Very stressful experience- really need advice regarding induction

[JennaW]

I also posted this in the July DDC, hope it is okay if I post it here too.

So I had a mifwife appt today. That went fine. We did talk about induction but there was no pressure at all and the midwife even said it was still to early to set a date (41 weeks 1 day). At the appt I asked her about when/if we should do NST and she said she thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and do one today or tomorrow. It happened that there was an appt available at 1:30.

So DH and I went to that. They did an u/s to check fluid which looked great (10), then they did the monitoring. The baby's heartbeat was strong and good. So I was thinking everything was just perfect.

Well then when the tech had the CNM come to look at the strip she had some concerns because there were times when the heartbeat was dipping. Not that it was dipping below a normal rate but that it was dipping below my babies baseline. There was also some calcifications on the placenta. So she started to ask me about why I don't want to be induced (not in a confrontational way but truly wanting to know MY reasons). She told me that she understood but that she also was concerned with some of the things she was seeing and would like to try to "wake the baby up" to see if they could get some better readings before she felt comfortable letting me go home.

At this point I started to cry. I was so upset. You really can't know what its like to be put in that position until you are there.

So we did the additional monitoring and baby was active. Things looked good enough that the CNM said she felt like she could sleep tonight if we went home and came back for another NST on Saturday.

I have been trying so so so hard to be positive about being post dates and trusting my body but this just puts a big fat poop on my attitude. I'm scared on induction but I'm more scared of my baby not getting what they need.

The CNM did suggest trying to do some natural things to get labor going. She told me how to do castor oil if I wanted to. She said I also might want to try nipple stimulation and sex.

I'm just upset. I don't want to be induced but I feel like I have indications that if I don't go into labor on my own soon, it might be the wise choice. I'm just so scared of it. I read some of the induction stories and feel like scheduling a c-section would be less traumatic

Thanks for any support or advice.

[Mountain_Mama]

I know it's tough when there is pressure, however it sounds like everyone agrees that baby is just fine right now. There are lots of posts on this board regarding natural induction methods, so there are plenty of things you can do to encourage labour.

As for scheduling a c-section, coming from a Mama that had a c-section I would strongly advise you against. It may seem like a good idea now, but a few months (or years) down the road you could run into some really strong emotions regarding that choice. It also complicates your birth options if you choose to have a second child.

Stay strong, baby will arrive in good time! In the mean time be sure you understand the real risk factors of going post-dates so you can decide if there is really an issue or not.

[JennaW]

Sorry I put this on the other post but forgot to put it here, I AM NOT going to be scheduling a c-section. I just meant that it seems like some inductions seem so traumatic (the ones that end up in c-section) that the Mama would have had a better birth with a planned c-section. But there is no way to know ahead of time what will happen so if you do get induced you just have to pray and hope for the best.

[avivaelona]

I'm hoping baby just decides to come quickly and you don't have to worry about this.

however, I did want to let you know that I had an induction and while it was far from the birth I'd love to have, it was not particularly traumatic (well not til the end but that had nothing to do with the induction but rather how they handled my babies cord being around his neck tight)

I did end up needing an epidural, but only because they insisted on upping the pitocin even once I was contracting and dilating well. If done by a midwife and without an intervention happy OB you might get away without that. Talk to your midwife about how she does inductions and what you might expect. I'd say even with the imperfections my birth was far less traumatic than a c-section would be (at least to my body)

[hapersmion]

Sorry you are feeling stressed!

Now, I'm no expert, but there didn't seem to me to be anything to worry about. It seems like every time anyone near their due date has an ultrasound, the people are "concerned about calcifications on the placenta". They ALWAYS find those, from what I can tell - so maybe it's normal! If the baby is active and growing and healthy, the calcifications (if they exist, ultrasound is unreliable) don't matter.

As for the heartbeat thing, the heartbeat never dropped before normal. It seems silly to worry about the rate being variable - I've seen other people posting about how their doctors are worried because the baby's heartrate stayed the same during the NST!

She sent you home saying the baby is fine. So try to forget about all the rest of it, it was nothing more than speculation. The baby will come when s/he is ready! Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a week - either way I bet everything will be just fine.

[mytwogirls]

Hi mama! Both my girls were induced and I did not have a section with either one of them. The process was very easy and I have a GREAT OB/GYN who worked with me to give the best births possible. I have NO horror stories to tell you because it was anything but horrible. My second was really amazing. Yes, I had pitocin and yeah and epidural (please no flaming!) BUT I got to pull her out once her head was delivered. It was awesome. Don't think just because you have to be induced your birth is going to be bad. I consider both my births to be absolutely great even though they were induced. My water broke on its own both times once the pit was started and I was in charge of my body THE WHOLE TIME. I had great nurses, staff and a great OB to work with. I wish you the best.

[thefragile7393]

Inducement, even by natural methods, only works if your body is ready, if it's not ready it can be a lot harder on both of you. If you and the babe are doing fine and the NST's show that, why induce? Placentas a lot of times have some calcification towards the end of pregnancy BTW. I hope someone else can post something better with more pointed medical advice.

[ihathi]

Hi Jenna,

I am so sorry you are feeling so stressed out!

I just wanted to let you know that I fully empathize w/ your situation. When I had some unusual bleeding at 40 wks., I never once imagined that the NST and ultrasound would indicate the need for an immediate induction! My heart absolutely stopped when my CNM explained the ultrasound to me(there was a partial abruption of the placenta). In the moment, I felt like my heart was breaking. After having a perfectly natural birth for DS1, it had never occurred to me that DS2's birth could possibly be any different!

Anyhow, FWIW, once I pulled myself together and decided to divert all my energies toward having a happy, celebratory birth in spite of the pitocin, things actually went incredibly well. I am happy to be an exception to the typical horror story that usually accompanies an induction. I was able to birth DS2 w/o any painkillers or any other intervention. In fact, we even got an early discharge from the hospital after the birth (as per our birth plan). I know that my situation was helped by the fact that 1) this was my second baby and 2) my cervix was already almost 90% effaced. However, I also strongly believe that my CNM had a lot to do w/ keeping my labor progressing at a reasonable rate. I truly believe that the difference between a m/w regulating the pitocin and an ob/gyn can't be understated!

Anyhow, I sincerely hope your DD gets to come precisely when she's ready and that that's really soon! However, if your m/w starts strongly encouraging an induction, don't assume it means your birth will inevitably be an impossible-to-manage, horrible affair. It doesn't.

Good luck to you!

[gratefulmama2isaac]

Oh, I remember that stress. You really feel trapped - it's very difficult. Only you know what is right for you. Yes, there are horrible inductions. There are also horrible births where labor begins on its' own. There are inductions that go great, as well.

I, too, had to make this tough decision, or risk being transferred to o.b care from the midwives, which I was ultimately not willing to do. FWIW, my induction went well, and - like a p.p, I caught my son after his head emerged. It was magic.

Perhaps I am biased, but I feel that postdates inductions often go better than others.

It may help you to do some research on induction procedures first. Try all the natural labor-inducers at home that you're comfortable with, first, though - by all means.

Wishing you a beautiful birth.