Inducing....opinions? Please be kind. - Page 2

[Meredith&Alexander]

Just wanted to throw out there that inducing increases the chances of the baby not being in an optimal position. That's not fun.

[huggerwocky]

I suggest a midwife attended homebirth.

[DoomaYula]

"unassisted in the hospital"????

That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

[sapphire_chan]

Thanks for sharing your answers to my questions, they've helped me get a clearer picture of what's going on.

A homebirth with a midwife would be a good way to address all those concerns. You could wait for labor to begin naturally, have your own nice warm tub ready to go, you (and your dh) would have a professional to guide the process and make any emergency decisions.

The problems you had in your first birth are actually really common with inductions done by breaking the water. Not as much if things have already started progressing, but after 5 kids, you could very easily end up dilating before your baby engages. So you'd be at 3-4 cms, be induced, and find that the baby was in some wierd position when it's too late. I think your inductions that went well were probably because you were past your due date and your babies had already started to descend and engage.

The hospital thing is in general, it takes some time to prep an OR for c-section. In the case of a homebirth transfer, the time you spend in the ambulance/driving to the hospital (in the highly unlikely chance that someone with your birth history ends up needing to transfer) will be used by the hospital to prep the OR. So no time lost.

[lyttlewon]

Originally Posted by thewaggonerfamily

Could someone share info about some of the other things suggested, especially black cohosh and membrane sweeps. I had a membrane sweep with #1 and had my water break and a rough labor.

Any time you induce you could have a rough labor because your body isn't ready and neither is the baby. Just something to keep in mind. I pushed for two hours which was partially my position but I also think because she wasn't ready. I watched a total induction in Feb, broken waters and pit, she ended up with a C. He was posterior and just wouldn't advance through the birth canal. She went 11 hours before she asked for an epi. What a trooper!

Did I read somewhere that that only works when you are pretty much ready anyhow? Is there a usual timetable with doing that?

Induction really only works when the baby is ready.

[umsami]

I'd look into finding a good acupuncturist when you get closer to your due date. I know that with my first, I was induced.... and literally my cervix was not effaced or dilated at all. After one acupuncture treatment, I was a 2 cms dilation the next day. Never would have gone as well without it.

I hated the induction... it was hell. The OB started pushing for a C-section around 12 hours after induction as I had a slight fever. Me and my husband had to fight c-section requests for the next 5 hours, but luckily, the little guy came out just fine. My second was a fast natural birth and although not the most comfortable thing near the end, a much easier birth and recovery.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by lyttlewon

Induction really only works when the baby is ready.

Not true. That will be entirely dependent upon the form of induction. I believe that applies for induction via Pit alone, but not for Cervadil and definitely not for Cytotec.

[lyttlewon]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Not true. That will be entirely dependent upon the form of induction. I believe that applies for induction via Pit alone, but not for Cervadil and definitely not for Cytotec.

The induction I was at in Feb was Cytotec, AROM and pit. She wouldn't totally dialate for hours and when she finally did the baby wouldn't advance.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by umsami

I hated the induction... it was hell. The OB started pushing for a C-section around 12 hours after induction as I had a slight fever.

Which is another point, if they do have to go to a chemical induction, what are the side effects of the drugs? What are the effects on the baby? Etc, etc.

$4000 is worth it for you not to have to deal with the hospital and $4000 is worth it for your dh to not have to worry about you giving birth alone.

[stellimamo]

Not true. That will be entirely dependent upon the form of induction. I believe that applies for induction via Pit alone, but not for Cervadil and definitely not for Cytotec.

Definitly not true. I had an induction (border line pre-e) with dd and with Cytotec over night and then pit for 10+ hours and AROM after 6 hours of pit... I dialated to less than a 2 in the 23+ hours of induction even with the pit turned all the way up for 5+ hours. I have major contraction the whole time I was on the pit. It simply did not work. SHe was not ready to come out and they finally cut her out after my blood pressure went up and she had decels.

[mwright]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

$4000 is worth it for you not to have to deal with the hospital and $4000 is worth it for your dh to not have to worry about you giving birth alone.

$4000 is well worth not getting a c-section!! I would pay double that amount if I had too..you find a way..if you end with a c-sec. you have a higher chance of ppd and then you have to spend thousands of dollars for counseling..and dealing with the emotional baggage. Just my two cents. I had a c-sec and it has been hell dealing with the aftermath..I wish no-one had to go through that..no-one

[Nan'sMom]

It sounds like homebirth might be a good and safe option--I'd say a better option that inducing and risking the baby coming before it's ready and/or cascade of interventions and all the associated risks. Also IMO, safer than having the baby in the car. Are there HB midwives near you?

[stellimamo]

One other thought if you do end up being induced for whatever reason find a doula that has attended inductions her knowledge can be invaluable when it comes to comfort and avoiding interventions.

[Banana731]

About the gentler methods of induction-

Yes, stripping your membranes will only help if you are "ready to go." Nipple stimulation will speed things along, again only when your body is ready. The wonderful things about this type of induction along with most herbs(I am not terribly knowledgeable about herbal induction, but my understanding is that they help your body do what it's ready to do) is just that. You can help things along without worrying about the consequences of medical induction.

Do you really just all of a sudden go into intense labor and give birth, or do you have any other sorts of warning signs. Is it possible you have contractions you aren't feeling before you get into serious labor? With Braxton-Hicks, you can't always feel them from the inside, but if you put your hand on the top of of your uterus you can usually feel that tightening from the outside. It might be worth your time to see if you can feel that sort of thing, and if you can, to take note of the frequency of it. It might help you to determine if your labor is emminent.

[turtlewomyn]

[QUOTE=thewaggonerfamily;8080924] I think he is afraid of something going wrong (even though we both know the liklihood is very small) and people blaming him. Unfortunately we have precedence for that. QUOTE]

So, if something goes wrong because you are induced they won't blame him???? That doesn't make sense. Suppose he pressures you into an non medically indicated induction and you end up with a c-section because of it, what if the baby ends up in the nicu with respiration problems because their lungs aren't mature, what if you end up with an Amniotic Fluid Embolism because of the induction (your chances of AFE increase greatly with an induction, there is new research out on this) would he be blamed for that? Wouldn't he blame himself?

I understand where you are coming from. I wanted a homebirth with my first, and settled for a CNM in the hospital because DH was afraid. I too feel like I have to respect DH's wishes. I ended up with a medically unnecessary c-section and my options for future births have been greatly diminished because of it. My last session with my therapist (for PPD and PTSD issues) was dealing with how to approach my husband to discuss future birth options in such away that he won't automatically shut out discussions of home birth, UC, etc. I need to be able to look at all those options (and the associated research, etc.) in order to feel at peace with whatever decision I make. I actually partly blame DH for the c-section because he wouldn't even consider a home birth (or even doing research on the safety of homebirth).

[AKmoose]

I think everybody has more or less addressed the things I would point out...but I wanted to chip in regarding the HB MW...I know around here, even if they're not covered by insurance, the total cost for somebody paying cash is less than $2K. You mention that your insurance actually does cover some of the fees...have you asked around to some of the local mws to see just how much "extra" you're talking? Myabe it really is more than you're willing to spend, but maybe it is a reasonable (small) amount that could be managed. I know there are also lots of mws who take sliding scale fees, or payment plans, or trade. Also, if you switched to her care later in pg, maybe you could save on some of the prenatal costs. Just things to ponder...not to beat on a dead horse, but my goodness you sound like a homebirth lady
Good luck no matter your decision. You will make the right one that works for your family...

[junamoss]

I am not a fan of induction without a medical indication. But, I see it nearly daily. A little pit and breaking your bag will probably do the trick. I see these mom's and dad's who talk about induction because they are 1 hour out of the hospital but 20 minutes isn't bad....
I think maybe stripping your membranes would be a more gentle approach.
Homebirth would be a good option, but you are running into the same problem. Your provider might not make it to the birth.
I would suggest that your husband read about emergency birth. It was something my husband and I talked over with our homebirth midwife. It happens but if he has some idea of what to do both of you might have less fear of the quick birth.
good luck!

[sarahwpen]

ok, yeah, I have to agree that I think inducing is probably a bad idea unless medically necessary. I also have to agree that if your dh is not comfortable with UC then I am glad that you aren't pushing it on him. That is always a nasty thing to do to a poor guy. (education can change their minds sometimes, but if that doesn't ease their minds then I hate to push a dad into something that I would never push a mom into if she didn't feel comfortable with it)

But back to the inducing...... I was induced with pitocin one time and will never do it again, I would hate to break waters and then nothing happens, then .....well, you know exactly what happens after that. when you had your 1st, you were in labor a long time before you got pitocin, but if you have to use it to START the contractions, then every contraction you have feels like transition, even if they are just the begining. It is SO much more painful than natural labor. I would avoid that possibility in every way safely possible.
and also, you know if you induce by any means you have probably reduced your chances of having a short labor. And 2 hours can be every bit as intense as 35 minutes if it behaves like your 30 minute labor but drags on! I know you have to choose whatever you feel is right for you, but if it was me, I would say NO WAY!