induced labor?

Question

my due date is october 21 and my hubby's b-day is october 18 my doctor said we can have induced labor and he said it was safe within 2 weeks of the due date but my mom and my hubbys mom says it's not has anyone had it done and what kind of complications are there?

all my family lives in alabama thats why i want induced laboy so they can be here(my mom and his) i figured if i was gonna do it i would do it on my hubbys b-day

Answer 1

Of course your doctor is correct that it is safe.. But usually it is done when their is a complication. I had one of my children induced..It was horrible...I would not recommend it.
The Risk:
The primary risk you face if you're induced is that the induction won't work and you'll need a cesarean. If you are not already in labor and decide to go with this. What they do is rip the cervix and induce the labor with a drug this can take along time if you are not in prelabor at the time of induction...(That is if you are not already having contractions).... As well if you still have not gone into labor with in 24 to 48 hours they consider this a failed attempt.. NO going back and you will get a C-section.Which is very hard on you and your baby as well as your hubby. This can cause an infection in you.. But not only this..
The Woes:
If you do go into labor after induction...The labor pains come hard and fast..During this time you will have a nurse come in and attached to an electronic fetal monitor continuously throughout active labor and birth. Others will hook you up for an initial 15- to 30-minute check and then, as long as everything is progressing smoothly, do intermittent checks thereafter. Intermittent monitoring is generally done every 30 minutes in early labor, every 15 minutes in active labor, and every five minutes during pushing. As well as some hospitals will attach a monitor to your baby's head and during labor to get a more accurate reading on baby heart rate to see if the baby is okay.
Durring hard labor ugg I was so uncomfy..But to each their own.. I hope this helps..Good luck.. REMEMBER the
ice-chips and tennis balls lol.. I am so happy for you and your hubby..

Answer 2

I personally don't think you should get induced unless it is medically necessary. But it is only a few days. I was induced 1 week early (with my second daughter) due to the size of my baby, and it was fine, and I actually thought it was much better than going into to labor because you knew when and how thing are progressing. But they say they can be off two weeks wither way with a due date, I would try and let it happen on its own.
They told me at 37 weeks she was already 10 lbs (and that she would gain a pound a week) I got bumped for another week, everyone went into labor that week (full moon),and was induced at 39 weeks, turns out she was only 8.03 lbs, they were off on the ultra sound.
I had no complications at all from being induced but I am sure other women have.

Answer 3

My wife had it done because she was suffering from gestational diabetes. It was a bit risky both for the mom and the child so they schedule the delivery. It went pretty smoothly as far as I could tell. Just beacuse they say the due day is october 21 means that the baby will come on october 18. Is an estimate albeit a god one. It can come later or earlier.

There are many reasons to being induced mainly based on health issue. Also, if you live in an out of the way place it might be afer and convenient. I live an hour away from the mai hospital. So, waking up in the middle of the night to rush to get to the hospital does not sound appealing to me. I wouldn't do it just to go to someones birthday though.

Answer 4

The best thing is to wait the whole duration of the pregnancy, the baby is still developing. I myself had to be induced(I was WAY overdue). It's nothing to be frightened of. After they hook your IV up the administer the stuff that makes you start to contract, and continue to increase this at normal intervals(all the while checking on both you and the baby- to make sure neither of you are being too stressed in any way--if this happens they slow it down and wait a period of time before increasing the meds once again), until you are in hard labor. Once here you go into the normal labor procedure's. I actually was really scared(being my first pregnancy and knowing nothing about it). But after having it done-things progressed so fast that it was like one moment there was nothing and -boom-full labor- then there's the baby! I would strongly recommend the Dr go through the procedure with you though, this will help you prepare and if you have any questions- help you find the answers! Good luck!

Answer 5

You're considering inducing labor because you want to pick the baby's birthdate? That sounds taking unnecessary risks for something insignificant.

Due to medical problems, I had two children induced, each two weeks early. Both children ended up with jaundice. One had to be readmitted to the hospital for a few days, and then had a special medical device at home to use for a few days after that. If she had been full term, the odds are pretty good that none of this would have happened.

In addition, induced labor can be very, VERY hard labor because of the meds they use to induce.

Letting your body do it's job and take the natural course is best for both you and your baby whenever possible.

Answer 6

I've had induced labor with my last 2 kids (I have 4 total) There are positives and negatives...

Positives:
You know exactly when the baby is coming.
You are already in the hospital so no rushing to get there.
You can gear up for it a little more mentally.

Negatives:
You spend all of your labor in the hospital, I enjoyed spending most of that time with my 2nd at home
It can take longer
You are putting drugs into your body to start a process that occurs naturally.


I enjoyed both natural and induced, if this is your first, I would let things occur naturally. This won't be the first time your baby interrupts your schedule....welcome to parenthood :)

Answer 7

u end up having a harder labor but it is naturally shorter


What risks are associated with inducing labor?
The primary risk you face if you're induced is that the induction won't work and you'll need a cesarean. The process of ripening the cervix and then inducing labor with oxytocin can take a long time. If you still haven't gone into labor after 24 to 48 hours, your practitioner may consider it a failed attempt and you'll have to deliver by c-section. This process can be very hard psychologically on you and your partner. What's more, having a c-section after a failed induction is associated with higher rates of complications, especially infection, and longer hospital stays.

In addition, certain techniques, including using Pitocin, prostaglandins, or nipple stimulation, occasionally hyperstimulate the uterus (meaning you have contractions that come too often or are abnormally long and strong), which in turn can stress your baby. In rare cases, prostaglandins or Pitocin also cause placental abruption or even uterine rupture, though ruptures are extremely rare in women who've never had a c-section or other uterine surgery. (Prostaglandins are associated with a relatively high rate of rupture in women attempting a vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC), so they should never be used if that's the case. And some experts don't think women attempting VBAC should be induced with Pitocin, either.)

To assess both the frequency and length of your contractions as well as your baby's heart rate, you'll need to have continuous electronic monitoring during an induced labor. In most cases you have to lie or sit while being monitored, but some hospitals offer telemetry, which lets you walk around during the process.

Remember that your practitioner will recommend inducing your labor only when she believes that the risks to you and your baby of waiting for labor to begin on its own are higher than the risks of intervening.

Answer 8

I had a induced labor Because my doctor was going on vacation. There wasn't any complications only I had to have a c-section because my son's shoulders wouldn't close up. I was due October 9,2006 and I went in for induction On Oct 1. and was in labor until the 3rd then had the c-section on the 4th. Congrats and good luck.

Answer 9

My friend was induced, only a week early, is what they thought. Turned out that the due date was three weeks off, the boy was premature and had all kinds of respiratory problems. The reason that women are 'allowed' to go two weeks over their due date is because most doctors realize that the woman will go into labor when the BABY is ready.

It's done all the time. it doesn't make it safest for baby.

Answer 10

if your body isnt ready, thats the only one. Oh if baby is too big also and needs to be taken out.

I was enduced at 39 weeks, no complications or anything. So go for it, im doing it with this one too for obvious reasons. Maybe my 3rd i'll brave the unexpected birth( I DONT WANNA)

Oh and my daughters birth day is october 18 too!!!!! Turns one this year YAY.
HAving baby brother in september by inducing too since daddy comes home for R&R from Iraq. I get a wider enducing time 38 weeks or up, love Texas for that. YAY

Had to add this I was told i could give birht 4 weeks early or 2 weeks late on baby #2. SOOO wonderful