Should I Wait for the Induction?

Wait for labor to come naturally! Having an induction increases your risk of complications such as cesarean section, forceps delivery, additional medication augmentation, infection, and many others! Having a big baby is not a valid reason to induce- in fact the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists recommends against it! If the baby waits another 7 days it is not because he is "getting too big". It's because he is finishing growing- he is not ready to be born yet or he would be born!

Of course many people will tell you that they were induced and were fine (me included)but it is less than pleasant. Meds dripping, constantly having vaginal exams, being put on the clock for labor progress. Don't do it!

The average pregnancy lasts 41 weeks and 1 day. The risk of stillbirth goes up sharply at 43 weeks- not 41 weeks like many OBs say. Good luck to you!

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S.,
Do what you feel is best for you. Everyone has their own appinion, so don't feel pressured. I had 3 inductions & everything went fine with all 3. All 3 were born without c-sections. It's a choice you have to make & feel comfortable with. Just talk to your doctor & you will make the right choice.

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I seem to be in the minority based on your other responses, but I can only tell you my own experiences. My doctor had me wait until I was 42 weeks and then decided to induce me. My labor didn't progress then either. Turns out my pelvis is way to small to fit even a small baby's head through it. So I had to have a c-section. Everyone kept telling me the baby would come out when he wanted to but the truth in my case was that he just couldn't. I was miserable those last two weeks so I really wish I hadn't had to wait through them only for what would likely have been the same outcome. So go with your gut and do whatever feels best to you. Good luck.

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Hi S. - I would say that a candid conversation with your OB is in order.

I had a scheduled induction the day before my due date with my daughter. I, like you, wanted to deliver with my own OB. The other Dr.s in the practice were just not a good fit for me and she knew it. So, I had a 36 ultrasound and baby looked "bigger than average". My Dr. felt confident that she would be ready so we scheduled it. I trusted her - that is the most important thing. We all have opinions and have read things, but in the end, we go to Dr.s for a reason - we build relationships that should, in the end help us to feel more confident about an unfamiliar situation.

My delivery went off without a hitch. No complications. AND my OB was right about my little one being ready. She was almost 9 lbs. and after labor they told me that it was a good time because my placenta was showing signs of begining to break down (which apparently is what happens as the baby becomes more "done" for lack of a better word)

Whatever you decide to do....savor all of the time you have...your little peanut will be here soon and the ride of your life will begin. Buckle up...it's a fun one!

Jessica

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If you can POSSIBLY avoid it, I would avoid an induction at all. If you look at the statistics, most docs start to get antsy after 41 weeks because the risk of a stillbirth goes up from 2 per 1000 to 2.2 per 1000. (this number is about 3 per 1000 for women over 35). Yes, this is an incredibly small risk. The general consensus now is that the risks associated with induction start to outweigh the risks associated with carrying a pregnancy post term after 41 or 42 weeks (depending on who you talk to). But guess what? It's still less than half a percent!! (email me and I'll send you the Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology article that I'm getting these stats from - it will make you feel better to see the data).

But inductions carry a higher risk of c-section, failure to progress, etc. Plus, they can initiate the "cascade of interventions" that you may not want. Basically, they drastically increase your risk of having a very medicalized birth.

The baby will NOT get "too big" - babies come out when they're ready, and if you completely trust your body to do the job, it is really really unlikely that it will be too big. This is borne out by the statistics - how else could some midwifery practices have a 2% c-section rate? (and these do exist - compared to our current nationwide rate of 30%)

So if it were me, I would wait. Do a non-stress test if your doc gets antsy, but I would personally avoid the induction unless it were truly medically necessary (ie non-stress test didn't look good). You can try a lot of natural methods to bring on labor first - black and blue cohosh, raspberry leaf tea, etc. Good luck!!!

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Your baby will NOT be too big. Women's pelvises are designed to birth up to a 13 lb baby! And guess what else you can tell them? We've been doing it for YEARS without inductions or else the human race would have died off long ago.

I would opt for waiting. Babies KNOW when they are supposed to come out. Ultrasounds and other technology is not 100% accurate to predict weight and readiness of babies to be born. Trust your instincts!!

Induction drugs can be dangerous for you and the baby too- whatever you do, don't let them give you Cytotech! And if you're interested in some natural labor-inducing methods that are safer and gentler (don't dialate you too fast and cause you to end up having a c-section from pain/baby's heart rate dropping, etc) here are a few things you can try:

-Sex: the semen ripens your servix
-Eat Italian. A lot of the Italian spices like oregano and parsley will help induce labor!
-Walk A LOT. Get up and move around. Squat a lot. Sway your hips in a circular hula-fashion. Sit on a birth ball. You want to try to move the baby down into the birth canal.
-Drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. It's supposed to tone your uterus and ready it for birth.
-Nipple stimulation- it releases hormones that help you go into labor. Ask your OB about this. Sometimes it can bring on strong contractions.
-There are herbs like Black and Blue Cohosh, but again, you will want to consult with your OB about these because they are medicinal and can be dangerous if not used correctly.
-Acupressure: There is a point on your pinky toe and one on the inside of your leg about a hand's width up from your ankle. There is another on your hand between your thumb and first finger (where you would rub for a headache.) You can google these if you want specifics.
-Ask about laxatives. Sometimes stimulating the digestive tract will get labor going. You don't want to overdo it though- a tablespoon of castor oil is completely different than taking too much exlax!! Be careful with this one and again, ask your OB.
-Ask if they can sweep your membranes if they haven't already. I don't recommend letting them break your water because it makes your contractions HURT and they'll begin to start timing your labor and setting limits on how long you can go before interventions start to happen.
-My best advice was to stay home from the hospital until I could not talk during a contraction. It's more comfy to be at home than to be hooked up to monitors, etc. Again, if you're not comfortable making this decision yourself, you can ask your OB, but first labors are usually very long labors (mine was 64 hours and I labored at home until I could not speak, drove to the hospital which was an hour away and she still did not come until the next day!)

Good luck and congratulations!!! I wish you a safe and healthy birth. Again, trust your body. It knows what its doing!

A.

PS- I was born 10 days "overdue" and my mom gained 100 lbs with me. I was about 7 lbs. My own daughter was 7 days "overdue" and I gained 70 lbs. She weighed 8lbs, 9 oz and was out in 3 pushes before the epidural even took effect and I'm not a big girl (5'5" average pre-pregnancy weight 120 lbs.)

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I was given the choice to wait as long as I needed to. I was 13 days past due. My doctor told me that anything after 42 weeks can be dangerous (the placenta starts to break down). I went with an induction because after 13 days this baby was still not coming!! An induction is not the end of the world. What ever is right for you and your baby will be just fine.

Please keep in mind that do-it-yourself induction may not work at all. We tried everything--sex, walking, eating spicy food, raspberry leaf tea. It may just boil down to an induction. It will be okay-- good luck!

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I would say do what feels right to you. But as in my case, make sure to pay close attention to the baby's movements as you get over-due. I was just over 40 weeks and at my next checkup mentioned to the doctor that the baby wasn't moving around as much as I was used to. It turned out that my amniotic fluid levels were low and I was induced the next morning. My doc said that if we had waited too long she could have been stillborn.
I don't want to scare you off of waiting it out, but just wanted to make sure you pay close attention to what's happening inside you. A little information never hurt anyone.
Good luck & congratulations! Being a mommy is the biggest blessing in the world!

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My advice is to discuss it with your doctor and pick what you are most comfortable with.

Both my children were induced - one at 41 weeks and one at 40 weeks. I had no problems with either and thought birth was not too bad.

In terms of if the baby will fit, the doctor can tell you whether or not they think that is an issue. But even if it is a possiblity the only way to figure that out is to go into labor. Even though women's bodies are made for giving birth - some have smaller pelvic areas so it is an issue. With my first (it changes once you've already had a baby) space was an issue - he was breech until 39 weeks because of space issues. In the end the only thing was to try to have him naturally. Luckily he fit - if he had been a 1/2 lb bigger he wouldn't have!

But whether you believe induction is good, bad or ok, you have to do what you are comfortable with and the best way to determine that, in my opinion is to sit down with your doctor and discuss your options and what is going on with your preganancy.

Good luck.

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