I'm not crazy right?

[Cathi]

The phrase "full term" refers to a 40 week pregnancy, no? Since when did 37-38 weeks become the norm when referring to full term babies?

I saw my OB yesterday, I turned 37 weeks yesterday. Both of my other children were born at 40+ weeks. Yet she says to me, "Well you're full term now so it could be any day. We'll do an ultrasound next week to make sure baby is not getting too big. We may want to think about induction after 38 weeks."

WHY? WHY? Why does everyone think babies can't come when they are ready? Why do people induce themselves just to HAVE their baby out? Who in their right mind trusts that an OB who can't even palpate a baby but must rely on a machine's predictions can tell them how much their child will weigh? Why can't I birth a 10 pound baby? Who says I can't? :

I see so much talk about induction here now and it blows my mind. I feel like it is warranted from my OB because, well, that's what OBs do. But someone please reassure me that non-medically necessary inductions are NOT the norm in the world!! Please!

[KrystalC]

A lot of people are induced these days. Technically, a baby IS considered "term" or is simply not considered premature any longer at 37-38 weeks although not "due" until 40 weeks, but most docs I have ever talked to or heard about don't start considering induction until after 40 weeks unless there is a specific reason why it's warranted. In your case, I have no friggin clue why they'd want to start talking induction at 38 weeks unless there was a medical reason. I don't think you're crazy at all for questioning the validity of that.

In my case, induction is scheduled for December 26 (3 days after my EDD) because if I were to go to 42 weeks, I'd have only about a week at home with my son before I have to go back to school for the spring semester. My husband and I talked about it a lot and decided that more time at home with our baby is more beneficial than natural labor. Granted, we're hoping like crazy the little guy arrives on his own!!!

[Cathi]

Originally Posted by KrystalC

A lot of people are induced these days.

I know, but that's where my concern lies. Is it becoming the norm? Is that why more people don't question it?

Originally Posted by KrystalC

My husband and I talked about it a lot and decided that more time at home with our baby is more beneficial than natural labor. Granted, we're hoping like crazy the little guy arrives on his own!!!

What happens if you induce so you can spend more time at home with him and the induction leads to complications for him, warranting that he spend time in the NICU instead of at home? How beneficial is that?

I'm honestly just questioning induction in general, not your personal experience but it seems that EVERYONE is in favor of induction these days. Even if they just say "Well, you have to do what is right for you". Am I mean to not want to say that to people? Is it wrong and judgemental to stand up and say "Why can't babies come out when they are ready instead of when we're ready for them?"

[KrystalC]

I can see your point, but the chance of him having complications from induction that will end up with a stay in the NICU are very slim whereas if he goes all the way to 42 weeks I'm GUARANTEED to have just a week at home with him. Like I said, I really hope he'll come on his own and given family history, I believe he will. I am NOT in favor of induction whatsoever. I don't want to be induced, but I feel it's important to be able to have time at home with him - not just for me... but for him AND my husband.

I don't have the luxury of taking a semester off school because my job is dependent on financial aid, which requires me to be in school. Otherwise, I'd just take the semester off and let baby Liam hang around as long as he wants to.

[amyandelle]

Originally Posted by Cathi

Who in their right mind trusts that an OB who can't even palpate a baby but must rely on a machine's predictions can tell them how much their child will weigh? (

I was induced at 40 weeks with Elle because my BP was high. They did an ultrasound the week before and told me that she was already over 8 pounds so by 40 weeks she would be over 9 pounds. When they induced me my body was not responding and I was not dialating at all. My OB came in and told me that he was going to give me a few more hours and then we would have to consider a c-section since I was not dialting and since I was having such a "large baby". Luckily after I got my epidural I dialated to 9 cm almost immediatly. Elle was born 45 minuts later and she weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces. So I agree completly with you!! There is so much room for human and machine error. I would never trust the measurements they come up with especially from their machines!!

Amy

[milk_maker]

If you go over to mainstream sites you will see that induction is not only the norm, it is expected. People get ticked off when their OBs refuse to induce at 37 weeks because they're sick of being pregnant or whatever.

I wonder why your OB wants to discuss induction around 38 weeks...oh wait! Thanksgiving is right around the corner...perhaps he's going out of town or something? :

[autumn_faune]

not crazy at all. Personally I won't consider myself "full term" until 40 weeks, and not "due" until 42. But of course that's based on my history and family history.

Went to Dollar General today, cashier asked how far along I was.
35 w today.
ooh, which hospital are you going to? If it's Sparks I'll probably get to see your delivery, I'm doing my L&D/OB clinicals this semester.
well... I won't even be 40 weeks until after finals!
Oh, no one has their babies that late anymore!
Oh, I see. I think we'll just stick with our homebirth, thanks.

It's not right, nor healthy in the majority of cases, but I'm afraid it is becoming the norm.

[paradoxia13]

I really think induction is the norm. Everyone keeps asking when I'm having the baby - not what the due date is, but when he will be here, like I'm going to have an exact time and date for them! :

I was 35 weeks yesterday and it seems like many people are convinced it's an any day now kind of thing!

~heather

[sbm1001]

Unfortunately, non-medically necessary inductions are totally the norm in the U.S. So sad, too. I'm sure it's a BIG factor in why the c/s rate is so incredibly high right now & seemingly climbing.

Full term, to me, has always been any time between 37-42 weeks, not dependant on when it's best for the mom or OB, but when it's best for the baby. That means not inducing just because you can. I've been induced just because I could at 38w 3d & wound up with a nice long scar across my lower abdomen. Needless to say, my opinion on elective inductions is very biased & negative so I try not to say much when others bring up their own inductions....I'll likely wind up insulting someone or something.

Shannon

[riversong]

I agree with you on the induction madness. I think it is out of control when people are scheduling inductions for the sake of convenience. (I'm not talking about you KrystalC. You have a particular situation you're dealing with.) I'm thinking about the woman in my yoga class this morning who said she was going to get induced a week early so that she can choose when the baby comes. She likes going into the hospital to give birth "as if she's checking into a hotel."

[soon2bmommyof2]

i can see both sides to this. i was induced with my 1st DD but that is only because my water broke and my body was not going into labor on my own, no contractions or anything so i had to be induced. she came a week early and born on thanksgiving day which i can say i was very happy about because my OB was supposed to leave to go on a mission trip for the hospital the next day and really wanted him to deliver my baby. On the other hand this time around i was hoping to go into labor on my own and my EDD was yesterday. i know i should be patient but i'm in so much pain from my pelvis popping and other medical problems that i'm hoping to get induced because the pain is unbearable but i know that i have a good OB that knows about my pain and i know he won't even consider inducing until i am at least a week late. i'm really hoping that she will come on her own because so many people have told me that if you go into labor on your own it is so much easier on your body than to be induced, which after my last experience with pitocin i believe it. The doc's and nurses didn't have the monitors on me properly to monitor my contractions and they upped my pit every 10-15 mins and they had given me so much that i couldn't even relax or have time to catch my breath in between contractions which took all the energy i had. i believe the only reason i had the energy to push when it came time is because after i got the epidural i finally got some sleep. i would prefer to go into labor on my own but this baby isn't showing any signs of coming out and as i mentioned earlier my DS's b-day is on the 25th and i'm hoping she will come soon enough that their b-day's will be far enough apart so they can be celebrated separately. i do see what you mean about getting induced being the norm. my SIL was induced a week early with all 3 of her kids, therefore doesn't even know what its like to go into labor naturally.

[prettypixels]

You're not crazy!!!! Induction at 38 weeks (without a real medical reason, not "baby is too big!") seems crazy to me too.

[TesalynsMommy04]

Originally Posted by Cathi

WHY? WHY? Why does everyone think babies can't come when they are ready? Why do people induce themselves just to HAVE their baby out? Who in their right mind trusts that an OB who can't even palpate a baby but must rely on a machine's predictions can tell them how much their child will weigh? Why can't I birth a 10 pound baby? Who says I can't? :

I see so much talk about induction here now and it blows my mind. I feel like it is warranted from my OB because, well, that's what OBs do. But someone please reassure me that non-medically necessary inductions are NOT the norm in the world!! Please!

Cathi-
I see your point on the induction, but as someone who was induced w/ DD1 and will be again with this one if I'm not in labor by Thanksgiving, please hear my side of it. I was induced at 41 weeks with my daughter because my OB told me that the risk of stillbirth increases after the 40th week. OK she's fine. I did have IntraUterine Growth Retardation Syndrome with her, but that didn't affect the induction at all. SO yes that was a MEDICAL reason to induce. The reason I'm having the induction with this one if I'm not in labor by Thanksgiving is because of my PUPPS. I won't have anymore skin left if I don't get induced. I'm perfectly happy with being induced, and TOTALLY trust my OB's decisions. We make those decisions TOGETHER with my husband and we all agree on it. If people want to get induced for a non-medical reason, and their OB agrees, and something DOES happen with the baby, that's the doctors fault in my opinion to agree to the induction. I am not all about the whole home birthing thing or birthing naturally (props to you mama's out there that are!) I have no tolerance for pain. Yes I had an epidural with my DD and fully plan on having one with this one. Does that make me a bad person, or not able to be a good mother because of it, NO! I fully plan on breastfeeding, then after I go back to work, yes I will pump and bottle feed at daycare, and still nurse at night. I don't have a choice on that matter! I think that all mama's should make their own decisions about their babies, because after all some of us have gone thru HELL to have kids, get pregnant, stay pregnant, or whatever! I wouldn't be getting induced if I didn't feel that my OB had my best and the baby's best interests at heart. And that's just the way I feel. I am sorry that you feel that inductions aren't necessary if they aren't medically warrented, and I feel the same way, but some people are just selfish. Like I stated before, I am getting induced for a medical reason, so it doesn't matter.

[Twilight]

You know, I think inductions are very common but I'm not sure they're the norm. I think it's just that the weird induction stories you hear stand out in your mind so much that you forget how many go naturally.

I don't know. I'm in a prenatal water aerobics class, and recently three women went into labor all on their own and gave birth to their babies. Then a fourth woman hit her 38th week and was very excited to say her OB said they might break her water at the next appointment. Not for any reason. The baby hadn't even dropped yet and she wasn't having any complications. A bunch of us didn't understand - I know my OB has said she would never induce a first-time mom early without a reason because "you're just asking for a C-section that way." I don't know if she says that because of research she's seen or just personal experience, but it does seem that first-time moms have very difficult inductions if they are induced early, and I don't understand why many OB's offer it just because a mom is unhappy being pregnant. Sometimes is seems that the OB just can't resist using a tool that's right in front of them.

I don't think induction is as hard on moms who have birthed before. They tend to go a lot easier.

I know I wouldn't want to go through it unless I had to. I don't know a soul that can handle the contractions that pitocin causes without some kind of medical pain relief. It's personally not my thing to be strapped to a bed with needles stuck in me. But everyone's different and some women prefer that to be free from the pain of childbirth.

We do need to relax a little bit and realize that today, women have a great deal of control in how we want to experience birth. And that is not a bad thing, that's a good thing. The bad thing (IMO) is that people give those of us that want a natural childbirth or a home birth the "you're crazy" speech. Hey - you have your way of experiencing birth, this is mine. It's not crazy, it's called having control over your own body. But we need to return the favor by not calling those that make an informed decision to have a medical birth "crazy" either.

[MacKinnon]

Jumping in from the January DDC... This is one of my big issues these days! I went to 41wk4days with my DD and not once did my midwives talk induction. *I* brought it up because I was tired and uncomfortable, and they said, no, we don't even need to discuss it until you are 42 weeks (and they used my latest available date-- my u/s indicated date-- as the mark, to give me 5 extra days). With only three exceptions, all of the women that I know that have had babies in the last two years have been induced. ALL OF THEM!!! And more than half have ended in c-sections. What was the reason for these inductions? Well, they were "medically indicated" overdue (by a couple days) or they were going to have a big baby. And those "big babies" well, they were all under 9lbs, so not that big. I do try hard not to judge and/or comment on it after the fact because you can't change what happened and they don't need to hear they are crazy more than I do. I do understand that there are true medical reasons for inductions and grateful that we have that option when it is needed. I just don't understand why we are now full term at 37 weeks and being induced just because we want a baby in December (like a mom in my mainstream January board), KWIM?

[logan&jordansmommy]

Yep it is pretty sad IMO. Last pregnancy my ob was so stunned that I wasn't screaming at him to induce me with twins at 35 weeks. He said most mom's with singletons are begging him to get the baby out so definitely mom's with twins are begging for it too. I felt so blessed to still be pregnant I didn't understand it. And like another poster said, on the mainstream boards it is crazy. Almost everyone is trying to induce labor on their own. Plus I am wondering if it is a new thing or what but I have heard so much now that ob's want to induce for "baby being too big". I think it is sad what birth has become

[Jess A]

Most of my mom friends have actually not been induced, and to be honest, I am quite jealous of that.

I was induced with DS. I had high blood pressure bordering on pre-eclampsia, he was not responsive during some routine tests, and the doctors decided he would be safer on the outside.

DD came on her own. They gave me pitocin to really get things going . . . not sure why and my more educated self would have questioned them about it. I think it was because of the blood pressure issues and not wanting a prolonged labor--I was a little distracted at the time and never thought to ask. I just wanted to have her out and here and healthy.

This one may be induced. I'm dealing with chronic high blood pressure that's even higher than it was with my other two (ironically despite my being in better shape going in and exercising as long as I could into the pregnancy), and they just found traces of protein in my urine last week. I do not want to be induced at all. For me, it's a harsh way to labor and I'd like to have at least one child where I'm not strapped to a bed for 16 hours. However at this point, with my health and the health of the baby in potential jeopardy, if the doctors decide to induce, I will allow it. I have three children and myself and a husband to consider, and I am not risking pre-eclampsia or eclampsia if my body just will not cooperate with being pregnant.

All that said, deep down I feel guilty that I can't seem to sustain a pregnancy in a healthy way even though I do healthy things. I only have blood pressure issues while pregnant, so I'm not sure why my body reacts to pregnancy in such a toxic way.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by milk_maker

If you go over to mainstream sites you will see that induction is not only the norm, it is expected. People get ticked off when their OBs refuse to induce at 37 weeks because they're sick of being pregnant or whatever.

I wonder why your OB wants to discuss induction around 38 weeks...oh wait! Thanksgiving is right around the corner...perhaps he's going out of town or something? :

This is one reason why I really love my OB--even though we could have picked 12/24 as my due date and based the 42 week induction time off of this, be picks the latter date possible of 12/29. He is totally against induction unless it is absolutely necessary for medical purposes.

I watched my sister's induced labor and would never wish that on anyone. I think it was way more painful because of the way her body responded to the petocin and could really regulate the contractions--and then when she finally had an epidural she couldn't feel to push and the doc ended up using forceps... her baby was totally healthy, and the labor could have been worse, granted, but it really left a strong mark on me.

I'd rather have my membrane stripped and try everything else to start labor before having the doctor do it chemically.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by logan&jordansmommy

Yep it is pretty sad IMO. Last pregnancy my ob was so stunned that I wasn't screaming at him to induce me with twins at 35 weeks. He said most mom's with singletons are begging him to get the baby out so definitely mom's with twins are begging for it too. I felt so blessed to still be pregnant I didn't understand it. And like another poster said, on the mainstream boards it is crazy. Almost everyone is trying to induce labor on their own. Plus I am wondering if it is a new thing or what but I have heard so much now that ob's want to induce for "baby being too big". I think it is sad what birth has become

I am very petite and have big babies--you'd have to have like a nine pounder to even really notice--plus, it isn't the weight, but the size of the head... as I read on another post here on MDC, the fat just squishes!