I’m kind of surprised they didn’t explain this to you but I guess they assumed it was self-explanatory. If the baby really is large, that presents a lot of let’s say mechanical risks at delivery including shoulder dysplasia and other physical trauma to you or baby. So they often try to endure when the baby won’t be so large or have a c section to avoid those issues or the need to do an emergency c section. Of course the issue is that measurements of baby’s size can be inaccurate and it could turn out that your baby is not as large as they think and you could be fine. Although your family history points more towards the baby actually being big. Talk to your doctor and ask them to articulate their concerns. |
| Hi - resurrecting this post. I am going to Foxhall and so far all the OBs I’ve seen recently there have asked me “when are you scheduling your induction?”. They keep citing studies about outcomes being equal to not inducing, which bears the question: then, why do I need to induce. The more I ask, it feels it’s a resourcing issue / workload for them, more than benefits for the mother. |
Benefits to mother include reduced risk of stillbirth, as well as hypertension, preeclampsia, hypertension, C-section, and perineal injury. Don’t those things matter to you? Personally I was permitted to go to 41 weeks when I went into labor naturally, had to push out a nearly 9 pounder with forceps, and got preeclampsia, and had a nearly 4th degree tear. So I am a textbook reason for why trusting Mother Nature can lead to crap outcomes. Babies at the end of pregnancy get huge very fast and that makes birth harder, no matter what the midwives say. https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2023/may/mothers-choosing-to-induce-labour-at-39-weeks-have-better-health-outcomes |
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I did an induction at 39 weeks because that’s what my OB recommended and it went fine. Good, even! I think.
I don’t get the doctor shopping. They’re supposed to make recommendations based on the best science available. If you want to say no for some reason, just say no. But wouldn’t it be worrying if they didn’t make the recommendation? |
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The risk you take in an early induction is that the baby is smaller than they’re measuring. A friend took the 39 week induction being told her baby was measuring “about 7lbs”. Baby wasn’t even 6lbs, and had horrible feeding issues. Ask your pediatrician if they have views about whether it’s better for a newborn to be 5lbs or 7.
This may not be your situation but ask your OB how confident they are in the measurements. Bear in mind if anything goes wrong— like a small baby or a NICU stay— your OB will still have had a “successful” birth and that your induction will have been “elective.” |
are you me? Nearly identical scenario. Love love my midwives who honored my wishes. My body, my choices. |
| Bloom are absolutely not your people on this. They are the definition of folks who schedule inductions for convenience. |
I also went 41.5 weeks. Baby was 11 lb 6 oz. The doctor literally apologized to me after the delivery and said she would never have let me deliver vaginally if they knew baby was that big. I was very lucky the baby was OK except for fluid in the lungs. Unfortunately I had a lot of damage to my pelvic floor but thanks to the epi labor was mostly painless. Recovery was definitely not. I wanted to C-section when I had my second child but that was refused because apparently not dying giving birth and 11 pounder means I can handle anything smaller. I was not happy and actually tore worse with the 9lber. Big babies is ROUGH |
I was induced at Sibley at 39 weeks due to both size concerns and AMA (37). Also went great - baby ended up about a half pound smaller than expected, but he is perfectly healthy and in fact I tore less than when I gave birth to my 4 lb preemie. I was also quite open to induction, and I think if I had pushed it, they would have let me go into labor naturally (but probably not past 40 weeks). |
| I’m in AA county but dang. They wouldn’t even LET me get induced at 39 weeks despite being AMA (36). I went 40+6 before finally getting induced for reduced fetal movement. |
| Bloom brought it up with me and offered it as an option but they emphasized it was my choice. Their scan/prediction on both head size and weight ended up being spot on too-I had a plus 9 pounder! You really need to go with a practice you like and be resolute in your decisions regardless of what doctor says on ARRIVE. It is YOUR decision. |
Annapolis OBGYN? |
You are right to question. I’d say that to them - if the outcomes are equal, why not forego the induction if I am not high risk? And see what they tell you. Always keep an open mind but don’t feel like you can’t question it. And don’t let them give you the crap about how you need to reserve your date in advance. If they need to get you induced for medical need they can make it happen. I had to be induced twice due to preeclampsia. Mine were ok but I would not choose it otherwise. The plus of foxhall is that the quality of their doctors is high and odds are if you go into labor on your own you’ll have a good doc on call! |
| I trust the people that went to medical school. |
You sound simple Induction just because you are 39 weeks according to their calculation? Induction leads to a horrible labor, your contractions are harder and more frequent. You will also most likely have a c section I know someone who got induced 2 times and ended up with a c section Drs are not all nice people |