it onto other moms.

[bcblondie]

Part of the reason I wanted so badly to say something was because another close friend of mine was just 'DONE' with being pg too. So she let her doc induce, even though she really wanted a natural. And I was debating whether to say something and figured. You know, she's a big girl, she can make her own decisions...
And she ended up with a section. And now it's not healing great, and she has an older boy that's acting up since the newborn is so needy... and she can barely get around because of the stupid incision And she really sounds like she has PP Depression. Like talk of "someone please shoot me" almost daily.