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Original poster

31+5 with GD. Baby has a small AC but don't want an induction. Advice?

67 replies

LoyalFairy · 17/05/2025 04:35

Having my first baby. Currently 31+5 and found out I have gestational diabetes at around 28 weeks. I managed to keep this under control through my diet for the past 3 weeks, but just found out that a low carb diet has meant high levels of ketones. From this I've realised I have to increase my carb intake and to just take walks afterwards which does bring my sugar levels down.

However, it now seems my GD could be affecting the baby's Abdominal Circumference to be smaller. The baby's head and leg growth is fine and so is is blood flow through the placenta, it's just the AC which went from 31st percentile to 12th after 2 weeks, and maybe even smaller based on today's measurement which was a week after that - although a proper growth scan will be done on me next week so I'm not sure what percentile it's in now.

My question is how worried should I be about the baby's health and should I consider an induction? They said if it doesn't improve over the next couple growth scans they'd want to induce at 37 weeks. I really wanted to avoid induction as I preferred to go into labour naturally so the pain would build gradually. I'm not good with sudden pain since my cramps just before my period are manageable, so the idea of induction bringing on quick contractions is scary. I actually wanted to try a birthing centre for a more relaxing natural birth compared to the hospital ward environment but sadly that plan may now be going out the window.

Has anyone found that their baby's growth caught up in the end and everything was fine? Or as they say, the measurement can even be wrong and everything may be fine with the baby's size once its born. I'm thinking that it may just be a lean baby and they're just taking extra precaution. Thankfully my baby's movements have been fine and they've even gotten stronger in the past week, I have good energy levels and feel better than ever in my third trimester thank god.

At the end of the day I have the right to say no to an induction but then could I be harming my baby? Here I was being told GD may cause my baby to be big but now it seems the AC is smaller. Funny thing is, they wouldn't have even spotted the small AC had they not required me to start doing scans every couple weeks after the GD diagnosis at 28 weeks. They would have just said everything was fine so long as I could feel the baby moving, so it has me wondering whether we'd be intervening for no reason?

For now I'll just keep eating more carbs and walking it off to keep my sugars down in case it delivers more nutrients to the baby. It's unfortunate that after I found a way to deal with the GD, I'm now inadvertently in nutritional ketosis which could be affecting the baby! Seems being more active is the way to go for me.

OP posts:
Rowgtfc72 · 19/05/2025 05:44

I had GD at 26 weeks but opposite problem to you, dd was measuring huge.
Was induced at 36+6. 2 pessary, water broken by consultant at bang on 37 weeks. Offered an epidural after two contractions. Epidural started to wear off about 9pm and dd was born an hour later. I couldn't tell you how painful contractions were because my body just went with it by that point. She was 8lb 6 oz so not big but would be about 10lb if gone to term.
Positive experience. Use your voice. If you go with induction and want an epidural ask immediately.

ChateauProvence · 19/05/2025 07:20

@LoyalFairy if they won’t let you go beyond 38 weeks they still can’t make you have an induction so they would have to offer a c section

Rowgtfc72 · 19/05/2025 08:19

I was told induction 37 weeks or c section at 38 weeks. No other offers.

Original poster
LoyalFairy · 19/05/2025 09:36

JustAMum31 · 19/05/2025 05:26

@LoyalFairy I didn’t do a hypnobirthing course until 36 weeks so you’ve got time 😊 I used the digital pack from The Positive Birth company.

I really did find it manageable but I went into it with such a negative attitude sure that it was going to end in intervention and be a disaster and I do wish I’d not been like that.

I do think as well, just to manage your expectations, that it’s worth remembering that a lot of people don’t get that slow build up of intensity of contractions. Some people’s waters go and the contractions are intense immediately. I have a friend with 2 DC who woke up each time because her waters had gone and then suddenly she was having intense contractions - like she was screaming within minutes! Her first baby was born about 2 hours after her waters went. She’d planned to labour at home as long as possible but left the house within 15 mins as it was so intense. She delivered him about 40 mins after arriving at hospital. With the second she was the same - woke when her waters went and got straight in the car because of how intense it had been last time. She almost delivered him in the car. He was born in a little side room in the maternity hospital within 10 mins of getting to hospital as she didn’t even have time to get upstairs to labour and delivery.
I have another friend who had a completely natural labour but was too far gone to have an epidural when she arrived at the hospital. She needed a ventous delivery as she kept passing out when having a contraction!

You just never know what kind of delivery you’re going to have or how your body is going to respond in that situation or how you’ll cope with the pain.
Speak to your midwife or your hospital and ask about the induction statistics as others have said. Do research into all forms of pain relief and see what you’re happy with. I personally didn’t want anything that affected my baby (some make baby very drowsy) so that was put in my birth plan and DH knew that was a big no no. Don’t take other people’s stories on board too much - just look at the facts and decide what you’re happy to do.

Show quote history

Ah yes The Positive Birth Company is the one that was recommended to me by another mother.

At the moment I'm trying not to be too focused on the pain part. Best I can do is have a plan for if pain does turn out to be intense while hoping for a miracle that it isn't. Also need to make sure I don't overplan, I could be stressing myself out for no reason and the induction might go smoothly. If I'm lucky baby may be fine in a few weeks time and I won't need one at all.

OP posts:
Original poster
LoyalFairy · 19/05/2025 09:39

Sunrise8888 · 19/05/2025 05:44

I didn’t have GD, however I had a polyhydramnios - just a tiny bit too much water at 40+4. I originally planned to birth naturally and did not want to be induced. At 40+4 I had to stay in the hospital and consider my options, I chose to have a C Section and I refused to have an induction even though consultant was slightly pressuring me and was a bit awkward chat, however I just said I don’t want it and that’s it. I didn’t go into any details. It’s totally up to you OP. You know what is right for you and your baby. They cannot make you do what you don’t want but you need to stand your ground! Good luck 🍀

Yep I need to remember to be insistent on what I want!

OP posts:
Original poster
LoyalFairy · 19/05/2025 09:42

Rowgtfc72 · 19/05/2025 05:44

I had GD at 26 weeks but opposite problem to you, dd was measuring huge.
Was induced at 36+6. 2 pessary, water broken by consultant at bang on 37 weeks. Offered an epidural after two contractions. Epidural started to wear off about 9pm and dd was born an hour later. I couldn't tell you how painful contractions were because my body just went with it by that point. She was 8lb 6 oz so not big but would be about 10lb if gone to term.
Positive experience. Use your voice. If you go with induction and want an epidural ask immediately.

Induction with epidural will be a very likely route for me to start with and I'll be very insistent.

OP posts:
Original poster
LoyalFairy · 19/05/2025 09:45

ChateauProvence · 19/05/2025 07:20

@LoyalFairy if they won’t let you go beyond 38 weeks they still can’t make you have an induction so they would have to offer a c section

The caesarean is what I have to wrap my head around. I guess I'm so used to the women in my family having vaginal births that it's annoying I may miss out on the experience and then have a small scar to remind me. But at the end of the day I have to remember my baby is all that matters.

OP posts:
Original poster
LoyalFairy · 19/05/2025 09:47

Rowgtfc72 · 19/05/2025 08:19

I was told induction 37 weeks or c section at 38 weeks. No other offers.

I've heard from a lot of people that at the end of the day they can't force you into anything. Usually they suggest these things so they don't become liable if something goes wrong when we choose our own method of delivery.

OP posts:
ChateauProvence · 19/05/2025 11:27

@LoyalFairy
obviously I can only speak from my own experience but it was a very calm birth with a quick recovery. My scar is neat and doesn’t bother me at all and my baby was safe which was the main thing

littledutch · 19/05/2025 12:13

ChateauProvence · 19/05/2025 11:27

@LoyalFairy
obviously I can only speak from my own experience but it was a very calm birth with a quick recovery. My scar is neat and doesn’t bother me at all and my baby was safe which was the main thing

I had a similar experience, recovery was absolutely fine and my scar is very small. I don’t want to minimise the cesarean it is a major surgery but I was walking around Sainsburys after a few days and found the pain very manageable with Nurofen and paracetamol. The main consideration is probably if you see yourself having many more children as the risk of complications is higher with each csection and you may not be able to have a VBAC. Having said that a vaginal birth does not eliminate the risk of injury or scarring.

In my NCT group of 8 first time mums, 7 of us had an induction and all 7 of us had a csection.

Original poster
LoyalFairy · 19/05/2025 19:13

littledutch · 19/05/2025 12:13

I had a similar experience, recovery was absolutely fine and my scar is very small. I don’t want to minimise the cesarean it is a major surgery but I was walking around Sainsburys after a few days and found the pain very manageable with Nurofen and paracetamol. The main consideration is probably if you see yourself having many more children as the risk of complications is higher with each csection and you may not be able to have a VBAC. Having said that a vaginal birth does not eliminate the risk of injury or scarring.

In my NCT group of 8 first time mums, 7 of us had an induction and all 7 of us had a csection.

Show quote history

That's good to know.

OP posts:
Chick981 · 19/05/2025 21:44

I echo the recovery from a c section. Obviously it is different for everyone but same can be said for vaginal deliveries too. I was picking my son up from nursery about three days after. Scar has never bothered me.

TheDisillusionedAnarchist · 19/05/2025 21:51

You can also have a birth plan with an agreement to try induction but if poor Bishops score, no progress move to CS. Bad inductions are usually from hours on syntocinon with dipping fetal heart and slow progress winding up in an EMCS, you might be unlucky and have that, or you might have easy inductions (I did my first baby was a 40 minute total labour and an induction at 39 weeks)
you have control over what interventions you do
you can agree to the low level ones or go right up to a syntocinon drip and still insist on stopping that if it’s clearly not working and have a CS then.

Summersun91 · 20/05/2025 08:29

Hi @LoyalFairy I had an induction and requested the epidural before they broke my waters. I had already been in hospital 4 days by then with the pessaries and the gels, on a ward with very little sleep and I wasn’t willing to take the chance that they couldn’t do an epidural later. So I didn’t feel any contractions and it was the right decision for me. They did try to dissuade me and said “don’t you want to see how it goes and get it later” but I was insistent - I had read how painful the contractions can be on the drip and figured I would need to end up with one anyway so may as well have it at the start.

Best of luck x

Bibbitybobbitybo · 20/05/2025 08:56

This might sound harsh but I mean it kindly. Birth is not a lovely gentle experience and having an induction or csection or whatever is not missing out. Do not let that thinking guide you.

I was sold the idea of water births in dimly lit rooms with calming music and affirmations for my first and it only made me feel like a failure when I didn't manage that. My others I knew what to expect and felt like a superhero for growing them and getting them out. Induction included.

Original poster
LoyalFairy · 22/05/2025 16:37

Summersun91 · 20/05/2025 08:29

Hi @LoyalFairy I had an induction and requested the epidural before they broke my waters. I had already been in hospital 4 days by then with the pessaries and the gels, on a ward with very little sleep and I wasn’t willing to take the chance that they couldn’t do an epidural later. So I didn’t feel any contractions and it was the right decision for me. They did try to dissuade me and said “don’t you want to see how it goes and get it later” but I was insistent - I had read how painful the contractions can be on the drip and figured I would need to end up with one anyway so may as well have it at the start.

Best of luck x

That's exactly what I'm thinking, I'd rather them have someone available to give me the epidural as it would be my first time going into labour!

OP posts:
Original poster
LoyalFairy · 22/05/2025 16:42

Bibbitybobbitybo · 20/05/2025 08:56

This might sound harsh but I mean it kindly. Birth is not a lovely gentle experience and having an induction or csection or whatever is not missing out. Do not let that thinking guide you.

I was sold the idea of water births in dimly lit rooms with calming music and affirmations for my first and it only made me feel like a failure when I didn't manage that. My others I knew what to expect and felt like a superhero for growing them and getting them out. Induction included.

No I agree, giving birth is still an achievement regardless of an induction or a natural birth. I guess I wanted to see if I could cope because before I'd scared myself out of ever trying a natural birth. I finally realised I was willing to try and got used to the idea, but now I'm now being told the option might not be available to me. Seems I just need to change my mindframe now to a very open one as wellbeing of baby is most important.

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