Mothering Forum banner

Induction on Oct 11th

851 views 27 replies 17 participants last post by  mamalara 
#1 ·
I went to the Dr. on Monday and he suggested an induction for next Thursday October 11th. My due date is October 17th but I'm guessing that due to the fact that I have gestational diabetes and am taking insulin shots twice a day is playing a big role. My BP, urine, size of baby, sugar levels and everything else check out as normal.

I know I didn't ask why at the appt (but the nurse also told me to expect an induction on the 11th as I was making my next appt). Now I've been doing some research and thinking and I'm torn. I have a list of questions to ask my Dr. on Monday. Anyone else having an induction? Just looking for some support (I've done my research so I don't need any stats or more scary birth stories please). I trust my Dr. and know he's not doing this just because- there's a reason. I was just going with the moment and didn't ask why (but I sure will Mon!). Thanks ladies!
 
#2 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by tonimk19 View Post
I trust my Dr. and know he's not doing this just because- there's a reason. I was just going with the moment and didn't ask why (but I sure will Mon!). Thanks ladies!
I would call today and ask the reason then! if everything is checking out fine, I don't understand why they would schedule one a week before your due date.
 
#3 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by tonimk19 View Post
My BP, urine, size of baby, sugar levels and everything else check out as normal.

I trust my Dr. and know he's not doing this just because- there's a reason.
If your BP, urine, size of baby, sugar levels, and everything else check out as normal, then WHAT is the reason?????

Blind faith in the medical community doesn't sit well with me. As you say you've read the stats, you probably know that induction has a 50% failure rate, which means you could end up with major abdominal surgery, because you trust your doctor. But he's not going to be the one recovering.

According to the stats I have from The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services

-First time mothers have approximately twice the likelihood of Cesarean Section with induction compared to natural onset of labor.

-Induction agents cause uterine hyperstimulation, which can cause fetal distress.

-No credible evidence suggests inducing women with gestational diabetes.

If you pm me, I'll be happy to email you the sources.
 
#4 ·
If you don't know the reason why I'd hesitate too. Especially if your blood sugar and the baby's size look fine. I was induced with #1 at 39 weeks and 20 hours of hard labor and some complications later I ended up with a c-section. Knowing what I know now I would've done things differently.
 
#5 ·
I was induced with dd1 at 42 weeks and will not elaborate on the terrible experience that I had as you said that you did not want to hear these... However, I will share with you the beautiful and magical experience of dd2 birth which was spontaneous labor at 40w5d. This was so empowering for me to trust my body and for my caregivers to do the same. Nothing compares to that. I would not induce unless there is clear evidence that the baby is in danger or my health were in danger. You say that everything is fine. I can not imagine why any dr would induce BEFORE a due date on a healthy mother, especially 1st time mom. PLEASE do your research and ask questions NOW. Don't wait and just trust the dr. I can not imagine what his/her motivation for induction at this stage would be.... BUT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW AND SHOULD DEFINITELY ASK...

peace
jen
 
#7 ·
The 39 week induction with GD is a standard. My old OB said the same thing. But, he also kept the options open to everything. My new OB hasn't even mentioned it because he declared this baby to be small. My old OB said that GD babies are generally larger and at 39 weeks are perfectly fine to be born so why keep them in there an extra week just to get bigger. He also had extra ultra sounds scheduled to check size etc. But, even at my 28 week US the perinatologist said it wouldn't be a large baby and said they don't even go to induction/c-section unless the baby is over 9 lbs.

I would think about it and talk with your OB at your next appointment. Ask him how large he thinks the baby actually is and then request to be able to go into labor naturally if that's what you want. See what he says but listen to what he says too. Don't let everyone here influence you based on their negative experiences. Create your own good experience and you may just feel better with the induction. There are many negative induction stories but there are also a lot of great ones. My old next door neighbor had both of her babies induced for idiotic reasons (husband has a business trip he scheduled that week) but they were very easy and 12 hours from start to finish. A woman in my old mom's group had to have an induction due to her water being broken. She was very anti testing, planned on a birth center birth et al but her induction lasted all of 7 hours.

When you speak with your doctor, have an open mind and he will too. He most likely does what he does because it it the industry standard and most people accept that. It doesn't mean he's not open to options.
 
#8 ·
As for calling him immediately- I'd rather wait and speak to him in person on Monday...

I'm not dumb and know that Dr.'s are human too (but I am confident in his skills and his ethics)... it's just that I was kinda caught off guard when the nurse came up and told me to plan on October 11th (I was NOT in the exam roombut standing in the lobby at the recetionist desk) per the Dr. as we had discussed during my visit that we'd see how things were progressing at my appt on the 8th. I also know that without a valid reason, I'm not going to show up at 5am at the hospital to be induced...

I don't know what kinda of response I was expecting but so far everything seems to be negative...
Nobody has anything positive to say or share about an induction?
 
#9 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicitoria View Post

When you speak with your doctor, have an open mind and he will too. He most likely does what he does because it it the industry standard and most people accept that.
: "Industry standard"??? She's giving birth, not buying a car.
 
#10 ·
Thank you Victoria!

I have friends that have had mixed results with inductions. I had the Dr. measure me onm Mon. and I'm at 36cm (which hw said is average and good- not too big). He said he prefers not to do an u/s for size as the results are usually inaccurate.
 
#11 ·
Not in your ddc, but I was induced around my due date with ds. Turns out not only was it a horrible and painful experience, but the due date was off, so he was premature. Please read on the risks of induction before you let them do it. If there is no medical necessity, it is a HUGE risk to you and the baby.

http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Woman...1443239&sr=8-1

Born in the USA is another good book that you can get that goes over the facts about induction and the risks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gottaknit View Post
: "Industry standard"??? She's giving birth, not buying a car.
Exactly. But that is the approach taken-it is for convenience of the doctor, not medical necessity. It is the industry standard in OB nowadays.
 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by tonimk19 View Post

I don't know what kinda of response I was expecting but so far everything seems to be negative...
Nobody has anything positive to say or share about an induction?
Um... No. You're not going to read many positive stories about medically-unnecessary inductions on MDC: The Natural Family Living Community.
 
#13 ·
I posted this thread because I'm not sure what I should do at this point and was looking for support and reassurance (not to be judged) as I'm a first time Mom and so far I'm still feeling fearful and afraid AND if it ends up being medically necessary (something that has NOT yet been determined) I don't want my fears to give me something like high BP, meaning an emergency C-section or other complications. But it seems if you don't agree 100% with others in MDC, you're on your own...
 
#14 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by tonimk19 View Post
I posted this thread because I'm not sure what I should do at this point and was looking for support and reassurance (not to be judged) as I'm a first time Mom and so far I'm still feeling fearful and afraid AND if it ends up being medically necessary (something that has NOT yet been determined) I don't want my fears to give me something like high BP, meaning an emergency C-section or other complications. But it seems if you don't agree 100% with others in MDC, you're on your own...
I'm sorry if you feel judged. I'm sure everyone is just confounded by your doc's reasoning, and it's NOT aimed at you. The thing is that induction is dangerous. You are much more likely to need a c-section, have more interventions, serious complications, or even death from an induction. But they never tell you this! Many of us are just upset that doctors do induction for what is most definitely not medical necessity and the outcomes can be very, very bad for everyone involved.

My second dd was also induced by having my water broken. Luckily she was fine, but now that I know the risks...I am tremendously upset. I was never once told about complications or risks from inducing, and my doc's reasoning should be counted as malpractice because he risked both of our lives.

It can be a very touchy subject. I would highly recommend the books I posted above to give you a more in depth perspective on induction.

Some links if you can't get the books (I got them from the library):

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/cytotec.html

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/postdates.html

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gdhgoer.html
 
#15 ·
Hey! I would definitely find out why for sure he wants to do the induction and then make your own decision from there. I don't think anyone is trying to be mean, it is just that so many of us have had a bad experience we tend to be wary! I think you are doing the right thing by questioning it and not following blindly. I hope you get some answers very soon and whatever happens I wish you the best of luck.

FWIW-I was induced with my first (am on #2 now) and it really led to a lot of problems for me, and ended up in a c section. Not saying that happens to everyone, but in this area that is a very common thing!

 
#16 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by tonimk19 View Post
I posted this thread because I'm not sure what I should do at this point and was looking for support and reassurance (not to be judged) as I'm a first time Mom and so far I'm still feeling fearful and afraid AND if it ends up being medically necessary (something that has NOT yet been determined) I don't want my fears to give me something like high BP, meaning an emergency C-section or other complications. But it seems if you don't agree 100% with others in MDC, you're on your own...
I tried not to be negative about my experience, just honest. I agree that some people can be harsh when they don't agree with you around here. I tried to just give a little bit about my experience. Whether or not you have an induction is totally up to you. I'd just ask the dr exactly WHY he wants to induce so you know what you're looking at. Good luck!
 
#17 ·
I am not in your DDC, but I wanted to respond...

I applaud your decision to not go into this blindly and to seek additional information from your doctor. This is, ultimately, your decision, and I wish you only the best of outcomes.

In your OP, you indicated that you did not need to hear any more statistics, horror stories, etc., and I sincerely wish other posters had listened to your request before responding. You sound like you are somewhat scared, as I would be were I in your position, and are simply looking for some support. I will not share any statistics or stories with you, and will only say that you should trust your gut and do everything possible to encourage a positive outcome for both you and your little one, despite having to be in a medicalized environment. As a new mama, I had to make several split-second decisions about my care, and I had the added benefit of having a midwife to guide me. It is very difficult to know what to do when this is your first pregnancy and there are so many big decisions to make. Anyone on this board can tell what they think you SHOULD do, but that is clearly not what you were asking in your OP.

It is obvious that you are not blindly trusting your OB, and that is wonderful. You know the issues surrounding induction, and I can only guess how hard it is to have a complication like GD and have to make such hard decisions about the health and well-being of both yourself and your baby.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gottaknit View Post
Um... No. You're not going to read many positive stories about medically-unnecessary inductions on MDC: The Natural Family Living Community.
She indicated in her OP that she does not exactly know WHY she might be induced and is looking for answers, so how can you call her induction "unnessary"? I, for one, do not have a positive induction story to share with her as I was not induced, but as someone who is a part of "The Natural Family Living Community", I extend to her my deepest sympathy for the problem she is facing and hope that perhaps she can find someone on this board who can tell her how they managed to celebrate and welcome the birth of their child, despite having to go through an induction or other interventions. Or perhaps there is someone who can share some ideas on how to have a positive birth experience, despite medical interventions.

I will say this: I had an emergency c-section and my son was delivered seven weeks early. It was horrible, but looking back, even *I* can find some positive stories to share about delivering a baby despite interventions. I can tell you that holding him for the first time put everything into perspective and my feelings for him now overshadow the trauma of his birth. I can tell you that I wish I had a camera and had invited more people to share the experience with me, and I wish I had remembered to bring my bathrobe from home
. I also wish I knew of some sort of ritual that I could have used to welcome my son into the world, despite our cimcumstances. I can also tell you that if things go downhill again during my next pregnancy and I had to go to the hospital again, I would bring a birth banner or some other similiar birth art to the delivery, as well as music and other things the reminded me of home. Does anyone else have any similiar thoughts or advice to share? If you were the original poster, and an induction were potentially in your future (despite the circumstances), how would you prepare?

I applaud the OP for hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. I wish I had done that during my pregnancy. Clearly, we are all hoping she can avoid the induction, but should she have the induction, what kind of support can we give her? Obviosuly, her worst case scenario is a c-sction after a failed induction, so are there any mamas out there who can give some advice about how to positively prepare for a c-section or induction? Would "Birthing From Within" have any good advice for her?

Come on ladies... lets' stop bombarding her with negativity and look for a way to give her some positive support.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but I beleive that this is one of those cases where our collective energy should be spent on support rather than activism.
 
#18 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by sparklett View Post
Come on ladies... lets' stop bombarding her with negativity and look for a way to give her some positive support.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but I beleive that this is one of those cases where our collective energy should be spent on support rather than activism.
Ummm who is bombarding her with negativity? It's true there just aren't that many stories about inductions that are happy. People aren't trying to scare with their stories but trying to warn her. I wish I had found MDC before my induction and people would have been upfront and honest with me. That is what a first time Mom needs is honesty and support and from what I am reading everyone is supporting her. It's her OB we don't agree with.
 
#19 ·
I think people here get riled up about this sort of thing because it can be very dangerous for you and your baby to have an induction if you don't need it. If you end up having a c/s just because you're OB thinks you need to deliver, both you and your baby have a higher mortality rate. No one here wants you to put yourself at unnecessary risk.

If you speak with your doctor and YOU are 100% convinced that you need to have an induction after doing so, just do it smart. If they are using a cervical ripening agent, make sure it's cervadil (not cytotec it's dangerous) which can be removed. Don't let them break your H20, and remember you can stop the pitocin. If your induction isn't working, then stop it. Going forward with it when nothing is happening is the fastest way for you to end up in the OR.

You should also know your bishop score which is a huge indicator of whether or not your induction will work. Ask your doctor what yours is, and if he acts like it's not important, or he doesn't know it that should send up a red flag for you. A score of less than 5 usually ends up being an unsucessful induction, over 9 is your best best, and unfortunately 6-8 is sort of grey zone.

http://www.mother-care.ca/bishop.htm (I just linked the first one I found)

Good luck, keep making informed decisions and you'll figure out the right thing to do.
 
#20 ·
Okay to answer your original question

Quote:
Anyone else having an induction?
Not I. I have no medical reason to induce, and I'm certainly not about to do it for convenience. My homebirth midwife does not advocate induction and if she did, you can sure as hell bet I'd not just blindly trust her because I'm confident in her skills and ethics. She may have great skills and great ethics, but she's not the one having the baby, I am.

I *did* have an induction with my twin boys, almost 5 years ago, that actually DIDN'T end in a c-s, remarkably.

However, I have to add this disclaimer: it was with Cervidil only, no Cytotec or Pitocin, and nobody did AROM. I also had an amazing doula who helped me during that labor and I credit her with helping me to have a vaginal birth.

However, despite my relatively positive experience with an induction-that-didn't-lead-to-c-s, I don't advocate induction. My induction was for Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome that was causing IUGR in baby A. Again, this was almost 5 years ago; I'm sure the c-s rate has gone up since then, and I had been pressured just to schedule a c-s, but I absolutely refused.

MDC being a Natural Family Community, you're just NOT going to find support for induction unless there's a medical reason, which I can't find in your post. It's nothing personal! Induction isn't natural!
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by sparklett View Post

She indicated in her OP that she does not exactly know WHY she might be induced and is looking for answers, so how can you call her induction "unnessary"?
She said in her original post:

Quote:
My BP, urine, size of baby, sugar levels and everything else check out as normal.
And she has no idea why he wants to schedule an induction.

I guess I misunderstood the OP. If she had posted "I am scheduled for induction a week before my due date for no apparent reason. Tell me this is a great idea. Please, no evidence-based advice or honest opinions." I would have kept my "mouth" shut.
 
#22 ·
Sorry to interfere on your DDC


As a mother who has had a medically necessary induction (month early, pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome), can I nicely say, ABSOLUTELY DON'T AGREE?!?!?!?!?!??

Inductions are hell...hell on the mother, hell on the baby, ESPECIALLY if you are a first time mama. They are brutal, painful, and miserable.

If your body is not ready for labor (and if you are measuring 36 weeks it's not), an induction takes an excruciatingly long time. I was induced starting at 8 PM on a Friday night. My son was born 54 hours later on MONDAY. Oh, and because I was hooked to every damn machine on the face of the planet, I couldn't get out of bed. Fun times.

That's my experience, for what it's worth.
 
#24 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by gottaknit View Post
She said in her original post:
And she has no idea why he wants to schedule an induction.

I guess I misunderstood the OP. If she had posted "I am scheduled for induction a week before my due date for no apparent reason. Tell me this is a great idea. Please, no evidence-based advice or honest opinions." I would have kept my "mouth" shut.
I agree. Evidence is important. Also this is MDC. If you want unquestioned support for the OB status quo, a place like Baby Center is probably a better fit.
 
#25 ·
Also keep in mind that MDC is not at all mainstream. It is a real minority of the population so you are GENERALLY (not always) getting a biased point of view. There are many, many women who are simply happy to get out of the birthing process alive and well and with a live and healthy child. They really believe that their doctor was acting in their best interest and using the most widely accepted methods in their profession. I mean, I certainly didn't think it a demeaning thing to call obstetrics an industry but it's automatically taken as that by many. That's OK. That's the point I want to make. Childbirth is what it is and as my midwives put it with my last pregnancy - At the worst, It's one really bad day that you will get through with a new baby in the end. There are many people here who are against doctors and even certified nurse midwives and would only trust a lay midwife. Hell, 4 years ago I knew nothing about any of this. Now that I'm on my second pregnancy I'm open to the entire spectrum. Just thinking it, being a mom is a difficult thing. You are gifted with children you have to try and figure out how to raise and they are individuals. You have to make it up as you go along. It's good to have as much knowledge as you can get your hands on!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top