Is it right to be induced 2 days before the due date without any medical reasons?

Question

I'm 40 weeks pregnante.My due is Nov 10. My doctore wanted to induce me since 37 weeks. I did not agree on that, and stretched it up to due date. He doesn't hide the fact that it's just because of convienience reason. He scedualed the induction on 8th, so I deliver on 9th( it's when he is on call in the hospital). I'm very confused and stressed about that. I wanted to give my baby a chance to come on her own. But at the same time I did not want to go over due, becouse of the baby size. I'm have a small complection, small pelvise. Actually, my doctore uses that to scare me, saying that baby will grow big after the due date and will get stuck in birth canal, and I will end up a c-section. So I have a chose to rescedual the induction date to 13th, so it's gonna be 3 days overdue. Will baby gain more weght, can she reach 8 pounds(right now she is between 6,5-to 7.5 lb.)? Or just let it go, and have a baby on 9th?

Answer 1

I am quite surprised that your doctor would even begin to suggest that you be induced for his convenience. This is YOUR baby and YOUR body and you have every right to make the decisions. It sounds like this doctor is part of a team of doctors. You can request to see another doctor in the practice or even contact another obstetrician's office for advice. You can get a second or even third opinion on this. If there is no obvious reason to induce then I would stick to my guns and insist that your be allowed to go into labor and deliver naturally. There is no firm way to determine the baby's weight. I was told via an ultrasound at 38 weeks that my baby was 7 1/2 pounds. 3 weeks later, she was born and weighed only 6 pounds 14 ounces. It is wrong and unethical for your doctor to create more stress on you at this time when you are under a great deal of stress already. If you plan to have more children, I would definitely not go back to this doctor.

Answer 2

There are logical reasons to be induced early, and if your pelvic opening really is small and the baby really is big then that is one of them. However, don't let yourself be bullied or scared unnecessarily into an induction. If your body isn't ready all of the pitocin and cervical ripener he uses isn't going to do anything but saddle you with a c-section. That has been my worry about inductions. If you are already dilating and effacing then maybe you body will take well to the induction. Many women have complication free inductions...there is just always that chance that the induction won't take. On Monday 2 weeks ago I was 36.7 weeks, 2-3 cm, and 80% effaced. On the next Saturday (a week ago) I was having contractions 3 minutes apart, but when I went to the hospital to get checked and monitored the contractions weren't doing anything to change my cervix so they sent me home to wait. 3 days later on Tuesday (Halloween) I went in with contractions again but as soon as they put me on the monitors they all but disappeared. When the doctor came he said they were going to "take the baby" because the heartrate was dipping after the contraction...even though I had only had 1 contraction in the past hour. I was stressed because this sounded like an induction...they were putting me on pitocin and breaking my water. I was seriously worried about ending up with a c-section because my body wasn't ready. After questioning every nurse and doctor that came near me I figured out that since I had been dilated and effaced and had changed to a 3-4 cm sometime in the previous 3 days it was clear that my body was ready to do something even though it had been slowly. 5 1/2 hours later I had a beautiful baby boy vaginally. It seems that as long as your body is ready to change for labor then the inductions are more successful. Everyone I have talked to that ended up with a failed induction are the ones that went in for the induction without any dilation or effacement.

One thing you can do to help your pelvis spread is squat as often as possible. Also sitting upright as much as possible puts more direct pressure on the pelvis and encourages it to open. One other thing you can do is sit in what they call the tailor pose in yoga. It almost like sitting indian style, but instead of having your legs crossed you have the soles of your feet together.
Hope this helps. Congratulations and good luck!!!

Answer 3

If you doctor is planning to induce you for his convenience that is reprehensible. He should be more concerned about what's best for you and for your baby and not what's best for him. Shame on him. Induction is not something to be taken lightly as it can cause unnecessary stress to the mother and baby and necessitate emergency c-sections. This is your body and your baby and you shouldn't allow him to pressure you into being induced if there isn't an immediate risk to you or the baby. I was induced twice. Once for not having enough amniotic fluid and the induction took three days. They threatened a c-section. The second time took 8 hours from when my membranes were artificially ruptured and 5 hours of pitocin and epidural. If you are worried about having a small pelvis insist that you be allowed to deliver in an alterternative birthing position. Being induced requires that you be flat on your back with iv and most likely an epidural. If you can't move around you won't be able to use gravity to help speed up your labor and delivery. Good luck.

Answer 4

When I had my first son, he showed up about a week after my due date and was totally fine (no problems with delivery either). I just wanted to have him come naturally and either way there is usually a two week period where you could go early or late. I don't think that is right that your doctor is making you have the induction for his convenience - that just seems totally wrong and unprofessional to me. He has no reason to scare you either, your baby should be able to come when he is ready. If you don't feel comfortable with the situation, perhaps consult with another doctor about how you feel and ask for some advice on how to handle the situation. A couple days should not make a difference - but please don't stress yourself too much (it is bad for you and the baby). In the meantime, arm yourself with all the information you can and remember you are the patient and the doctor should listen to your concerns and take that into consideration - period.

Answer 5

I'm not sure that waiting until the 13th is going to make much difference. When my friend had the choice to have her pregnancy induced or waiting until her son decided to come on his own, her OB/GYN told her that babies usually only gain about a half a pound per week during the last month of pregnancy. So chances are, if she's between 6.5lbs and 7.5 lbs, she may not break 8lbs if she's in the lower weight range.

But the choice is yours to make. If your doctor has said that waiting may result in the need for a c-section, you may want to consider having your labor induced. The recovery time is longer and more painful with a c-section than a vaginal birth. Best of luck to you, whatever you choose to do!

Answer 6

I wouldn't advise being induced unless you are overdue. If they give you pitocin, it brings on VERY hard contractions, making a pretty painful experience. I was supposed to be induced one week after my due date, and I went into labor the night before! I say wait for the baby, if you go 3 days overdue, then maybe try to be induced. Your baby might gain more weight... but what if they are wrong about your pelvis?

In my case, I did end up getting pitocin because I wasn't progressing in labor for hours! I got the epidural-it was very painful, and that helped a LOT.... and 15 hrs later and close to being fully dilated, the epidural wore off entirely! They replaced it, and it still didn't work- I was bawling my eyes out for 4 hrs before they finally took me c-section. even the spinal epidural didn't work- so I had to be put under for it. I also ended up having a 9lb 10oz baby boy! We were all shocked! That explains why he wasn't descending- I am a petite person- and after looking at my baby's head, there is NO way he would have fit! It was already cone-shaped (went back down after a day or two)... but the way it felt, I felt like I was gonna die, or my pelvis would shatter.

anyways, i would stick to the 13th date... only because you could go before then... and inducing could end up in c-section-has a higher risk. So hopefully you can have her natural before then without being induced. I hear babies know when they are about to start inducing, so they come before then lol... it was weird in my case, the night before, I was in bed talking to my husband about being induced the next day and what they'd do, etc... and he said, "they'll just get their fist and go BAM! to break your water." haha, I giggled, and that's when my water broke! lol

goodluck, and I hope it works out for you. My doctor was ALL about delivering natural... so I say do everything you can to do that.... and if needed, they'll give you a c-section (I hope not, cause it's so painful!) You should be fine though.

Answer 7

When you are that close to the due date, it won't make that big of difference either way. Weither it is 2 days earlier or 2 days later. It's all the same. I mean how big do you expect your baby to grow in 2 days. You know it took 9 months to get it this far. I would just go with what's natural and play it by ear. Best Wishes.

Answer 8

i was induced with my first one but my case was Lil different she was 8.10lb and i was a week over he didn't want her to get to big. i am not an very big person and if she had got any bigger i would never had her and had to c-section. so my think is if he thinks that you baby wont handle an big baby then let him take it i enjoyed have my baby. if you wight to long the baby can become to big and cause allot of problems for you and the baby. my doc well let you go one week that it. do to the complication that can happen. he been an obgyn for many years now and know his stuff.

Answer 9

I've never had an induction but i know people who have had them and they say it hurts like hell. Its better to go into labor on your own naturally.

If there is no medical reason for an induction and its just for your doctors convienence, then you dont have to have one if your not comfortable with it. If you want to go into labor naturally, thats fine.

Its completely your choice and you chose what is best for you. Good luck!!

Answer 10

If you're only 2 days away from your due date, I don't see it being a problem. Your baby is already full term.