Overwhelmed - Husband is against getting induced!

[kakashixxkillua]

Hi all! I'm currently 38w+0d today. We went to see a hospital consultant recently as my baby was plotting as big in the growth scans - 96th percentile. Note, I have no health risk or underlying medical issues, it's just baby is** measuring too large. The hospital consultant strongly urged I opt for either an induction or an elective c section, I went for the induction. It's all booked in for 39w (next Monday). DH couldn't make it to this appointment and so when I filled him in he was furious as he's anti medical interventions, alongside his entire family. My MIL is also very opinionated on my decision

Anyways, was just looking for some positive induction stories from you guys as I've been around a lot of negativity and criticism recently and started to regret my choice. Or is there a way I can naturally induce myself before 39w?

Thanks x

Just realised my post makes it sound very recent. It was a Saturday afternoon 15 years ago! The baby is now taller than me.

Please do your research - they absolutely do offer inductions for no reason at all, and it’s quite often due to staffing issues.
They also get growth scans wrong.
If you are well, and baby is otherwise well, your body will absolutely birth a baby on the 96th centile. Don’t force your baby out unnecessarily to suit others.

I was induced 7 months ago at 37 + 2 as my baby was measuring very big. Was a very smooth labour and no problems at all. It is your body and don’t let your husband change your mind. I’m glad I done it as my baby was 9lb and I couldn’t imagine how big he would have been at full term.

I was induced with my first pregnancy at 39 weeks because of high blood pressure. It was with pessaries and it basically triggered labour about two hours after the second pessary. I didn't need any other intervention. My waters broke when I was at the pushing stage. DS arrived about 20 hours after the first pessary and after about 6 hours of labour. With my next baby I was 8 days overdue and they wanted to wait until two weeks but because I'd had the positive experience of the pessaries first time, I said can we just get on with it. I was induced two days later, again with no other intervention apart from a midwife persuading me to have my waters broken, which I think speed things up a bit too quick, so very painful, albeit only for the 90 minutes before baby safely arrived, 14 hours after first pessary. That's my experience and I hope your experience of induction is positive as well.

as he's anti medical interventions,

What if you need a c section? This is one dangerous pig of a man.
Have you support around you? Friends? Family?

Don’t think your husband gets a say. AT ALL.

Your dh is a twat

Reasons not to induce - episiotomy, extra pain, forceps, emergency C section.

Time planning for the medical team is not a good reason. They work in childbirth, they should know it's unpredictable. If they want things to a timescale they should work in surgery.

Follow the medical advice, your DH and his family are twats. My first was induced, he weighed 8lbs 10oz and was ready to be born.

Do not listen to your DH or his family, they aren’t medically trained.

My best birth was definitely the one which was induced. No one else thought I was in labour till I started to push!
All my babies were very big. I had always wanted a water birth, which I never actually experienced.I think you just need to be pragmatic about birth and listen to the medical advice.

A positive story you say? I have one. I had an induction as soon as I was advised to, which did lead to a c-section in my case, and I ended up with a healthy baby with a good apgar score.
The OB who delivered said I should have been induced a couple of weeks earlier as my baby was massive, and I certainly would have done so - if I'd been advised to.

Well, she is 39 weeks (out of a possible 42) and the baby seems to be large. I had my son induced - I think I had pre-eclampsia although no-one said (1979 - told you nothing) but I remember looking down a tunnel towards light and having a sense everyone around me were in a flap.

Anyway, if OP wants an induction that is her call. And not agreeing to medical intervention means what, exactly?

Just made an account to say that my induction and birth was magical and way less traumatic than my previous natural birth. Pain free (due to epidural), calm and beautiful.

This is for you to decide. No one else!

Exactly. Spiral fracture? Let it heal naturally....

Meningitis.... let it's immune system handle it naturally

Oh did the child die? Don't worry, dying is natural

Nature knows best

Erm this is about what you want for your body. If you want to wait that’s up to you. If you want to be induced that is up to you. I am sorry to say it but your husband sounds quite unpleasant.

Tell your husband to have a read of Montgomery v Lanarkshire (available on the supreme court website)

Cool. When your husband is next pregnant, he can decide not to be induced then. Meanwhile, you just do what is right for you.

THIS!

A 'big' baby is not a medical reason to force a baby out and it's AGAINST medical evidence-based guidelines.

You state you have no health issues, therefore, there is no reason to opt for induction or c-section purely based on their guestimate of baby's size. Induction is more likely to lead to complications, Shoulder Dystocia and emergency c-section. It also increases your risk of PPH. Did the Consultant go through ALL of the risks of both induction and c-section, or did they just try to assertively tell you what to do?

Growth scans, particularly in late pregnancy are notoriously wrong.

Please do not be pressured by a Consultant who just wants to take control over your birth. People are aghast at your husband's opinion, yet not of the Consultant's control? Hmmm. So many people here are really brainwashed when it comes to childbirth.

Hey x. Midwife here :)

Decisions around induction/caesarean are always your decision - made through discussions with your obstetrician and midwife. They (and you) have all of the information about your pregnancy to make these informed choices.

I would have a frank discussion with your husband before labour to ensure that he supports any necessary interventions that you may need or wish for during your labour. If you prefer the plan to induce, then this is what you should choose to do.

Ensure he understands that decisions in labour are made for yours and baby’s benefit.

Good lord. This is NOT his decision to make.

MIL can stay out of it too.

Your body, your decision. Good luck OP x

Your body and your decision to make, alongside your medical team. Absolutely nothing to do with his family.
Please let your midwife team know about this issue; possibly get admitted onto a ward for your wellbeing and get someone else in for the birth.
Medical intervention only happens when necessary and you need to be able to relax and focus on the safe delivery of your child.

The whole purpose of getting pregnant is to have a healthy baby. Also, your body, your choice. He can get to fuck. Fuck his opinions and fuck his natural birth nonsense. Saying that as I had 2 crash sections and 1 planned. Would go for a plan every day of the week. So much calmer than the mad dash along the corridors for the first crash.

Tell him he can avoid medical interventions next time, when he does the pregnancy thing.

We have no information about the OP’s medical history or pregnancy wellbeing. We can’t insinuate control by medical staff or infantilise the OP to being brainwashed because they made a choice you may not make in her shoes.

It is not against medical advice - see NICE guidelines;

‘Discuss the options for birth with the woman, taking into account her individual circumstances and her preferences, and respect her decision. Support recruitment into clinical trials, if available’

It sounds like this happened and she chose induction.