Small baby - induction?

[Asiama]

I am having growth scans as there are concerns that my baby is small (but appears healthy). My previous baby was also small but healthy, and all the women in my family have had small babies.

I am 33 weeks and at the moment have been advised that at the moment it doesn't look like I could have a home birth, and that I may be induced at 38 weeks.

I accept that they don't want me giving birth at home but I really don't want to be induced, from what I can see so far I don't think it's necessary. What happens if I refuse to be induced? Will they force me? Are there alternatives to induction?

For background, I was referred for a growth scan as my bump measured 1cm more than expected, so all this has come as a surprise!

So you can ask keep asking if it’s necessary and they will advise you of the risks. I think the issue is not if they are small but if their rate of growth slows more than expected, because that can be indicative of an issue with eg the umbilical cord.

Thank you. On the ultrasound they said as far as they can tell the placenta and umbilical cord are still working well. Is there anything specific I should be asking for? Any tests they could run that I should mention?

Hi OP, something similar happened to me with DS. I was referred for growth scans due to an inflammatory condition I have. The scans showed the baby was small so I was induced at 37 weeks.

If you don't want to be induced then they won't force you. It is your choice. You can ask why they think it's the best option and what the risks are, then make your own decision.

I agreed to the induction, but I could have had extra scans / daily monitoring as an alternative. You might be offered something similar. There are also different options within the induction process (sweep, pessary, drip) that you can ask them to talk you through.

I hope it goes well for you whatever you decide.

I had extra scans but then chose to be induced at 39 weeks.

They absolutely cannot force you to have an induction, they will advise you of the risks. If you choose not to be induced, it means extra monitoring. I was induced at 38 weeks because of reduced movements, there was problems with this multiple times so they were like, well you're pretty much full term now so might as well get her out. It's all up to you though, and they may not even push for an induction in the end. Good luck!

Thank you all. I spoke to my midwife today (who was also my midwife in my last pregnancy) and she said it was my choice and judging by my history and family history she felt we make small babies, so not unexpected. She did say to strongly consider a hospital induction if there was a problem with my blood pressure or placenta, and I could always agree on a compromise eg induction at 40 weeks.

That's fantastic news!

That's great news!

Hello all, I am now proud mum to a happy and healthy 6lb baby he was induced at just over 39 weeks which I was ok with, especially as it looked like I was going to go into labour naturally soon anyway.

Congratulations!!

Thanks for update

@Asiama congratulations! I’m in a similar boat, currently 36+4 but being induced at 37+3 due to slow growth and placental issues. I’m not too keen on the induction process though, would you mind sharing your experience of your induction? Perfectly ok if you don’t want to though! x

@Nam095 of course!

This is my second induction. The first one I went into labour spontaneously but it stalled, so they put me on a drip to keep things going until the baby was born. For this one, they inserted a gel which got things going, and then my body did the rest of the work.

I didn't like being on a drip as it restricted my movements, however, because of what my body was doing there wasn't a choice in the method of induction. If the gel had only started my labour and my body hadn't carried on, I would also have been put on a drip. I don't know if I would have been offered a c-section but I would prefer induction to c-section due to the recovery time.

@Asiama thank you for sharing. I’m not necessarily against induction it’s just how long the whole process could last that I’m afraid of! I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome so if it becomes long and drawn out I’m worried I’ll be too exhausted to carry on and end up needing forceps which I’m 100% against 😩 the fear of the unknown is the worst

Yes I was worried about the exact same issues and unfortunately no one can tell how long it would take. My inductions have been at around 3-4 hours, I know someone who had the same procedure as me take 36 hours!