Should I Get an Induction?

I was induced with both of my kids. My doctor said she would give her patients the option of induction as long as they were dilated to some point. With my first son, I was in labor already, 100% effaced but only dilated 1-2cm. The labor was normal and the pushing stage was fast. I think I opted for induction just to feel more in control and remove some of the stress of not knowing when it would happen now that I look back on it. If I have another child, I think I might wait it out but that is an individual choice. Based on my own experience and experience from friends, if you are dilated and 75% effaced, the induction will just move things along a little faster. I had a friend who was induced because labor never progressed and she ended up having a c-section. I think because you are already moving along in the direction dilation, you probably would not have that problem.

I would only induce if it is medically necessary - the fact that the doctor is giving you an option mean it is not. Drugs are drugs and it always better to try to go without any more than necessary.

I was induced (and had my water broken) for medical reasons (mine) and would rather not do it again - my daughter was not ready to come out. 10 hours later I developed a fever (unknown origin) and they wound up doing a C-Section. All in all not something I would want to go through again or wish anyone through. So if your baby / body is not ready wait as long as you can.

Good luck!

Wait it out. It's best for your baby and for your body. Inductions lead to a MUCH higher risk of C-sections, which is not as healthy for your baby. Patience is such a hard thing when you are right at your due date. And, I wouldn't let them induce me next week either, unless there were clear signs of distress for the baby. Our birthing protocol in America is one of the absolute worst in the world. It's frustrating that women just go along with it. But, I think it is because they get us when we are getting desperate to just get the baby out.

Studies indicate that being induced (vs. going into labor "on your own") have a higher risk of ending in a c-section. Once the interventions to "help" labor start, it can cascade into an abdominal surgery.

You may want to hurry the baby along (can't wait to meet him or her!), but nature is designed for a reason, and if there is no medical reason to induce, it's best to let your little one stay in the "incubator" until s/he is ready to come out. :)

I know that I am biased (I was induced, against my better judgement and was "bullied" into by the doc), but I've done a ton of reading before and since..... Induction really does lead to more c-sections than if you let nature take it's course.

Also, don't let your doctor bully you into pushing the labor along with more pitocin, even if you are induced. Keep asking the doc, if they say they want labor to move along, Am I doing okay? (yes) Is the baby doing okay? (yes) --then no pitocin is needed. Even if they want the labor to move along, if the baby's heart rate is good, there is no harm in waiting and letting the labor happen naturally. Google "birth cascade interventions."

It's probably really late in your pregnancy, but you might want to see if you can hire a doula. They are really wonderful for helping manage pain, help be a sounding board, and to give you breathing room. They are a patient advocate (but do not give medical advice or perform medical activities or make medical decisions). But if the doc is pushing for something, if its not life threatening, the doula will be able to be a sounding board and help you to come to the decision that is best for you.

Okay...I'll step off my soapbox now.... I just know that having been through an induction and terrifying c-section as a result and suffering post traumatic stress and losing 1.5 liters of blood that I don't want anyone else to have to go through that because the docs are playing it safe by using too many interventions.

There is a HUGE on-going medical debate about this currently.

Many physicians have opted to start doing inductions for convenience to better plan their schedules when on-call or making office appointments. My OB's practice has 8 physicians - they take turns being on-call and are only responsible to the hospital at that time.

I, personally, believe in letting the baby come when it's ready unless there's a need for induction such as fetal stress, water breaking but no labor (such as happened with my daughter), 41 weeks, etc.

I do not personally believe in inducing for the sake of convenience. In fact, when I was miserable with my daughter (little did I know at the time that I had cancer), I scheduled an induction, and because I felt like a weanie (yes, that's the actual term I used), I moved the induction back a few days. My water broke the next morning.

Pitocin is synthetic oxytocin, and it does bring labor on harder than your natural oxytocin levels do. I went into labor on my own with my son, and I personally prefer listening to Mother Nature telling me the baby is ready vs. a physician who doesn't want to miss dinner plans (yes, I know that's a gross generalization).

Ok I have 3 kids so 3 stories; however, all induced with no other meds but the induction, and Yes I would do it again and agian if only I could afford to keep having kids I would, I loved everything about being pregnant and being a Mom is what I was ment to be.

#1 baby I was 85% 3.5 Cm for 3.5 weeks I was due 8/9 and on 8/8 I wok up in the night (nothing woke me at that time) I contracted all day on the 9th and at 5 am I went in becasue they were 5 min apart, to hear no U R not in labor go home. I said no induce me- Turned out to be good thing His cord was wraped. My labor went great Induction started at 10:30Am and he was born 2:44pm 4 pushes

#2 Baby I was contracting like crazy but not real labor for the last month, but I sprained my hip 1 month b4 my due date too, and after 3 weeks I could not take the pain so Ithe Dr induces me and I was only 50% and 1.5 cm. The inductions started at 8am they brok my water at 115pm and he was born at 304pm. 2pushes

#3 baby I was 3cm 80 % and went in at 630am to hear you are not in labor adn by the way I was 3 weeks early, and my doctor came in and induced my around 10am and brok my water at 120pm and she was here at 233pm.
1 push

i would say no to being induced. its not even the day of your estimated due date yet. and i want to point out that the estimated due date is ... ESTIMATED. and usually, its WRONG. :P

heres the thing about labor. things progress on their own time, and each baby might be slightly different. depending on what your monthly cycles look like, your due date could easily be before or after the estimated date they give you. they really dont know, its just a guess. a lot of times though they use that number to do exactly what they are doing: put a mom into labor under their forms of "control" and it usually ends up costing more money because they charge you for every single medication that you end up with. tylenol can cost you 50$. you know what i mean? im not saying they all have that mindset, but its out there, and its rude and not at all in your or your baby's best interests.

so i would wait it out. i know you are anxious, uncomfortable and just ready for it all to be over with, and its tempting to want to do it in a way that you can know exactly when its going to happen. but dont forget; the lungs of your baby are what sets off true labor. if they dont set it off, that means that they arent fully developed. do we really want baby out here with underdevelopled lungs? i dunno... i think its best to wait. ive heard moms going as long as a month "overdue" with no harm to the baby. however, thats not the norm, so dont expect that to happen to you. you have definatly less than 3 weeks from your dialation and thinning out. it could be anywhere between hours - days - a week i would say. so just have patience, and let your baby be "done" before you give birth. :) its better that way.

congrats on the good birth the first time!

I got induced with my second son and it went sooooo smoothly! I can tell you that my dr told me he absolutely would not induce unless I was soft and at least 3 cms dialated. He said those were indicators that your body is starting to gear up for labor. He said if those two things were not in place, to start an induction would be harmful - as it would be more likely to end in c-section as your body really isn't ready.

Good luck with your labor and delivery!!!!!

My water broke with my son and that was my first sign of labor. I was only 1 cm dilated and didn't change much several hours after my water broke so they started the pitocin drip. I think it brings on the hard contractions suddenly and I would have preferred for it to be more gradual, but who knows it might have taken longer then. I was in labor for 12 hours and then my son was born.

Every labor is different and since you've already had pitocin you kinda know what it's like. If it were me, I would wait it out and let things happen on their own.

Good luck!

I was induced without being in labor and from start to finish it was 7 hours. I was in labor for 6 hours and pushed for an hour. However, we didn't know it at the time, but due to body issues on my part, I was unable to deliver and had to have an emergency c-section. I was almost 4 cm dialated and 85% efaced when I was induced. Despite having to have the c-section, I'm glad I made the decision to induce. And if I was able to deliver I would do it all over again.

I didn't get a chance to read the other responses but I just wanted to share my experience. I just had my second little boy and at 36 weeks I was 3 1/2 cm, 50% effaced and he was very low...but I still didn't have him for almost 4 weeks! I slowly progressed and when labor finally started it was very quick. (5 hours from my first contraction)
I pray you have a fast and easy deliveryl

My girls are almost 20 years apart. The first delivery was totally natural and took 1 hr. 35 min. from start to finish. The second delivery (I was 44 years old) was induced. I don't know if my age and lack of stamina had anything to do with it, but that delivery was the worst thing I ever went through in my life! Excruciating pain, passing out between contractions, etc. If I were you, I would let nature take its course. I sure wish I had waited one more week (my due date - that's when the doctor would have induced anyway). I think mother nature would have been kinder to me.

I had barely started labor with my first child and they induced me because my blood pressure was way too high. I then had an epidural and it took 8 hours to have her. With my second two they broke my water almost at the end of labor and I had to just start pushing. I would do the later of the two given the choice. The epidural prolonged my labor big time.

I would wait it out and let mother nature take her course. That is always the best option in my opinion UNLESS mother nature decides to be a b--. If there is a medical reason for doing so then fine but you will get there eventually its just going to take time and you literally could wake up tomorrow morning and be full blown ready. I was preggo with twins and they had been telling me I would go any day now and I was 2 cm dilated for TWO WEEKS! That friday before I went into labor I was told the same thing by yet another doctor-any day now! I left there in tears because I was m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e! My cousin and I went to Wal-mart that night and walked and walked and then I went home and had sex with my hubby. Later that morning I woke up ended up back at the hospital out of the million times I had been there throughout my prgnancy and finally finally 3 cm. They broke my water at 1:00 p.m I began pushing at 9:30 that night and the first wasn't born until 11:37 p.m. the second 12:21 a.m. the next day. If I had to do over again as miserable as I was I think I would have waited until I was really further along but to say it would have gone better? Who knows? At least I would have been able to eat-lol!