Can anyone help? Induction due to big baby

[Bunny2607]

Hi ladies
I’m 34 weeks with baby no 2, growth scans have the baby at 7lbs already so consultant has suggested induction between 37/38 weeks. My son is 6 and a half now and has autism, so for me to go into hospital for potentially 3/4 days he will find difficult. My bmi is 50 so i’m at high risk with a c section, and also worried about recovery with this. I just don’t know what to do, and don’t really know what i’m asking tbh. Is there any way to speed induction up, could i just have the drip straight away and then it would limit time away from my son (in theory anyway!). Grateful as ever for any stories/advice. Thank you

After a first baby a pessary often isn’t needed as the cervix is still open slightly, so you could ask to go straight to ARM and the drip to speed things up? Good luck whatever you decide!

Ah really I didn’t know that! Thank you, seeing the consultant again on 17th Jan at which point she will formulate a plan but just anxious in the meantime :-(

I was induced due to big baby, friends had elected c section due to big baby…. All babies were born a Normal weight. Nothing shocking.
If you had a natural birth without complications the first time, I would push back and try that. But maybe not let it go over 41 weeks.
I say that having had a horrible recovery after my induction, my body wasn’t ready to give birth and I’m not sure I’ll ever be the same down there again. 12 months later. So I’m just not a fan of induction, but that’s my 2 cents and not a reflection of everyone’s experience

I was told I may be induced at 38 weeks due to suspected big baby, but I asked to push it back to 40 weeks so baby had a chance to come on it’s own (as I knew the growth scans can be inaccurate!). At 38 weeks, they then said they weren’t concerned about the size anymore so wouldn’t need to induce anyway- so things could well change for you before you get to 38 weeks!

As it happened, I was induced for other reasons at 41 weeks and baby was only 8lb so not huge at all. I had a very positive experience of induction- only needed 2 pessaries and then my body did the rest without the dreaded hormone drip. My labour was only 2 hours with 10 mins of pushing, no interventions needed and no horrendous tears or anything. So not all inductions are bad.

I think the closer you are to your due date when you get induced, maybe the easier the process is as your body is ready anyway, so maybe you could ask about waiting a little longer than 38 weeks if you feel more comfortable doing that? Overall though, listen to the medical professionals and your own instincts over the advice of mumsnet, but just wanted you to hear a positive induction story.

Good luck!

Also with induction, at least you will know when you will be going into hospital, which might help you prepare your son for this. Yes you could be in for days, but you could also be in for days with a natural labour and not have had a chance to arrange things for your son or give him advanced warning of when to expect it.

NICE guidelines advise against induction just because a large baby is suspected. I would tell the consultant that you know this is what the guidelines say and you want to understand why she/ he is recommending going against them

www.nice.org.uk/donotdo/in-the-absence-of-any-other-indications-induction-of-labour-should-not-be-carried-out-simply-because-a-healthcare-professional-suspects-a-baby-is-large-for-gestational-age-macrosomic

Thank you everyone for the replies!
I probably should have said that my first baby was 10lbs, i went into labour naturally at 40 + 3 but there was meconium in my waters and his heart rate was going down when i pushed. They let me push for 45 mins but then i went to theatre for forceps and episiotomy as he was getting fed up. After i got an infection and my stitches came undone, i really suffered mentally because of this and this pregnancy has brought back alot of those feelings. I think the consultant thinks because iv had one big baby and this one is following the same trajectory on the graph they give for the growth scans it will be big. She mentioned risks of shoulder dystocia etc if i go to term with a big baby. I can’t see me having a small baby tbh, got another scan tomorrow though so will see if the baby has grown much. I just can’t want to be back home with the baby and its all over and done with 🙈

Came here to say the same as @Hummingbird80 that a baby measuring “big” isn’t a clinical reason within the NICE guidelines for being induced so if you’re not feeling 100% sure on that choice, make sure you have a chat to understand what other clinical reason there is. Also, there’s as much evidence to suggest that small babies can get “stuck” too, shoulder dystocia is not specific to “bigger” babies x