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Opinions on induction??



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 25th 04, 03:56 PM
Jill
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Default Opinions on induction??

I highly doubt I'd agree to an induction without a very darn good reason,
but I have been wondering "what if", if the doctors offer me an induction
because they think the baby is big. First of all, I would never consider an
induction based on size if I wasn't near my due date anyway. I feel that the
baby needs to stay put as long as possible, so I would not agree to a
big-baby induction at less than maybe 38-39 weeks. Also I KNOW guesstimates
as to size and u/s are inaccurate late in the game. So I wouldn't
necessarily be in a hurry to induce anyway just because they SAY the baby is
big.

But I can't figure this out, in my husband's family babies are routinely
induced for being large. I have joked before about how large babies (10
pounds and larger!) run in his family, even when induced and taken early
there are quite a few 9-11 lbers. I don't know why doctors pushed for it or
why the women agreed or why it is so common in his family. A trend is
defintely there. No one ever had any problems from being induced etc.

I have a friend who was induced on her due date just because she wanted to
be. She happened to get the one doctor on call that week who WOULD do that,
she said the other OBs don't like to do that. (These are not my OBs BTW, or
the group I am changing to etc).

I've also heard first time moms are more likely to end up needing a
c-section if they are induced earlier than the baby is ready to come.

I do believe the baby will come when ready etc.

But, I'm just asking anyway....is it totally horrible if a dr offers to
induce on your due date? I have no plans for a natural (drug-free)
childbirth anyway and as bad as it sounds, I am not saying I would do it,
but it IS tempting -- not really for convenience's sake, but because it
would take a lot of the unknown out, allow my husband to have a better
chance of being able to get off work without penalty, alleviate my fears of
the unknown etc, and there are a few more reasons I'd rather not get into,
but it's not "for convenience". I'm just asking... To me it is exciting to
wait for labor to start, and try to guess what day she'll come etc. But to
an extent I am curious about inductions especially right at the due date
(not before).



  #2  
Old March 25th 04, 05:04 PM
Nikki
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Default Opinions on induction??

Jill wrote:
I highly doubt I'd agree to an induction without a very darn good
reason, but I have been wondering "what if", if the doctors offer me
an induction because they think the baby is big.


I wouldn't do it for that reason in a million years and I had a successful
induction with #2 (induced post EDD for high blood pressure - no pitocin
needed).

it would take a lot of the unknown out, allow my husband to
have a better chance of being able to get off work without penalty,
alleviate my fears of the unknown etc,


I suppose everyone approaches this decision differently but for me the
induction caused enormous anxiety. The risks of induction, in my mind, far
outweighed any of those other factors (and we had some) because the
induction risks had to do with the actual process of birthing the baby. The
other things were all peripheral. I'd look for ways to address the other
issues without having to have an exact date because really that is all the
induction is offering you and there is a real possibility you could go into
labor before the induction anyway so should have a backup plan.

Would you rather deal with figuring out the other issues you are concerned
about now or end up with a disastrous, long, miserable labor and a c-section
and not being able to do a damn thing about it?

The long disastrous labor is not a given but it is a risk. The other issues
are just risks though too. You could avoid or decrease the risks of both by
letting the baby decide when he is ready and making arrangements ahead of
time for the other things.

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)


  #3  
Old March 25th 04, 05:25 PM
Circe
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Default Opinions on induction??

Jill wrote:
But, I'm just asking anyway....is it totally horrible if a dr
offers to induce on your due date?


Yes. Well, okay, it's not totally horrible if your doctor *offers*, but
inductions before 41 weeks are far more likely to result in c-section than
inductions after that point and that's especially true for nulliparas (women
who've never given birth before), so if your doctor *were* to make such an
offer for any reason other than sheer medical necessity (e.g.,
pre-eclampsia, baby clearly in distress, etc.), she would be 1) setting you
up for a c-section and 2) not following the recommendations of ACOG
regarding induction of labor.

It is not unusual to induce in the 41st week without medical reason. I
personally don't agree with this approach and I wouldn't be induced again
with pitocin without a *really* good medical reason--even if I were into the
42nd week, BTW--but it's at least more likely to result in a successful
vaginal birth and I believe 41st week inductions seem generally more likely
to "work" and result in vaginal delivery than inductions at or beyond the 42
week mark. That may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes, statistics *are*
counterintuitive.

Whether you're planning to have pain relief medication or not, induction
really isn't in the best interests of either you or your baby unless there's
a good medical reason for doing it. In addition to increasing your risk of
c-section, it increases the risk of uterine hyperstimulation (and, by
extension, rupture) and fetal distress and a host of other things you could
probably do without. A suspected big baby is NOT a good medical reason.
Reaching your due date is not a good medical reason. Knowing exactly when
you're going to have your baby is NOT a good medical reason.

I have no plans for a natural
(drug-free) childbirth anyway and as bad as it sounds, I am not
saying I would do it, but it IS tempting -- not really for
convenience's sake, but because it would take a lot of the unknown
out, allow my husband to have a better chance of being able to get
off work without penalty, alleviate my fears of the unknown etc,
and there are a few more reasons I'd rather not get into, but it's
not "for convenience".


Well, honestly, all of those reasons are really "convenience" reasons.
They're not medical reasons and any induction that isn't done for medical
reasons is, by definition, a convenience induction.

Believe me, I do understand where you're coming from to some extent. My
first birth was induced at 41w4d and it *did* make things seem less scary
going in: after all, I knew exactly when I'd be in labor (so no fears of not
getting to the hospital in time, though that's a pretty unlikely thing to
happen to a first-timer anyway), I knew my own OB would be there during the
birth, my husband knew when he'd be off work, and so on. But it was a really
*lousy* experience overall and that was *with* an epidural. I just wouldn't
do it again for such flimsy reasons for all the tea in China. When I thought
I might have to be induced with pitocin because of high BP in my third
pregnancy, I was truly terrified. I told me midwife that I'd rather shove
sharp sticks under my fingernails and I wasn't kidding. Luckily, when I
finally did accede to induction, all it took was breaking my waters to get
my labor going. But that rarely works for nulliparas.

So I can't overemphasize how bad an idea I think induction for convenience
is. It's just not worth it, IMHO.

By the way, why would your husband have a better chance of getting off work
without penalty? Can't he use sick leave when you're in labor? Sick leave
usually doesn't have to be requested in advance. And if his employers know
he'll be taking a week after the baby is born, it seems they shouldn't
penalize him for taking it after the baby is born, whenever that happens.
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [2] mom)

All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its
other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a
fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman


  #4  
Old March 25th 04, 05:43 PM
Ericka Kammerer
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Default Opinions on induction??

Jill wrote:

I highly doubt I'd agree to an induction without a very darn good reason,
but I have been wondering "what if", if the doctors offer me an induction
because they think the baby is big. First of all, I would never consider an
induction based on size if I wasn't near my due date anyway. I feel that the
baby needs to stay put as long as possible, so I would not agree to a
big-baby induction at less than maybe 38-39 weeks. Also I KNOW guesstimates
as to size and u/s are inaccurate late in the game. So I wouldn't
necessarily be in a hurry to induce anyway just because they SAY the baby is
big.


Right. Not to mention that even if the baby is big,
induction for suspected large baby doesn't seem to reduce
problems.

I've also heard first time moms are more likely to end up needing a
c-section if they are induced earlier than the baby is ready to come.


Yep. And with that c-section comes additional risks to
all future babies you might have. So, it's worth saving the
c-section for when/if you REALLY need it.

I do believe the baby will come when ready etc.


Just keep telling yourself that.

But, I'm just asking anyway....is it totally horrible if a dr offers to
induce on your due date? I have no plans for a natural (drug-free)
childbirth anyway and as bad as it sounds, I am not saying I would do it,
but it IS tempting -- not really for convenience's sake, but because it
would take a lot of the unknown out, allow my husband to have a better
chance of being able to get off work without penalty, alleviate my fears of
the unknown etc, and there are a few more reasons I'd rather not get into,
but it's not "for convenience". I'm just asking... To me it is exciting to
wait for labor to start, and try to guess what day she'll come etc. But to
an extent I am curious about inductions especially right at the due date
(not before).


Well, technically anything other than a true medical
reason for induction IS convenience, though some reasons are
obviously better than others. The thing is that it's not just
a matter of induced labors being potentially more painful.
Induced labor also have very real risks, and therefore you
really shouldn't consider induction unless the risks of NOT
inducing are greater than the risks of inducing. Induced
labors are more stressful for the baby. Induced labors increase
the risk of uterine hyperstimulation, which can reduce oxygen
to the baby or lead to a c-section. First babies have a median
gestation of 41 weeks + 1 day, so even thinking about taking
the baby on the due date may be earlier than the baby is ready
to come. Relax. Let things happen on their own. Everything
will work out fine in the end. Give your baby the chance to
tell you when she's ready to come.

Best wishes,
Ericka

  #5  
Old March 25th 04, 05:56 PM
Kari
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Posts: n/a
Default Opinions on induction??


I was induced with my last because it had been over 12 hours since my water
had broken when I started running a moderate fever (101) They wanted to
speed things up since I had not made any progress. I had pitocin and lemme
tell ya, it was not pleasant. I birthed without an epidural for 3 hours
after having the IV placed with contractions on top of each other and only
to discover I hadn't dilated any more than I had to begin with. At that
point, I lost it and was almost in tears until I had the epidural. Even
after the epidural, I still had to breathe through the contractions so it
did not make it totally pain free (whereas the previous 2 times, it had)

I was not induced with my first 2 and I never once felt out of control or
that the pain was unbearable but I did this time around. It was no picnic
and I would not do it unless it was totally necessary.

Kari
mom to Kaylie (8) Noah (4) and Xander (5 mos)


  #6  
Old March 25th 04, 08:06 PM
Jamie Clark
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Posts: n/a
Default Opinions on induction??

"Jill" wrote in message
om...
snip

But, I'm just asking anyway....is it totally horrible if a dr offers to
induce on your due date? I have no plans for a natural (drug-free)
childbirth anyway and as bad as it sounds, I am not saying I would do it,
but it IS tempting -- not really for convenience's sake, but because it
would take a lot of the unknown out, allow my husband to have a better
chance of being able to get off work without penalty, alleviate my fears

of
the unknown etc, and there are a few more reasons I'd rather not get into,
but it's not "for convenience". I'm just asking... To me it is exciting to
wait for labor to start, and try to guess what day she'll come etc. But to
an extent I am curious about inductions especially right at the due date
(not before).


Jill,
I have no real answer one way or another on this particular topic (at this
time, at least : ) ), but I did want to point out that although you say that
you wouldn't consider an induction for convenience's sake, you then proceed
to list several reasons that all sound convenient to me.

1. Take out the unknown factor. That is convenience, is it not?

2. Schedule time off work without penalty for dh. Again, convenience. And
I'm surprised that your husband would be penalized for taking time off when
his baby comes. As long as he's been able to tell them when you are due, I
think most people and all jobs understand that we can't always predict when
a woman will go into labor. If his company really will penalize him, that's
a serious bummer, and might well be reason enough for a planned induction.

3. Alleviate fears of the unknown -- okay, that isn't exactly convenience,
but really, the only unknown thing that induction really changes is the
date -- not the exact method of labor, how it will go, or how long it will
take. And, even if you chose a date to induce, you could still go early on
your own, or you could be postponed due to a full hospital, so really, there
is no change in the unknown. Not really.

I'm not trying to "break your balls" here Jill, just wanted to point out an
apparent inconsistency. Now you do say that there are other issues that you
don't want to mention here, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt about
the convenience factor of those. : ) But those 3 reasons that you listed
are exactly why most people chose induction, and what most people would
consider convenience factors.

If you really are excited to wait for labor to start on it's own, and to
guess what day she'll come, then hopefully you can concentrate on that, and
resist temptation on the induction. Let her cook for as long as she wants!

Good luck to you!
--

Jamie & Taylor
Earth Angel, 1/3/03

Check out Taylor Marlys -- www.MyFamily.com, User ID: Clarkguest, Password:
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Become a member for free - go to Add Member to set up your own User ID and
Password

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  #7  
Old March 25th 04, 08:11 PM
L-Bean
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Default Opinions on induction??

Well I was induced 4 days before my due date ( i know you said not before,
but its not far before) I ended up being in labor for 3 days. So she was
born the day before her due date.
I NEVER want to be induced again NEVER. I had contractions one after
another, no break. I had an epidural, that after day 1 had to be turned off
because it froze too much of my body I could feel no contractions or
anything. SoI ended up on day 3 deliverying so called natural. They ended
up having to try the vaccume 5 times with Bella. With 2 different vaccumes,
and it ended up failing. Theyw ould not do a c-section because it was a
holiday here in Ottawa (Heritage day) and they were only doing emerency
c-sections, and I guess after 3 days I was not emerency enough.
I had nothing but problems. Wheter it was b/c of the induction I do not
know. But after feeling those contractions one on top of another, NEVER
again will I get it done.

Laura and Bella

"Jill" wrote in message
om...
I highly doubt I'd agree to an induction without a very darn good reason,
but I have been wondering "what if", if the doctors offer me an induction
because they think the baby is big. First of all, I would never consider

an
induction based on size if I wasn't near my due date anyway. I feel that

the
baby needs to stay put as long as possible, so I would not agree to a
big-baby induction at less than maybe 38-39 weeks. Also I KNOW

guesstimates
as to size and u/s are inaccurate late in the game. So I wouldn't
necessarily be in a hurry to induce anyway just because they SAY the baby

is
big.

But I can't figure this out, in my husband's family babies are routinely
induced for being large. I have joked before about how large babies (10
pounds and larger!) run in his family, even when induced and taken early
there are quite a few 9-11 lbers. I don't know why doctors pushed for it

or
why the women agreed or why it is so common in his family. A trend is
defintely there. No one ever had any problems from being induced etc.

I have a friend who was induced on her due date just because she wanted to
be. She happened to get the one doctor on call that week who WOULD do

that,
she said the other OBs don't like to do that. (These are not my OBs BTW,

or
the group I am changing to etc).

I've also heard first time moms are more likely to end up needing a
c-section if they are induced earlier than the baby is ready to come.

I do believe the baby will come when ready etc.

But, I'm just asking anyway....is it totally horrible if a dr offers to
induce on your due date? I have no plans for a natural (drug-free)
childbirth anyway and as bad as it sounds, I am not saying I would do it,
but it IS tempting -- not really for convenience's sake, but because it
would take a lot of the unknown out, allow my husband to have a better
chance of being able to get off work without penalty, alleviate my fears

of
the unknown etc, and there are a few more reasons I'd rather not get into,
but it's not "for convenience". I'm just asking... To me it is exciting to
wait for labor to start, and try to guess what day she'll come etc. But to
an extent I am curious about inductions especially right at the due date
(not before).






  #8  
Old March 25th 04, 08:19 PM
Jill
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Default Opinions on induction??


"Circe" wrote

By the way, why would your husband have a better chance of getting off

work
without penalty? Can't he use sick leave when you're in labor? Sick leave
usually doesn't have to be requested in advance. And if his employers know
he'll be taking a week after the baby is born, it seems they shouldn't
penalize him for taking it after the baby is born, whenever that happens.



They know of course, but they generally don't let but a certain number off
etc. His boss has already mentioned that they have been told due to workload
not to allow vacation during the 2nd quarter. That makes me so mad! I don't
see how they can do this, but he is not under a contract so they can do it--
I just don't see how they could do it and not feel like monsters. Because he
can't turn in a form for specific dates ahead of time (obviously), he can't
get it approved ahead of time. If for example he wanted a certain week off
he could at least get a form in and get it signed off on.

He COULD use FMLA, but in that co., especially if he used FMLA when they
directed managers not to be off, and it wasn't a health problem of his own,
they could "lay him off" so to speak. Zero chance of him being able to prove
it was FMLA discrimination because they can lay off at any time these days
because they are doing major job cuts. (Funny isn;t it-- they are laying off
their staff but then act like they are too busy to let them take vacation).
etc.

Anyway, this wouldn't be a reason I'd consider an induction, just a benefit
of if I happened to be able to know ahead of time, such as if I had a
planned c-section for a medical reason or something. He'll be home with
me--- if they try not to let him, that's what I'm afraid of, he'll just let
them hold it against him. He's our income. :/

But thanks for the comments about induction. That's what I figured, and all
I need to know that I'd never agree to one unless something is wrong.


  #9  
Old March 25th 04, 08:51 PM
Jill
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Posts: n/a
Default Opinions on induction??


"Jamie Clark" wrote
If you really are excited to wait for labor to start on it's own, and to
guess what day she'll come, then hopefully you can concentrate on that,

and
resist temptation on the induction. Let her cook for as long as she wants!


I'm definitely not tempted by induction anymore! I haven't heard anyone say
anything even mildly good about it, in fact, I hope nothing happens to where
I *need* one. I feel pretty happy now with the known factor of a natural
labor, with pain meds if needed. lol!!

What bothers me, if I didn't read here, doctors don't tell you this type of
thing! I actually think a lot of people choose or agree to induction because
their doctor says "sure, why not?"...scary. But, also, I don't know why so
many people in my husband's family had them-- I didn't even realize they did
inductions 30 years ago. I have talked to one other person recently who had
an induction just because she wanted it with her second baby, and she seemed
to think it was an ok experience.. not worth the possibility of a horrible
experience IMO!

From reading here I think I am more inclined to agree to a natural
childbirth with no meds than an induction. Also, I'm phobic of abdominal
surgery so don't want to risk doing anything to cause myself to need a
C-section. I could handle one if necessary, but then after that I would
still always want a VBAC if possible, that's how much I hate abdominal
surgery, no matter how minor.


  #10  
Old March 25th 04, 09:37 PM
Mary Gordon
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Default Opinions on induction??

Jill, everything depends on your Bishop's score, which is a measure of
cervical ripeness. Even if you are at your due date, if you do not
have a ripe cervix, the odds of an induction failing are quite high,
which means they keep on bringing out bigger guns to get things going.
About 30% of first time moms who agree to induction end up having a
section. If you DO have a ripe cervix, hanging in will mean that you
are very likely to go into labour shortly anyway, so unless you or
baby are in trouble, why would you induce?

A section -if you really need one because of a medical problem - is
not the end of the world - but a section caused by unnecessary
induction is not something you want to take on. You want to minimize
the possibility of a section, particularly with a first child, since
it has such big implications for subsequent pregnancies and births.

The safest birth for both mother and baby is one that starts with
spontaneous labour.

Don't be seduced.

Mary G
1 Section, 2 VBACs
 




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