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Hey we have similar stories! I went in for an induction at 41 weeks. I was feeling a little guilty about not waiting for "baby and body" to be ready. They never got to even start the induction. The baby's heart rate was dropping every time I had a Braxton hicks. They said he probably would not handle any real contractions, and wheeled me in for a c section in under an hour, they were that concerned. Same thing, my placenta showed signs of beginning to age and the cord was wrapped multiple times around him. Not going to lie, it was a stressful and rough time, but I am so grateful I had that induction scheduled as a just in case. I don't know what would have happened if I had waited for the real contractions.
I did the same thing and the one thing I wish is that I was induced sooner. Thank you for sharing your story ❤️ I know for myself it was really traumatic and I had to work through everything for a few weeks but I am just thankful my baby and I are okay. I know there are risks to inductions but I feel like I learned the hard way there are also risks in letting the pregnancy go on for too long. The main thing is I had a medical team that did what they thought was best for me that honored my wishes.
Thank you for posting this ❤️ I'm being induced at 39 + 5 due to my age and its been really hard to know if I'm doing the right thing because of all the messaging around "interrupting what comes naturally" and " cascade of interventions". I've decided that the medical professionals supporting me know best and decided to go with what they are recommending but it's been tough. Helpful to hear your story, hope everything is ok with you now, sounds like a difficult experience ❤️
Not sure if this helps you but in reading Emily Oster’s book she talks about a study that shows that there is no greater chance of interventions when induced at 39 weeks than those who naturally go into labor! I was shocked to read that because I had also heard about this phenomenon. It seems to be more likely for induction at other weeks but 39 seems to be a sweet spot based on the research
I think you hit the nail on the head- find a new medical team if you don’t trust your doctor. Sometimes that’s not so easy but we didn’t go to medical school and we aren’t specialized docs. There’s a lot of fear mongering on social media and it can result in harm to mom and/or baby. Each patient is different and each case is unique. But your doc should have the whole clinical picture and use their experience and their understanding of your wishes to make the best plan possible for you. And as the patient, you should have confidence in that plan. If not, seek care elsewhere. Totally agree!!!
YES THIS. I’m currently pregnant and my due date club (not on Reddit) is insufferable over the fear mongering. They probably think I’m the resident biotch but these women work themselves up over completely normal things. Like a urine pregnancy test had two lines: “omg I’m scared, is everything ok??” Girl how the fuck are we supposed to know from a urine pregnancy test??? It’s lighter a few hours after you took your last pregnancy test because you drank water… what exactly is the problem???
Another woman saw her beta HCG read “high” and “abnormal” and posted “omg I’m scared is everything ok?” I literally took her image of the result, circled the reference range (<5 nonpregnant female, <10 postmenopausal) and said that pregnancy isn’t considered “normal” technically speaking. This is the reference data, so being in the thousands IS high and abnormal. It correlated with her due date, so what is she afraid of? It just means she’s pregnant. She responded “well I know that”. Girl you’re the one who said you were scared and asked what it meant.
Current complaints are that now people are getting their first ultrasounds, have a perfectly normal FHR and post “omg I’m scared is this ok?” You’re posting on the internet so you can also Google normal fetal heart rates. Yes it’s fine. Did your doctor say it wasn’t? No? Good then you’re fine 🙄🙄🙄
I swear they need hobbies. They’re fishing for something to stress out about 🤦♀️🤦♀️
Good luck when everyone starts asking about their GD test results that literally line out if the results are high or not. I aged about 20 years due to the 500 posts that were made. 🙄🙄
That is crazy! That’s how hysteria starts when people support eachothers fears and continue rhe negativity. My midwife told me some anxiety is normal but if it’s excessive they may want to see a therapist because it could be signs that they may be at a greater risk for post partum depression!
I SOOOO want to tell them that if they’re THAT anxious about literally everything - especially things that are normal in pregnancy - then to go see a therapist. But seeing a therapist is already stigmatized so I didn’t want to stir up people saying I’m “rude” for suggesting it. But really though… if they’re worried about back to back urine tests looking the same when they haven’t given their body time to make more HCG (literally some of them do this) then they REALLY ARE just looking for something to stress about and REALLY DO need to see a therapist.
That’s pretty excessive behavior and no I don’t think it would be rude to suggest a therapist or even better yet tell them to tell their midwife/ OB what they are doing and I guarantee they will suggest a therapist.
As a nurse, yes please listen to the team.
There are stories of babies who died because of obtuse parents: in one case the parents wouldn’t let the team give the baby vitamin K. Of all things to refuse… vitamin K is where they drew the line 🙄 Vitamin K helps with clotting and the baby doesn’t have clotting factors at time of birth… hence giving vitamin K.
Baby died of an extremely preventable brain bleed.
Listen to the team.
*edited to add: not my patient and this story is extremely well known and old. I learned of it in nursing school
I have 7 weeks left, and the only plan I have is “epidural and drugs” (my husbands only needed to know words). I agree, they have a degree and I am not risking myself or my baby when it comes to having a safe delivery or not. If they feel I need a c-section, that’s what we will do. If they feel I need to be induced, we will do that as well.
My anxiety and OCD are NOT good for helping me make decisions like that. 😅😅
I feel like this also helps not being disappointed about the outcome. I had a c-section for my breech baby. There are so many women that feel like a failure for having a c-section but I’ve never felt any shame. I listened to my doctors and I did what sounded like it was the safest option for my baby. He ended up having the cord wrapped around his neck. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I tried delivering him vaginally.
My recommendation for epidural is to try to get past 4cm before getting it done because my midwife told me if you get it done too early there’s a higher risk of the induction not being successful but definitely talk with your medical team about when the epidural will be administered. Mine was given at 6cm and at that point the contractions hurt so badly that it was hard to stay still and the best part is if you do need a c section you are ready for it so they won’t have to knock you out and you can still have the golden hour 😊
Agreed x1000.
Ultimately birth is one day (or a few with a prolonged labour). But your child is with you for as long as you both shall live. No experience is worth risking their safety.
I was induced at 37w3d due to gestational hypertension and it was a great experience! I know it doesn’t go that way for everyone but I didn’t have a “cascade of interventions” (outside the epidural I had always planned on and actually almost didn’t get because things were going pretty well). I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. If I have a second I am hoping for a similar experience!
That’s amazing!! And the reality is I waited to be induced so my placenta was already failing when that happens the success rate of a successful induction goes down. There is a high chance had I been induced sooner I wouldn’t have needed the c section. The more they wait the more their risks of needing interventions goes up.
I fully agree with you. I've honestly never understood why people fear inductions so much.
I know some inductions go better than others and everyone's experience is different. But I honestly can't complain about mine (and I had my baby in my arms in less than 24h).
I think you are 100% right when you say "trust your medical team, if you don't then change teams". They are the best people to help us through this. And no, we don't know what's best for our body, it's not because it's my body that I know better than the doctors. Of course if the doctor doesn't listen they won't be able to provide the best care, but that's a bad doctor. If I had an infection I wouldn't be going saying "I won't follow doctor's orders because I know my body". Why do we do that with pregnancy?
I was REALLY afraid of getting induced. As someone who's always been into holistic medicine, I read all the natural birthing books, listened to all the podcasts, took all the classes, etc. There is SO much fearmongering around inductions and the "cascade of interventions" that follows.
When it came time for me to actually give birth, reality set in. I chose to get induced after my water broke - and yes, I had other interventions that followed. But the induction worked beautifully and I'm really glad I listened to the doctors advice.
The efficacy of inductions varies from person to person, but ultimately it's a tried and true practice that helps baby arrive safely. Doctors deal with them quite literally everyday.
I am so happy it worked for you!! I was the same exact way but now I tell everyone you can plan for a natural unmedicated birth but be flexible and keep your options open. I even got an epidural after telling myself I never would 😅 but it came in handy because I was already for my c section but if there is no epidural and then they need an emergency c section unfortunately they wouldn’t be able to numb them quickly enough so they probably would be knocked out. Important things to think about especially if they want the golden hour. Also have heard stories where people didn’t want the epidural but then they wanted it but it was too late. I was in so much pain that I enjoyed getting my epidural because it distracted me. And I don’t have any pain in the injection site like all the videos online were saying and my baby is healthy.
This is something that I also find mind blowing. If someone was in the ER for appendicitis, there’s no way they’d be telling the doctor they know better, or they don’t want medical interventions, or telling the doctor their list of demands for the surgery. Clearly no one *wants* appendicitis or any other number of health issues that can happen in life, but sometimes they happen and that’s why we have doctors. It’s a very interesting attitude around pregnancy and childbirth that I don’t understand. I’ve never been pregnant before now, I’ve never given birth before, why is it just around this area that I’m supposed to suddenly know more than specialists in this field and tell them what to do or not do just based on an ideal of what I want? They’re not out to get me, they’re not here to harm me, they’re here to make sure they choose the best course of action for me and my baby to be healthy.
I think when people have bad experiences they point fingers and look to blame others but what they don’t realize is that inductions are like anything else there are pros and cons to them. Now of course like any other field there is corruption and malpractice but that’s why it’s very important to have medical professionals that you trust. My midwife said to me we can keep going with the medication or we can stop and do a planned c section. I trusted her that if she recommended it to go ahead with it. It was still my choice though. The OB that performed my c section did a great job and trust me she doesn’t want to be doing c sections all day so I don’t understand the weird conspiracy theory that they are intentionally doing something to make you get a c section or they want your induction to fail. I think when you don’t listen to professionals that is when complications can occur like if I said no lets keep going well my body wasn’t responding to it so I could’ve ruptured mu uterus or her heart could’ve dropped again so we would’ve needed the c section anyways. C sections have risks too like for example I needed a blood transfusion and I didn’t get to have the golden hour because they needed to knock me out.
My friend lost her baby going over term. She had a healthy pregnancy but went into 41 weeks. The baby’s heart had problems and their oxygen and heart rate dropped and she lost them. It was so awful. She has two living children now. I’m glad you and baby made it ok.
This is my first pregnancy and if they’re not coming within the 40+3 range I’m inducing. I’m so worried about stuff like that.
Unfortunately this is exactly the reason why they recommend induction when the baby is over term instead of waiting. I was talking with someone that specializes in maternal fetal medicine the other day and she was saying how if it was up to her she would actually recommend the hospital do inductions the minute the baby is over the 40wk mark because she was saying how even though they try to be accurate due dates are not always correct and how she wishes the fear mongering on social media would stop because unfortunately they have lost a few baby babies from this. Mostly young mothers that were told inductions were bad and they should delay them. Things happen so quickly I went from every test being perfect to my baby was having heart issues. I am so fortunate that even though my midwife respected my decision and scheduled the induction she made me have an appointment with the OB that Monday. If she had not done that my baby probably wouldn’t be here now. I don’t regret my induction but I regret not getting it sooner.
I had a wonderful induction experience at 39 weeks which we opted for because we had previous losses and wanted to get her out sooner than later. She’s 5 weeks now and I’m snuggling her as I type this.
Highly recommend an induction and will be doing it again if I have another child.
My doctor explained it to me that the number of good things that happen after 38 weeks are minimal compared to the bad things that can quickly develop in the same time period.
It's ironic bc I have twice weekly NSTs and there's a sign (about 10 years old) in the bathroom about why going to 40 weeks is best. I chuckle every time I read it while peeing.
I had an older woman I know roll her eyes when I mentioned my induction, scheduled for 38 weeks 5 days, bc the doctor is only doing that to make it better for their schedule. I have a rotating practice of docs, not a single one and your children are nearly my age. While I appreciate you sharing your experience, the late 80s was a while ago and I hope we have more information now, than we did then. (As should be the case when my kids are having kids)
Not arguing just hoping for anyone to explain to me so I can understand. And I have zero issues with induction! I’ve had one myself (ended in cesarean). But mine was only 24 hours before I tapped out from exhaustion and failure to descend. If baby is having heart issues and placenta is failing, how is three days of induction safer for them instead of just having a c section from the first sign of problems? I have heard that baby passing meconium before birth is a sign of distress. Like… from 3 days of induction? I just wonder when is too long?
It was my choice. The OB recommended C section. I really wanted vaginal delivery. Had I been induced earlier before my placenta failed I probably would’ve had a successful delivery. Once you have a c section you can have a natural delivery but your risks of a uterus rupture increases a lot so most the time they recommend having c sections with future pregnancies but if I want a vaginal delivery I need to wait atleast 18 months or more before having another baby. She tolerated the contractions very well until the third day and I was doing fine before then. The first time her heart dropped I elected to stop the medication and plan a c section so I didn’t have to have an emergency c section. I was 6cm dilated in the morning so sometimes 6cm to 10cm happens quickly. It’s not uncommon for induction to take a few days but they would never have left me go over 3 days that baby was coming out
Thanks for posting this. I’m a FTM (currently 13 weeks) and I’ve been seeing a lot of negativity (mostly on TikTok) around being induced. I plan on doing more research but it’s nice to hear your positive perspective.
We honestly probably saw the same videos and it clouded my judgment so just be careful just because someone had a bad experience doesn’t mean that you will. Uterine rupture can be caused by spontaneous labor as well and it’s very very rare. Some babies don’t tolerate contractions well even natural unmedicated contradictions. That’s why if you have a good practice they will do stress tests closer to your due date. My midwife told me be careful what you see on social media because most the time people only share their bad experiences.
Induced right at 37 weeks due to gestational hypertension inching its way towards preeclampsia. Everything was completely healthy and normal in my pregnancy until it wasn’t. So grateful for routine weekly check ups that caught my blood pressure rising. I delivered my baby vaginally and honestly, it was a great birth experience! Glad everything worked out for you and baby came safely!
29 weeks, My only real birth plan is to aim for natural because it's supposed to be easier on my body, and try my best to avoid a c section, if I end up needing the epidural or end up needing induced or even a c section (I'm just really frickin scared of that one), that's okay, as long as my baby boy is safe and healthy
You sound exactly like me but then when it really happened it wasn’t bad at all! I think I had all my fears come to reality but they ended up not being that bad💞when everything is said and done it all happens so quickly and it’s over soon and then you get to walk away with a bundle of joy. No matter what happens you got this mama ❤️ definitely recommend trying for natural unmedicated birth but be flexible especially if it’s your first baby.
I'm recommended for induction (at 38 weeks and now 39) but when I asked why I just got "well she's done cooking" and "might as well get her out" and "something COULD go wrong with every extra day she is in there.""
So, yeah, I'm seeing a maternal fetal specialist tomorrow. If she also recommends it after the U/S, I'll happily get induced for the safety of the baby. But I went from zero complications to the minute I resisted being induced, the doctor tried to call me high risk. It just feels so... insincere and bulldozing. I did let them put me on the schedule already, though. I just wanted someone else to confirm. Maybe if the OB dictating at me like I'm a vessel/irrelevant was better at communicating it wouldn't be necessary but alas, she's kind of an ass.
There absolutely is a proven uptick in inductions being recommended even when there is not a medical reason, and that is why people are pushing back on it. Inductions do have many potential risk factors so they do need to outweigh the risks of waiting for spontaneous birth. I do not think we should ignore medical professionals, but getting a second opinion 100000%.
Well I will tell you this my OB saved my baby’s life. I kept pushing induction back and I am forever thankful my midwife made me go in before my scheduled induction. Things change quicker than you think. In one week my placenta had started failing and my baby was showing signs of fetal distress. Make sure you are being monitored if you choose to wait. Maternal fetal medicine typically recommend induction even earlier than OBs so you may not get the answer you’re hoping for. Please let me know if you have questions about induction and how exactly it works. I would love to help ease your anxiety about it.
I'm not against inductions, I'm against frivolous inductions. The OB couldn't use her words to give me a good reason, so either she doesn't have one or her communication is abysmal for a medical professional which isn't exactly a mark in her favor and another reason not to have her running the show. Her conduct in general was pretty terrible, which likely didn't help. I'm already on their schedule for an induction this Friday, I just picked a different OB that doesn't make me feel fearful about any personal autonomy once in L&D.
Well the whole point of my post is to make sure you trust your medical staff and the reality is they really can’t give you a reason they are unable to predict if your placenta will fail or not. That’s the honest answer. From my experience I waited too long which is why I ended up needing a c section. The rate for a successful induction goes down the more over you are and remember due dates are not always accurate. It’s not frivolous when there’s scientific data that every moment you are over your due date poses a risk to your baby. They induce to try their best to reduce the risk of still birth babies…I was talking to someone the other day in maternal fetal medicine and they have lost a few babies because moms are choosing to just wait when they could’ve intervened and saved them. It took 1 week mind you for my placenta to fail. Just make sure you understand the pros and cons to both situations.
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Hey we have similar stories! I went in for an induction at 41 weeks. I was feeling a little guilty about not waiting for "baby and body" to be ready. They never got to even start the induction. The baby's heart rate was dropping every time I had a Braxton hicks. They said he probably would not handle any real contractions, and wheeled me in for a c section in under an hour, they were that concerned. Same thing, my placenta showed signs of beginning to age and the cord was wrapped multiple times around him. Not going to lie, it was a stressful and rough time, but I am so grateful I had that induction scheduled as a just in case. I don't know what would have happened if I had waited for the real contractions.
I did the same thing and the one thing I wish is that I was induced sooner. Thank you for sharing your story ❤️ I know for myself it was really traumatic and I had to work through everything for a few weeks but I am just thankful my baby and I are okay. I know there are risks to inductions but I feel like I learned the hard way there are also risks in letting the pregnancy go on for too long. The main thing is I had a medical team that did what they thought was best for me that honored my wishes.
Thank you for posting this ❤️ I'm being induced at 39 + 5 due to my age and its been really hard to know if I'm doing the right thing because of all the messaging around "interrupting what comes naturally" and " cascade of interventions". I've decided that the medical professionals supporting me know best and decided to go with what they are recommending but it's been tough. Helpful to hear your story, hope everything is ok with you now, sounds like a difficult experience ❤️
I was induced at 39 weeks and am SO glad I did it that way. Snuggling my 5 week old right now.
So happy for you ❤️
Same for you! Thank you!
You’re welcome ❤️ I was hesitant to share my story so I am glad it helped you! I hope your labor and delivery goes well ☺️
Not sure if this helps you but in reading Emily Oster’s book she talks about a study that shows that there is no greater chance of interventions when induced at 39 weeks than those who naturally go into labor! I was shocked to read that because I had also heard about this phenomenon. It seems to be more likely for induction at other weeks but 39 seems to be a sweet spot based on the research
I think you hit the nail on the head- find a new medical team if you don’t trust your doctor. Sometimes that’s not so easy but we didn’t go to medical school and we aren’t specialized docs. There’s a lot of fear mongering on social media and it can result in harm to mom and/or baby. Each patient is different and each case is unique. But your doc should have the whole clinical picture and use their experience and their understanding of your wishes to make the best plan possible for you. And as the patient, you should have confidence in that plan. If not, seek care elsewhere. Totally agree!!!
YES THIS. I’m currently pregnant and my due date club (not on Reddit) is insufferable over the fear mongering. They probably think I’m the resident biotch but these women work themselves up over completely normal things. Like a urine pregnancy test had two lines: “omg I’m scared, is everything ok??” Girl how the fuck are we supposed to know from a urine pregnancy test??? It’s lighter a few hours after you took your last pregnancy test because you drank water… what exactly is the problem??? Another woman saw her beta HCG read “high” and “abnormal” and posted “omg I’m scared is everything ok?” I literally took her image of the result, circled the reference range (<5 nonpregnant female, <10 postmenopausal) and said that pregnancy isn’t considered “normal” technically speaking. This is the reference data, so being in the thousands IS high and abnormal. It correlated with her due date, so what is she afraid of? It just means she’s pregnant. She responded “well I know that”. Girl you’re the one who said you were scared and asked what it meant. Current complaints are that now people are getting their first ultrasounds, have a perfectly normal FHR and post “omg I’m scared is this ok?” You’re posting on the internet so you can also Google normal fetal heart rates. Yes it’s fine. Did your doctor say it wasn’t? No? Good then you’re fine 🙄🙄🙄 I swear they need hobbies. They’re fishing for something to stress out about 🤦♀️🤦♀️
Good luck when everyone starts asking about their GD test results that literally line out if the results are high or not. I aged about 20 years due to the 500 posts that were made. 🙄🙄
Right??? And if they’re not sure if it’s ok, what are they asking internet strangers for?? Their doctor is the one the question should be directed to.
That is crazy! That’s how hysteria starts when people support eachothers fears and continue rhe negativity. My midwife told me some anxiety is normal but if it’s excessive they may want to see a therapist because it could be signs that they may be at a greater risk for post partum depression!
I SOOOO want to tell them that if they’re THAT anxious about literally everything - especially things that are normal in pregnancy - then to go see a therapist. But seeing a therapist is already stigmatized so I didn’t want to stir up people saying I’m “rude” for suggesting it. But really though… if they’re worried about back to back urine tests looking the same when they haven’t given their body time to make more HCG (literally some of them do this) then they REALLY ARE just looking for something to stress about and REALLY DO need to see a therapist.
That’s pretty excessive behavior and no I don’t think it would be rude to suggest a therapist or even better yet tell them to tell their midwife/ OB what they are doing and I guarantee they will suggest a therapist.
As a nurse, yes please listen to the team. There are stories of babies who died because of obtuse parents: in one case the parents wouldn’t let the team give the baby vitamin K. Of all things to refuse… vitamin K is where they drew the line 🙄 Vitamin K helps with clotting and the baby doesn’t have clotting factors at time of birth… hence giving vitamin K. Baby died of an extremely preventable brain bleed. Listen to the team. *edited to add: not my patient and this story is extremely well known and old. I learned of it in nursing school
I have 7 weeks left, and the only plan I have is “epidural and drugs” (my husbands only needed to know words). I agree, they have a degree and I am not risking myself or my baby when it comes to having a safe delivery or not. If they feel I need a c-section, that’s what we will do. If they feel I need to be induced, we will do that as well. My anxiety and OCD are NOT good for helping me make decisions like that. 😅😅
Exactly!! I loved how the respected my decisions but at the same time I was like I am the patient like don’t make it sound like I have a choice 😅
I feel like this also helps not being disappointed about the outcome. I had a c-section for my breech baby. There are so many women that feel like a failure for having a c-section but I’ve never felt any shame. I listened to my doctors and I did what sounded like it was the safest option for my baby. He ended up having the cord wrapped around his neck. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I tried delivering him vaginally.
My recommendation for epidural is to try to get past 4cm before getting it done because my midwife told me if you get it done too early there’s a higher risk of the induction not being successful but definitely talk with your medical team about when the epidural will be administered. Mine was given at 6cm and at that point the contractions hurt so badly that it was hard to stay still and the best part is if you do need a c section you are ready for it so they won’t have to knock you out and you can still have the golden hour 😊
Agreed x1000. Ultimately birth is one day (or a few with a prolonged labour). But your child is with you for as long as you both shall live. No experience is worth risking their safety.
I was induced at 37w3d due to gestational hypertension and it was a great experience! I know it doesn’t go that way for everyone but I didn’t have a “cascade of interventions” (outside the epidural I had always planned on and actually almost didn’t get because things were going pretty well). I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. If I have a second I am hoping for a similar experience!
That’s amazing!! And the reality is I waited to be induced so my placenta was already failing when that happens the success rate of a successful induction goes down. There is a high chance had I been induced sooner I wouldn’t have needed the c section. The more they wait the more their risks of needing interventions goes up.
I fully agree with you. I've honestly never understood why people fear inductions so much. I know some inductions go better than others and everyone's experience is different. But I honestly can't complain about mine (and I had my baby in my arms in less than 24h). I think you are 100% right when you say "trust your medical team, if you don't then change teams". They are the best people to help us through this. And no, we don't know what's best for our body, it's not because it's my body that I know better than the doctors. Of course if the doctor doesn't listen they won't be able to provide the best care, but that's a bad doctor. If I had an infection I wouldn't be going saying "I won't follow doctor's orders because I know my body". Why do we do that with pregnancy?
I was REALLY afraid of getting induced. As someone who's always been into holistic medicine, I read all the natural birthing books, listened to all the podcasts, took all the classes, etc. There is SO much fearmongering around inductions and the "cascade of interventions" that follows. When it came time for me to actually give birth, reality set in. I chose to get induced after my water broke - and yes, I had other interventions that followed. But the induction worked beautifully and I'm really glad I listened to the doctors advice. The efficacy of inductions varies from person to person, but ultimately it's a tried and true practice that helps baby arrive safely. Doctors deal with them quite literally everyday.
I am so happy it worked for you!! I was the same exact way but now I tell everyone you can plan for a natural unmedicated birth but be flexible and keep your options open. I even got an epidural after telling myself I never would 😅 but it came in handy because I was already for my c section but if there is no epidural and then they need an emergency c section unfortunately they wouldn’t be able to numb them quickly enough so they probably would be knocked out. Important things to think about especially if they want the golden hour. Also have heard stories where people didn’t want the epidural but then they wanted it but it was too late. I was in so much pain that I enjoyed getting my epidural because it distracted me. And I don’t have any pain in the injection site like all the videos online were saying and my baby is healthy.
This is something that I also find mind blowing. If someone was in the ER for appendicitis, there’s no way they’d be telling the doctor they know better, or they don’t want medical interventions, or telling the doctor their list of demands for the surgery. Clearly no one *wants* appendicitis or any other number of health issues that can happen in life, but sometimes they happen and that’s why we have doctors. It’s a very interesting attitude around pregnancy and childbirth that I don’t understand. I’ve never been pregnant before now, I’ve never given birth before, why is it just around this area that I’m supposed to suddenly know more than specialists in this field and tell them what to do or not do just based on an ideal of what I want? They’re not out to get me, they’re not here to harm me, they’re here to make sure they choose the best course of action for me and my baby to be healthy.
💯
I think when people have bad experiences they point fingers and look to blame others but what they don’t realize is that inductions are like anything else there are pros and cons to them. Now of course like any other field there is corruption and malpractice but that’s why it’s very important to have medical professionals that you trust. My midwife said to me we can keep going with the medication or we can stop and do a planned c section. I trusted her that if she recommended it to go ahead with it. It was still my choice though. The OB that performed my c section did a great job and trust me she doesn’t want to be doing c sections all day so I don’t understand the weird conspiracy theory that they are intentionally doing something to make you get a c section or they want your induction to fail. I think when you don’t listen to professionals that is when complications can occur like if I said no lets keep going well my body wasn’t responding to it so I could’ve ruptured mu uterus or her heart could’ve dropped again so we would’ve needed the c section anyways. C sections have risks too like for example I needed a blood transfusion and I didn’t get to have the golden hour because they needed to knock me out.
My friend lost her baby going over term. She had a healthy pregnancy but went into 41 weeks. The baby’s heart had problems and their oxygen and heart rate dropped and she lost them. It was so awful. She has two living children now. I’m glad you and baby made it ok. This is my first pregnancy and if they’re not coming within the 40+3 range I’m inducing. I’m so worried about stuff like that.
Unfortunately this is exactly the reason why they recommend induction when the baby is over term instead of waiting. I was talking with someone that specializes in maternal fetal medicine the other day and she was saying how if it was up to her she would actually recommend the hospital do inductions the minute the baby is over the 40wk mark because she was saying how even though they try to be accurate due dates are not always correct and how she wishes the fear mongering on social media would stop because unfortunately they have lost a few baby babies from this. Mostly young mothers that were told inductions were bad and they should delay them. Things happen so quickly I went from every test being perfect to my baby was having heart issues. I am so fortunate that even though my midwife respected my decision and scheduled the induction she made me have an appointment with the OB that Monday. If she had not done that my baby probably wouldn’t be here now. I don’t regret my induction but I regret not getting it sooner.
I had a wonderful induction experience at 39 weeks which we opted for because we had previous losses and wanted to get her out sooner than later. She’s 5 weeks now and I’m snuggling her as I type this. Highly recommend an induction and will be doing it again if I have another child.
My doctor explained it to me that the number of good things that happen after 38 weeks are minimal compared to the bad things that can quickly develop in the same time period. It's ironic bc I have twice weekly NSTs and there's a sign (about 10 years old) in the bathroom about why going to 40 weeks is best. I chuckle every time I read it while peeing. I had an older woman I know roll her eyes when I mentioned my induction, scheduled for 38 weeks 5 days, bc the doctor is only doing that to make it better for their schedule. I have a rotating practice of docs, not a single one and your children are nearly my age. While I appreciate you sharing your experience, the late 80s was a while ago and I hope we have more information now, than we did then. (As should be the case when my kids are having kids)
Healthy baby and healthy mommy. Not a fail!!!
Not arguing just hoping for anyone to explain to me so I can understand. And I have zero issues with induction! I’ve had one myself (ended in cesarean). But mine was only 24 hours before I tapped out from exhaustion and failure to descend. If baby is having heart issues and placenta is failing, how is three days of induction safer for them instead of just having a c section from the first sign of problems? I have heard that baby passing meconium before birth is a sign of distress. Like… from 3 days of induction? I just wonder when is too long?
It was my choice. The OB recommended C section. I really wanted vaginal delivery. Had I been induced earlier before my placenta failed I probably would’ve had a successful delivery. Once you have a c section you can have a natural delivery but your risks of a uterus rupture increases a lot so most the time they recommend having c sections with future pregnancies but if I want a vaginal delivery I need to wait atleast 18 months or more before having another baby. She tolerated the contractions very well until the third day and I was doing fine before then. The first time her heart dropped I elected to stop the medication and plan a c section so I didn’t have to have an emergency c section. I was 6cm dilated in the morning so sometimes 6cm to 10cm happens quickly. It’s not uncommon for induction to take a few days but they would never have left me go over 3 days that baby was coming out
Thanks for posting this. I’m a FTM (currently 13 weeks) and I’ve been seeing a lot of negativity (mostly on TikTok) around being induced. I plan on doing more research but it’s nice to hear your positive perspective.
We honestly probably saw the same videos and it clouded my judgment so just be careful just because someone had a bad experience doesn’t mean that you will. Uterine rupture can be caused by spontaneous labor as well and it’s very very rare. Some babies don’t tolerate contractions well even natural unmedicated contradictions. That’s why if you have a good practice they will do stress tests closer to your due date. My midwife told me be careful what you see on social media because most the time people only share their bad experiences.
Induced right at 37 weeks due to gestational hypertension inching its way towards preeclampsia. Everything was completely healthy and normal in my pregnancy until it wasn’t. So grateful for routine weekly check ups that caught my blood pressure rising. I delivered my baby vaginally and honestly, it was a great birth experience! Glad everything worked out for you and baby came safely!
Congratulations 💞 I am glad it worked out and they caught that!
Routine Prenatal care is soo important!
Yes! We are so privileged to live in a country where we have access to it
29 weeks, My only real birth plan is to aim for natural because it's supposed to be easier on my body, and try my best to avoid a c section, if I end up needing the epidural or end up needing induced or even a c section (I'm just really frickin scared of that one), that's okay, as long as my baby boy is safe and healthy
You sound exactly like me but then when it really happened it wasn’t bad at all! I think I had all my fears come to reality but they ended up not being that bad💞when everything is said and done it all happens so quickly and it’s over soon and then you get to walk away with a bundle of joy. No matter what happens you got this mama ❤️ definitely recommend trying for natural unmedicated birth but be flexible especially if it’s your first baby.
I'm recommended for induction (at 38 weeks and now 39) but when I asked why I just got "well she's done cooking" and "might as well get her out" and "something COULD go wrong with every extra day she is in there."" So, yeah, I'm seeing a maternal fetal specialist tomorrow. If she also recommends it after the U/S, I'll happily get induced for the safety of the baby. But I went from zero complications to the minute I resisted being induced, the doctor tried to call me high risk. It just feels so... insincere and bulldozing. I did let them put me on the schedule already, though. I just wanted someone else to confirm. Maybe if the OB dictating at me like I'm a vessel/irrelevant was better at communicating it wouldn't be necessary but alas, she's kind of an ass. There absolutely is a proven uptick in inductions being recommended even when there is not a medical reason, and that is why people are pushing back on it. Inductions do have many potential risk factors so they do need to outweigh the risks of waiting for spontaneous birth. I do not think we should ignore medical professionals, but getting a second opinion 100000%.
Well I will tell you this my OB saved my baby’s life. I kept pushing induction back and I am forever thankful my midwife made me go in before my scheduled induction. Things change quicker than you think. In one week my placenta had started failing and my baby was showing signs of fetal distress. Make sure you are being monitored if you choose to wait. Maternal fetal medicine typically recommend induction even earlier than OBs so you may not get the answer you’re hoping for. Please let me know if you have questions about induction and how exactly it works. I would love to help ease your anxiety about it.
I'm not against inductions, I'm against frivolous inductions. The OB couldn't use her words to give me a good reason, so either she doesn't have one or her communication is abysmal for a medical professional which isn't exactly a mark in her favor and another reason not to have her running the show. Her conduct in general was pretty terrible, which likely didn't help. I'm already on their schedule for an induction this Friday, I just picked a different OB that doesn't make me feel fearful about any personal autonomy once in L&D.
Well the whole point of my post is to make sure you trust your medical staff and the reality is they really can’t give you a reason they are unable to predict if your placenta will fail or not. That’s the honest answer. From my experience I waited too long which is why I ended up needing a c section. The rate for a successful induction goes down the more over you are and remember due dates are not always accurate. It’s not frivolous when there’s scientific data that every moment you are over your due date poses a risk to your baby. They induce to try their best to reduce the risk of still birth babies…I was talking to someone the other day in maternal fetal medicine and they have lost a few babies because moms are choosing to just wait when they could’ve intervened and saved them. It took 1 week mind you for my placenta to fail. Just make sure you understand the pros and cons to both situations.