Afraid of being induced!! :-/...

[VeggieMomma]

Hey everyone!!

Today I went to see my midwife and she told me I was only 50% effaced and not dilated at all! My due date is Sunday (12/9/12) and I am so scared of being induced. She said she will see me again Thursday if nothing happens before then and if I am not dilated at all or progressing then they will send me to the hospital a week from that thursday (the 20th) and monitor me/do an ultrasound, etc, before deciding to induce me or not . Now that I've been put on a time limit I am becoming so anxious .

What can I do to help baby Aubrey want to come out on her own?

I've been walking... Drinking raspberry leaf tea... Sitting on my labor ball... Eating things like bananas, basil, eggplant (which I read could help induce labor but ya never know, lol.)

Any suggestions??

 

[cybele]

Well one side of my brain says lots of sex, but I know that's bogus.

In truth, there really isn't much you can do if she doesn't want to come out just yet. If it makes you feel any better, I had to have two of mine induced (apparently I make stubborn babies) and it really isn't as awful as you hear it being made out as. After the discomfort of being overdue, it is actually a welcome relief.

 

[VeggieMomma]

Thanks, my midwife did recommend we try having sex...

She said that they will try more natural ways of induction like breaking my water and then inserting the hormone (i guess) that is like sperm to help thin me out and get labor going before they would use pitocin which made me feel a bit better...

I understand what you're saying but I would just really prefer to stay away from drugs like pitocin, especially after research I've read and even what the midwives have to say about it... It makes me uncomfortable to know that it could lead to C-section and the risks in general make me uncomfortable :-/.

Thanks again for the advice/thoughts and for answering my post!

 

[cybele]

Everything has risks. You could have the most perfectly natural labour, then reach the end and need a c-section. It's wonderful and notable to have ideals, and everything carries some level of risk, even natural birth, but in the end, your body might not respond well to any number of things and you need to put your own body's needs first, and one of those things is the baby just not wanting to come out.

I just hate seeing first time mothers get so passionate about one way of childbirth and have to face the reality that it may not happen, mainly because that was me with my first, the let down is hard, and I think it is more beneficial to look at all your options and try to come to accept that any number of these options may or may not happen.

Also, everything about childbirth is uncomfortable

 

[Mom2all]

I had 2 natural and the last was induced. I hated the induced. It took 3 days for him to come where the first two took less than 8 hours total. BUT.. that being said.. my 2nd was 2 weeks over due and they waited until the placenta was dying before telling me the danger of that. I was scared enough to go into labor before they could induce me and had him natural that very day. Knowing that.. induction didn't seem so bad. Whatever it takes to get them here healthy. Hang in there no matter what. You'll do fine. ( PS. I should say that the 3 days I spent waiting for the 3rd were not like the others in pain. It was just a uncomfortable wait)

 

[mom2many]

Induction, such a scary word. I will say this...after doing this 6 times...it's gonna happen on the babies schedule. I'll do a quick break down.

1. 18 1/2 hours of the longest labor of my life. Induced at 2 weeks/1 day late. My water did break, but nothing happened contraction wise. He was also my biggest at 9-9.

2. Born at 38 weeks, at home on the couch. Labor was maybe 15 minutes total. Well a little longer but it was so minimal that I didn't really even notice. My mom caught just as paramedics arrived and I had about 40 people watching.

Now birth wise there is 9 years between kids. I have two more, but I did not give birth to them.

3. Induced for fear of my fast labors and I live in the middle of nowhere. Total time from beginning to end, 2 hours. It wasn't hard at all.

#4 and 5 Stripped, but not induced. Barely made it to the hospital and the epidural had little time to take effect.

#6 induced Strep B positive and wanted enough time to get the antibiotics in, unlike #5 which required a longer hospital stay. Her labor took for ever and the epidural only worked on a portion of me so I was still feeling it. While her labor was long, and I sear never going to end. At the end there was a huge amount of pain and a baby. She 'self delivered'. Nurses coming out of everywhere, lift up the sheet and there she laid.

So, no matter how much you plan..........they will do it their way in the end.

 

[VeggieMomma]

Everything has risks. You could have the most perfectly natural labour, then reach the end and need a c-section. It's wonderful and notable to have ideals, and everything carries some level of risk, even natural birth, but in the end, your body might not respond well to any number of things and you need to put your own body's needs first, and one of those things is the baby just not wanting to come out.

I just hate seeing first time mothers get so passionate about one way of childbirth and have to face the reality that it may not happen, mainly because that was me with my first, the let down is hard, and I think it is more beneficial to look at all your options and try to come to accept that any number of these options may or may not happen.

Also, everything about childbirth is uncomfortable

I understand all of that, I just want to do everything in my power to make sure that I can have the kind of birth experience I want.

I have looked at all the options and I know that I might not get what I would ideally want but I think everyone will say that they know their options and prefer one over the other no matter what.

 

[VeggieMomma]

I had 2 natural and the last was induced. I hated the induced. It took 3 days for him to come where the first two took less than 8 hours total. BUT.. that being said.. my 2nd was 2 weeks over due and they waited until the placenta was dying before telling me the danger of that. I was scared enough to go into labor before they could induce me and had him natural that very day. Knowing that.. induction didn't seem so bad. Whatever it takes to get them here healthy. Hang in there no matter what. You'll do fine. ( PS. I should say that the 3 days I spent waiting for the 3rd were not like the others in pain. It was just a uncomfortable wait)

Thanks for sharing this with me. I really hope she will just decide to come on her own I get what you're saying, sometimes induction can be the best way to go, especially if baby is in danger...

 

[VeggieMomma]

Induction, such a scary word. I will say this...after doing this 6 times...it's gonna happen on the babies schedule. I'll do a quick break down.

1. 18 1/2 hours of the longest labor of my life. Induced at 2 weeks/1 day late. My water did break, but nothing happened contraction wise. He was also my biggest at 9-9.

2. Born at 38 weeks, at home on the couch. Labor was maybe 15 minutes total. Well a little longer but it was so minimal that I didn't really even notice. My mom caught just as paramedics arrived and I had about 40 people watching.

Now birth wise there is 9 years between kids. I have two more, but I did not give birth to them.

3. Induced for fear of my fast labors and I live in the middle of nowhere. Total time from beginning to end, 2 hours. It wasn't hard at all.

#4 and 5 Stripped, but not induced. Barely made it to the hospital and the epidural had little time to take effect.

#6 induced Strep B positive and wanted enough time to get the antibiotics in, unlike #5 which required a longer hospital stay. Her labor took for ever and the epidural only worked on a portion of me so I was still feeling it. While her labor was long, and I sear never going to end. At the end there was a huge amount of pain and a baby. She 'self delivered'. Nurses coming out of everywhere, lift up the sheet and there she laid.

So, no matter how much you plan..........they will do it their way in the end.

It is a scary word! Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. I do understand that she will come when she is ready I just hope it's soon!

 

[mom2many]

It is a scary word! Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. I do understand that she will come when she is ready I just hope it's soon!

I know that feeling...only it started around the 6th month. I love babies and kids. I HATE being pregnant:embarrassed:

 

[VeggieMomma]

Haha! I enjoyed my pregnancy very much except for all the morning sickness... Ohh yeah, that sucked! Haha!!

 

[mom2many]

Haha! I enjoyed my pregnancy very much except for all the morning sickness... Ohh yeah, that sucked! Haha!!

I have morning sickness from about the 3 month mark clear to the end. 24/7, and heartburn that I swore a few times was me having a heart attack lol

 

[VeggieMomma]

Wow!! That is awful.. I had it until I was like 4 1/2 months pregnant and I didn't get heartburn until recently.. Probably started when I hit 32 weeks & I'll be 40 on sunday! It's always bad at night now >_>

 

[cybele]

I think my most hated thing about pregnancy is people touching, and not family and such, but complete strangers just walking up and touching your stomach. In any other circumstance, walking up to a complete stranger and placing your hands on their torso would be wildly inappropriate, but if there's a baby in there, apparently it's a free-for-all.

Then because I am skin and bones, after I have the baby I have had several people (again, who are not close friends or family) ask me to lift up my top so they could see what my belly looks like. After Sasha when I was dropping the older kids off at school I felt like sticking a big sign to my stomach that read "It looks like crepe paper that has been drawn all over with a purple crayon, okay?"

Sorry, that was insanely off topic, but I can rant forever about how weird people go when they see a pregnant woman.

 

[VeggieMomma]

I have been SUPER lucky with this... No one touches my stomach except my husband and my siblings... My youngest siblings (8 and 12) especially love to feel Aubrey squirm and kick, hehe.

That is SO creepy that people would ask you to lift up your shirt... I would be extremely awkward, haha.

It's alright!!

 

[Neway]

This is your first Bubba isn't it? The fact that you're 50% effaced means that your body is doing what it needs to do Some women's cervixes don't start to open until labour is well and truely underway.

You're planning on a homebirth aren't you? Do you have a birthing plan worked out in case you do end up being induced?

I wouldn't be too stressed about it at this point in time though, only 5% of babies are born on their due dates

Try to keep your stress levels as low as possible, stress causes a hormonal chain reaction that actually lowers the hormones that your body needs to kick off labour. Take warm showers (not baths) do activities that make you feel good, watch funny movies, watch sad movies (crying is a good stress relief method) have lots of skin on skin nudie cuddles with your DH (releases oxytocin, the labour and breastfeeding hormone )

Just trust your body, it knows what it's doing.

Good luck sweetie

 

[VeggieMomma]

Yes! This is my first baby .

Im not have a home birth... I would have if we were still living in NYC but we are currently living in a really small town in FL and the hospital is too far away to have a home birth (in case of emergency.) I'll be laboring at home for as long as possible and then going into the hospital. I do have a birthing plan .

Wow, only 5%? I didn't know that... I really just want her to come out before the 20th so they won't induce me, lol.

Thank you for the advice, I will def try to keep my stress down and everything!

Thank you again!!!

 

[NancyM]

I was induced Veggiemom and it wasn't that bad. No worse than regular natural labor anyway. It came on very slowly not all of a sudden so you have time to prepare for the next labor pain.

My doctor waited until I was 2 weeks past my due date before she decided to induce me. My son was a big baby 9lbs 12 ounces, so that was part of the problem. At that point I really didn't care what they did.

After 15 hours of labor, the baby was showing signs of distress and I ended up with a c section anyway. Which wasn't so bad either, I was up the next day and able to walk down to the nursery to get my baby to keep in my room, I went home in 3 days.

All of this depends on your own thoughts and personality type. lol What ever happens will be what's right for you and the baby and you will manage to handle it like we all did.

Ask a lot of questions and don't be embarrassed to say your a little scared because the nurses will help you a lot, and don't feel like a failure if you need pain medicine most of us did that too, and just remember the labor will end eventually.

I remember feeling like you did. lol When it's over you will be just fine.

 

[VeggieMomma]

Being induced is usually what leads to the baby becoming distressed and that leads to c-section... That's why I don't want to be induced. They will only let me go until the 20th and then they will induce by breaking my water and inserting a hormone (that is suppose to be like sperm to help) but last night I had my first set of contractions that were lasting like 45 - 50 seconds but they were all 15-16 minutes apart and then went away so hopefully I won't need to be induced since today is my due date

But yeah, at the end of the day having the baby safe and sound is what matters, Id just like to do it without being induced.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Xero]

Both my kids were past their due date, honestly statistics say that first time moms on average go I think 40 weeks and 8 days. It's not a big deal. Due dates are not exact, and they shouldn't be looked at as a deadline. They are only an estimate. Our bodies, and our babies have no idea how to exactly time 40 weeks lol. Also I did not dialate or efface AT ALL until the DAY I went into labor with both of my boys, so don't worry about that. I was never interested in induction, if they brought it off I told them absolutely not, unless they found a problem with the baby/pregnancy that deemed it necessary in order to legitimately ensure both of our healths. Which honestly isn't too common if the pregnancy is normal. Inductions increase your chances of emergency c-section by 50%. I know like 6 girls that were induced, I think 5 of them had to have a c-section. So yeah. I wasn't interested unless there was a legit problem. Hang in there. It will be okay, baby will come when baby is ready!!

Spicy foods, pineapple, sex, walking, bouncing on the ball, squats lol stuff like that. Either way it will most likely happen on its own!