Induction vs waiting it out.... confused!

Sorry In advance for the long post…

Tomorrow I will be 39 weeks pregnant. I have gestational diabetes but have been very well controlled with diet and insulin. Had an ultrasound last week and baby is measuring on the smaller side, nothing to be worried about, but my doctor is happy she is normal sized and not at risk for being too large.

I’ve been having contractions on and off for about a week, lost my mucus plug last week.

At my last appointment my doctor said he will do an internal exam at next appt (five days from now) to check my cervix. I asked about what will happen if I hit my due date (only 8 days away!) and baby isn’t here. He said we can talk about that more next appt when he knows more info, but said if I don’t want to get induced he will let me go a little over, he’s “willing to negotiate with me”, but if I want to get induced that is an option we can discuss too. I think because of the GD risk factor he is ok with inducing me if I go past my due date, but because I’ve been so well controlled I don’t think getting her out ASAP is a big concern.

Now to add another element to this, my husbands work schedule for this month is totally different; not very flexible and [name_f]Monday[/name_f]-Friday (he usually does shift work and has a lot of flexibility). Ideally I would like the baby to come towards the end of the week so he has the weekend off with us.

I’m thinking about asking my doctor at my appt on Thursday if he will induce me that night or the next day. That way hubby will be around and I can get this over with!!! Otherwise I’d want to wait unti the end of the following week to get induced which would be about five days late, which also worries me with the GD. This is all of course assuming I have any control over this… baby may have her own plans!!!

So basically I’m wondering if it’s worth pushing to get induced a few days before my due date for the sake of my family schedule and the fact that I’m sooo ready to not be pregnant anymore. Also, even though my doctor has assured me everything is fine with the diabetes, having that going on too makes me nervous, I’d rather have her Out then in.

I went naturally with my first, 3 days late. I haven’t heard great things about inductions, but also the idea of having a semblance of control over this is appealing…

Is asking for an induction just asking for trouble?? Or given the circumstances, especially with GD, is an induction a few days before due date considered More routine?

Sorry for the rambling but I have a lot on my mind!

Thanks!

I had a spontaneous 32 hour labour with my first which ended in a vacuum delivery. Was induced with my second at 39 weeks 5 days because he was measuring large and my doctor didn’t feel I should go past my due date. I was 2cm dilated when the induction began, they broke my water, and after two hours started pitocin. 6 1/2 hours later I had my baby after only about 15 minutes of pushing. Much easier than my first! I had heard a lot of bad things about inductions but I didn’t have those experiences.

I would see how the next appointment goes and ask. Part of the reason that we did the induction was because I had my firstborn with me in the room (there was nobody to look after him) and my doctor was okay with that, so I wanted him to be there vs. someone on call. You may find the doctor is totally fine with inducing you so your husband can be there. It’s definitely worth asking.

I technically chose induction - I was 42 weeks which is the usual eviction date, but my midwives said they’d be happy to let me go longer because I’d had a complication-free pregnancy. I weighed the risks (increased risk of stillbirth) and decided on induction. If you think you’re going to be stressed about the risks that come with GD, it might be better for you to be induced. And being nervous about the timing with your husband’s work is valid too.

Ask about your induction options as well. I was given an “induction plan” that started with Cervidil (a suppository placed behind the cervix), then if that didn’t work they were going to use some sort of gel, and if that didn’t work they’d start pitocin, which I believe makes contractions worse for most women. However, the Cervidil broke my water and contractions started on their own, and I didn’t need any further assistance. Cervidil is taken out as soon as water breaks, so I don’t believe my labor was any more intense than someone who had gone into labor naturally. It was 18 hours, 2 hours of pushing (she was big!), and ended in a vacuum delivery, but I think all of that would have happened anyway and had nothing to do with being induced.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I was induced two days before my due date and everything went super smoothly.

I’ve been induced three times. Four, if you count my second child’s water breaking at 39w and then needing help to move things along. I think they even gave me pitocin during my first labor (doubt anyone would consider that the same as full-on induction, though)

It’s really not so bad.

My second little baby was an induction baby.

I went in for my appointment on her due date, I was just then showing signs of pre-eclampsia, with high blood pressure and some protein in urine. So I went to the hospital from my appointment, they put me on pitocin at 1:30 that adternoon, broke my water @ 4:30 that afternoon and I had [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] @ 9:29 that night. All in all not too long of a labor at all.

[name_f]Sophie[/name_f] actually came out on her own during a contraction and I had two switches so not bad. No epidural for me, the last hour was tough, but the rest wasn’t bad at all.

Granted, I do have a high tolerance for pain, but even if you don’t getting an epidural is pretty prevalent for those that get induced.

So my experience with pitocin wasn’t too bad at all.

Good luck! Wishing you a smooth and safe labor and delivery.

For reasons similar to yours (baby was measuring small and under 10th percentile on the scans) I was told I was going to be induced before 40 weeks. On week 39 i was advised to have a membrane sweep and see if I could naturally induce birth. It worked and within three days of having it I had my little baba in my arms. It was a very quick labour and little one weighed a healthy 7lbs 12oz (after fears he would weigh under 6lbs!) I don’t know if you can ever have a perfect birth but I was so happy with the timing, length and support I received during labour and was genuinely surprised how easy it was after months of prenatal anxiety over baby’s weight.

Having said that, my DH’s cousin was induced not very long after I was for a medical reason of baby and she had a very difficult labour (almost 4 days long) and baby was born with breathing problems and had to spend his first five days in the NICU ward. They both did have problems which meant he had to be delivered 3-4 weeks earlier than due date so that should also bbe factored into it.

But if you are anxious about your medical condition, I would honestly opt for an induction (or see if you can have a membrane sweep first and try to induce it ‘naturally’ as I was feeling but the same way and I’m so glad I did it in the end. It gives you piece of mind and little one isn’t so young that they should suffer from major problems.

Good luck whatever you choose sweetie!