My 38 week appointment..elective induction! PLEASE HELP! - Page 2

cympreni · 03-31-2007, 10:28 AM

I was induced with my 1st child. I think it was more painful. He was like 2 weeks late, I had been having non-productive contractions for 4 weeks, they doctor had been telling me any time now for 3 weeks, but no progress. I was give the drugs at 8 am delievered at 12:23, only 30 minutes of actual pushing. The pain was intense, I opted for drugs, the narcotics they gave me to "hold me over" until the other guy came for the epidural never even made a dent. But I think I was just being a wuss, before having kids I had never had cramps before, my main PMS complaint was bad backaches.

Really it's your descission, and one that wont matter to you much probably after your new baby is in your arms. Congratz in advaced, I hope the next few days go fast for you. Try and keep yourself busy or you'll go nuts with anticipation.

jennapeach · 04-05-2007, 01:58 PM

I had a failed induction. My OB was quite insistent on inducing me because the u/s showed that I was going to have a HUGE baby. I was 38 wks and I wish I would have told her to "shove it."

We got to the hospital, got the cytotec to ripen the cervix and waited through the night. The next morning, they started the pitocin drip. Labored through that all day and was fine, but I was hooked up to the monitors and couldn't eat or drink by that afternoon (they wouldn't let me - I guess they could see where it was heading). By the evening, I still hadn't gotten past 2cm, although my contractions were pretty strong and coming every minute. The OB decided to break my water. Holy hell, that HURT. And, the contractions went from very uncomfortable to tearing-out-my-hair painful within minutes. Seriously, I went from no epi and telling the nurse I was fine after they broke my water to sending my husband to get the nurse to get the anesthisiologist within a half hour!

I got an epidural at around midnight and got some rest. The next morning, I had only progressed 1cm. The pitocin was maxed, my epi needed to be cranked up a bit and I was tired. By noon, I knew I'd be having a c-section. My OB came in around 1pm, checked me and booked me for a c-section at 2pm. Hubby and I got ready and my baby (7lbs, 3oz - by no means huge) was delivered around 2:15pm. It took a LONG time to sew me up and while my OB and her "wingman" were working, I could hear them talking about what time my OB's flight to India was. She told her assistant she was pretty much going straight to the airport after she finished me. :x I had NO idea until that very moment that she was planning on being out of the country. She didn't even give me the option of having her associate deliver me - just scheduled me for induction. Looking back, I regret not being more up front and asking more questions. I might have still opted for the induction at that point (I dunno), but it would have been nice to have the option of waiting for Mother Nature.

RedCatWaves · 04-05-2007, 02:22 PM

Quote:

I had a failed induction. My OB was quite insistent on inducing me because the u/s showed that I was going to have a HUGE baby. I was 38 wks and I wish I would have told her to "shove it."

We got to the hospital, got the cytotec to ripen the cervix and waited through the night. The next morning, they started the pitocin drip. Labored through that all day and was fine, but I was hooked up to the monitors and couldn't eat or drink by that afternoon (they wouldn't let me - I guess they could see where it was heading). By the evening, I still hadn't gotten past 2cm, although my contractions were pretty strong and coming every minute. The OB decided to break my water. Holy hell, that HURT. And, the contractions went from very uncomfortable to tearing-out-my-hair painful within minutes. Seriously, I went from no epi and telling the nurse I was fine after they broke my water to sending my husband to get the nurse to get the anesthisiologist within a half hour!

I got an epidural at around midnight and got some rest. The next morning, I had only progressed 1cm. The pitocin was maxed, my epi needed to be cranked up a bit and I was tired. By noon, I knew I'd be having a c-section. My OB came in around 1pm, checked me and booked me for a c-section at 2pm. Hubby and I got ready and my baby (7lbs, 3oz - by no means huge) was delivered around 2:15pm. It took a LONG time to sew me up and while my OB and her "wingman" were working, I could hear them talking about what time my OB's flight to India was. She told her assistant she was pretty much going straight to the airport after she finished me. I had NO idea until that very moment that she was planning on being out of the country. She didn't even give me the option of having her associate deliver me - just scheduled me for induction. Looking back, I regret not being more up front and asking more questions. I might have still opted for the induction at that point (I dunno), but it would have been nice to have the option of waiting for Mother Nature.

Unfortunately, this is a very typical failed-induction-c-sec story. It happens every freaking day in America. The OB industry does not care how many c-secs they do...they aren't the ones who have to recover from or have lifelong side effects from the surgery.

gemini · 04-07-2007, 08:29 PM

I'm another failed induction story--and even when I made the appointment, the OB assured me that there is only a "slightly higher" chance of c-section. I call BS on that one, as well as the claim that pitocin induced contractions are no worse than "natural" ones. If I had known then what I knew now I would have held out awhile longer (I was at 41 weeks). I think inductions work better when the woman's body has already started making changes in that direction--in my case, I wasn't dilated and my daughter hadn't dropped at all.

Oh and I also had the doctors worried about the "huge baby" I was carrying. She was 7 lbs, 9 oz, 19.5 inches long...good sized, but certainly not above average by any means.

mrspoppers · 04-07-2007, 10:30 PM

From what I've seen, never having had my own baby but having 4 sisters with kids, the doctor doesn't do much anyway. It's the nurses doing all the work! I'd take my chances and wait for it to happen naturally.

medussa · 04-08-2007, 11:15 AM

Hopefully you've avoided induction and are giving birth right about now.

iris427 · 04-08-2007, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemini

I think inductions work better when the woman's body has already started making changes in that direction--in my case, I wasn't dilated and my daughter hadn't dropped at all.

Oh and I also had the doctors worried about the "huge baby" I was carrying. She was 7 lbs, 9 oz, 19.5 inches long...good sized, but certainly not above average by any means.

You are exactly right. It's ironic, really. I just had a doula shift with a woman who they had there for 2 days before her induction finally took. They had to restart her Pitocin 3 times.

Also, I HATE how OBs claim they can tell a baby's size in utero and then scare women about the "big baby" they're carrying. They can't tell.