[...] They Say: Induction Lowers (Lowers!) Risk of C-Section [...]

I was induced just shy of 41 weeks – “to prevent potential complications” was the reason. At 41 weeks, the SOP at my doctor/hospital was daily blood draws to monitor levels of various things…45 mile drive one way, no thank you. I had been having varying levels of contractions for two weeks prior, nothing “productive” but still having them. Membranes had been stripped, nothing spectacular happened. I was hooked up to pitocin as I was already beginning to thin out and dialate, Doc broke water, baby was born after 13.5 hours and 45 minutes of pushing with no real complications to either of us.

Can I just say I loathe this wandering Baby Bjorn ad and that any typos in this post are because I can only see about half of what I’m writing?

I was induced at 41 weeks with my first – Cervidil (cervix softening agent) the night before did very little, the Pitocin did very little until Doc broke my water several hours later, then baby girl delivered w/o problem a few hours later; Induced with second on my due date – Cervidil overnight started very mild contractions, Pit started about 10 minutes after water broken, baby born w/o problem less than 3 hours later. So, not bad experiences with induction at 41 and 40 weeks (especially considering the wonderful lil’ ones that resulted!)

So, they find that the more favourable a woman’s cervix is, the more likely medical intervention will be a tipping point for inducing labour. Which, really, it should be.

I’d bet a ridiculously large amount of money I don’t actually have that the fact of induction AFTER 41 weeks means the Bishop’s Score is much higher than it would be before, indicating the body is about to go into labour and maybe just needs a nudge, in which case a woman wouldn’t need many of the very invasive medical interventions which put babies at risk (amniotomy, misoprostal, high levels of pitocin for prolonged periods, mom’s bed bound and then numbed out) that raise the liklihood of c-sections.

Um, duh!

I was induced at 39 weeks 5 days. They started with the cervix softening agents the night before, and started Pitocin in the morning. After 23 hours of labor and 2.5 of pushing, I had my son vaginally. I was induced because it was a week before Christmas, I was open and contracting, they thought he was 10.5 pounds, and because I refused to leave my doctor’s office until they scheduled me. I know it wasn’t a shining moment in my life, but I couldn’t take it anymore, and I was not going to be in labor on Christmas.

I was induced due to extreme swelling and an elevated blood pressure at 38 weeks, 2 days. I did not have a c-section, but it was strongly suggested toward the end, because I was not doing well pushing the baby out. However, I will say this: The hospital did keep cranking up the pitocin at regular intervals regardless of how labor was progressing (it was explained to me that it was “policy with inductions”), to the point where I was contracting every ninety seconds for over a minute each time…and this was EARLY labor! I had to argue with several different nurses about the baby getting a break between contractions, and had to (rudely) demand a doctor four times before the resident was consulted and agreed with me. I fully believe that if I had not won that battle, I would have had a c-section for fetal distress at some point.

I don’t know, Ali. The question is, do fatter older moms need more c-sections. Or do fatter older moms get more c-sections. Is the need for a c-section real, or is there a medical bias? There’s considerable support for the latter.

I find it interesting that induction to prevent complications is considered “elective” rather than “medical.”
I was induced at 41 weeks, one day because they worried that leaving her in there would cause problems (the day before the induction, when I was officially a week late, her heart rate did start to slip, proving their point). I was most worried about the C-section issue, but the doc said it had to be done because there were increased risks. I was able to deliver naturally (yay!), which would back up this study. But I still wonder how a doctor’s concerns for risk to a baby don’t count as “medically necessary.”

I was induced at 37 weeks due to preeclampsia and extremely high blood pressure. I was 30 and not fat. They put the gel on my cervix over night, gave me an epidural and pitocin the next morning and the baby was born at 5:00pm after 90 minutes of pushing. I am pregnant again and really wondering how this next one is going to turn out.

i was induced by a homebirthing midwife at nearly 42 weeks – using homeopathy
stayed and waited overnight at the clinic and had some prelabour contractions that night every hour or so – sleeping inbetween..
by the next day at 1pm the real contractions started and by 9.30pm (with only homepathic medicine) my daughter of 10 pounds was born naturally. now am waiting for my next big baby to be born any day now – but this time hopefully in the comfort of my own home.

by the way – no tear or cut – not one stitch – big babies dont mean you have to tear or be cut – even the 10 pounders! perenium massage is a fantastic thing!

Anyway, I almost got a C-section if it wasn’t for my delivery nurse telling my doctor that I was able to have the baby on my own. Thank you very much. That nurse watched the progress of my labor from the beginning while the doctor was showing up every 30 to 45 minutes, yeah I think she was more prepared to state an opinion. If my labor experience is very common in the US, I will say that maybe doctors making the wrong call is the cause of the high number of c-sections in the US. I was 5 cm dilated when I got to the doctor’s office ON MY DUE DATE, but when I was in the delivery room, I was inmediately given pitocin and later told me that I had to get an epidural (of course, because the contractions I was having where far from natural and the epidural only made me tired, I felt every single contraction and procedure afterwards) which later caused my son to suffer distress and then is when the doctor was ready to do a c-section. I firmly believed that if the doctor would have left my labor progressed on its own, I would have had a shorter labor and an easier one. Needless to say, I have a new doctor for this second pregnancy :)

I was half-induced at 39 weeks. I was already in labor, but they gave me Pitocin to speed my progress. It actually stalled it. My monitor was never properly placed, so they thought I was not contracting strongly. With the Pitocin, I was contracting so hard that I was in pain, even with an epidural. My body went into shock against the pain and I quit progressing. When they removed the Pitocin to prep me for a section, I jumped from 7 to 10 cm and had my baby in 4 pushes.

I suspect that part of the reason the research begins at 41 weeks is that many doctors will induce before that point and those often lead to surgery.

Comments
I am currently 38 weeks and 3 days… I am fighting with my dr about him practically forcing me to have a c section with this baby. My last pregnancy was a 11lb 4 oz vaginal delivery, he was a shoulder distocia baby. The delivery was the scariest thing in the world.. He is ok now!!! Because of this history I have now.. my dr does not want to take the chance of this happening again, and wants to plan a c section. I am against it!!! My first was 8lb 14 oz, then 11 lbs 4oz. and this one.. we dont know. The ultrasound last Tuesday said it was 8lb 4 oz, and the ultrasound this Tuesday said 8 lb 2 oz. Why did it go down? The scary thing is when I had my son, his last ultrasound showed him at 8lb 1oz and then 11 days later he was 11lb 4 oz. so we all know the ultrasounds are inaccurate.
I just cannot see having a c section after two vaginal births… It is my dr that is scared and afraid to take the chance. I want to believe that this baby is not as big… I am heavy, 256lb, 5’8″ I look good though. I started at 214lb so a total gain so far of 42lb.. with my son, I gained about 55 lbs. I have tried to stimulator my own labor, by pumping my breasts, sex, and a long walk.. nothing seems to be working… What should I do?