Reply to Kaiser will only let you go ONE week past due date??

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Most OBs now induce at 41 weeks, there is a risk of no or little amniotic fluid[/quote]

That's ridiculous.  Yes, there is a very small risk of all kinds of pathological things developing at any point during pregnancy.  The medical model focuses on those potential problems, and views the womb as a suspect place to be once the baby has reached "full term."  However, the vast VAST majority of babies do just fine and the womb/placenta nourishes them perfectly until nature determines that they and mom are ready for birth.  Since the average length of a first time pregnancy is 41 weeks and a few days, a predetermined 41-week induction is going to mean a TON of inductions for first time moms, which leads to a drastically increased c/s rate.

We have some evidence that there is a very slight increase in risk to pregnancies which continue [i]beyond 42 weeks[/i].  This already small risk can be substantially mitigated by using modern technology to monitor mom and baby during the last week or two of gestation.  In other words, using a NST and/or BPP beyond 41 weeks will most certainly alert us to even the smallest trouble which might be brewing inside.  In fact, these tests are considered quite "conservative" and produce lots of false positives; so chances are it will detect something yet everything will still be just fine.  Even still, a concerned OB or mom can use these tests and induce if there is any cause for concern.  Otherwise, allowing the pregnancy to continue to its full gestation is safest for both the baby and the mother, particularly if the mother is planning on future children.

OP -- you should know that by law, an OB cannot drop you within 30 days of delivery.  Additionally, if you arrive at your hospital in labor, they are required BY LAW to treat you.  You have options here.  You can let your OB know that you refuse to be induced at 41 weeks, and schedule your induction for 42 weeks instead.  (Often when the realize that you will not negotiate on this, they will relent and say it's fine.)  You could also refuse to schedule any induction at all, and simply show up at the hospital when you (spontaneously) go into labor.  Or you could refuse to schedule an induction, and if you at any point get nervous waiting, show up at the hospital and ask to be induced; if you are near or beyond 42 weeks they will admit you.

In the past five years, the OB model has shifted from an automatic 42-week induction to that of an automatic 41-week induction.  This has become the standard of care without any evidence that the outcomes are better for mom or baby.  Since so many OBs have adopted this practice, most feel they need to follow suit because it becomes a liability issue if they aren't doing what everyone else is.  However, it is still YOUR body and you have the power to consent to their protocols.  Of course, you need to be sure of what you want because they are very powerful and coercive.  [/quote]

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