Can you insist on an induction for non medical reasons?

[Pondlife87]

I am due on the 18th May. My husband is self employed in a job which he works at a different school paying him or each individual day.
He has booked off 18th May to the 3rd June hoping baby will come about on time.
However we are both realistic enough to know that baby may very well come early or late. If she comes early there is really nothing to be done, however if she is late can we request an induction early for non medical reasons?

I have spoken to my midwife about sweeps and inductions and he seemed to be pushing me away from the idea of induction. He agreed to do a membrame sweep at 39w 5d to try and induce natural birth, but was very avoidant of the induction question.

I understand that inductions are expensive and unideal, but if my husband is back at work it will be very difficult for him to take much time off. Of course he will be off during the labour and immediately after, but he couldn't take much time off as 1. He wouldn't get paid and 2. cancelling on schools would badly damage his professional reputation.

I am a first time Mum and really anxious about something going wrong and needing surgery, and therefore struggling on my own afterwards. All of my friends and family work full time, except my Mum who is currently going through cancer treatment. So I don't want to put on her! IF the birth goes well I am sure everything will be manageable. My real concern is needing surgery (C section/ tearing) and then being on my own.

Can I insist on an induction for social reasons, or is it up to the hospital? I may not even go down this path, I am just interesting in knowing all of my options.

No they won't, even if they did agree they would check your cervix and if it was not 'favourable' they won't do it xx

Nearly spat my tea over my keyboard when I read that!

Sure why don't you just pick out the winning lotto numbers while you're at it?

@Teddybear45 earns a fuckton but isn't smart enough to realise that loss of reputation = loss of business to a self-employed person.

Also, if you come and spunk your huge salary over threads where the OP talks about money problems, all you prove is that the ability to make money doesn't equal the ability to display grace or humanity.

I agree with pp that you need to look into the reality of inductions and the higher risk of needing interventions.

@Teddybear45 - Yes, you are right. I wish I had thought of this sooner then all my problems would be over. I will tell my hardworking husband who has started his own business that he is not good enough, and does not earn nearly enough. Then he can go and magically start earning £150k+ and hopefully become the shining example of a human being you clearly are. I really hope you are trolling, and don't genuinely think this way! My husband has a perfectly good job, earns perfectly well and more importantly works hard thank you very much.

@Audacityofhope - God this place, it's lack of empathy, critical thinking and the magnitude of keyboard warriors never cease to amaze me!

To all that gave me decent advice I really appreciate it. I will let nature take its course and stop worrying. I always knew this was a risk, but the closer I get to DD the more I have started worrying and scrambling around for some sense of control - sensible or not!

How is someone else’s salary relevant here??

OP, I hope you get a due date baby! I know you will cope, I would have coped, but I am so glad I there were 2 of us at the start because it was really hard.

OP I have heard of cases of people being induced earlier than would otherwise when the partner is about to go abroad (and has no choice) for the next 6 months with the army or similar. And a few footballers wives I’ve read about having baby delivery scheduled around tournaments but when you have private care you can insist more.

In your case it is much more of a question of convenience rather than long term deployment and I think that is quite important as a differential.

Like several other posters I had an induction the first time around (I went 2 weeks overdue) and can honestly say if the same thing happened again I'd hold out in the hope of it starting spontaneously. The physical act of being induced wasn't so bad but in my area you had to stay in hospital from the moment you arrived, so I had to wait for labour to kick in (as an anxious first time mum), without my husband and surrounded by 20 women on the ward I was on howling and screaming in pain. It was traumatising and has actually resulted in us delaying ttc #2 as I'm so scared of ending up in the same situation. (And I also ended up requiring intervention in theatre, which as you recognise in your last post is much more common in induced births).