To Induce or Not to Induce

Could be you have not gone into labor yet because your baby is not in the correct position to kick off labor. If you agree to an induction, labor will begin with a malpositioned baby. This increases your risks for long labor, birth trauma, and c-section. If all other tests are coming out fine, I would not agree to an induction. Babies squish when they are bigger. Better to have a correctly positioned bigger baby than a smaller baby that is coming out crooked or face up.

Exercises that can help your baby into the correct position are: pelvic tilts, bouncing on an exercise ball, sitting on the floor with your legs crossed (Indian-style). Also, you can visit the website www.spinningbabies.com for other helpful ways to help your baby be positioned correctly.

If you're doing fine and you had a good labor last time, why rush things? It really bothers me how doctors try to pressure women into inducing and other things they don't want. I had a lot of pressure to induce labor when I was a week late. I refused and had a totally healthy baby and a great natural birth 9 days after the due date. I wouldn't even worry until maybe 2 weeks late. There is a margin of error with their method of coming up with the due date anyway. Oh yeah, and my son was 7 lbs 9 oz. so he didn't get too big either. Good luck and congratulations!

Hi T.! I am a labor doula and know how you feel! Many of my clients have gone through this. A few things you can do to bring on labor is nipple stimulation, sex, curb walking where you walk with one foot on the ground and one foot up on the curb! Also I have had a few clients who went and got accupuncuture for this and most of them went into labor within 48 hours! Good luck and I hope some of this might help you out!
S. Bailey CLD
Aurora IL

I would go with what you and your doctor feel is most comfortable.

I just had my third child and I was induced with all three. The first was one week late and the others about on time.

I had no problems with any of the inductions, in fact I pushed for 30 minutes with my first, an hour with my second (she was big for my size and a pound bigger than her brother), and about 10 minutes with my third (who was the smallest of the three).

But that was what worked for me and I didn't feel that being induced diminished anything.

I say go with your gut and what your doctor recommends.

Good luck.

i went into labor naturally with both my kids but something happened with my son(he was socond). my contractions were steadily coming one after another then all of the sudden the slowed to just about 5 minutes apart. not good! they ended up giving me the induction meds and within about an hour he was here. i am tall but not heavy. about 5'8 125/130lbs. he was 8lbs 6oz 20 1/2 inches. nice sized baby. i wouldn't be to nervous about it but if you truely feel you should wait than wait. it is YOUR decision. but i'm sure you;ll be just fine and so will baby. btw, my son was 4 days early. you need to comfortable, and if your not than the labor may not be either. good luck and congrats

About the size: My mom is 5'2" (on a good day =) )and my brother was born naturally at 10lbs. 14 oz. I was 8,8. That should not be a concern. Secondally unless you have any reason to believe that you would need a c-section, i.e. a surgery that left too much scar tissue for you to dialate, as it was for the second time around, I would wait. I was a week late with my son, my doc wanted me to go no longer, and was chemically "induced" for 12 hours before having a c-section. (sidebar:I had my first naturally in 2 hours and 45 mins. after water broke) I knew that it was not going to happen and in the end all was well. My friend had her doc strip her membranes with both of her kids and this started labor with both. It is a "natural" way to do it. Good Luck!! Two kids will be soooo much fun, just wait and see!!!

Please trust your body!!! It knows how to grow a baby and it knows when your baby has cooked long enough. It sounds like you've done the tests and everything is FINE. So let it be. you'll have that baby before you know it. I was 9 days late with my daughter and every day I thought it would never end. But of course, every day you're that much closer to meeting your little one. Just say to yourself, "nobody stays pregnant forever. not even me."

As far as induced vs non-induced labor goes, I can't comment b/c I've only had the non-induced kind. BUT inductions are associated with a higher rate of using epidural anaesthesia (if you're trying to avoid that), higher rate of interventions, higher rate of c-section, plus you'll have to be monitored the whole time and will be tethered to an IV. All good reasons to avoid it unless there's a legit medical reason to do so.

Also know that you don't have to consent to being induced at 41 weeks. Until about 2 years ago doctors routinely let women go to 42 weeks before they induced, and the only reason they don't now is that they have gotten so "good" at inducing that the risk of something bad happening to the baby at 42 weeks outweighs the risks of inducing. LOTS of doctors are happy to let you go longer (assuming no medical need to get the kid out) if you tell them that you'd rather not induce. All you have to do is ASK.

T. i was induced with my daughter a week before my due date because she was really big and my doctor was afraid to let me go any longer. I was induced on a monday and it did nothing! They let me sit at that hospital for 3 days on potosin and still nothing had happened. They finnally broke my water on the 3rd night because i told them if nothing happened i was going home. Instantly i went into labor and 12 hours later i gave birth c-section to a beautiful 9lbs 14oz baby girl! Go with your gut, you will know what the best decision is for you and your baby. Just thought i would share my story with you. Good luck and congrats!

Hi T.,

I do not want to scare you but let me tell you two things. My mom had 3 kids, the first was 7.5 lbs, the second was 9 lbs, and the third was almost 11!

The second story is about my co-worker. She was 2 weeks late before they induced. She was a smaller frame, but all of the tests were normal. The baby simply didn't want to come. The doctors were estimating the baby's weight at about 8 lbs or a little more. They scheduled to induce her at 4 a.m. She was in labor until 1 a.m. the next day, when they realized that the baby was not going to come out the natural way, and after that many hours of labor and pushing and pain, they did a c-section. It turns out the baby by that time weighed more than 10 lbs., and simply could not fit! It is a scary story, and hopefully not your scenario, but basically the doctors apologized to her for being so off-base about the baby's size.

Now that I've told you those two things, I must also say that I made sure to choose a doctor I really trusted, and it was her opinion I followed above all others.

Best wishes, M.

You've given us a lot of information, which is great! However, I don't think any of us on these boards are certified as a obstetrician or a nurse-midwife and we certainly don't know every intimate detail of your gestation or medical history. Maybe you actually do need an induction but your doctor isn't being clear or open with you about all the reasons why. Keep asking questions if you feel uncomfortable, and do so until you're satisfied with the responses and decisions you and your doctor will make.

At this point I would not. Maybe your little girl just needs a little more time. Unless you are really uncomfortable why would you want to expose your body to another drug. I would stick with the natural way. Hang in there she may decide in the next day or even hour it is time to be born.

S.

Almost no woman is incapable of birthing her babies. We were designed to do it. Your body is perfectly capable of birthing your baby, even if it is big. The medical world has convinced us that we can't do it on our own without the assistance of pitocin, epidurals, forceps, etc. Full-term is up to 42 weeks and almost no one goes past that. There is no reason for induction. Let your body do it's work and your baby knows when it's ready to be born. It's better for both you and your baby. Your doctor cannot force you to induce. It's your body and your choice, he or she is working for you, not the other way around. I don't know who told you the your "inside will start to deteriorate" but it's completely false. Your body knows what your baby needs. Just relax and trust nature and your body to know what they are doing.

Hi T.~
I'll respond again!! I'm greatful I was induced, especially with my 2nd! I'm considered small...5'6", and only 130lbs. My 1st baby was 7lbs 5oz and even with him I had a hard time-he got stuck & we needed forceps & vacuum to get him out. As for my 2nd, my daughter, I was induced 10 days early, and she ended up being over 9 pounds!! So, I can't imagine if I had waited to go naturally. She did come out super easy though..only a few pushes and out she came! I know you want positive stories, but if you've got a concern about the size, I figured I'd share that with you as well.
Good luck again!
J.

fat squishes, your baby is not going to grow enough over 3 days to make much, if any difference for the delivery. things like the baby's position and the mom's position when pushing the baby out mean a bunch more than the baby's weight. laying on your back in bed is about the worst position to be in, though it's the norm because it's easy for nurses to check you and the doctor to see what's going on (and monitoring if you're hooked up to machines). if you have an epidural you might have no choice in the matter but if you can, get up off your back/tailbone to allow greater flexibility and gravity to help as well. i've heard more often than not, even when a second baby is considerably larger than the first, the birth has been easier just due to your body having been through before it and you knowing better how to push effectively.

go with your gut on this. personally i see no reason to induce if all signs are that the baby is doing just fine as it sounds like it is, and if you feel like the baby is just fine where he/she is. 40 weeks is an average -- which means many people go earlier and many go later. for you, several days or more "over"due might just be right and normal for your babies.

best of luck!