My due date was Sunday the 21st. So far, the doctor has said I am not dilated at all. I went in for a NST (stress test) on the baby and she seems fine. The sonogram they did to check the placenta and fluid level in the uterus were also fine. I'm scheduled for another NST Friday.
My problem is that I don't know what to do about inducing labor. I am scheduled for an induction this Sunday. I don't want to induce if it's not necessary as I know it doubles my chances of a C-section and can be very stressful for the baby - not to mention introducing other potential complications. In addition, I know that overall, there are benefits of having a vaginal birth, (if there aren't other complications).
On the other hand, the doctor also gave me some studies that show that infant mortality and complications increase exponentially after week 40. My Douala also agrees that waiting can be dangerous... However, (here is where I get a little cynical, perhaps it's the hormones) I also worry that they are just using the stats to get me to agree to induce so they can schedule my delivery instead of necessarily what is the absolute best plan for my baby.
Of course, it also turns out I'm due during one of the busiest times of the year on labor floors (thanks in part to New Years Eve babies), so it may be difficult to re-schedule the induction if I don't do it this Sunday.
Should I try to push the induction date? Should I cancel it altogether? Does anyone have links to more information about late babies??? I want to do what's best for my baby, but I'm pretty confused about what is actually the best option. If I get an "all is well inside there" on Friday...I don't know what to do!
By the way, I've tried bouncy roads, hiking, spicy food, sex, raspberry root tea, and acupuncture.
The birth was a bit dramatic actually. Thursday morning (Oct 2nd) we went to the hospital. I took a drug called Cytotec (sp?) called "cyto-bomb" by my doc to induce labor since she was almost two weeks overdue. The first 24 hours led to nothing - contractions, but cervix still closed. So he had to push a catheter into my cervix to start opening it up, and he doubled the dose. A bit later he broke my waters and discovered she'd pooped in the sac which is dangerous because they can breathe it in.
A few hours later I was still only 3 cm open and in horrible pain. The contraction charting only goes up to 100, and mine were measuring around 130, coming in 3s and 4s and only 1 to 2 minutes apart. Enter the epidural....
One blessedly less painful hour later, I was dilated at 10 cm and she was on her way out. One hour later out she came. The cord was around her neck and she wasn't breathing properly so Matt went with the nurses to the emergency baby room where for an hour they had her on oxygen. As he passed by the grandparents they asked if they could hold her and he replied something like "no, she's not breathing" as he whisked her away. Talk about creating panic....
He said he'll never forget how she struggled to take a complete breath and that whenever she really cries he'll be reminded of that time and be grateful for her good lungs.
Meanwhile, I was bleeding about 2 to 3xs what is normal because my placenta wouldn't come out. They were planning to take me to the OR. Finally, out it came, she got released from the oxygen and we were all together.
Then about 2 weeks later I had terrible contractions again, akin to labor pains for about a day and a half. They did a sonogram and found that part of the placenta was left inside (and still "alive" - ACK) and did a D and C (?) to get it out. The doctor was very surprised that I wasn't bleeding to death and that I didn't have a raging infection because so much stuff was in there. However, it all turned out okay. I even got to breast feed that evening because they didn't use anesthesia - just a sedative. SO - WHEW!!!
She is such a sweet baby. I feel so lucky to have had such a good team behind her birth. I'm so so so happy that she's healthy and well! I am still recovering from the various traumas to my body but it all pales when I think of the results. Next time I might take my doctor's advice and induce earlier if it happens again, just because it was so scary to hear about what happened to Catalina.
No experience with late babies, in fact, 4 weeks early and 2 weeks early. But with both I had pitocin and they had to break my water with one. There were no complications with either. I say do it on the scheduled date and you should be fine. Get a second opinion if it makes you feel better. Good luck.
Drink Cod Liver oil in large amounts. I have not try this personally but I have heard is it very effective.
I was induced with 3 of my kids and was on the average 2 weeks late. It was not fun but the babies were all healthy and didn't have any major problems.
C. B
Looks like you've gotten a lot of advice. I am 30 weeks with my second right now.
I think you should keep the induction date just in case, but walk as much as you can between now and then. Chances are labor will start normally. My mother was induced when she was 42 weeks pregnant with me and I was the only no drugs, vaginal delivery she had. So I know there is a lot of info out there and it can be really overwhelming. Delivery is a scary thing anyway without all the added info. Just take it one day at a time.
You will be holding your new baby soon either way! CONGRATULATIONS!
Hi, J.. I sure feel for you. I don't know what to tell you to do. I told my doctor I didn't want induced, and asked her if they would necessarily do it if I were a week late; she said, "A week, 10 days, 12 days...we'll see", which to me said that she was willing to wait it out with me to a point. Just communicate really well with your doctor, and go with what your heart tells you. And, try going to a movie! I went into labor with both my kiddos during movies! So did my friend, Ann!
Good luck, and all will be well!
S.
Hi Jen,
I was induced with all three of my kids. I was induced at 41weeks, 2 days with my daughter, 40 weeks,4 days with my first son, and 39 weeks with my second son. I was dialated 1/2 cm with my daughter when they induced me. I did have a forecep delivery with her becuase the cord was around her neck, but other than that I had no issues with delivery. All three were vaginal deliveries( with epidurals. My longest labor was with my third son, at 14 hours. My daughter was 13 hours and my middle son was 7 hours. Once you get past 41 weeks, the placenta starts to get old and doesnt provide the nutrients it should anymore, which is why most doctors choose to induce and not let you go much past 10 days over your due date. I think with me, my body was ready, but I needed a little help to get things started. I am pretty sure that everything will go okay and I would stick with the planned induction for this weekend- you never know, you might go into labor before... Good luck- and congrats!
I would induce. Plenty of women still deliver vaginally after they are induced. Although a lot of doctors will let you go past 41 weeks, I think it is better for the baby to come out at 40 or 41 weeks - I went to 41 weeks and our baby had myconium in his bag and was choking. I wouldn't worry about your doctor trying to push you into a delivery date; I don't think most doctors care when you deliver because if they are not a available, another doctor will be on hand to deliver your baby.
I was induced using pitocin and had a normal vaginal birth with no complications. I was very scared at first too but it was a very pleasant experience. I don't know if it is true but when I lived in Sweden I read an article that babies that are born late have a great chance of developing slower and being sicklier. I wish the best for you and yours. Good Luck and God Bless!
My first was 9 lbs 2 1/2 oz and came naturally a week early. My second and third babies were large also so we decided to induce them both a week early. Everything went very smoothly for both.
I had one natural birth and 2 inductions after that. My only consolation for the inductions, was that I was already dilated 2-3 cm. My doula recommended it for me. I had a GREAT experience with both of them. Everything about it was "normal"...it just happened a lot faster. My first birth lasted 36 hours with 4 hours of pushing. I still had to have my water broken...apparently I create very thick sacs! I had a great doctor and definitely felt like this was my choice. I already had kids at home, so scheduling it made the childcare easy and gradparents could take the necessary time off of work.
Hi J.-Congratulations! One way or another, you're about to have a beautiful little girl in your life and you'll get through labor and delivery. My experience and opinions are quite different from most you've heard. My daughter was 8 days late. On the 7th day, I was induced because my water was low. I had agreed with my doctor that they would wait until the 10th day to induce (the latest she was comfortable with), but because of the low water, they gave me the pitocin. Birth is a lot tougher with pitocin, so my comment would be this: if you would like to have a natural child birth, talk to your doctor about delaying a couple of days. I was truly committed to delivering my daughter the way it is supposed to be, and know birth would have been easier had I progressed naturally. In terms of them rescheduling the induction, they are not going to allow you to be pregnant forever and they will induce you by 10 days, schedule or not. Don't let them scare you. I cried when they put the needle on my arm and the nurse said to me "you need to be open to what happens," which was exactly what I didn't need to hear. My doula arrived and was so positive. You can do this. You can have a natural child birth. I can tell you that on pitocin, your body is forced to go through the actions, rather than allow your baby and your body to progress how they would do without intervention. The contractions tend to be stronger and closer together--because pitocin is trying to help you progress, you do not get the breaks you might without it. The contractions are much more "scheduled." If you're planning to take drugs for pain relief, then I'd say the induction is not so much of a deal, but naturally, I definitely reconsider! At 7 centimeters, the pitocin made me feel I needed to push, which led to some difficulties with swelling--nothing serious, just extremely painful. I was also so swollen from all the liquids being pumped into my body for 12 hours. Ultimately, like I said, your wonderful daughter will be born. And what you need to remember, is that no matter how scary it is for you, your body knows what to do even if you don't. Your baby knows what to do. Your body was meant to deliver this baby and when she's ready, she'll come. I was nervous she was going to be huge because she was so late--she was 6 lb 12 oz. If you need some reassurance and someone who has been through it to tell you you can make it, drop me a note. A friend of mine called me the day before I was induced, just 2 days after she delivered. That call made all the difference in my delivery. Positive thinking is vital! Best of luck and huge congrats! -J.
J.,
I have had 3 girls. I was induced with the 2nd and can say she was definitely my hardest delivery. I went for "all natural" on all 3 and really think the pitocin made the difference. I agree with another post you had, if you plan to have an epidural you should be fine. Hopefully you will go into labor before then and you won't have to worry about all this.
Good luck and God bless!
I'd say go with the induction, or ask if they would strip your membranes or something. As far as a c-section goes, the risks and complications are better than baby cooking too long. I would suspect that the doctors would rather not work on a Sunday, especially if they're already going to be busy. I've had three c-sections, not by choice, with no problems related to the surgery. GL and congratulations.
DON'T DO IT!
You can do a great deal of your own research by googleing the danger of labor induction, and encourage you to do so. This is YOUR baby and YOUR body.
The potential of complications do NOT increase exponentially after week 40, but the DO when you induce labor. Dr. Bradley (the pioneer of natural, husband-coached birth) was very vocal about the 11 month pregnancy -- meaning that there is very little definite about the length of pregnancy. Some women carry their babies longer than 40 weeks. As long as there are no signs of stress, the best thing to do is let Mother Nature do what she does best.
The risk of iatrogenic (doctor caused) complications sky rockets when you induce labor -- even if you do it "naturally" by stripping the membranes or drinking a castor oil cocktail. When you induce, your body has not gone through it's own, natural preparations for labor and delivery, so you labor will be longer and much, much more painful.
But worst, your odds of landing in the OR with a c-section - which comes with it's own, separate and very, VERY significant risks (I urge you to google the risks/dangers of c-section).
I went through being forced (for lack of a better term) by doctors to induce. Even though I opted for the least invasive approach of stripping the membranes, after 26+ hours, I was rushed to the OR, where my son was delivered and then taken to the NiCU with a pneumo thorax (a little hole in his lung that often happens to babies delivered by cs), where we stayed for 3 awful days. And a week later I was back in the hospital with an infection in the incision.
Do your own homework, make sure you husband is on board to be your advocate and champion, and then together make YOUR birth plan and stick to it.
Take good care.
Blessings,
M.
I had the same concerns about my induction. I wanted to go into labor naturally but it wasn't meant to be. I was just shy of 41 weeks at induction. Instead of the pitocin, I chose to have a suppository. It just started to contractions and from there I was able to have a natural vaginal birth. Just ask your doctor about the options - you don't need to go directly to pitocin. Good luck! I'm sure it'll go great.
I just had my baby girl on August 20 this year adn I was 13 days late!! I too went through the NST every day for the last week up to the day before I was to be induced. This is my first child and I didn't have a C-Section. Here's how my induction went...I went in at 8:00pm on August 19th and I was induced at 10:00pm with a drug called cydateck and at midnight my contractions started and I dilated to 7cm very quickly (when I went in I wasn't dialated at all and had no effacement) and I only had 1 dose of the cydateck and my daughter was born at 6:21am. Oh, and I went all natural and I would reccomend it to anyone...labor is hard adn difficult, but very manageable with breathing and focus on each minute as they happen. I'd be happy to talk with you if you'd like.
I'm a big believer in waiting until they are ready to come out, I was considered to be high risk and my doctors listened to what I wanted and in fact encougaged me to wait rather than being induced shortly after my due date. I'd be happy to talk with you more about my experience and what happened with my labor, leading up the induction, and what happened after I was induced. If you want to email me sometime before your scheduled for induction and you'd like to meet for coffee let me know.
http://www.homebirthcolorado.org/find.html
has a listing of loving nurturing midwives who may sit and go over your options with you by phone or in person. I'd give them each a call and see what they have to say. your doula should not be advising you at all, but simply educating you about the pros and cons of the procedures facing you which need a decision.
it is hard to know what to do. it is hard to blindly trust anyone simply because they carry a title or degree. you want the best for your baby but don't know what the best is.
keep us updated.
BTW, castor oil is very very foul, but tolerable in a milkshake! :)
A.
I went 2wks late with both my boys. . . I know the feeling of being pregnant forever! I had my membranes stripped several times with both to no result. I was very nervous about induction too. They did start me on pitocin after my water broke and i wasn't progressing fast enough for the nurses :( but everything turned out ok & I did both with no pain meds. You can do it!
But. . .what I want you to remember that often docs are off on your due date, and 40 weeks is just the average of when babies are born - not the absolute end date like a lot of people seem to believe. If they've checked your water you are probably fine. I know some terrible things can happen but doctors & nurses & hospitals are VERY concerned with covering their butts. They will want to induce you for their convenience even if it causes you more complications.
Hang in there!
