Induction

Elizabeth - posted on 03/18/2012

if you are at your due date, then go for induction.sometimes we don't just go into labor on our own. i delivered a 9.5 pound boy at 42weeks because i was afraid of induction.he was stillborn.then I learned that if you go over you're due date by a week, there is a one in ten chance it will go very bad.I never would have waited given those n

umbers

Rebekah - posted on 04/12/2009

I second the Business of Being Born movie... I think it's a must see for all pregnant women!

Ez - posted on 04/12/2009

I'm on the side of natural birth, unless there's HUGE medical emergency. Your body is made for birth and women have been doing it for a gazillion years (slight exaggeration ;p).



Inductions are usually only convenient for the Dr involved.



Have you seen the Business of Being Born? Good pre-birth viewing.

http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com



Peace.

Ann - posted on 04/11/2009

Ive always thought that it was best for the baby to stay in the womb as long as possiable. I would induce labor unless it was the best option for the child (thus a medical reason) Just as everyone else has said

Diana - posted on 04/10/2009

When the doctors realized they were going to have to deliver Colin last week, they asked if I'd rather have an induction or a section.  I decided on a section, because I was not dilated at all, and they explained that in all likelihood, since it was my first pregnancy and it was so early, the induction would end in a section anyhow.  I feel a little cheated, because I wanted things to progress naturally.

I would check with your doctor and see exactly *why* (s)he wants to schedule and induction.  If there is no medically sound reason, I wouldn't opt for being induced-especially if you're not dilated and haven't been thinning already, because there's such a high chance of having a section then.

Lacey - posted on 04/10/2009

I was induced with my first, and everything went very smoothly...i was induced because i had been 1 cm dilated and progressively thinning out for over 3 weeks!  I was a very rare case tho, I started the pitocin at 6 am, dilated to 3 cm, had my water broken at 8:45 am..got the epidural at 9:15 am and pushed for 10 minutes and had my daughter at 11:10 am!  Not all inductions go so smoothly but I'm a firm believer in doing whats best for the baby and mom of course, and also going with the  flow, just stay relaxed and in good spirits and things will happen faster!!  Good luck if you choose to do the induction!!!

Brenda - posted on 04/10/2009

Just wanted to add, the reason my labor was so long wasn't related to pain meds or my epidural.  I had my epidural two hours before giving birth, and if I hadn't had one I probably wouldn't have given birth vaginally because I was exhausted.  I didn't even receive stadol until is was apparent that nothing was helping me.  I labored in every positon imaginable and nothing helped.  So I went a full 10 hours of hard active labor before I even got a dose of medicine because I was hard headed and refused it.  My problem was my body just was not ready to give birth and would not take over on its own.  Which is pretty common with a first birth.

As far as size of baby, I worked with a woman that gave birth to a 27 in long 14 pound baby vaginally with no complications.  My induction this time isn't so much related to size as the fact that gestational diabetes causes other complications after due date comes and goes, plus I am already dialating and having tons of contractions, so it may not even be necessary.

Julie - posted on 04/10/2009

I agree with everything that's been stated so far. I just want to add a few things that might help everyone in terms getting your body started "on time". Again, on time is relative as Allison pointed out; we never know when the baby is ready. However, if you're suffering with PUPS or bed rest these might help.

We already know there are a number of "natural" hormone induction methods that you can start as needed; nipple stimulation and sex are the most common. But your can also prepare your own body for labor by using chiropractic and acupuncture. Chiropractic aligns the pelvis which puts the birth canal in correct position and can a chiro can use gentle techniques that loosen tight ligaments to get your baby into correct position.

Acupuncture is even more specific because there are points that are verboten while a women is pregnant because they induce labor. Obviously having those points stimulated will help out significantly...some birth centers even have acupuncturists on staff just for this reason.

Just a brief comment on big baby size. My husband was borne 13 pounds to a 4'11" woman without Cesarean; that means that natural birth can be accomplished regardless of baby size. If your doc says the baby is getting big (again recalling what Allison said about size estimates), you should know that giving birth lying on your left side increases your pelvic opening by about 6 cms. It's a shame that not all women are told this as it's more "convenient" for the doctor if you're in stirrups or semi-reclining on your back.

Hope this helps out...

Allison - posted on 04/08/2009

Quoting Heather:

I was induced with my daughter and my personal experience was good.  I was induced on my due date but I had favorable odds...I was already dialated 3 cm.  

There are several thing to take into account when you're talking about favorable odds. Dilation is one of them. The others are station (how high or low baby is in the uterus/birth canal), effacement (how thinned the cervix is), position (of baby - head down, head lined up properly, etc), and consistency (how soft or firm you cervix is). All of these taken together help to determine how likely it is an induction will be successful.

When it comes to size of baby or head size, there are two caveats to docs telling a mom this:

1. Ultrasounds are not very accurate at determining size at this stage of the game. They can be off by 20%, which is a lot. If your doc tells you that your baby is going to be 9 lbs, you baby could actually only be 8 or less. Head circumference is the same - it's just very difficult to measure and depends on the skill of the ultrasound tech.

2. Babies heads were designed to mold and squeeze through the pelvis. The mom's pelvis is designed to open up and stretch to allow baby to come through. There is no way a doctor can tell you that a baby of a particular size will not fit through your pelvis. It's more dependent on baby's position  - and the best to way increase the chances that baby will be in a good position for labor is to allow labor to happen naturally and stay moving around during labor. None of these things occur with an induction.

Allison - posted on 04/08/2009

Quoting Heather:

I was induced with my daughter and my personal experience was good.  I was induced on my due date but I had favorable odds...I was already dialated 3 cm.  

There are several thing to take into account when you're talking about favorable odds. Dilation is one of them. The others are station (how high or low baby is in the uterus/birth canal), effacement (how thinned the cervix is), position (of baby - head down, head lined up properly, etc), and consistency (how soft or firm you cervix is). All of these taken together help to determine how likely it is an induction will be successful.

When it comes to size of baby or head size, there are two caveats to docs telling a mom this:

1. Ultrasounds are not very accurate at determining size at this stage of the game. They can be off by 20%, which is a lot. If your doc tells you that your baby is going to be 9 lbs, you baby could actually only be 8 or less. Head circumference is the same - it's just very difficult to measure and depends on the skill of the ultrasound tech.

2. Babies heads were designed to mold and squeeze through the pelvis. The mom's pelvis is designed to open up and stretch to allow baby to come through. There is no way a doctor can tell you that a baby of a particular size will not fit through your pelvis. It's more dependent on baby's position  - and the best to way increase the chances that baby will be in a good position for labor is to allow labor to happen naturally and stay moving around during labor. None of these things occur with an induction.

Heather - posted on 04/08/2009

Want to also add I had no pain meds my midwife told me they all work against the pitocin and slow labor increasing odds of c-section.  Also they monitored contractions and if they slowed down they bummed my IV drip up.  I dont know if they monitor things as close everywhere...

They also did ultrasound and monitored baby during to be sure she was not in stress.  You tend to be hooked up more so think about that also.

Heather - posted on 04/08/2009

I was induced with my daughter and my personal experience was good.  I was induced on my due date but I had favorable odds...I was already dialated 3 cm.  Also ultrasounds showed the baby's head was getting large.  I was given pitocin in IV method, my water broke on its own and my daughter arrived 2 1/2 hours after the IV started.

It is a much larger risk of C-section.  And contrations dont allow breaks I am told as much as your natural body would.  Although pitocin is what your body produces it is a much higher dose.  I would just be sure that your cervix if favorable before you induce unless you have reason.

My experience was good and I actually plan to induce a day before my due date if I havent had him yet.  My mother is coming across the country and I want her to enjoy the baby some while she is here.  She didnt see my daughter for 2 1/2 months because I was overseas.

Allison - posted on 04/07/2009

I think your instincts are right-on here. It isn't natural and does have a high risk of leading to a c-section. I'm not going to repeat what Brenda said...but she said a lot of great stuff.

A couple things to keep in mind: 40 weeks is the *average* length of gestation, but normal range is 38-42 weeks. So if your baby needs closer to 42 weeks than 40 weeks, having an induction at 39 weeks would be like having him/her born 3 weeks early. Also, ask your doctor about your Bishop Score. This takes into account several things and the score is highly correlated to how likely your induction would be to be successful.

Also, inductions often cause babies to be in the wrong position for birth - well, not cause, but cause labor to occur before baby and body are ready, which makes it much more likely baby will not be in the best birthing position. This, on top of the high likelihood that you will really want an epidural because of the intensity of Pitocin-induced contractions, makes it more likely that baby will get "stuck" or not be able to negotiate the turns he/she needs to make in labor. Being up and moving around is the best way to alleviate some of these issues, but the epi prevents that. Things like Failure to Progress and CPD (cephlopelvic disproportion) are often what docs diagnose you with so that you can have a c-section. This is often mostly due to the fact that your "time" is up, whether you are having problems with baby or not.

Finally, keep in mind that most inductions occur at the convienience of the doctor - often early in the am and they tell you not to eat. I think that it would be better to start an induction after a mom has been well-rested and well-fed, maybe in the late morning or early afternoon.

There is a lot of good information on the benefits of waiting for labor to start naturally. I'd look into that - there are hormones and things that happen in your body that are good for you, help labor progress, and are good for baby. Pitocin doesn't replicate that.

My first baby was an induction because she was "so big" at 38 weeks - ended in a c/s. I wish I had completely avoided that as it's so hard to have a VBAC in most areas anymore. C/S have lots of risk involved, one of which is a higher liklihood that the next baby will be breech. Mine was, so I've had 2 c/s...all, I believe, because of the first induction. I am going for a VBA2C now....but I so wish I had avoided that first cut!

Rebekah - posted on 04/07/2009

Completely agree with Brenda! Unless there is a medical explanation for an induction, I'd try to completely avoid it. Healthy babies will come when they are ready (between 37-42 weeks). Hang in there and let your body do what it was designed to do.

Brenda - posted on 04/07/2009

I would advise against it unless medically necessary.  I won't be allowed to go past my due date because of my gestational diabetes, and last time I was induced the day before my due date because of pre eclampsia.  Some doctors are into conveinence inductions, but trust me, it isn't any fun.

The main thing is they give you pitocin.  First they start out by putting a ripening agent against the cervix to make you dialate.  Then if you dialate enough, they will usually break your water.  From the point of water breaking until they do a mandatory c section is 24 hours because of the risk of infection.  So they give you pit.  Pit sucks.  A lot.  They will tell you that it doesn't make labor worse.  They are right, it doesn't.  What it does is make contractions harder, longer, closer together and peak more often.  So in other words, makes it worse.

With my first, I went in at 7am, had the ripening agent applied, and they broke my water at around 4 pm.  I had dialted from 1-2 cm, enough to break the water.  Then they started the pitocin.  With me, my body never took over.  They usually they give it to you and back off, but in my case they couldn't because my labor would stop progressing, and with my water broke, they couldn't take any chances.  So they kept upping the pitocin.  It took a very long time for me to dialate to 10 cm, and I ended up having two doses of stadol and an epidural.  I hadn't wanted either but most women who are induced end up asking for meds or an epidural even if they didn't want one due to the effects of pitocin.

As far as risks, you are more likely to have to have a c section because they will usually break your water, and at that point they have a 24 hour window for you to give birth.  I had already been penciled in for one because my son was born at 20 hours post water breaking.  This is more likely espeically if it is your first child because of the fact that first time labors are longer to start with.  Also, any induction before 40 weeks may have complications for baby.  Most doctors won't do them before 39 because the further away from 40 the more likely for breathing problems to occur.

I may be induced this time but with this being my second I shouldn't have as much trouble with an induction because at 36 weeks I'm at 1 cm already where last time at 36 weeks my cervix was no where near ready for an induction.

So after that long explination, I don't recommend an elective induction, especially if you want to go as natural and med free as possible or want to avoid risking a c section.  I mean, the same things can happen with spontaneous birth, but at least your body is ready for it and you're less likely to have those risks.  Sorry that got so long....  (I'm also against elective c sections).  Now if there is medical necessity, I think its fine (like with pre eclampsia and the other conditions that can cause early induction).

Kristin - posted on 04/07/2009

i was wondering why they are asking u if u wanna be induced already

Keela - posted on 04/07/2009

Quoting Kristin:

when are u due?

may 2nd..induction would be scheduled for week 39 

Kristin - posted on 04/07/2009

when are u due?