So, I've been lurking here for a while...I am 39w 5d...this will be our 4th baby. 
Probably once or twice a month when some question came up, I'd see if anyone else here was having the same issue (and usually someone was) and I'd read the advice and move on. I knew I could count on what was being suggested here. But now, I need a bit of encouragement.
A little background: I am seeing a midwife in a clinic and planning a hospital birth (mostly for insurance and partly because I am a chicken of homebirth). I have no health risks to speak of other than being 38. BP is great, baby is growing great, etc. I'm nearly 40 weeks, so I'm big and tired, etc.--Normal pregnancy.
DH is a teacher, this was his last week of school and my son had a lot of activities going on (Kindergarten graduation, etc.), so I was curious to see if there was any hint of progress toward labor. I'd had real contractions (as well as bh) and such, but nothing that turned into labor. So, last week, when the mw suggested checking my cervix, I agreed. I was maybe dilated to 1cm, she said it was still long, etc. So, not really anything happening. That was fine with me--my preference is to go to due date or longer, of course.
So, today she wanted to check to see if there was any change. I agreed (boy, I wish I hadn't) and found there wasn't any change to speak of. Again, fine with me.
So, she then gets out the calendar and explains that she'd like to look at when would be good to schedule an induction. In her defense, she did point to the end of the 41st week, but I was just not prepared to discuss induction, period. The next thing she said is that she generally does induction with Cytotec. Seriously, I think my jaw physically dropped. I was stunned. She asked if I had experience with it. All I could say was no and that I didn't think the manufacturer even indicated its use for induction. Still, that is her preferred induction method. She did offer Cervidil at that point. I just simply told her I wasn't interested in induction. I told her that I am more than fine going past EDD and that I'd only been feeling like I might deliver early this time since I really wanted to go late--with DHs schedule and stuff.
She then pointed to the latest date she'd let me go without induction. (June 23) I just reiterated that I wasn't interested in induction and she talked a bit about not being familiar with herbs for getting labor going enough to give recommendations, etc. That was fine with me, I could come here and get advice on what to use to get things going, once I at least reached EDD. We talked briefly about a few other issues and I left. DH was with me this time since he's now done teaching and I was able to vent to him immediately on the way to the car.
My other three deliveries were all past EDD. I am fairly certain this baby will come next week or at the beginning of the following week, so it really won't be an issue of induction, but I am so stunned today with this. I wasn't worried about labor, but now I am. I feel like I made a bad mistake choosing a different hospital/midwife. My other three were all delivered at a large hospital with a six midwife rotation. I disliked one of the midwives in the rotation enough that I decided to switch to guarantee I wouldn't get her for labor. Now, I have this one midwife in a small local hospital and I'm dreading the whole experience. Seriously, two days before EDD--I don't need this stress.
So that's my intro and my dilemma.
Probably once or twice a month when some question came up, I'd see if anyone else here was having the same issue (and usually someone was) and I'd read the advice and move on. I knew I could count on what was being suggested here. But now, I need a bit of encouragement.A little background: I am seeing a midwife in a clinic and planning a hospital birth (mostly for insurance and partly because I am a chicken of homebirth). I have no health risks to speak of other than being 38. BP is great, baby is growing great, etc. I'm nearly 40 weeks, so I'm big and tired, etc.--Normal pregnancy.
DH is a teacher, this was his last week of school and my son had a lot of activities going on (Kindergarten graduation, etc.), so I was curious to see if there was any hint of progress toward labor. I'd had real contractions (as well as bh) and such, but nothing that turned into labor. So, last week, when the mw suggested checking my cervix, I agreed. I was maybe dilated to 1cm, she said it was still long, etc. So, not really anything happening. That was fine with me--my preference is to go to due date or longer, of course.
So, today she wanted to check to see if there was any change. I agreed (boy, I wish I hadn't) and found there wasn't any change to speak of. Again, fine with me.
So, she then gets out the calendar and explains that she'd like to look at when would be good to schedule an induction. In her defense, she did point to the end of the 41st week, but I was just not prepared to discuss induction, period. The next thing she said is that she generally does induction with Cytotec. Seriously, I think my jaw physically dropped. I was stunned. She asked if I had experience with it. All I could say was no and that I didn't think the manufacturer even indicated its use for induction. Still, that is her preferred induction method. She did offer Cervidil at that point. I just simply told her I wasn't interested in induction. I told her that I am more than fine going past EDD and that I'd only been feeling like I might deliver early this time since I really wanted to go late--with DHs schedule and stuff.
She then pointed to the latest date she'd let me go without induction. (June 23) I just reiterated that I wasn't interested in induction and she talked a bit about not being familiar with herbs for getting labor going enough to give recommendations, etc. That was fine with me, I could come here and get advice on what to use to get things going, once I at least reached EDD. We talked briefly about a few other issues and I left. DH was with me this time since he's now done teaching and I was able to vent to him immediately on the way to the car.
My other three deliveries were all past EDD. I am fairly certain this baby will come next week or at the beginning of the following week, so it really won't be an issue of induction, but I am so stunned today with this. I wasn't worried about labor, but now I am. I feel like I made a bad mistake choosing a different hospital/midwife. My other three were all delivered at a large hospital with a six midwife rotation. I disliked one of the midwives in the rotation enough that I decided to switch to guarantee I wouldn't get her for labor. Now, I have this one midwife in a small local hospital and I'm dreading the whole experience. Seriously, two days before EDD--I don't need this stress.
So that's my intro and my dilemma.
No one is going to deny you care if you show up at the hospital in active labor, when you are ready to be there.
I don't have any advice. All my babies come soon after my edd but, still, no one has ever talked induction to me and I think I'd have to look at them like they were crazy if they did. It's just a stupid guess!
