Has anyone ever been induced at 38 weeks? Experiences/opinions please.

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Hi all, I’m being induced this Wednesday thanks to my baby weighing in at an estimated 7lb9oz at 36+1 weeks and abdominal circumference off the scale 😩. I’m currently 37+4 so will be 38 weeks exactly when they induce me. I was diagnosed with GD at around 32 weeks with a HBA1C that was ‘borderline’ and have been testing blood sugars 4x a day since. I’ve only ever had one high reading which was a fasting reading.

Last week it was decided that they’d like to induce me two weeks early. I’m not particularly happy about this. I just have a feeling that things aren’t going to go to plan. Almost like an instinct.

This will be my third baby, eldest was a straight forward, spontaneous, vaginal birth at
41+3 weeks, 7 years ago and the other was a straightforward and mercifully quick induction at 39 weeks, 17 months ago.

I know I don’t have to be induced but I don’t feel confident enough to go against medical advice. I was given a lot of scary statistics regarding shoulder dystocia and the damage that it can cause to baby. The consultant said she didn’t think I needed to be considered for an ELCS.

I’m terrified of hospitals, we live almost an hour away from the hospital where I’m giving birth. I’m frightened (like many, many women are at the moment) that my partner will miss the birth and that I’ll be in hospital for days with no visitors and no one I know (our trust won’t allow any visitors on the postnatal ward at all)

With GD & induction, I know there is a good chance of a prolonged hospital stay.

Any experiences and/or opinions would be much appreciated.

I've been induced three times now for GD - 34 weeks, 38 weeks and 37 weeks. The two earlier ones had additional issues but the 38 weeker was for GD alone. We were in for two days following the birth so they could keep an eye on her blood sugar levels.

In your position I would be inclined to go along with the induction, I found that all of my estimated weights were out by as much as half a pound. To be honest, the 38 week induction was the quickest and easiest of them all, I always thought it was because the baby was closest to the actual due date so didn't have to be forcibly evicted!

Not for Gd but I’ve had 2 38 week inductions both for placenta failing. They were very quick and very straightforward. Ds2 was out in 6 pushes and DD out in 2.

It was painful and I had to have waters broken and the drip but I’m also a massive wimp when oh comes to labour and pain.

@blindmansbluff thank you, this is my first GD pregnancy, my last one was induced thanks to pregnancy induced hypertension (which I haven’t had an issue with this time around) so GD is completely new to me.

The thought of staying in hospital for longer than a day makes me so nervous. I don’t even have a good reason for my irrational dislike of hospitals, they just terrify me.

@HeeeeyDuggee I had to have my waters broken and the drip with my last baby too so I’m expecting the same again. I can’t say that I’m particularly worried about the pain as such, more about the complications that could occur. Pleased to hear you had two fairly straightforward inductions at that gestation.

Yes with second. First was at term actually on due date. Got stuck after very quick progression to full dilation and ended with emergency section and heart complications. So as second was estimated to be even bigger they decided to induce at 38 weeks to try and prevent another section as I really didn't want one.

Firstly when I turned up the nurse refused to admit me as she stood there loudly declaring "we don't just admit for early induction just for a big baby". Luckily I spotted my doctor on the ward (she happened to be on rotation) and told her to go and tell my specialist that she was refusing to admit me. Needless to say 10 mins later I was being admitted!

Induced that morning and reacted badly to medicine so went into flat out 1 min apparent contractions v quickly so they gave counter medication and everything stopped again by about 6pm that night. Had to stay in and then get waters broken the next morning. Had blood in waters so straight round to ward. No progression and exhaustion ended with me back in surgery by midnight and luckily ventouse delivery.

Very very different labour to non induced but a much better outcome. I'd say be prepared to be in longer than expected. Make sure you're paper work is in order and be prepared to explain yourself to a nurse very clearly. Also pain was very different for me between natural and medical labour but that is just my experience.

Good luck

I was in the same boat op, try not to worry too much, I was having a big baby due to gd too, she was so small to what they told me! I’m sure they do get it right too but with me it was wrong, it’s not very accurate at the best of times and if your blood sugars are controlled the diabetes might not cause you or baby much trouble at all!they told me she would be at least eight and a half pounds, she was 7”2😂😂😂 and her tummy looked perfectly normal too when she came along!I was induced too and terrified of shoulder dystocia, I did need the forceps but nothing to do with that it was just baby’s heart rate was a bit all over the place! I had pre eclampsia too though so it wasn’t so much the diabetes caused the trouble!

Thank you all. I’ve decided to go for it and am currently awaiting midwife having just arrived at hospital. In the same bed on the induction ward as I was last time!