Induction recommended at 39 weeks - your thoughts please

[sazzybee]

I've got clinical polyhydramnios - too much amniotic fluid. I'm 37+4 now and measuring 41 weeks. I'm very breathless and my consultant wants to induce me at 39 weeks. At the moment, the baby is cephalic but not engaged and they think he is unlikely to engage because of all the fluid. Also if my waters break on their own, I'm at much greater risk of umbilical cord prolapse or placental abruption which obviously would put both me and the baby at risk.
I've got a week to decide whether I want them to go ahead with it and wondered if anyone had been in a similar situation or had any take on the matter. I understand that induced labour can be more painful and that it will mean that I won't be able to have the water birth I'd wanted. At the same time though, I'm nervous of carrying on if it's going to put the baby's life at risk. Would welcome any opinions. Ta

What can ahppen sometimes Chandra is that it is thought the waters have gone already - it can sometimes be hard to tell if the bag of forewaters is not bulging but is flat ahains the babies head. Sometimes we find that when we have started a woman on the drip who has given a history of broken waters it turns out to be a hindwater leak with the forewaters still there. We usually suspect that when there is not a good response to the drip. In those cases the ARM is then done after the drip has started. It usually has to be turned down because the contractions increase.

Very rarely is the drip started first but I have seen that done for very particular circumstances but it is not the norm.

Thank you Mears.