Over-Due. 2 cm. dilated. Dr. wants to induce but Labor and Delivery is booked for inductions! Now what?

Question

I'm 3 days over due. My doctor saw me today and wants to induce me A.S.A.P (my uterus is measuring 43cm. (he measured with a tape-measurer) and my blood pressure is a little high) and he called Labor and Delivery to schedule me for an induction and they are BOOKED! He can't get me in until the middle of next week!
But his nurse basically insinuated that if I were to go to the ER (to the Labor and Delivery dept.) in the next couple days ... being that I'm 2cm dilated they would just keep me and induce me ..
do you think this is true??
I'm willing to do the patocin induction and I am for sure getting the epidural.
This is my first baby and my doctor said he'd call my husband and I and let us know when our induction date is .. and in the meantime I don't have anymore appts. in his office. So I'm totally in the dark!
Do you think I should just go to the ER (Labor and Delivery dept.) when I feel contractions? even if they're sporatic ..
Think they'll induce me??
Thanks!

Answer 1

Did they do an ultrasound to see how the baby is doing, what position it is in and how was the babies heartbeat? I would give it a couple of days and then go to the ER and complain of contractions. You do not want to go very far over your due date and if they are saying that they can not induce you until next week that is to late. First, the hospital would be responsible if something happened because the doctor wanted you to get an induction because you are overdue. If that is the only hospital that your doctor deals with then you have 2 options, what it out, but that could put you and your baby at risk seeing that your blood pressure is already up or go to the ER with some complaints even if they are false complaints. I don't like to lie but when it comes to my children and not to scare you but life or death, I will. If the nurse says they will induce you I would believe her and if you wait a couple of days (as long as you are not having contractions or your water doesnt break). You can even go in stating that you think your water is leaking or has broke and they will still probably induce you. I had a baby at 44 wk gest. and he ended up weighing 10#9oz with an emerg. section after inducement. It is no fun to deliver a big baby that is way over due. Push the issue if they are sure of your due date. Another thing to think of is if your bp gets to high then they will not allow you to deliver naturally with an induction. Good luck, Im sure everything will be fine

I just read everyone else comments and I do not agree with most. Yes it is true that inductions can fail but it is not most outcomes that they will. Everybody is different in how they handle things and how their body reacts. Inductions fail for different reasons. Sometimes the baby is to large to deliver natural, it is to high and will not come down, it is not ready yet, the list goes on. In my case the baby was to large and if they would not have induced me (I was not having any problems except elivated bp) they would not have known that I could not and was not going to deliver naturally. The doctor had changed my due date every week because I did not go into labor, by the time he decided to induce me the baby had a bowel movement and we could have lost him. This is why I do not mess around. As for the fundal (however it is spelled)my doctor did not use it on my last pregnancy because I always measured large. I would not go to all costs to avoid induction, but everyone is open to their own opinion. The one thing I will tell you about inductions is the contractions come fast and strong, when you get to a certain stage they will give you an epidural, but you have to wait until that stage because it can counter act and stop or slow the contractions, hope you took child birth classes they do work. They will also hook you up with an IV (of course) and a bp monitor that does it automat. and no they usually do not allow you out of bed then.
Good luck on your decision.

Answer 2

Ok. First, fundal measurements can be inaccurate. Due dates are really just estimates; every woman's gestation is going to be different, so please don't stress if you are a few days past that date. It's also true that you can stay at 2 cms for days or weeks. So where does that leave us?

What's up with your blood pressure? If your doctor really thought it was bad, he would have admitted you to the hospital. If he was even a little concerned, you would be on bed rest at the very least. So I hope that if it truly is elevated, they are monitoring it, your baby, and giving you preeclampsia warnings, including asking you to report headaches, visual changes, persistent nausea, stomach pain, and swelling or weight gain.

If you are not induced until after 41 weeks, you should also have a non-stress test of your baby done to ensure that the baby is doing well. This simply entails putting the baby on the fetal monitor for 20 minutes or so to look for a reassuring fetal heart rate tracing. A non-reassuring tracing is a sign that the baby should be induced right away.

You should also be doing fetal kick counts, if you haven't been given instructions for doing them, you can find them at sites such as American Pregnancy.org http://www.americanpregnancy.org/duringpregnancy/kickcounts.htm

Finally, if you start having regular contractions, aren't feeling the baby move normally, start feeling leaking of water or a gush of water from the vagina, have heavy vaginal bleeding, or symptoms of preeclampsia as described above, you should go to Labor and Delivery right away. But if you go too soon, you are more likely to end up with infection, arrested labor, and cesarean section. Pitocin is not the enemy, but natural labor is so much better than Pit if you can avoid it!

Congratulations on your upcoming baby!

Answer 3

I had my C-section cancelled because my son came down with an infections disease and they wanted to keep the baby inside me as long as possible. I ended up having to go to the ER because I went into labor 3 days later. When I got there they were all business. Didn't care about my contractions or how dilated I was. They just booked the OR and did the C-section. So, YES I think the nurse was hinting to you that if you wanted to, you could just show up at the ER and tell them that you were having contractions and they would induce you.

Answer 4

I agree with the other poster, avoid a petocin induction at all costs. I know that you're uncomfortable and you desperately want to meet your little miracle inside of you, but really unless the health of you or your baby are at risk try to be patient and wait it out, let nature take its course. I was a week overdue with my twins and the hospital refused to deliver me if I didn't allow an induction because it was hospital policy for twins to not go past 38 weeks. So sadly I allowed it, and I regret it to this day. Never again will I ever allow pitocin to be used as a labor inducer. I was miserable, I wasn't allowed to eat which is policy at most hospitals until after I had the babies. I had a total of 48 hours of labor, one baby was born one day natural and the second baby was born 12 hours later, on a different day and by c-section simply for failure to progress which is a very common outcome of induction. I don't know if they'll induce you or not but I thought i'd at least share my thoughts. Good luck to you, congratulations!!!

Answer 5

I repeat:

I wouldn't _want_ anything to do with Pitocin unless the baby was having problems. Why rush any more than your doctor's already half-heartedly trying to rush?

He could not have thought it _that_ much of an emergency...

I've never heard of a "ER (Labor and Delivery dept.)."

And, just ignore the measurement.

"There is no measurement more exact than ultrasound, and even this isn't perfect. But the fundal height, recorded with each visit, is even more inaccurate. Many obstetricians in private practice who see the same patients over and over (small and solo practices), may not even record it, but merely record whether the size of the uterus is compatible with the gestational age. A physician who is familiar with his or her patients will generally know when a baby isn't growing right during the many visits of the pregnancy. And if there is suspicion of a growth restricted baby or an LGA (large for gestational age baby), then ultrasound is the standard of care to sort out any worries--NOT A FUNDAL HEIGHT."

http://www.gynob.com/fh.htm

2cm dilated = meaningless.

"However, there is a myth perpetuated in our society that vaginal exams at the end of pregnancy are beneficial. The common belief is that by doing a vaginal exam one can tell that labor will begin soon. This is not the case."

http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/interventions/a/vaginalexam.htm


It sounds like your doctor's got you all in a froth about stuff you really don't need to worry about at all. I have no idea why he'd do that, and since inductions are really NOT trivial and carry plenty of risks of their own, I'd say a second opinion is what you might be thinking about at this point -- not a trip to a non-existent L&D ER.

See also:

"...all of the procedures and drugs used in inducing labor can have adverse effects.

oxytocin (Pitocin, also called “Pit”):

uterine hyperstimulation: Uterine hyperstimulation is a more common and serious problem with inductions than when using oxytocin to strengthen contractions in an already established labor because it takes higher contraction pressures to get and keep a labor going from a standing start.20 Of ten studies comparing hyperstimulation rates at two different oxytocin dosages, hyperstimulation rates ranged from 2% to 60% at the lower oxytocin dose, and six of the studies reported rates of 15% or more.14 At the higher dose, hyperstimulation rates ranged from 13% to 63%, and half reported that 25% or more of the women experienced hyperstimulation.
fetal distress: Uterine hyperstimulation can cause fetal distress. Four studies reporting hyperstimulation rates also reported fetal distress rates.14 One reported an 8% rate at the lower dose; the rest reported rates ranging from 15% to 54%.
low Apgar score: A separate study reported that induction increased the percentage of babies born in poor condition from 16% to 21%, doubling the odds after statistical adjustment for interdependent factors.21
postpartum blood loss and neonatal jaundice.4-5,7,13,16,29,37 Blood loss and jaundice may relate to direct effects of oxytocin; increased use of IV fluids, especially IV fluids that don’t contain salts; or both. "

http://hencigoer.com/articles/elective_induction/

Answer 6

First off you wont like my answer but its the most honest I can give you................ Youre only 3 days over due.... walk walk walk, have sex and walk some more, then repeat...... drink fluids , I have bee induced 2 times, labor starts hard and fast and for me was very long labors...... I was 3 weeks over due with one and a month with the other.......Dont worry about being dilated....... you will dilate alot bigger .... try to just walk and give baby some time.... you REALLY dont wanna be induced......

i know your uncomfy, and you feel like crap.....but he baby will come when its ready or they will induce you if you dont. if you dont have it by the middle of next week you said they would induce you.... so walk and try to get baby ready to come on its own, you will have an easier labor i think..... god luck and just be patient.....

and before you say i dont understand I do..... i just had a baby

Answer 7

Bless your heart! If I were you I would go to labor and delivery, I mean the worst they can do is send you home. If you are having high blood pressure and are that late I would tell them you don't want to have complications. I would insist on them inducing, they could at least break your water or give you some patocin or something. Thats crazy, its booked? I would say oh well, you need to make some room!
Good luck hun!
Congrats on the baby soon to be here!

Answer 8

they tried to induce me but i wouldn't dilate so i had to get s c-section. I went in i wasnt dilated at all, they first started me out on 3 doses of this gel stuff they put into the cervix to help dilate (it only got me to 1 cm). Then 24 hrs later they started me on pitocin, at 10pm i started having bad back cramps, then they gave me a medicine while the pitocin to help me sleep and it also made it so that i didnt feel any pain. They woke me up at 6am and the nurse said she had to stop the pitcoin at night because it was slowing down the babys heartbeat. But my point on my story was you might not actually go into labor so always accept whats coming to you

Answer 9

If you're having contractions, I'd head for the ER and, yes, they will keep you and start you on pitocin.

You know how to start your own contractions, right? Sex & nipple stimulation.

Best wishes. Have a healthy baby.

Answer 10

well you could always try home remedies to get things going. the nurse told me the last time i was up at the hospital to try sex to get things going, just relax, you will be fine. either way, as long as you dont go 2 weeks over due, becasue at that point you can have problems.