Being induced

[Sophia1009]

Hi guys I'm 38 + 4 today and have been told my baby is big so they have set a date for me to be induced. I'm really worried they have made it sound so scary e.g shoulder could get stuck and deprive baby of oxygen. I know they have to tell u the worst. Any one got any advice?

I haven't got any advice but at my 37 week growth scan they told me baby was getting rather big in there and that they were thinking of being induced so had to go back after the weekend with my hospital bag ready just incase. Consultant decided baby was fine and that I could go full term, but they guessed baby was 8lbs 7oz at 37 weeks and I gave birth at 40+1 and baby was 6lbs 13oz. They can never get it right so baby might not be at large as they are saying! Try not to panic and good luck!

I was induced with DC1. The lesson I took away was that you don't have to agree to it. You can request a CS.

Talk to the team, look up the stats on your hospital: www.which.co.uk/birth-choice/units

Think about where you want your limits to be.

DC1 was delivered by EMCS but that was actually the best bit of the whole thing and I have happy memories of the delivery.

Good luck

Hi OP

Pure anecdote, admittedly, but nearly all the mums I know who were induced ended up with an emergency C-section. So I would ask the hospital about what proportion of induced labours end up that way. You may be better off with a planned C-section than an unplanned one after hours of exhausting labour.

Also, I would recommend you try acupuncture as a more 'natural' induction method.

Best of luck!

I have been induced twice with my sons due to them passing meconium in their waters. With my first it was slow and wound up being around 36 hours between waters breaking and son arriving. He was jaundiced and we had to stay in the best part of a week due to him needing antibiotics due to passing his first stool inside me and having some in his lungs.

With my second however it was 8 hours between induction and birth and he was peachy perfect didn't need antibiotics and we were out the next day. No tearing nor interventions were needed with either and both were 9lbs if it helps xxx

I was induced at 37 weeks and had a 9lb baby. I was freaking out about it and demanded a c-section, which the consultant declined. Turns out he was right and I had a lovely waterbirth. I'm a really positive induction story and I wouldn't worry at all if I was to be induced again. Good luck, try and relax, you can do this!

Oh, and they told me the baby would be 7lb, so they don't always get the weight right.

Thanks everyone it's good to hear how it went even though every person will have a completely different birth story. Just getting worried about induction and c sections I guess I'm thinking of worst. I'm hoping baby comes out before next Monday my induction date but still no sign yet!

was induced with my first in 2014 and will be again within the next couple of days with this one.

i asked for the episiotomy as i felt her stuck and forceps caused no damage to me or her and i was out 2 days later.

may get c section this time as hes lying transverse/oblique and being akward lol

I was induced at 37 weeks due to high blood pressure he was 7lb 2oz. Induction was fine I had the pessary at 3pm contractions started that evening . They got a lot worse the next morning my waters broke at 12pm and he was here by 12.55pm only had to push for 12 minutes. It was my first baby too.

I heard lots of horror stories about being induced and even the midwife's were telling me I'd be there a few days but in the end was very quick and went a lot better than I expected ! I had to have episiotomy as his heart rate went down but it's healed fine now (he's 9 weeks old)

I have a similar situation... Been told to be induced because of huge baby (though they did say sometimes the scans are wrong and the baby isn't actually that big when it comes out).

I'm going to give induction 24 hours to work and then if we've not made a serious load of progress then go to caesarian. In my mind if I was about to go into spontaneous labour then induction will be straight forward and will be progressing well in 24 hrs, of baby is very unhappy about an early eviction then even if we wait 3 days I'm highly likely to need Caesarian anyway so I'll just go for it after 24 hrs.

AW12345 your so right. I think I'm going to do the same I'm due to be induced Monday still no sign of baby. I'm going to request a growth scan on Monday too and wait 24 hours if doesn't work ceasesren. I'm shitting myself with pain!! But we can do this

Did you know that the NICE guidelines don't recommend induction for suspected big baby with no other risk factors? You might consider asking why the guidelines aren't being followed unless there are other factors in play.

@EvilEdna1 I was about to say the same.

How big do they think the baby actually is? Growth scans and bump measurements are notoriously unreliable at this stage.

I had an 11lb 7oz baby - spontaneous labour, no shoulder dystocia but forceps (he was badly positioned) HOWEVER my 8lb 2oz DD was an induced labour, she was also badly positioned and forceps. Her birth was FAR more traumatic than his and she was my first baby.

Well on 4 July 36 +3 they said the weight was 7 pound 9 so they Said to be safe in case doctors need to be there they said I need to be in labour ward and induced so baby don't get any bigger they can't def predict but they said to be safe!?

Also I'm healthy and baby is healthy

Yer my main reason is large baby... I'm 38 weeks and baby is basically 4kg on scan. I do have other risk factors (hyperemesis, family history of blood clots and childhood epilepsy) but these aren't a reason for induction as such... so torn what to do now!

Part of me is glad to get the pregnancy over with, and part of me is dreading induction. I also think that I could wait until in 42 weeks and then need an induction anyway!