39 Weeks and 1 Day

When it was time for my baby, my mother in law made me go for a long walk and she made me some spicy food. Old wives tales say to try those..I did, but they didn't help me. I was induced, and I won't tell you my story. But maybe try at least the long walks and see if that helps. Good Luck!!!

Hi. My name is N.. I have been induced with both of my boys and I can't say that I have had any trouble with the inducment. I don't think it is bad at all. Good luck though. I think I would have done anything if I was at the point that you are at.

i was induced and it wasnt too bad.....my son didnt take very well to the patocin.....his heart beat was 30bpm and they thought i lost him but other then that it was fine..... c-sections SUCK

A.,
There is NO correlation between dialation and imminent delivery, so don't worry about that. I was only 1.5 cm dialated with my second baby when I went to the hospital, and delivered him via natural childbirth 2 hours later. Just relax and let Mother Nature do her thing instead of trying to force an issue.
Best wishes,
K.

Hi A., first...congratulations!! My first 2 labors were induced(1 for high blood pressure the other because the doctor pressured me to "get it over with" before her vacation). I went into labor naturally for my 3rd. I have to say there wasn't any less pain with the 3rd birth but I did have the freedom to move more. With the pitocin inductions I was forced to stay in bed on my back so they could constantly monitor the baby. That made the labors harder. I don't agree with doctors rushing to induce labor. This is a natural process and (imo) as long as mom and baby are healthy, let things go naturally. The midwife I used for my 3rd suggested that at 40 weeks(I went 41) to try massages with primrose oil, to take Rescue Remedy and to walk daily. Good luck and again, congratulations!!!

Hi A.,
There is nothing to be scare of. Even though I was scare at first because I didn't know what to except. I had alot of family support. My labor was induced with my first child because I was two weeks over do. I had no problems with any of the labor or birth. I went into the hospital at midnight and they got me hooked up on the monitors and recorded her heartbeat for a while. I had small contractions but they were so far apart and wasn't enough to make it count. About six that morning they gave me the medicine to start my contractions and for my Uterus to start softing up. Before I got there I was only a fingertip. The gel kind of numbed me up. About eleven o'clock my water broke and thats when the contractions came. I think they had to give me some more gel because the process was slow. But everyone is not the same. I was dilating but slow. She was born at 10:23. Once I was fully dilated it didn't take long at all for me to push her out. The only bad thing I remember was that the only way for me to be confortable was lying down. I tried to sit up and lay on my side, but the contractions was coming fast and hard, so I all I could do was lay there. My back had swollen and I could not get an epidural. I had her natural but the best thing about that was I was able to get up and walk around and take a shower with out waiting for the med s to wear off. I also had my son natural but he came on his own. When I got to the hospital it was time to push! My daughter is now 14 and I had no complications and she does not have any medical problems. I wish you the best of luck and my he will decided to come on his own.

A.,

Congratulations on your little miracle! You already have experienced delivering children so you know what you face with a vaginal birth and traditional labor pains. If pitocin is used they do say the contractions can be a little stronger but since this is your third I bet your labor will progress pretty fast anyway. My only advice is to consider how you feel about a c-section. The rate of a c-section is increased when you are induced rather than letting your body determine when to deliver. I was induced on my due date and did end up having a c section. The rate of "failure to progress" goes up quite a bit when you are induced. After all, you are making your body do something it wasn't quite ready to do just yet. How the baby gets here is really not important though, just that he gets here with you both being healthy! Enjoy him and congratulations again!

Evening primrose oil is supposed to help induce contractions. It comes in gel caps from the health food store. Takes a few days to build up in your system and become effective but I used it with both of mine and delivered within a few days of beginning it. Don't worry though, your baby will not suffer from being a few days overdue and your body knows what to do. Try relaxing, walking a lot and enjoying these last few days of pregnancy! Congratulations!
A. C.

If they use Pitocin (also called Oxytocin, and "pit" for short) as the medication to get your labor going, the nurse will be the one regulating how fast it is going in. Ask your nurse to start the Pitocin slowly so you get a chance to adjust to the contractions, rather than it all hitting you hard at once.

Honestly, I tried walking on a treadmill, swimming, shopping, sex, and everything else I could think of to get my labor going because I was so uncomfortable, and nothing worked. All I got was false labor until my water broke on its own (no other help). My 9 lb. 11 oz. baby came out when she wanted to- which was at 39 weeks, 5 days! So, my advice is to not worry about it or even try to get it going on your own, because anything you try probably won't work. It will just be a waste of time and energy. Just do other things that you want to get done instead- laundry, make meals to put in the freezer, get your bags ready, do bills, clean, and sleep! That way, when the baby does come, you will be ready and not sitting in the hospital thinking, "Oh, I wish I had done...before the baby was born".

Congratulations- and best wishes for an easy labor!

This may sound weird but if you can afford it, see a message therapist. I am not joking. My stepmother is one. When I was in labor with my daughter they checked me at 2:30 in the afternoon and said to get comfortable because I was going to be at it all night. At 3:00 my stepmother came and started messaging my feet and by 3:45 we had a beautiful baby girl. Good Luck.

Hello!! WALK WALK WALK!!!!! My first was 10 days late and i think she would've been an induction had my hubby not taken me the clev.art museum! We spent the whole day there, no elevators we thought the security guards were going to faint when they saw me doing the stairs one even tried to show us were the elevators were, we just laughed and said "no thanks" he gave us a look like i don't wnat to deliver a baby!! Anyway she came on her own two days later!! My second I was induced due to his size. I went natural with my daughter and that was my goal with my son but after they broke my h2o and increased that devil potion called potosin(spelling?)I just couldn't handle the contractions so I had to get the epidural. Well after the epidural everything was peachy keen. So I guess it's a matter of your personal pain tollerence and what you have "planned" for your delivary. It was a real bummer for me to get the epidural but It part of my plan was to stay aware that a birth plan is pretty much an oxymoron and if pain meds were nessacary then so be it! Other than that and the length of time ( birth #1 8hrs. #2 12.5 Hrs)it was no different! You will still end up with the most beautiful of god's creations in your arms that loves you uncondtionaly!!!! Try to keep that in mind when eer you get nervous!!! Whether it comes naturally or not GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!! P.S. I also agree with Deborah P

Hi A.,

I was induced last month @ university hospital. It was the best labor because of the epidural I had. No pain the entire time and I pushed for 10 minutes. Just let them know you don't want to break your water until you have the epidural. That way you are completely prepared before the heavy contractions start.

I was induced last year with my first baby. I had her without any drugs and my labor lasted about 6 hourse and I only pushed three times. The only comment I have ever heard about inductions is that it makes the contractions stronger. Good Luck and don't worry!

I was induced with both of my kids, the last one only 2 weeks ago. Someone said something about a "dry" birth. I honestly have no idea what that means. With my 1st, my water broke & about 4 hours later, the doctor induced. My son was born about 5 hours after that. Since it was my 1st & I was on bed rest the last 4 weeks, I had very little idea what I was doing. I pushed for about 40 min. The labor itself was easier than the last one. I had Nubane (sp) IV & no epidural. Things really weren't that bad. But, with my last one, things were different. My water hadn't broken yet. At first things just felt like bad cramps. Only after they broke my water did things get bad. I dilated from 4 to 10 within 40 min. I had even asked for an epidural. I HATE needles. It was too late. Labor lasted about 2 hours & I only pushed about 4 times. Don't worry too much, it just seems like things move faster. Which was fine by me.

Hi A.! I was induced with my first child and hope I'm induced with my second. I have a fear of walking in the mall or grocery store and my water breaking and making a huge mess! Anyway, my cousin went and got a pedicure when she was 38 weeks and that night went into labor! I would try that! And if you don't go into labor...at least you'll have pretty toes! :) Good luck and congrats!

S.

I sent you a private message. Good luck to you!
M.

I was given pitocin to speed along my dilation. I didn't have much pain but I was unbearably hot and finally gave in to having an epidural (I was trying to avoid it). Afterwards I dilated very quickly and gave birth without ever feeling anything..and I mean anything!! I didn't know when I was pushing, felt nothing when I delivered and it all happened very quickly. So quickly that by the time they came to check if my epidural was working properly I had already delivered! So for me it wasn't a bad experience at all. Hope this helped you!

I was iduced with my second child, you have nothing to worry about! It feels just like it would if you had gone into labor yourself! Just speeds it up! Good Luck! And congradulations!

I was induced with my second. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had heard all the petrifying stories of how much worse it is, but I don't think it was any worse then having contractions without being induced! I guess they aren't that much fun either way you look at it? Good luck!

I was induced with my first child due to an auto accident and had no problems whatsoever. Don't worry yourself too much about it. Everyone handles it differently, but I had my daughter 4 hours after I was induced and without any complications. With my son I was told from a friend to get down on your hands and knees (in a dog type position) and rock your body towards the ceiling and then back down again so your pelvic area is rocking. Doing this supposedly causes the baby to move into place. I also read though that you should not do this a lot or it could cause problems. I did it probably 5 or 10 times one evening and went into the labor the next morning. Good luck.

not sure if you already had the baby yet or not but nipple stimulation worked for me and my 2nd child was induced and I hated it constant contraction but my 3rd was also induced and was not that bad. hope everything works out for the best. I had not pain meds with either though

i was induced with both of my girls and had very hard labor both times

I have a 5 month old son (my first!) and I was induced after 37 weeks. I was very nervous about being induced because I had heard lots of scary things about it. It actually wasn't that bad - the anticipation of the whole thing was the worst. The good thing was once they broke my water I only had to wait 30 minutes before the epidural. Let me just tell you, I was probably one of the worst patients when I had my son. I have trouble giving blood because of the needles. I usually have to have someone in the room to hold my hand and distract me. Having a baby was the first time I was ever in the hospital, had an IV. . .
Even without knowing you, I know that you will be fine being induced. Just think, you have made it through 2 child births already. Plus, when you are induced, you don't have to worry about the possibility of your water breaking in public or far from the hospital.
Good luck!

A., i am 26yrs old and i had my first son two years ago, due to a rough pregnancy and high blood pressure i was induced one month early, i am now 22wks along with my 2nd child and i have to say i am more nervous about going into labor naturally, than i was being induced, i was gived pitosin which stimulates your body to dialate, the great thing about being induced is if you want to have an epideral you can have it when ever your ready even before the pain of contractions get to bad, i hope everything works out well for you, it sounds like your already a pro with two children, being induced really isn't bad at all, and you can plan for childcare. good luck and congrats

I was scared to be induced for my delivery. I had to because my blood pressure went up suddenly and I was 39 weeks pregnant. I thought it would be awful, but it wasn't too bad. To be honest the contractions with the pitocin didn't really bother me. It was when she broke my water and I began to have a lot of back labor that it hurt some. I labored for awhile and decided to get the epidural, and with an hour of the epidural I went from 4.5 to 10 and was ready to push. I didn't think the epidural was to bad either I was able to move my legs well and feel plenty to push with in a half hour. So...I don't know if I helped at all. But I didn't think Pitocin made labor that much worse...but then again I haven't labored without it and the epidural I had allowed me to relax and completely dilate. So if you aren't able to induce your own labor in my opinion pitocin is not that bad!

I was induced with both my children (7 and 4). I had my first vaginally, but my second was too big and I had to have an emergency c-section. Anyway, induced labor is bad, but I don't have a natural one to compare it with. I think labor is bad, period. I've never heard of it being worse for inductions- it just takes a bit longer to get going.....good luck :)

Hello. I have been induced twice. With both of my kids. My first child was over due and one day she stopped moving ( she was very active during pregnancy), I got nervouse, i tried all kind of things to make her move and nothing worked. I went to the hospital ( I was over due 10 days), they induced, started with cervadil, then to pitocin. The cervadil did nothing for me. it was 1pm, when they started the cervadil, it was 6 pm when they started the pit. I started having pains right away, I delivered 15 hours later at 9am. It turns out the cord was wrapped around her neck and that is why she wasnt moving. I received no drugs during my labor, looking back that was crazy !!! My second, I had gone into premature labor, i was only 8 month and they said he was less then 5 pounds at that point, so I was hospitalized for 2 days then released, I continued to have problems for the next couple weeks, (they said his oxygen level wasnt right ect), on one visit (about 2 weeks before my due date), I went to the doctor and they said everything was fine, his oxygen level ect, I asked to be induced that day, I didnt want anything else to go wrong. I went to the hospital at 7pm, my son was born at 315 the next day. It is true that your pains come on strong, but to do it over again, under the same conditions, I would be induced again. To me the safety of my children in both situations was my reasoning to inducing. Both my children are healthy, both my children were fine after delivery. I agree with the one comment to know your body ( i knew something was wrong with my daughter when she wasnt moving), but on the other hand, some woman deliver better then others. If your doctor is suggesting inducing, I would do it. Like the other woman said, a baby was lost after refusing to be induced, maybe that could have saved the baby. I trust in my doctor, I think he is very intelligent,
and he delivered both of my children and 3 of my sisters children. If I had another, he would be the only one to deliver. Use your instinct but also trust your doctor has you & your childs best interest in mind.

A.,

I was induced with my first and only. Went smoothly. Induction started at 7 am. My son was born at 5:26 pm and I was fully dilated at 5:10 pm. I pushed for 16 minutes, required no stitches and had no issues after delivery. Not so bad, from a first timer.
I also wanted to let you know that my sons head was own on September 11th, and was told I could go anytime and was not induced until October 10th.

I was terrified of being induced too. Honestly - I loved it, it was so much easier than when I had my fist child naturally. Just have them start an epideral right away. I could not believe how great it was.

A. M.
Being induced is not bad at all. I personally had it with both my kids as I can Not stay in labor. Thank heavens they have this drug available. Believe me all you know is you have an IV and that is it. It is the other things they give you for pain or a twilight that are not as favorable for some. Me I could not see anything but my baby, everything else was a swirl of colors and sound-like a bad trip!
But if you don't want to be induced go eat Chinese Food, tell them you are late and they will give you so much MSG your body will go into labor--my sister did this! Worked for her!
Some people say to drink two ounces of Castor Oil. You may very well clease your bowels and then have the baby with this method! I kept the castor oil on hand but never had the courage to try it!
I hope this helps.
Walk a lot in your home or near home--not too far incase your water breaks.
Remember you can safely have your baby late these days. My oldest 19 yr old was three weeks late!
Good luck,
C.

Hi A.!
I was enduced with my baby (now 2) a week past his due date! I hadn't dropped, dialated, nothing! Although it took forever, it wasn't that bad. I went in on Tuesday night to start the drip. It was pretty much a normal night with a few interuptions to check progress. The dr broke my water about 1pm the next day which wasn't anything like what I'd heard. He didn't tell me he was doing it so I wasn't scared. He just did it while he was checking me. After that is when I started having labor pains. Since I wasn't dialated I had to wait a while to get my epiderl (sp?) But after that of course it was smooth sailing. After my baby was born we found out that a lot of my problems were that he was over 9 pounds. I think that's why my labor took so long. But being induced wasn't bad, but I'm a planner and it was nice for me to be able to have a plan!
Good Luck!!

HI A.,

I was induced with all 3 of my kids and its kind of nice because we knew when and where tehy would be born. I don't know anything about going on my own, so good luck!

I was induced with both of my kids~I really preferred it! It was so nice to just go in on my own, not worring about my water breaking! Are you having an epidural? I went as long as I could until I had one. It was a very enjoyable experience. Some woman's contractions are different than others, so it's hard to tell you if they are worse being induced than if you go on your own.

A.,
I have two words for you: Primrose Oil. It works.
May God continue to bless you and your family.

J. F.

A.,

How did everything turn out? I'm hoping that by now a big CONGRATULATIONS is in order!!

Thanks,
C.

I know a lot of moms have replied saying how it wasn't bad to be induced, but I personally would *not* agree to an induction before 42 weeks UNLESS you or the baby was in true medical distress. Doctors these days are pushing induction before babies are ready to come out - and many babies don't respond well to the unnaturally strong contractions, the drugs (even epidurals affect your baby), and being made to come out before they're ready. Babies KNOW when it's the right time for them - in most cases, we don't need to force them out early with drugs!!! Induction just makes labor harder, puts more stress on the baby physically, puts more physical AND emotional stress on the mom to deliver within a certain (too short) time frame, and overall I think inductions happen FAR, FAR too often these days.

I know it can be tough - I had to really advocate for myself in my last pregnancy (birth was 10 months ago). I went to 43 weeks and 3 days (refused induction 3 times and even had to contend with my OB yelling at me, which I thought was incredibly unprofessional of her even if she did disagree with my choices - p.s., my baby and I were healthy the whole time, had repeat nonstress tests and biophysical profiles that showed us to both be just perfectly healthy). When my baby decided it was time to be born, it took 2 hours - and he was absolutely ON TIME and healthy. He was 9.5 lbs and I barely had any "skidmarks" (no tearing or episiotomy). He was *not* late in any way!!! In fact, if I had agreed to induction at 40 weeks, he would have been too early. Period. And he probably would have ended up needing to have help breathing or spend time in special care. NO THANKS.

I am so glad I waited - well worth it. Also, for my births, I do not want any medication - the discomfort of labor HELPS US figure out what is the best position for us to be in so that our babies are born most easily! Why drug yourself and your baby after avoiding all of these things for 9 months?

Good for you for honoring your instincts to avoid induction - do a little more research and you'll find loads of reasons why it's best to wait and let nature work her magic. If you do decide to go for the induction, some things to research/consider:
1) make them use cervadil as the first attempt to induce yo - and make sure the cervadil is in tampon form so that you can remove it if you feel it is making your labor progress too quickly
2) do NOT agree to let them break your waters (this really is irreversible - once your waters are broken, the OBs start the timer, so if you don't delivery by X time, it's c-section which is major surgery, not fun when you also are trying to care for a newborn, get breastfeeding well established which takes time, energy, and work, etc.)
3) NEVER let them use cytotec no matter what they try to tell you - there is a warning from the FDA that it is NOT approved for OB use (increases risk of uterine rupture)!!!
4) do not agree to pitocin for the initial induction - if the cervadil doesn't work (they should give you at least 12 hrs on cervadil), it means your body and your baby are NOT READY YET - go home and renegotiate w/ your OB

Trust your body. As women in our current culture, we have lost touch with our awesome power to birth our babies naturally because OBs and friends and family are always saying "don't go past 40 weeks" (which is BS - 40 weeks is only an AVERAGE - women go before 40 weeks AND they go *after* 40 weeks - every woman is a little bit different!) or "wow, that baby is too big" (again, BS - big babies mean the mom has been eating well - you can definitely birth a 9 or 10 pounder without problems especially if you don't have epidurals clouding your ability to get in the best laboring positions for you - our bodies can do this).

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful birth. I second the recommendations to pamper yourself and relax - prenatal massage, accupuncture, accupressure, long slow walks, etc. You and your baby can do this!!! :)

A.,

I have 3 kids (girls 12 yrs & 2 yrs and boy 1 yr) and a little on due in June. My first two were born after my water broke at home, but both were pretty fast deliveries. With how close my second and third little ones are and how fast I progress my doctor decided to induce me with my boy. I didn't know much about it... they gave me an IV and started the drip at about 3pm. My Doctor was on the floor and came to check on me at about 7pm, at 8pm they broke my water, but 8:46pm he was in my arms. I only pushed two times with him. The only things that I had problems with is some of the contractions seemed heavier - but they didn't last as long as they did with the girls, and after I delivered I had a spell where I felt Closter phobic, but it didn’t last long. I have asked my doctor if he thinks I will have to be induces again and he said we will see the end of May beginning of June. If need be… I would do it again – the babies health is the most important thing. The only reason I say that is because one of my co-workers grandbabies didn’t make it after the mom refused to be induced… they wonder all the time if the baby would be here if she would have let her doctor induce her. Sometimes doctors know best!!!

Congratulations on the new little one!!! Enjoy the cuddling!!!

Don't worry~ this baby may surprise you and just come real fast:) Being induced is not bad, I was with 3 of my 4. If you have an epidural, its best but whether you have an epidural or not does not make the pain any worse. Sometimes I think doctors induce just for convenience and push things that don't need to be pushed but then again, you don't want to go much past your due date. I had big babies so I didn't have much choice. Better than ending up with a C-section. Good luck

Being induced isn't that bad. lol. I've had three children and two were induced. To be honest, they went REALLY fast and were over quickly.

The only time inducing is a bit more problematic is if your water had already broken, but labor hadn't started yet. Then you are giving birth "dry" and that is a bit painful.

I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH M! TRUST YOUR BODY IT WAS MADE PERFECTLY. AFTER 2 CHILDREN THIS ONE WILL BE A BREEZE IF YOU WAIT. I AM A MOTHER OF 2. HAD MY 2ND ONE NATURAL IT WAS WONDERFUL, JUST WHEN YOU THINK IT CANT GET WORSE, IT IS OVER AND HEALING IS MUCH FASTER!... ANYWAY RE-READ WHAT M. WROTE SHE IS ON IT!!!!!!!!!