Dilation/Induction?

I am confused also. If there is no medical problem (don't see one) with either you or the baby, why are you scheduling an induction? You are not even at 40 weeks yet and many women may go 42 weeks. If you go into labor or you or the baby has a medical problem, the hospital WILL make room and time for you.

In this time frame docs are able to pretty much schedule when a baby is born. If they come early then the doc has to come to help you give birth.

I think it's so much easier to know there's a definite end to the pregnancy. Let the baby do what it's going to do.

Some women dilate 2 or 3 cm and stay there for the last few months.
Some do not dilate at all until birth is imminent.
I was 1 cm for months 8 and 9.
When labor began (mine started on it's own) I got to 3 cm and then stayed there for a little more than 24 hrs.
Another 10 1/2 hrs finally got me to 10 cm and then it was only 1 1/2 hrs of pushing to get our son out.
If the baby and you aren't stressed, I'd let nature take it's course.
2 weeks give or take around a due date is perfectly normal.
One way or another your child will be born.
Your body knows what to do and when to do it.
Relax and rest up as much as you can!

Additional:

"In humans, birth normally occurs at a gestational age of about 40 weeks, though a normal range is from 37 to 42 weeks.".

That's right - for SOME women - 42 weeks is normal for them.
Inducing at 39 weeks would be early for them and their babies.

How long was your mother with you?
That's usually a good indication of how you will do.

If your doctor has a medical reason to induce (either you or the baby are having trouble) - fine - let her induce away.
If there is no medical reason (and the hospital scheduling is not a medical reason) then hold off and don't let her bully you.
I just get a pushy feeling of the description you give of your doctor.
She's probably a lovely person but maybe she's in a rush to start her winter vacation.

It's your choice, as long as you or the baby is not stressed I would not want any intervention. I went 11 days after my due date and had a straightforward healthy birth experience.

Personally I would be wary of any Dr. planning to induce this far ahead due to no dilation. This type of thing is one of the reasons I had home births.

I would speak to her frankly about your concerns and remember, she is just a human being. Doctor's are not always right and do not always base their decisions solely on what's best for you or your baby.

Personally, I would stay away from induction.

I was induced the day after my due date because "I was measuring big". I trusted my doctor, and didn't have easy access to the internet at that time to do any research on my own, so I just went along with whatever she wanted. Typically, induction is done with pitocin. I wound up going 10 hours with very little progress before they sent me home. During my induced labor, my blood pressure shot up. They waited for it to stabalize before going home. 3 days later I went into labor on my own, and went in. After several hours with slow progress, they decided to put me on pitocin again to speed things along. Once again, my blood pressure shot up only this time I developed pre-eclampsia. (And my pain level shot up too... Seriously, I was fine for one contraction, then they started the pitocin, and within a minute it was beyond my ability to handle. I snapped my arm in half (literally) and it doesn't compare to what pitocin labor was like. If you do get induced, get an epidural as well.) My labor still lasted another 12 hours after starting the pitocin, and after delivery I started hemmorhaging badly, and lost a lot of blood. A lot. My doctor told me afterward that the reason I bled so badly was likely due to the pre-eclampsia.

Well, after I went home I happened to read an article about inductions... It mentioned something about pitocin which piqued my curiosity and I looked up more information. Apparently, pitocin can cause high blood pressure, and women who are on it have higher rates of (drumroll) pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, and birth interventions.

Now, I'm not saying that pitocin is the devil, or that it should never be used. I'm not trying to "scare" you into NOT being induced... I know it has done a lot of good when used appropriately. I just don't think it should be used so casually. I think that inductions should be used when medically necessary, not because it's a convenient time for the doctor to deliver or because it "seems" like the time you should be giving birth.

Another interesting tidbit... (I read this somewhere, not sure about the source so don't take it as absolute fact...) Baby's lungs put off a hormone when they are fully developed and ready to go, which tells the body to go into labor.

7 days past due really isn't all that uncommon, btw. It's nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact time of conception, so the "due date" is just an educated guess, not a deadline. Unless there is an issue- low amniotic fluid, baby is stressed, your blood pressure is wonky, etc. I would really try to go into labor naturally.

Your doctor seems a bit aggressive. Has she given you a reason WHY she won't let you go a late as 42 weeks, which is pretty routine? What's her c-section rate? Is it higher than normal? If so, this may be part of why that is. Some hospitals in Florida were found to have c-section rates that were double the national average...is yours one of them?

When doctors push for induction before your baby is ready to be born, your chances of having a c-section increase. Dilation and effacement are your body's way of showing that the baby's and your body's internal timer are going off, indicating that it's time for the baby to be born. Rushing that process often leads to complications and once an induction is started, there is often no turning back, the baby HAS to be born within 24 hours (it depends on what they do a part of the induction...some can be stopped and you are allowed to go home and wait for things to start up again).

If I were you, I would push back on the doctor. If you and the baby are otherwise healthy, ask her why not let it go as late as 42 weeks and then decide to jumpstart labor if needed? You're the patient, it's your body, and ultimately you get to decide.

Is there a midwife you can consult with? I know it's really late in the game, but maybe see if you can get a second opinion from someone who isn't so gung-ho about the medicalization of labor. While modern medicine is great at turning around complicated and emergency situations, for the vast majority of us, listening to our bodies and trusting that our bodies are capable of delivering our babies without intervention is the best way to go.

Good luck and keep us posted!

With 3 of my pregnancies I was 1-2 cm dilated about 8 months pregnant. With my 4th I did not dilate at all but had braxton hick contractions starting at 3 months. I went into labor 6 days early and had her in 40 minutes.

Basically, you are fine. As long as baby has a healthy heart rate, not under stress, etc, he/she will come with or without being induced. I do recommend getting plenty of exercise and plenty of rest and I hope you do not have to be induced cuz pitocin is awful.

T., my son was 10 days past the 'due date' and we did an acupuncture induction. He was out about 12 hours later. I wouldn't be too worried about dilating. I went from 2.5 cm at four in the afternoon, to the same at 12 midnight (early labor) to fully dilated and in transition by 3:30 a.m. Babies do not follow charts or schedules. I'd be wary of an induction at only 6 days over; my midwives said that they wouldn't think of medical induction without medical reason unless I was at two weeks out.

Just something to think about.

First of all, she has no reason to schedule an induction for you. Just because you have not started to dialate does not mean you will not. Induction is an emergency medical intervention that should be used when there is a medical need. My second son was born 10 days past his due date. I had light contractions for the last 4 weeks, even lost my mucous plug 3 days before he was born. I was barely dilated when I went into the hospital at 6pm, and my son was born at noon the next day. Some people walk around 3cm dilated for a month, some only dilate when it is "show time" :) It is so hard, but try to relax, focus on this last bit of time being pregnant, and don't let her bully you. She is not the one who makes choices for you and your baby, you are in charge of your own care. I let my doctor make my choices with my first pregnancy and wound up with a failed induction and unecess-cesarean at 39 weeks. I advocated for myself and my child the second time around and ended with a natural VBAC at 42 weeks.

If baby is head down, normal weight, no concerns, I would refuse the induction. Baby will come when baby is ready.

If you are induced via pitocin, throw your "birth plan" out the window. It sucks. Just jump straight to the epidural and save yourself the misery.

don't be concerned.. first babies often do not dilate as quickly as subsequent babies.. do not worry.. what goes in must come out..

baby will be born.. soon..

Many women start to dilate in the last few weeks. But I'm not sure it means much. I was dilated 1 cm starting around 37 weeks with both my kids. It was totally unrelated to when they were born - one was 10 days early and the other was only born after I was induced 2 week late. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I had a neighbor who had 4 kids. The first two, her OB/GYN insisted on inducing a week after her due date. Her labor/delivery was always long (more than 24 hours) and difficult, and her babies were very small (as was she - I think she was only about 4'11", but her babies were tiny, like under 6 pounds). Anyway, with babies 3 and 4, she refused to be induced. She decided that she just needed longer to bake her babies. ;) With both babies, she went into labor by herself at 44 weeks, but labor was fast (just a couple of hours) and her babies were over 8 pounds. I really think that 40 weeks is a guideline, not a definite for everyone. If the baby isn't in distress, what's the rush, you know?

For whatever it's worth, my first was born at 36 weeks and was nearly 8 pounds. My second took her time and came on her due date, after no indication that anything was going to happen. At 39 weeks, I had no dilation at all, and no effacement - and even after my water broke, I was only at 1cm and hardly any effacement at all. And yet my daughter was born 4 hours later, go figure! Both of my girls were the same size (within a few ounces) when they were born. So truly, each baby is different, each pregnancy is different. Don't let your doctor talk you into something because that's how "most" pregnancies are. Make sure this is something you are really comfortable with, and if you aren't comfortable with it, refuse it. You have that right.

Hi T.,

Do you remember your original due date? Most of the time, the doctor changes the due date after a month or two from what they perceive as normal. Your due date should be configured from your last menses. Keep that in mind when you make any decisions. Doctors tried to tell my daughter that she was overdue and needed an induction when she was not. The baby came on time, just like your body is built do.

Regards,
M.

P.S. It's not a crime to not show up for a scheduled induction if you decide that's not the way to go.......

babies dont own watches, they dont come on the doctors schedule, the problem with induction and forced (drugged) dilation is potential complications, talk it over with your doctor, my vote is to turn down "the medical intervention" unless and until the doctor is willing to go over all the risks (and added COSTS) of what they want to do..its your pregnancy, NOT the doctors..obgyns tend to forget that..especially if it means they might miss a yacht payment!its not too late to find a qualified midwife, or doula. K. h., my daughter was born at home( and this was after my obgyn , dr. mark hyde, scheduled me for an c section!)"frankie" was born during a snowstorm, tipping the scales at two pounds, six ounces and fourteen inches, her daddy delivered her and then called the emts, my obgyn refused to come to the er until called in by the hospital administration, he did, however, try to send me a bill for a hospital delivery!

I had a great experience with being induced, but I understand not everyone does. I was dilating with both around 8 months. The first I was induced the day before my due date because the president was coming to give a speech at the hospital in a couple of days and they wouldn't be admitting any new patients, and I didn't want to risk having to have the baby somewhere else. The second I went into labor naturally 2 weeks before his due date and was less dilated at my doctor's appt that week than I had been at that same point with my daughter. All babies are different, everyone labors differently. Sounds like you're on track but your doctor is cautious.