AIBU but why are so many women induced?

[labourisscary]

Everyone I know (nearly) who has given birth have been induced and so many of them have then had to have emergency c-sections. I have heard the numbers being induced are simply down to hospitals/docs etc not wanting to monitor you in the later stages of your pregnancy so they induce...I really do not want to be induced, I truly believe that it is better for the Mum and baby to let things develop naturally where possible...am I alone? AIBU??

Obstetric anaesthetist here, inductions do absolutely not happen for convenience (getting women through labour ward, births during the week etc). Women are offered (ie they can refuse) induction because continuing the pregnancy is dangerous for either them (eg pre eclampsia) or baby (increased risk stillbirth with post maturity etc, iugr etc)

I went into spontaneous labour but i got to 5cm and then got no further despite regular contractions so i needed the hormones to ensure i continued to dilate.

By the time DS was born i had been up for 36 hours as i had got up at 6am to go to work the previous day but had to leave early as i was contracting. I had been in labour for 30 of those hours. I was nodding off between contractions and was physically exhausted, as was DS. How much longer might it have taken had i not been helped?

The delivery was straightforward.

My first baby was induced by syntocin 4 days after my waters broke (hospital were happy to wait 96 hours at the time). No idea what would have happened in years gone by. I was 41 weeks and not even a twinge.

OP I’ve had a quick skim and see you’re asking because you’re looking ahead to your own birth.

Please try not to worry. We did hypnobirthing classes and planned a home birth, and I was really worried about intervention. I’d also been practising the ‘brains’ checklist in case we felt pushed into decisions by medics, and had sort of picked up from my reading and hypnobirthing that we’d have to fight for a relatively undisturbed physiological birth.

I really regret wasting time worrying.

We induced at 40+15, because it felt like time, but every professional who looked after us in the hospital was supportive of our wishes and went out of their way to facilitate as calm, uninterrupted experience as possible. When it became clear after 14 hours of labour and 2 of pushing that we really did need help to deliver my son safely, everything was explained clearly and respectfully, and I was given the opportunity for informed consent.

And most importantly, once I was actually giving birth, I realised I did not give one single fuck that I had an instrumental delivery in theatre under epidural rather than breathing him out by myself. All I cared about was meeting a healthy happy baby.

It was a big relief to realise how little the details would matter to me, and made me a bit fed up with the suggestion I picked up from my hypnobirthing teacher that intervention is always bad, and medical professionals don’t support natural birth (in my experience that’s exactly what they want to see too; we were collaborators not opponents). I was also really grateful for intervention when we needed it as I think I’d be a bereaved mother or in the ground without it. And living motherhood of a living baby is an utter joy.

I was due to be induced with my 2nd DC because “baby is very small for dates”. I was due to go in for the induction on the Monday morning.

I went into spontaneous labour on the Saturday evening and gave birth to my “small for dates son” who weighed in at 9lb 3ozs!

I also refused the epidural they were pushing me to have and gave birth to my little bruiser with just gas and air.... much better than my first delivery where they did nothing but interfere and caused a lot of problems (fortunately DD was fine, but they nearly lost me).

YABU. It is best for Mum and baby to both get through birth as healthy as possible. If that is induction or c-section then so be it.

My induction was recommended, but ultimately was a choice. My EMCS was recommended, but ultimately was a choice. As long as they got my baby out safely, I was happy to go with what the medical professionals recommended.

I was induced both times.
2 babies at 13 days past due date.
Both over 9 pounds.
Both pool births with just gas and air.
I also know lots of other women who have had positive induction experiences.
Comments such as induction equals section aren’t exactly helpful to women who are being offered induction. Personally I’d always go for what’s best evidence based for the mother and baby than the opinion of someone in a chat room.

I was induced with my first child as he just would not vacate! My waters broke and still no labour... 24 hours later I was induced by IV as nothing else worked.
Second baby, the same story except labour did start... in the 23rd hour.
The natural labour was harder for me as the baby had the cord wrapped round their neck, BUT He's totally fine now.

Help! I had a scan on Friday and the measurements are all (apart from HC) coming up small (HC measuring like 2 weeks ahead everything else 2 weeks behind) but the sonographer said they are all in the curves (at different places) so not to worry. On the EFW chart the baby was on the 5th centile at 20 weeks so I was referred to consultant. 28 and 32 week scans showed good growth (moved closer to the 50th centile line) and midwife said it will just be a small baby as long as she continues to go up the curve nothing to worry about. At my scan on Friday (36 weeks) the baby had gone down to the 5th centile line again (although the sonographer didn’t plot it on the chart so I only noticed when I got home that evening). She has gained about 500g in the 4 weeks since my last scan but I am worried now that she is not following the curves.... is this a sign of FGR/IUGR? I have a midwife appointment tomorrow but she always dismisses my concerns so I’m worried she won’t take me seriously! xx

I was induced at 42 weeks with my son, then caesarean. He ended up being 10lb!
My daughter was planned c section due to birth defects. I would have given anything to have natural births. In my experience hospitals do their best to encourage natural delivery and no induction, but for many reasons it's not always possible or safe.

I was induced for 2 out of 3 labours, middle one was natural... not through choice. In my case both of my dd’s had very rare conditions that both required life saving surgery so we’re both whisked off straight after birth, both are fine now. Without the medicalisation of birth neither me nor my eldest daughter would be here now and any medical involvement in pregnancy isn’t taken lightly including induction and my last induction was my easiest birth, partly helped by an epidural.

I forgot to say the medical team were on standby for both of my daughters and that would have been harder to plan for if they had arrived spontaneously.

I had wonderful induction, it was 100× better than my spontaneous labour. Due to baby being 14 days over. I was very happy with it all and thankful to be offered it.

I was induced with ds1 at 42 weeks (pessary, no other interventions needed, straightforward birth when labour eventually started). They had led me to believe that I had no choice but to be induced. If I'd understood I could have opted instead for extra monitoring I'd have gone for that- and tbh I think ds1 would have been born on the same day anyway, my bishop score indicated I was about to go into labour anyway!

I had ds2 at 41 +3, spontaneous labour, and ds3 at 40+4, spontaneous labour. I found that with ds3 they were much pushier about wanting to plan interventions. They were astonished and confused and a bit annoyed that when offered a sweep on my EDD I declined it and wouldn't agree a date to book an induction on. I told them later was normal for me and I'd happily have extra monitoring but wasn't interested in interventions to get him out unless something other than a calendar indicated that was necessary. They thought I was weird.

I had two inductions, first DC born 14 days overdue weighed 9lb and second DC born 13 days over weighing 10lb.

I took advice, and considered the medical opinion was absolutely well-researched and based on my and the baby's health and welfare.

Both labours were gas and air, one in a birthing pool, so even after intervention, relatively 'natural' labours/births were possible.

I was induced at 37+5 with my DC, I wish I had known I could refuse as I'm convinced that he just wasn't ready to be born. I had pre eclampsia, all the monitoring showed that he was fine, other women I have spoken to since were given medication to reduce their blood pressure & were just monitored instead. My induction failed & after being in labour for 60 hours resulted in EMCS, I was left with PTSD due to the lack of care during & after my DS birth. I haven't had anymore children as I couldn't face running the risk of going through the same again.