Induction

[kfarb]

I wanted some advice on this from natural birthers. My dr said she starts talking about it at 41 weeks. After 42 the still birth rate goes way up. BUT I've read so many places that drs method of determining due date isn't accurate, so like only 2% of babies are really overdue. I really want to do it with no pain relief, and being induced will make that next to impossible. But I also don't want to risk my baby's life! I worked hard on him!

 

[hayley x]

I think if you go overdue by that much they would offer regular monitoring wouldnt they? I had an induction and managed on just G&A for the last few minutes, so induction doesnt automatically mean you will need pain relief xxx

 

[kfarb]

I think if you go overdue by that much they would offer regular monitoring wouldnt they? I had an induction and managed on just G&A for the last few minutes, so induction doesnt automatically mean you will need pain relief xxx

Well, we don't have G&A here. And they would offer monitoring, but I'd assume the stillbirth risk would be the same. I will just be so disappointed if I wind up being induced. I'm trying not to worry about it.

 

[hayley x]

Oh wow I didnt know that - sorry!

I think the main concern when you go over is the placenta not working as it should, therefor monitoring (scan) could pick it up? 'personally' I wouldnt want to go so far over but thats my personal choice and we are all different, but the risks like you say do go up

But looking at your ticker you have a way to go yet before you will go over so hopefully bubs will come before then xxx

 

[hayley x]

cool just noticed youre due the same day as my sister xxx

 

[kiwimama]

Try as many things as you can to get your labour going. If you feel any niggles or pains, get up and about, be active, go for a long walk, have sex, curry, everything they say can help bring on labour. I do hope you won't have to be induced, but if you do, it doesn't necessary mean you will need pain relief. Do you have tens machines there? You could try water as relief.

 

[kfarb]

Try as many things as you can to get your labour going. If you feel any niggles or pains, get up and about, be active, go for a long walk, have sex, curry, everything they say can help bring on labour. I do hope you won't have to be induced, but if you do, it doesn't necessary mean you will need pain relief. Do you have tens machines there? You could try water as relief.

No tens machines.

At least if there are they aren't very common and weren't even mentioned in my birth prep class.

Yes, hopefully this will be something I don't even have to worry about. I know you are supposed to be so set on your birth plan, but I really am. I knew I would be and I'm going to be really sad if things don't go how I want them too.

 

[snagglepat]

It's true that the rate of stillbirth doubles over 42 weeks, but when you look at the studies that means it goes up from one death per 1000 births to two deaths per 1000, which is still a very low statistic. This is because, rarely, the placenta stops working properly once you're very overdue.

Over here hospitals are supposed to work to NICE guidelines which are evidence-based and they recommend that when a woman reaches 42 weeks she should be offered the choice between an induction and additional monitoring. Monitoring will pick up if the placenta is functioning well or not and if it isn't then you make your decision based on that, but if it's fine, then there's no reason to induce straight away. Usually they offer monitoring every day or other day to keep an eye on things until you go into labour naturally or a problem is detected. I have to say, the pressure to go for the induction is pretty strong here even if everything is fine but at least we have the advantage of official guidelines stating that the woman should be offered the choice which help us to fight our corner if we want/need to.

I'm sure you could still negotiate for an extension if you get that far, based on the evidence that it really isn't a medical issue if the placenta is healthy. But like you say, the chances of you going that far are very slim.

Good luck!

Gina.

 

[aob1013]

I think wanting to have a pain free relief birth really doesn't matter where the health of your baby is concerned. For me personally that still birth risk would be enough for me to want that baby out quick!

 

[kfarb]

I think wanting to have a pain free relief birth really doesn't matter where the health of your baby is concerned. For me personally that still birth risk would be enough for me to want that baby out quick!

Having a natural birth is for the health of the baby too.

 

[kiwimama]

I think wanting to have a pain free relief birth really doesn't matter where the health of your baby is concerned. For me personally that still birth risk would be enough for me to want that baby out quick!

Having a natural birth is for the health of the baby too.

That's right. There are all sorts of risks that come with having an epidural during labour. Honestly, try not to worry about going overdue, if you do, then you can opt for close monitoring of your placenta function to ensure that baby is nice and safe inside. If you reach about 40 weeks as well, you could ask your midwife to do a sweep to see where you're at and maybe help things along.

 

[bky]

Hey, ask if your Dr will do a Foley Catheter induction. It's a bit old fashioned from some practitioner's point of view but doesn't involve drugs. It's a balloon inflated past the cervix that puts pressure on it much in the way a baby's head would. You do have to be favourable for it though. That means under 3cm dilated (after 3cm it falls out).

 

[Farie]

Sorry to butt in!
The foley catheter induction was mentioned at my antenatal class, had anyone had it and does it hurt?
I had a HSG over a year ago now for infertility testing it it really hurt! I was wondering if that method of induction was similar and similarly ouchy?
Although if I go over due I doubt I'll care!

 

[bky]

I don't think it's comfortable. I mean something is getting stuck up past your cervix. However, they do let you go home with it in afaik, so can't be that bad? I was going to have one but went into labour the day before.

 

[SwissMiss]

I havent' read this entire thread all the way thru so sorry if I repeat what's been said a zillion times but being induced, although not entirely 'natural' granted, doesn't exclude having a pain-relief-free birth! I was induced at 41+5 with Lindsey (my choice, offered by doc of course) despite really wanting to go on my own I had had it by then... and I had a completely natural birth with no chemical pain relief at all. They don't have G+A here either...
Its of course your choice, but being flexible on certain points does help I think... Good luck hon, hope it doesn't come to that decision for you!
xx

 

[aob1013]

I think wanting to have a pain free relief birth really doesn't matter where the health of your baby is concerned. For me personally that still birth risk would be enough for me to want that baby out quick!

Having a natural birth is for the health of the baby too.

Of course, but where there is a risk of a stillbirth i would want my baby out quick - regardless of how it was born.

 

[Celesse]

I refused induction. Went into labour at 42 weeks and was sent in for a scan in early labour.... which was a foetal well being scan that they use to monitor women who go over 42 weeks. I was told it was normal and sent home, only to be sent back into hospital 5 hours later with a fetal heart rate of 175. So in my limited experience the post dates monitoring didn't pick up anything although there was a problem. My community midwife was also convinced that my LO had started using her fat reserves before she was born, basing this labour problems and excessive weight loss experienced by my LO.

But I went into natural labour on the same day they would have induced me, so if I hadn't refused induction they would still have just let my labour progress naturally. And had I subjected my already stressed out baby to a medicalised labour from the start the outcome may have been even worse.

 

[Tatertot]

I was induced and made it almost the whole way without an epidural. I got it about two hours before he was born. If I knew it was only going to be two more hours, I would have been fine. And they turned it off for the last hour. Obviously, not being induced would be ideal, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought. Someone told me that it would take days (potentially). I went from zero contractions, 80% effaced (where I had been foe almost a month), and 1 cm to having him out in 13 hours.

 

[chickchock]

Hi there, I was induced with my daughter at 40 weeks 12 days. It was fine. I know I'm in the UK so there will be differences, but they do try to do it as gently as possible. They start off with a pessary which dilates the cervix to try to encourage the waters to break etc and labour to start naturally. Then next they break your waters, and for me this was all that was needed for my contractions to start. I had Gas and Air (Entinox) and used a TENs machine.

I know you say TEN's are not available over there, but do look online, there must be somewhere in the states that loans them out ETA- sorry I think I may have misread your post- you don't want to use a TEN's, not you can't get hold of one?

As far as the due date calcualtion goes, scans these days are really good at dating pregnancies. When I was PG I had a scan at 7weeks and they adjusted my due date by 2 days, which made it bang on 40 weeks from the day I knew I'd ovulated