38 weeks 50% effaced 0 cm dilation?

Question

I went to my doctor yesterday and was advised that he will not let me go past my due date which is May 1. I have been 50 % effaced and 0 cm dilated for the last two weeks. I am aware that most women have already started to dilate at least a few cm by now and can stay dilated weeks before anything happens. Do you think that there is a chance I can still have him in the next week with no dilation at this point? I am aware that labor is supposed to be worse if I am induced.

To add, As far as contractions I have been having braxton hicks still very irregular.

the reason he would induce is because I was told I have hypothryoidism in the very beginning of my pregnancy. Even though it has been very stable since I started taking meds. it is still considered risky.

Answer 1

There is certainly a possiblity that you will go into labor on your own anytime now. Some women are not dialated at all and then 24 hours later they have a baby. Other women (like me) stay dialated to 3 cm for 4 or 5 weeks. Dialation is not a very reliable gage of when you will go into labor. Your baby will come when he is ready, whether that's tomorrow or three weeks from now.

Talk to your doctor about why he wants to induce you after your due date. Unless there is a specific danger to your child (which it dosen't sound like there is - if your baby was in danger your dr. would have wanted to induce you now) I would decline induction. Induction, especially with an unfavorable cervix, is more likely to end in a c-section, which is riskier for both you and your baby than a vaginal birth.

YOU are in charge of your health and your baby's health, so listen to what your dr. says and then make your own decision. Get a second opinion if necessary.

Answer 2

At 37 weeks I was about the same as you and I had Anna at 39 weeks. I was induced, but I was already 3cm and 80% effaced that day. Induction was not that bad for me, so you never know how it will be for yourself.
As for when you might go into labor... it's impossible to say. Some women can be three cm dilated and 50% for several weeks, while some (like my aunt) can be 50% and 0cm and go into labor that very night. Try going on lots of walks, stay hydrated, and start praying for labor. There isn't much else you can do.

Answer 3

You can have your baby tomorrow even if you aren't dialated at all yet. Every woman and every birth are different and just because "most" women's bodies act a certain way does not mean that yours will. My birth was incredibly unusual and broke most rules in the book.

More importantly, though, it seems that your doctor may not be someone you want to stick with. You didn't mention any complications so I will assume that there are none, but one thing is for certain: as long as mother and baby are doing fine, there is NO REASON to induce. An induction puts tremendous stress on the baby as well as the mother, can CAUSE fetal distress, and very often leads to a C-Section.

Just because your due date is two weeks away does not mean that its too late to change doctors. I have never heard of a doctor insisting on inducing on the due date. Due dates are an educated guess, and often inacurate. Also if this is your first, it is very likely that you, like most first time mothers, will carry at least a week past your DD. This has been documented.
Do you know your DD is accurate? Did you have an ultrasound in the first twelve weeks?
Also, be aware that pitocin/oxytocin, used in the vast vast majority of inductions often causes a lapse in the flow of oxygen to the baby's brain and has a high correlation rate with learning disabilities.

My advice would be to change doctors fast. This sounds like someone who would quickly resort to unnecessary and dangerous interventions which are unfortunately so commonly used by many of our doctors who believe in managed labor.

Even if you don't switch, know that he cannot begin an induction without your consent. You have the right to refuse any medical intervention.

You must be in control of your labor as much as you can-- as a woman (do you really want to have an unnecessary c-section just because your dr said you should, or even an episiotomy to "move things along"?) and as a mother it is your responsibility to protect your child. Inductions are dangerous for babies.

If there is only one thing you do, get a hold of "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer. She spells it out plain and clear with full documentation from medical journals.

Good luck and be strong. A woman in labor is a powerful force.

Answer 4

I think you still have time to dilate before May 1st. I was induced with my first child and from my own personal experience it didn't hurt worse than my other child who was not induced. So try not to worry about that too much.

Answer 5

You can stay that way for weeks, or you could go into labor tomorrow. There really is no way to tell. Try lots of walking, have sex, orgasms, they do help.

Answer 6

it is possible, try natural induction like walking and sex. believe me it helps and it is not as hard on you or as painful as induction drugs. go to walmart and do a lot of wlaking around. thats what i did and it worked

Answer 7

I never did dialate until they made me...