My son was born on January 23rd and his due date was January 7th.
I live in Central PA where I had a choice of two practices for prenatal "care" and one hospital within the 1 hr radius for delivery. I switched practices at 20 weeks because it was so closed-minded and completely against allowing me a choice for anything (there was controversy over my thyroid and whether or not I should take medication).
The docs let me go to 42 weeks and didn't say anything. I was having the nst and ultrasound twice a week during the last two weeks with NO indication of upcoming labor. On the day before the day that marked my 42nd week, they made me go in and get induced. I say they "made me" because they gave me this line about how they are bound by their liscence to delivery by 42 weeks or something.
I had -- no joke -- a 2-year-old's tantrum in the office because my husband was all for it and I wanted no part of it. I had been practicing hypnobirthing for the last 7 months in preparation for a natural birth and I knew how these things ended (c-section). I knew that if he wasn't here yet it was because he and my body weren't ready yet. Who are we to dictate that, right?! Well, my husband and parents and the doctors all saw my desires as simply that -- my desires. They weren't rational and they weren't well-thought-out. Quite the contrary.
Well, I forfeited that fight. I cried for hours afterword and all through the night before we went to the hospital the next day. You better believe I kept my husband up with me! I could describe the gory details of what happened next, but it's not necessary for me to scare anyone. I can summarize by saying that I was induced for 3 days -- with no food -- and Max was born by c-section on the 3rd day. I was in the hospital a total of 7 days from admission to release.
I had tried accupressure out the wazooo -- essential oils until I stunk up the whole house -- bounced on an exercise ball for hours a day -- walked regularly -- washed the floors -- and had sex (only once after begging -- my DH hadn't touched me since i got a real round belly at about 5 months). None of that did anything at all for me. I didn't try castor oil or some other things because I felt that they'd be as invasive as pitocin -- natural or not. Induction is induction.
My mom had advised me to just request the section from the start -- she had gone through an almost identical birth with me and felt it wasn't worth the physical and emotional toll that induction would take. I can now attest that it was not worth it. With the benefit of hindsight, I could say that I would have fought everyone around me and just went to the ER to have the baby when I did go into natural labor. Screw the docs -- they'd have to deliver the baby. To the best of my knowledge, they couldn't turn me away, right? If for some reason that scenario wasn't possible, I'd just have the section from the get-go.
That being said, we do plan to have more kids and if I can go into labor myself by the 42nd week, I would still like to try to have a VBAC. Yes, my son has a beautifully round head and my girl parts are not stretched from here to kingdom come -- But I wasn't able to breastfeed because of all that pitocin ... recovery wasn't as easy as it could have been ... and I never got to hold my son when he was born. In fact, I didn't see him for nearly 1 hr! And, even then, I wasn't allowed to be with him alone for 24 hrs because of the anesthesia I had (the surgery was painful despite the epidural -- so they gave me something general i think). The not getting to see him part stick breaks my heart ...
Unfortunately, since I live in the middle of no where (about 10 miles from Penn State campus), they won't even do VBACs here. I'll need to drive 1 hr (about 80 miles) to get to a hospital that will. :/
GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
My advice: WAIT IT OUT. Your LO will come when you are both ready!
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