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UPDATE Rant - I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with this...

post #1 of 60
3/18/08 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
An acquaintance of ours is due at the end of April and has had a very normal pregnancy so far. The doctor has told her that her baby is "7 lbs. 3 oz." as of now, and that that means that it will be too big by the due date. The doctor said her cervix is "closed up tight" so she will most likely go full term, which puts her "at high risk for shoulder distocia and an 80% chance of c-section." Doctor recommends they induce at the end of March. The mom doesn't want a c-section, so she's going to go ahead and induce.

Need I even point out what's wrong in this situation? Argh...

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post #2 of 60
3/18/08 at 11:17am
That is all too common. Actually I think that is the norm now. I don't know of anyone "mainstream" anymore that goes into labor naturally. It's sad and frustrating and just plain wrong. There was actually a girl at my LLL meeting last month that was getting induced the next morning because she was 3 days overdue. I asked if there was a medical reason and her doctor told her it was illegal to go past 3 days overdue and she had to induce :
post #3 of 60
3/18/08 at 11:32am
My SIL was induced at 5 days overdue. She'd had a great pregnancy, no problems. Then, during labor, she had a uterine rupture and was in ICU for 2 days away from baby, who was in special care nursery. Thankfully, they saved her uterus, but will she be able to have more kids? I don't know.

The good news: although her baby got formula in the hospital (mixed with colostrum that mom pumped), my SIL still breastfed!
post #4 of 60
3/18/08 at 11:45am
Thread Starter 
That's another thing (and this probably belongs on the breastfeeding forum), but I've heard from three women now that a nurse popped her head in the hospital room, said the baby had lost a few ounces and is it ok if I give baby a little formula? Don't babies typically lose a few ounces after birth? And how about helping mom nurse baby more instead of off-handedly mentioning formula?
post #5 of 60
3/18/08 at 11:47am
Thread Starter 
"The mom doesn't want a c-section, so she's going to go ahead and induce."

This is the part I'm upset about the most - so your cervix is closed up tight, you're a month away from your due date with your first baby and you're going to induce because you don't want a C-section? We'll see how that goes.
post #6 of 60
3/18/08 at 11:55am
I would let her know the risk of c-section is much higher with each intervention.

I would also ask her what vacation her doc is planning at the beginning of April.

Mention to her that I had a 8 day post date 11 pound baby at home. No tearing and no shoulder dystocia. I pushed 3 times for about 12 minutes.

My best friend also had an 11 pound baby at home with no shoulder dystocia.

My first baby was 9 pounds and also 8 days post date - again no shoulder dystocia.
post #7 of 60
3/18/08 at 12:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CanidFL View Post
Actually I think that is the I asked if there was a medical reason and her doctor told her it was illegal to go past 3 days overdue and she had to induce :
Please tell me her doc did not use the word "illegal." Unbelievable! Felony or misdemeanor?
post #8 of 60
3/18/08 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bullfrog View Post
I would also ask her what vacation her doc is planning at the beginning of April.
That was my exact thought.

Please let your friend know that lying to a patient about her rights is the only thing illegal about this situation.
post #9 of 60
3/18/08 at 12:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bullfrog View Post
I would let her know the risk of c-section is much higher with each intervention.
I know this to be true and it intuitively makes sense (well maybe it doesn't since repeatedly subjecting women to unnecessary interventions and women blindly accepting them without researching has become the norm it seems...but I digress). Are there any numbers or studies out there I can wield?
post #10 of 60
3/18/08 at 12:38pm
Geesh, and here I was being scared about a homebirth. Everyone on here has provided me with such great resources that I have learned that for a low-risk pregnancy, the hospital and Ob-Gyns can be the "scary" part.

Please let her know that for the health of her baby and herself that she should explore her other options...including a different provider!
post #11 of 60
3/18/08 at 3:47pm
Henci Goer's The Thinking Woman's Guide... is an excellent source of research and stats. Run, run to the bookstore.

There is absolutely no way, NO WAY for the dr. to know how much her baby weighs. My mws like to guess (and one was 1 oz. off) but it was just for fun! They always say "We'll just wait and see!" Ultrasounds are also unreliable. The dr. is full of himself.

I'd also point out that if she happens to gestate babies longer or her dates are a little off, she's running the risk that the lungs will not be fully developed at birth which would lead to the NICU, baby being isolated, problems w/breastfeeding, extended stay in the hospital.

This is a dangerous, dangerous practice that some drs. talk their patients into. They are literally inducing premature babies imo. THAT is dangerous! I can't believe he is insinuating that carrying a baby to TERM is dangerous! And, frankly, I can't believe a mother would blindly accept such irresponsible behavior. The information is out there and it's up to us to access it.
post #12 of 60
3/18/08 at 5:34pm
Thread Starter 
I read The Thinking Women's Guide when I was deciding on my homebirth (something I'm happier and happier I chose every time I hear one of these stories!) - thanks for reminding me about the stats in there.

I 100% agree with you on the impossibility of determining the size of the baby from ultrasound (I've heard it's accurate plus or minus two pounds - as if that's helpful when something only weighs like 6-10 anyway) and on the potential dangerousness of taking the baby out too early. That's why these stories appall me - both for the doctor actually saying it with a straight face and mom just taking it without researching. Unfortunately, these stories are what I hear with most of my hospital-birthing friends
post #13 of 60
3/18/08 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CanidFL View Post
That is all too common. Actually I think that is the norm now. I don't know of anyone "mainstream" anymore that goes into labor naturally. It's sad and frustrating and just plain wrong. :
I only know ONE person in real life who has had a baby vaginally (forget "naturally") since 2008. and I have met a LOT of new moms. Im at LLL every month, and tons of friends have recently had babies.
post #14 of 60
3/18/08 at 5:55pm
That is crazy.

My "9 pound" baby turned out to be 7 lb. 4 oz., and on my edd my cervix was "high and tight" yet my ctx started that night. (DD was born 2 days later).

Luckily I had a MW so they were not even thinking induction nor would have I allowed it.

There is just no way to tell about these things. It's so sad that people don't trust a woman's body to do the right thing.

And WOW. They want to induce a whole month early? That could be really dangerous for the baby. I would get a second opinion and definitely read henci goer's book.
post #15 of 60
3/18/08 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KLM99 View Post
"The mom doesn't want a c-section, so she's going to go ahead and induce."

This is the part I'm upset about the most - so your cervix is closed up tight, you're a month away from your due date with your first baby and you're going to induce because you don't want a C-section? We'll see how that goes.
Exactly!...sadly...
post #16 of 60
3/18/08 at 6:08pm
Your post makes me VERY upset. I was in a similar situation. I had a C-section from a very traumatic, pit-induced labour. I may never know what it's like to go into labour naturally.

I really, really hope that she reconsiders.
post #17 of 60
3/18/08 at 8:21pm
my husband's aunt was induced both times...i wasn't around the first time she was induced, but the second time she induced the doctor had told her the baby was going to be big, so it would be better to induce so she didn't have a baby that was too big to give birth to. i guessed the baby would be around 7 lbs, like her first had been. guess who was right? the baby was only a couple ounces over 7 lbs.
post #18 of 60
3/18/08 at 8:28pm
Blargh. Just...blargh....
post #19 of 60
3/18/08 at 8:41pm
My OB with DS2 told me that the baby was measuring at 7lbs a good month before I was due. Surprise, DS was born a month later at 7lbs. 2 oz., the OB was so far off on his estimation.

I hope everything turns out okay for your friend.
post #20 of 60
3/18/08 at 8:49pm
I have had 4 children, two at 42 weeks, two at 39. As of yet I have avoided pitocin inductions and have had all 4 vaginally, but never truly gone into labor on my own. My third had what the OB called shoulder dystocia (but based on my descriptions my MWs now think it was a different type of dystocia). Even my OBs acknowledged that it wasn't neccessarily her size, but her position.
If her doc really wants to "help things along" when they get closer maybe she can talk to him/her about other, less invasive ways of bringing on labor? For me the 2 that have worked are sweeping/stripping the membranes (but for that you I think you really do need to be at least a little dialated at the time) and castor oil (disgusting but a heck of a lot better than pit!)
Her doc probably wouldn't be ok w/ the castor oil (I chose not to share that with my OBs) but if she wants to avoid a medical induction it might be something to try.
Good luck to her, so glad I'm having a HB this time so I don't have to worry about it.
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Pregnancy and Birth › Birth and Beyond › Homebirth › UPDATE Rant - I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with this...