How many days overdue would you choose to be induced?

[pinkypig]

Hi Ladies,

I'm a Brit living in Aus under private healthcare.

I hve just been for my 39 week OB appointment (he is great but VERY laid back). When I asked the OB what his thoughts were on induction (at full term) he said 'it's up to you - you can have this baby whenever you like'!!

This has totally thrown me as I never expected to have the choice. I feel it's a toss up between wanting to go naturally and ever-increasing worry about the baby's welfare the longer I go over.

This is our first baby, I've had an easy trouble-free pg so not in any rush (yet!), baby has been head down for weeks but is 'hardly' engaged (OB's words when I asked!)

What would you do?

Thanks in advance.

My sister was induced at 42 weeks, and the baby went into distress which resulted in an emergency C-section. Sometimes I think that if she had waited she would have delivered naturally,her opinions on childbirth would have changed (The nurses asked her to leave the hospital room because she kept asking me "if I was dying yet".) Not the best question for someone who was working on a pain free birth.

Does anyone know the % of inductions that end in an emergency C-section? I so don't want to be induced and am of the thinking that labour will either start spontaneously or if it doesn't and the baby goes in to distress, then an elective CS might be the better way forward. Apparently I need to quote figures to the consultant in order to avoid induction(!).

marningnewspaper,
You won't know what is going to happen to you until it happens. I was sure that I was going to have a C-section when I was induced, I figured they wouldn't let me labor long with high blood pressure, but in the end everything was fine. Also I think that it depends on the hospital. Some doctors are quick to make the C-section call, where as midwives tend to see what nature brings. One thing I can tell you, is that a C-section may sound like the best choice now, but recovery is no joke. Out of my group of 6 pregnant friends I am the only one to deliver naturally. The moms who have had the surgery before knew what to expect, and they said it was better the second time. The ones who had it done for the first time really needed a lot of help. Good luck and I hope you get to see your baby soon.

You can have the bloodflow through the placenta checked through a scan, I think that that is worthwhile doing. Because if the placenta starts deteriorating the risk to the baby, incl. stillbirth,is significantly increasing. However, if everything is fine, I would probably wait a bit longer.