38 weeks with no dliation/effacement

[Anonymous]

If you do this (go in the night before), ask what kind of cervical-ripening drug you'll be getting, and do research. Some people are very wary of cytotec (there was a thread on this earlier this week).

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who noted that induction is less likely to succeed if you haven't progressed at all naturally -- I was factoring in pre-pitocin cervical ripening. I know of at least two women who went in, not progressed at all, got cervadil and then pitocin and ended up with the PP's experience of long labors and emergency c-sections. In one case, the induction was at 41 or 42 weeks, so it sounds like she was bound for a C. The other, though, was a 39-week elective induction. Again, I'm considering this myself, but I will do it only if my OB says I'm already progressing and simply need pitocin.

[Anonymous]

My doctor seems averse to skipping the induction, in favor of an automatic c-section. He indicated that "a vaginal delivery is always better" and "worth trying" before electing for a c-section. I, however, am very nervous about the PP's experiences with long labors that results in a c-section anyway. I guess, having heard others expereinces with this, I'm just confused about whether this is indeed the case or whether I should push my dr to skip the induction all together.

[Anonymous]

OP, you're only 38 weeks -- there's still plenty of time for things to happen on their own. (I'm one of the PPs discouraging an elective induction if your body hasn't progressed on its own.) Don't stress this. You don't need to make a decision about this for four weeks, and most likely your body will have started to progress by then, meaning induction is more likely to work.

If you get to 41+ weeks and still haven't progressed at all, I'd defer to your OB -- if he says induction is preferable to straight C, I think you want to follow his advice.