Induction or c section

[Mumma20]

So I’m currently 35 weeks I had a scan yesterday due to reduced fetal movements baby was measuring on the higher side AC was 95th centile and estimated weight was 6lb 8oz , my 3rd baby was born at 38 weeks weighing 8lb 6oz but she did have an birth injury to her arm , so they either want me to have an induction or c section , they have agreed to do an induction at 37 weeks I had induction with my second baby and it was horrendous!! Due to midwife’s not listening to my concerns , I did refuse the elective c section as I have 3 children at home 5 and under and it’s the recovery of the c section which puts me off to be honest my 3rd baby is a Velcro baby always wants to be sitting on my lap or me carrying her and obviously with a c section I wouldn’t be able to lift so I’ve opt for the induction at 37 weeks , anyone have any experience with induction at 37 weeks with 4th baby! So nervous right now! They have said there’s risk of shoulders getting stuck but I also know ultrasounds can be way off.

sorry your going through a stressful experience!

I can’t comment on inductions however I am 4.5 months PP to my little boy and had to have an elective c-section due to him being breech and stubborn as hell. Tried the ECV twice but he wouldn’t budge. Was absolutely petrified about it in the lead up and really worried about recovery as I am a massive wuss and I don’t have high pain tolerance.

HOWEVER

my experience was so peaceful and lovely. I was up within 6 hours having my catheter out and going to the toilet. I walked little and often in the hospital and walked around our village by day 3. I was out shopping by day 7.

within 2/3 weeks I genuinely felt pretty normal.

Obviously everybody has a different experience and nobody can predict that but following tips like frequent gentle movement after, chewing gum for gas,setting up little stations at home, move into the living room for a week or two if you can, I used my grandmas toilet frame to help with getting up and down.

wish you all the best in your remaining weeks and whatever you decide!

I wouldn’t accept either at this point. You’ve given birth several times before, including to a baby that was 8lb6, so I don’t know why they think this is going to be an issue for you. I would ask for a further scan at 38 weeks and take it from there. They’re very quick to induce for anything these days, it shouldn’t be a go to remedy for everything

I've only had 1 baby, and that was an elective C section, but it was an absolute dream. If I ever get my hands on my anaesthesiologist I will give him a big fat kiss.

I'm not saying YOU should have a C section but I wanted to weigh in about post surgical pain.

I was up and moving, gently, as soon as my spinal had worn off.

I was on a prophylactic routine of pain management medication that I cycled so that every 2-4 hours I was able to take some medication.

I was still able to breastfeed, very well.

We were in hospital 1 night.

My midwives were very adamant that continuing gentle movements was key to reducing pain and honestly for me it worked. My pain was never more than feeling like I'd done a decent ab workout at the gym.

I didn't know about abdominal binding until about 10 days post surgery, but that was a magical discovery once I had discovered it. It wasn't anything fancy, but having the extra core muscle support really helped.

My friend had a VBAC 3 weeks before me and she said that it doesn't matter which way you have your baby, your bits hurt. It's understandable because there's going to be a lot of swelling that needs to go down. My cousin had an EMCS due to her baby getting stuck and she says she wishes she'd just opted for an ELCS as her induction went on for 2 days and there was a lot of worry.

We just don't have a crystal ball that will tell us how labour will go or how baby will respond.

How many episodes of reduced fetal movements have you had?

I would never do an induction again.

I think it’s a hospitals way of creating a live waiting list for their own reasons of filtering numbers.

Mine resulted an emergency c section which ended up being risky and traumatic.
Go for the planned c section, you’ll be able to organise dates for childcare and everything. It will all be planned and focused on you and baby - not the mad rush and panic other elements can bring.

My recovery from the planned c section was infinitely better than from a ‘normal’ birth: quicker, less painful, and a LOT less traumatic. I also wasn’t already sleep deprived when the baby was born. The only thing that really bothered me was not being able to sleep on my side for a few weeks after!

Ive had 4 inductions. The two i had with the drip was actully ok. Epidural started at the same time so was plain sailing. One baby was 9lb the other is 8lb 7oz. About 12 hours each

Least if you try induction and get an Epidural your already sorted if needing a section.

No 4 planned induction at 37 weeks
I had a sweep, didn’t work and went to hospital at 8am had pessary and nada so was put on the drip: I’d had other inductions (failure to dilate) and had epidural when pitocin went in. Once I got to 10cm I asked for the epidural to be turned off so I could feel when to push (had done this in others too, wise midwife advised it). Didn’t push until baby had made their way down a bit and then delivered in 30 mins. No stitches and all was well.

With the reduced fetal movements, I’d plump for a c section. The recovery is fine, you just feel like you’ve done 100,000 sit ups.

I would always avoid a CS personally unless they say it's medically necessary. I had an emergency and I'm grateful because it saved my daughter's life but by stomach has never felt the same since (or looked, despite being slim it hangs, not that that really matters) and I didn't like not being able to lift/do stuff. There are pros of CS though, one friend chose it to know when the baby would be born, and because she didn't want to go through labour, but for me, I had lots of pain after my ECS so I wouldn't choose it, but obviously some people prefer it.

I wouldn't accept an induction at 37 weeks, no especially if the only reason was 'suspected big baby'

In the recent big baby study, 60% of babies predicted to be 'big' were not.

Induction is also a risk factor for shoulder dystocia (bet they didn't tell you that) so as far as I see it you're swapping one risk factor for another but with all the other associated risks of an early induction rather than waiting for the baby to be ready.

In your shoes id decline both and just wait (assuming no other 'risk' factors) but I am particularly stubborn...

Inducing early to reduce chance of a stuck shoulder has no evidence base. The study that aimed to prove it did reduce the change, didn’t find that at all. Instead it found that most suspected big babies weren’t big.

Also at 37 weeks, if baby isn’t ready to come no amount of drip, sweeps or pessaries will work to make it come. Instead you’re likely to be offered a c section for failed induction and it’s super hard to stop when you’ve started.

From what you’ve said I’d ask to see all the evidence for what they’re suggesting. How do these risks relate to you personally. Not just in general.

Remember, this is your body, your baby and your birth. You can say no or not yet.

They’re not the same though. One is smash and grab, the other is much more pedestrian.