Inducement of Labor

Such a recommendation goes against the evidence-based guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians/Gynecologists (ACOG).

I was just induced 6 weeks ago with my 2nd baby and LOVED it! I was a bit concerned because so many women on here are against it and have all kinds of "horror" stories that they've "heard". I didn't have one problem and the pain was zero! I was induced at 7:40 a.m. and baby was born at 3:50 p.m. It was a breeze, and such a peaceful experience. Wish I would have done it with the first, and will definately do it w/ the 3rd. Do what you want, but I would only listen to those who have been induced, not the ones who like to think they know it all, who haven't even been there! Congrats and good luck!! :-)

don't do it! the cascade of intervention is much more likely to end up in c-section! don't you want your baby to come when it's ready? it will be healthier that way.

good luck!

My Dr. also wanted to induce at 39 for the convinience. "At 40 weeks, the baby's just getting bigger and bigger and you're a small girl. He's fully developed at 39 weeks." And yes, she wanted to be able to schedule it and know exactly when she'd be needed in the hospital delivery room.

If I could go back in time, I would have switched doctors. We got a second opinion, yet still did induce early (and I did eventualy have a C-section!). My opinion - the baby should come when they're ready. If that's at 2am at 40 weeks, then so be it. The dr is paid to take care of you and your baby, no matter what time of day.

Good luck. I'll be interested to read what other moms say.

I am confused. Your DOCTOR recommended induction for convenience? NO medical reason involved? Or did your doctor recommend 39 weeks because YOU asked about inducing? I'm not clear on the situation...

I am very much against inductions without a medical reason. The exceptions being issues with military deployments where Dad won't be here a week from now type of situations. Even then, it is something not to consider lightly.

Yes, there are many many many cases where everything goes fine and there are no complications. There are also many many many where they do not. The most common being that after the water is broken and pitocin administered, labor does not progress in a timely manner and the baby (and/or mom) develops complications as a result of the prolonged labor process, resulting in a cesarean section having to be done. C-sections have become so common (party because of so many failed inductions) that we have become desensitized to the fact that it is MAJOR SURGERY. Check with your doctor about the probabilities/rates of inductions ending with a C-section; AND about the potential complications associated with Csections.

Frankly, if your first baby was born at 39 weeks, why the rush to induce? Most moms consider "convenience" inductions when they are LATE, as it gets considerably more uncomfortable to be pregnant post-due date..

If you are set on doing it, Please please please sit down and discuss ALL the potential scenarios with your doctor. You might be surprised at some of the risk you are taking on unnecessarily...

For what it is worth, my niece just chose to induce last week. She was very excited. They were expecting a LARGE baby (her hubby was 13 lbs at birth) so they decided to induce about a week before her due date. At the end of about 20 hours... they ended up with a Csection. Additionally, they had to deal with their baby having jaundice (also for some reason common in induction babies). They are healthy and fine now, except my niece now must deal with a Csection recovery while taking care of her newborn... and it is possible that it might affect any future baby/deliveries she might have.

http://pregnancy.about.com/od/induction/a/risksinduction.htm

Out of convenience? I'd get another doctor. Whose convenience is it for, yours or theirs?

I'm sorry, but I have strong opinions on the subject. I am the only person in my OB/GYN's practice who actually moved an induction back because I thought I was such a weenie for not letting my baby come when it was ready. My friend was induced for the reason of her OB/GYN's convenience so her Easter plans (the doctor's) weren't interrupted.

I went into labor naturally past my due date with my first child (induction was NOT an option for my OB/GYN unless I went to 41 weeks). I never went into labor with my daughter, but my water broke, so induction was necessary as I was not contracting.

Pitocin is a synthetic version of oxytocin, the hormone that makes you contract and go into labor. Pitocin is known to bring on labor much more quickly and much more strongly than going into labor naturally (yes, I did get epidurals BOTH times I delivered)

Babies come when they are ready - unless you're pregnancy is complicated or you have gone a week past your due date, I would strongly advise against it.

Here's what the American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology has issued in terms of their guidelines on the issue.
http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases...

When you induce labor (or interfere with the birth process in anyway) you open yourself up to the increased chance of more interventions and possibly you'll end up with a c-section. If it's medically necessary then of course do what you must but sadly it rarely is. I don't mean to be rude but if you think you can plan out your birth with no surprises by inducing labor at 39 weeks and your doctor is backing that up I am shocked. Please just let your body dictate when your baby comes and let nature take it's course if at all possible!

No no don't do it. Babies cook for as long as they do for a REASON. Your body is not ready to give birth yet. Unless there's a medical reason that your baby is better out than in, let it keep cooking. Your pregnancy will be over soon enough. Inductions have risks associated with them. These include:
- need for continuous monitoring (means you're strapped to the bed)
- need for IV (another thing you're hooked up with)
- risk of uterus hyperstimulation (can cause fetal distress and even uterine rupture)
- you are "on the clock" meaning that as soon as your doctor decides things aren't moving fast enough you will be pressured for a c-section
- higher rate of needing an epidural, which has a whole additional set of risks associated with it including drop in blood pressure which is associated with fetal distress

In summary, you are setting yourself up for potentially having a whole cascade of interventions by inducing for no medical reason. If you're that impatient try a membrane sweep to see if you can nudge things along. Otherwise just wait it out. Remember: pregnancy is a terminal condition. NOBODY stays pregnant forever.

Think to yourself: how would you feel if you went in for an induction, it didn't work well, you ended up with a c-section after 30 hours of induced crappy labor, and you were in the hospital for 4 days recovering from this. Worth the convenience? I think not.

As an OB nurse I will tell you the hospital I work at has really "cracked down" on inductions before 39 weeks that are not MEDICALLY necessary. This has cut down our late pre-term birth rate and our c-section rate!

Due dates are an estimate +/- 2 weeks - you could induce at 38-39 weeks and have a baby that is only 36-37 weeks - which is considered late pre-term!! I see it ALL the time!

Another factor here is that if this is for your dr's convenience - how long will you labor before for "his convenience" he decides you aren't progressing fast enough and you have a c-section???

Inductions, just as natural labor, can be easy and smooth - or totally unpredictable and difficult - you will hear all kinds of stories good and bad... I would do what is right for you! If you are ok with a 39 week induction - then fine, if you don't want it -say no!

I would never induce for convenience. Don't be deceived, sounds more like he's doing this for his convenience. It is always better to let things happen naturally. If they induce you, they will either have to break your water (which puts you on a C section timer if you don't deliver in a certain number of hours because of increased infection risk) or they give you pitocin, which makes your labor harder and faster, which will probably increase your risk of tearing or needing an episiotomy. I was induced with my 1st because I tested positive for strep. I had had problems going into early labor and I was already very far progressed. Chances were that if I went into labor on my own, I would not have had time to receive the full dose of antibiotics I needed to combat the strep before the birth, much less get to the hospital on time. They broke my water and then didn't wait as long as my midwife said to give me pitocin and I'll tell you, the second they gave me that pitocin it was constant contractions right on top of each other with no breaks to rest. And I had a natural labor other than that so I felt ALL OF IT. My son was born in 1 1/2 hours. I had a second degree tear and alot of trouble even sitting to nurse my son for several weeks afterwards. Plus the scarring was so bad I had to go in and have some of the tissue removed at my 6 week check up. I don't regret it cause it was the best choice in the situation, but if I had a normal pregnancy and no worries, no way would I want that stuff again.

And just to note, the response beneath mine...she probably would not have delivered nearly as fast had she not had pitocin.

It has been 15 yrs but I was induced and I would have it no other way.

My delivery date was around Jan 4. My Dr. said he was going to induce if I did not go into labor by then. I am quite petite and he didn't want my baby to be too large plus my blood pressure was a little high. Well.....my hubby the numbers man....said WHOA....

Since he was going to induce anyway, why not do it before the end of the year for tax purposes... Yep... we married on New Years Eve 21 yrs ago so my man always has the numbers in his head.

So, my Dr. checked his schedule and he was going to be at the hospital on Dec 27 so i came in that day and was induced.

It was easy.... I showed up at 7am, shortly after, Dr. broke the water, I walked a lot, then later in the morning started pitocin and daughter was born at 6pm sharp.

I know some moms might not see the humor of my hubby and his numbers but it worked for us and it makes a good story!

Congratulations and I hope all goes well.

I gave birth to four children. Two were induced two were natural. Surprise is just that a surprise, but induced labor is much, much harder. I suggest natural labor.

It's up to you, but I always wonder about doctors who encourage patients to be induced for convenience. The baby will come when he/she is ready. Again though the choice is yours, but if you aren't comfortable with it then please tell your doctor no. That being said, I was induced at 41 weeks with my second because I needed 8 hours of antibiotics through the IV and I kept experiencing false labor. It was nice knowing that my doctor would be there and it was comforting just going in at a set time. I had no problem with the pitocin and actually thought the contractions were easier to deal with since they were so regular and I could prepare for them. The entire labor from the start of the pitocin lasted 6.5 hours and I only pushed for about 10 minutes. Hope this helps!

You should watch The Buisness Of Being Born!!!!!

Your doctor should be under investigation for malpractice if he was serious. You certainly sound like one smart person to question this practice. Good for you.

I'm sure your doctor gave you the CHOICE of having an induction. If it was highly recommended, I'm sure there must have been some reason for it. My doc offered the choice of having my second son induced at 39 weeks because my uterus was measuring exactly the same size for several weeks prior to his suggestion of the induction. I had an ultrasound done and everything looked good, but he still was giving me the option to have the induction. I decided to go ahead with it and I am very happy with my choice. Everything went so well and my baby was perfectly healthy!

Since you have some doubts, I would ask your doctor again for his reasonings and take it from there!

Good luck!!

I agree with Ann M. Take a look at http://www.bradleybirth.com for more information on natural childbirth. I used Bradley twice, no drugs, no episiotomy, no tears. I fully trust the method. The problem with inducing is it is not perfect. The pain will be much greater and sudden than if you wait until your baby is ready. Plus, who's to say you are really 39 weeks? That's the medical professionals' best guess. What if you are really at 38 weeks and your baby needs a little more time to develop? Seems like a risk. Personally, I don't think birth needs to be messed with. Have the doctors there as backup and let your body do what it is made to do.

Were you induced before?

MY experience with induction (at 41 weeks) was less than ideal.

In my opinion - inducing without a medical reason is never a good idea. It leads you down the path of one intervention after another and can often lead to a c-section. Especially if your doctor is one who is looking at things for convienence... realize that they make way more money if you get more interventions.... and if you are still laboring at the end of the day may push you to get a c-section for convienence as well... They make a ton more money for surgery than for a normal delivery.

Just my thoughts.

Jessica

My advice is to wait until your baby is ready to be born. Personally, I am bothered by all the inductions that go on. No one knows exactly how labor is kicked off, and I lean towards assuming there is a good reason for the timing.
Inducing gives you unnatural contractions which are hard on you and hard on baby, they are not what would normally happen. Labor is hard enough, why make it harder? You can get drugs so you don't feel it, but baby has to endure--if they don't then they go into distress and you end up with a c-section.
I know lots of inductions go fine, and they are certainly safe as far as mom and baby living thru them but there are more injuries as a result and we have no idea what the long term affects may be. Not worth the convenience for me.
Induction is very convenient for doctors. Hopefully s/he at least told you the risks before "recommending" it for no medical reason.
If you go for it, at least find out what method is planned and do some research on it.

I would only do an induction if it were medically necessary. An induction has lots of medical risks that doctors do not typically disclose. Look at:
http://pregnancy.about.com/od/induction/a/risksinduction.htm

If you had a normal pregnancy and birth last time, why manipulate nature just to make it more convenient for your doctor to get a good tee time for golf? You pay the doctor the same whether baby comes in the middle of the night or not.

I had an induction that led to one complication after another, finally ending up in an emergency c-section, traumatic birth and sick baby. It wasn't worth it, but my doctor made it to her 6pm dinner date on time. I wish I had been fully informed.

Best wishes,
C.

Out of convenience for who? You or the Dr? That is a silly excuse. So many things can unnecessarily go wrong ending in a surgical birth. I would respectfully decline saying it is your bias toward letting your baby and body decide. Read up on inducement- it should only be done in real critical need not just for the sake of it!

Your baby will come out when it is ready. IMO, your doctor sounds lazy and he/she is doing it for their own convenience!

Good for you for sticking up for yourself.
Your doctor is an arrogant prick and if it was me this suggestion alone would be reason to switch providers! The suggestion to induce is purely for HIS convenience not yours! Elective induction puts you and your baby at risk for all sorts of complications! I can't believe the lack of responsibility some doctors exhibit!

Good luck for you and your baby!

Hi M.,
I had three children and they all arrived when they were ready to arrive. The first was three weeks past the due date and it turned out just fine as a vaginal birth. We were not sure about date of conception...the cross section of his head on ultrasound gave us an estimated due date...and guess what? he has turned out to be our tallest kid...now 6'4" so it is likely his lungs got the benefit of waiting for him to be born past the estimated due date...Baby number two arrived one week ahead of due date...baby number three arrived on the due date.

I agree with the earlier posts...if there is any sign of your health distress or baby's health distress, then there are medical reasons for having baby induced...otherwise what's the hurry?

I suggest having a birthing consultation with JoAnne Lindberg at www.birthlink.com
She provides advice on birthing choices in Illinois and is very knowledgeable! Her goal is to help clients understand how to have the best birthing experience.

BTW with the arrival of baby number two and baby number three, my next door neighbor helped us. We talked and she agreed that I could bring my child(ren) over whenever I went into labor and she would take care of the ones I already had while spouse and I were at the hospital for labor and delivery. This gave us peace of mind so we could just focus on labor and delivery of our new baby.

C.
prenatal yoga teacher

I was induced with my 3rd & 4th. My 1st was 10 yrs old and lived else where when I had my 2nd - so it was easy to get to the hospital with her. But I deliver quickly... when my 2nd was 15 mo old I was due with # 3... the doctor recommened the inducetion. I trusted my doctor & we scheduled it after my 10 yr old "graduated" grade school, her stuff was around 1:30, so hubby & I headed to the hospital around 4 in the afternoon leaving my 15 mo old with my in-laws for the night. They got me in my room & settled in, then started the drip around 6 pm when the doc got on the floor. My water was broke around 7 pm & I was holding my first boy by 8:52 pm. I was told that I wasn't the norm & that went fast then expected... when I delived they didn't have the foot off the bed or the baby cart in the room. I did have to hold off pushing for the doc to get the cord from around his neck & with no cart or tools it was a bit hard... cause all you want to do is push to get it out.

With my 4th I asked to be induced... my mother-in-law had gotten a job out side the home and said that if I delived on any day but Friday she couldn't watch my 2nd and 3rd. So, I scheduled the induction on Friday around 6 pm - that way my mother-in-law would be home from work & we could get the 2 & 3 yr old settled in at my in-laws before hubby & I headed to the hospital. This time they started the drip before my bags were unpacked, broke my water around 7:00 pm and I was holding my 8 lb boy by 7:32 pm.

I'm currently carring #5 (due in July) and I have already talked to the doc about possible induction... he looked over my delievery charts & said yes I think it might be a good idea. You see I have to take my kids (at delievery they will be 3, 5 & 6) to my in-laws who live 30 min away, then travel about 30 min to a hospital after settling the kids in... if I can deliever with in 32 min of my water being broke - they are unsure if I would make it to the hospital in time to have the baby & I really don't want to have it in my car. Plus, hubby says he's not a doctor & doesn't want to be that invalved in the delievery. And if I've been told correctly... with each delivery moms deliever faster - thus far that has been true for me. 2 Natural & 2 induced- 1st was 5 1/4 hours from water braking, 2nd was less then 4 hours from water braking, 3rd was less then 2 hours from water braking & 4th about just over 30 min from water braking. Although I'm not sure it can go any faster... I'm not taking any chances.

I did notice a lot of people said it was because the doctor didn't want to mess up his/her plans... some doctors might be that way. My doctor worked the floor the days he induced me & was on a 12 hr shift during the time I was on the floor being induced. His reasons were because I deliever fast & if he is on the floor he knew he would be able to make it there for me - eventhough he only lives about 15 - 20 min away.

I think more doctors are trying to induce more now, but all in all it is your choose, not the doctors. If you don't feel like doing it you don't have to... for me I'm to afraid of not making it to the hospital in time. But just because it is scheduled doesn't mean that the baby won't want to show up on a few days ahead of time.

Good luck & congratz on the baby!!

Not sure what kind of advice you're looking for, but I was induced with my 2nd too. I knew we had a big out-of-town move 2 weeks after my due date and I wanted to make sure that I had at least 2 weeks to recover and relax before we had to move. My first baby was born 10 days early so I was expecting the 2nd to arrive early as well, but that never happened :-)

Everything went very well. I checked into the hospital around midnite and after they started me on the induction meds I was told to sleep and get some rest. The rest is history, as they say, a smooth labor and no complications. Best of luck with your baby #2!

I know you said you've already decided not to be induced, but I just want to second what Kelly S. wrote below, as well as other responses like hers. Those of us who have been induced are really the only ones who can speak from experience. I was induced at 39 weeks because at the time, I was a single mom (hubby left during the pregnancy) with 2 other very young kids, and I needed a childcare plan. I couldn't just go rushing off to the hospital in the middle of the night if my water broke or I otherwise went into labor. I had to plan the birth around my other children being safe and cared for somewhere else; hence, the induction at 39 weeks.

Everything went perfectly fine - my labor was exactly as long/short as my first 2 kids' births (about 8 hours), and they were not induced. The pain of labor was also no worse than with my first 2 kids' births either, since I had an epidural with all 3 of them. The delivery took about only 3 or 4 pushes - again, just like with my first 2 kids' births. I have no regrets about being induced, and, at 39 weeks, a baby is considered full-term and ready to be born. I would have regretted if the baby had come early before the scheduled inducement - that was my biggest fear, since I had no great childcare plan in place. I was so relieved to make it to the morning of my scheduled induction without having already given birth!

Good luck to you, whatever you end up doing. Don't let people's hype or guilt trips scare you from doing what you think is best for your situation.

i wouldnt induce if i didnt have to. pitocin can cause very strong labor to set in quickly causing more pain for you and i just feel like it is safer to let nature take it course. you'll be ready to go when it happens. there are always surprises with babies. best of luck to you.

Hi M.~
With my 2 kids I was induced both times...My 1st I was induced at 38 weeks, and my 2nd I was induced 2 days before 37 weeks. I had very good experiences both times. I am currently expecting baby #3 and they are talking about inducing me with this one as well. I'd love to experience the natural labor process at least once, but with my previous great experiences, I have no problem being induced again. I really don't have much advice for you, but maybe try not to eat too heavily beforehand, because the pitocin could cause you to become sick with a full stomach. Also, with being induced, just keep in mind that it can go really quickly, or it can take quite a while. With my 2, the first one I got induced at 7am & had him at 5:35pm, with my second I was induced at 9:30am and had her at 7:05pm. Like I said, everyone has different experiences, whether delivering via c-section, by inducing, or naturally.
Whatever route you ultimately decide to go should be your decision, so go with what you feel is best for you, even if it is the convenience!!
Good luck & Congrats!!

Ouch! Good luck, but induced contractions seems so much worse than natural ones. Also, (to me anyway), it sorta rushes the body into labor before it's ready making for a more labored delivery

Your situatiion sounds very similar to mine. With my 2nd pregnancy, my doc recommended inducing at 38 weeks (my 1st was delivered at 37 weeks, and although, everything was fine with my 2nd preg, I was large, tired, and uncomfortable). I was unsure whether I wanted to be induced or just waot it out, so my doc suggested setting up the date because it was easier to cancel at the last minute than to try to schedule. So we set the date, but as I got closer, I started thinking about the pros and cons of just letting my baby come when she was ready, and decided that i'd rather try some inducement techniques at home before going for the drugs. All of my walking, etc, must have worked because I delivered 5 days before my induce date! I guess what it boils down to for you is to think about what works best for you, your family, and your baby. Take into account schedule, availability of your SO or other family to drive you to the hospital, your comfort level, etc, and also whether you can just wait it out if everything's normal. I felt better not having drugs induce me, but that was just my opinion at that time. Also, being a little superstitious, I was glad to not have my baby born on the 13th! LOL Good luck with number 2, however they come into the world!

I was induced with all 3 of my deliveries, one at 41 weeks and 2 at 39 weeks. Everything went fine and I have no regrets. Do you plan on getting an epidural? I've been told by many that the contractions are stronger when being induced so it would be harder to go without one if that's what you wanted. If you have any specific concerns I'd be happy to answer them if I can.

Good luck and congratulations!

K.