We are in the home stretch. Well it feels like the baby has been there awhile with all that pressure on my pelvis. So I head to the doctor to get checked to see "how things are." Well it was no surprise that Baby Quinn is positioned nice and low in my pelvis and things look great as my doctor said but I was only dialated a fingertip. Same as a few weeks ago. So she asked me about induction in two weeks. Hmmm I thought.... I still have 3 weeks until my due date, why should I be induced at 39 weeks? Won't the baby just come sooner or later? It isn't going to stay there forever right? I really couldn't get an explanation of why she wants to induce me other that on some Davis scale I scored really high and my cervix is fabulous (can a cervix really be fabulous?) so I would be a perfect candidate for induction. She made it clear right away I didn't have to make a decision right there that I should talk to Paul about it but she went on and on how great it would be and I just kept thinking that this is not what I learned in birthing class. Inductions are for medical reasons only not because I would be a good candidate since my cervix is in perfect shape and the baby is positioned so well. Then unbeknownst to me she did a little procedure while checking my cervix to "sweep" my membranes. I asked what the purpose of that was she answered "stirring up the pot." It is a natural way to stimulate the cervix into dialating.
By the end of the appointment I was overwhelmed, intimidated and I felt bullied. She had gone ahead and checked her schedule for my Week 39 which is Jan 12th and was ready to pencil me in for an induction but of course I could always cancel. I wouldn't want to lose the spot. I would have to go to the hospital the night before and get some meds to fully open my cervix if it wasn't already. She already had an induction and a C-section scheduled for that day but I could be put on also. I chose not to be penciled in that I wanted the baby to come on its own even though knowing when would be convenient. I really felt like crap for the rest of the day. That little procedure I had causes some nice cramping which lasted all day and evening. I do notice more contractions now- nothing regular but I guess the pot was stirred.
I did make a phone call to the Birthing Educator later on that day who is also a nurse, lactation consultant and doula and explained what happened. She was so proud of me to not have given in since induction is not part of my birth plan unless medically necessary. She did say that sometimes doctors think that they are doing women a favor by allowing them to be induced the 39th week so it is more convenient for the patient and they are more ready for labor than if it was spontaneous. A lot of people ask to be induced or to have an elected C-section. Thank you but not for me. So Baby Quinn will not be making a grand entrance on the 12th unless of course it just happens naturally.
So now we wait.
1 comment:
Good for you! I think that doctors just induce people so that they can make a schedule rather than having to go in the middle of the night, which is when people have babies a lot of the time. Stand up for yourself!
When I told the nurse in the hospital that I didn't want pain meds, she respected me and I really appreciated that. It is so much nicer your doctor and nurse respect what you want.
Keep standing up for yourself. Most first babies come late and that is GOOD. Give the baby time to come when it is ready. You don't want to have a baby in the NICU, like we did. That was the hardest thing in the world to go though. Good luck with the next few weeks.
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