So, my ob appointment is coming up in a few days and I have every intention of *trying* to schedule my induction for 39 weeks. The reasons being:
- The MFM group I saw in my pregnancies with Tru and Levi did not think it was wise for me to ever go past 39 weeks due to being on blood thinner and my placental/fluid/fetal distress history with Tru. Plus, induction gives us control over when I stop the blood thinner. My current regular ob group doesn’t seem to have that opinion but to be honest, I’ll always rather er on the side of caution when it comes to my babies and I definitely trust the advise of the MFM group above the happy-go-lucky group I see now. Which to be fair, I still do really like them in other aspects.
- As if we need more reason than that, at my current ob group if I go past 40 weeks, they will not allow induction because of my previous c section. I can’t see any scenario in which I’m comfortable going not just past 39 weeks, but also past 40 weeks. Therefore they advise me to schedule a c section for 40 weeks. No thank you! I’d rather induce at 39 weeks and hopefully have a good experience than have a definite major surgery while I have 3 small children at home to take care of, on my own, 1 week after the baby comes. Getting help at home is not an option and DH can only be here just so much as he has to work.
- I live 1.5 hours from the hospital I plan to deliver at and 30 minutes from the closest hospital with an ob department. As much as I want to experience natural labor without induction meds, do I really want to drive 30 minutes or 1.5 hours while in active labor?
- And last but not least, while I hate inductions being scheduled for convenience sake, I really don’t have babysitters available on the spot. My sister is supposed to drive 7 hours to our home to watch my boys during the birth. Obviously she will need time off work scheduled in advance. In case I go into labor earlier, there are a few people I could call, however they are not guaranteed to be available and to be quite frank, I really don’t trust them to do a good job watching my kids, based on previous experiences with their babysitting skills.
So, obviously it makes sense to schedule an induction. Unfortunately, even though my primary ob dr said she was absolutely on board with induction when she saw me at my first prenatal appointment, she’s since backpedaled (exactly like she did when I was pregnant with Zane) and is now telling me they aren’t comfortable scheduling induction on a vbac (despite my 2 previous, easy and successful vbac inductions) and that I’ll have to find a dr in their practice who is willing to do it. Which obviously isn’t her and she didn’t give me any clue who would do it. (The ob who delivered Zane is no longer working maternity care.) The ob I am scheduled to see this week is the one who agreed with my concerns last time. I’m hoping that I don’t have to put up an argument this time and that she will be easy to work with again but thanks to how much these drs waffle on everything, I’m very nervous.
I like this ob group but I do hate how I have to fight for everything and how they don’t seem comfortable managing my care with the blood thinner and vbac etc. If they don’t feel comfortable with my situation then they really should have been upfront with me and told me that in the beginning because I’ve run into the same problems with both pregnancies they’ve seen me during. While they claim they are “vbac friendly”, it’s apparent that they are much more comfortable with me just being an easy case and planning a scheduled c section.
If I was to have a checkup a day or 2 before my scheduled induction date and find that I was getting close to labor and that my body was beginning to move in that direction, I’d definitely be willing to wait a few days to let nature take its course, provided I had childcare options and whatnot. But since they refuse to induce if I do make it to 40 weeks, I don’t see that I have a choice. I feel like there are so many little rules just being made up as we go, almost in an effort to thwart my wishes and make me just take the “easy route” and schedule a c section. It makes me mad to not have any real say-so in any of this. I’m fought when I try to plan an induction within their window of time before the magical c section cutoff. I’m fought because of a previous c section 3 kids ago. I’m fought because they go from “perfectly comfortable” inducing labor when I go in for my first appointment (WITH BOTH PREGNANCIES) to being “very uncomfortable” with inducing a vbac when I ask about when we can set the date later on in the pregnancy. And then during labor I’m fought because pitocin isn’t safe, but then they refuse to turn it down once my labor is clearly established (I mean, I was 10 freaking cm last time with bulging bag of waters and they still wouldn’t turn off the pitocin and let my body control the birth contractions.🙄)
Obviously I’m no fan of being induced and having everything planned out in advance but it’s what makes sense in my specific case and it’s also what has worked well for my 2 previous vbacs. Why are we even still having this conversation?? 😥
I hope you manage to sort things out, I’m surprised after previous successful inductions they don’t see the advantages for you. Good luck xx
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I know, right? That’s why I’m confused that we need to have this same conversation again!
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Sounds like a no brainer to me! Hopefully they see the same xx
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I hope so. Thanks for the support!
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Whoa, you do not need this stress right now! Breathe. You havevtime to find another practice if you need to, so there’s that. Are midwives an option for you? They are generally more friendly about honoring requests and understanding you have to function after birth so a c-section is not the “easy” option. I think the OBGYN is being callous towards you. What does the MFM say about inducing @ 39w? If the MFM is cool with it then the OB should be! I’m sorry you’ve had bad luck with doctors–I know how that goes! And you’re tired and dont need the added stress. Hugs. XOXO
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Thank you. I saw a different dr in the practice yesterday and she has me scheduled. She saw no problem whatsoever and felt it’s definitely in my best interests if for no other reason than just being able to discontinue the blood thinner at the proper time. I’m really feeling better after my talk with her. I’ll probably have to move the date to the next day because I found out the dr on the schedule that day is the one who doesn’t want to induce, I’m just glad though that one of the drs is definitely on my side and understanding and not at all pushing c section. 🙂
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Ugh how frustrating!! I hope everything goes smoothly! Sucks you have to fight for everything! But they are probably trying to cover their butts…
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I’m sure she is. Thankfully my talk with one of the other drs in the practice yesterday went quite well and she fully supported my “plans”.
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My ob always seemed a bit carefree, until delivery came up and I saw him go in serious mode. I wonder if it’s an air they try to give to help nervous expectant mother’s not worry? Like if they’re calm, you’ll be calm.
I don’t want to worry you but apparently two successful VBACs are not a sure sign of a third. A friend of mine just had an awful experience delivering her fourth baby. First was emergency c-section, then two successful VBACs. When she was 36 weeks with her fourth, she had a uterine rupture and placental abruption. Her baby was born dead but was resuscitated. He’s looking perfectly healthy now, no doubt to our amazing God and round the clock prayers from our church. I had no idea that VBACs were really so dangerous, even successful ones. Apparently her pregnancies weakened the scar tissue, not strengthened it. Sooooo I say all this not to worry you because that’s an ultra rare circumstance, but to bring some gravity of a scheduled VBAC versus c-section. Honestly, it’s even more reason to push for an induction versus waiting for natural labor!
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Wow! Your poor friend, that sounds absolutely horrifying!! I’m so glad her baby is ok now. Was she in labor or just spontaneously ruptured? I guess I’m aware of that risk in the back of my mind but I try not to dwell on it. I have definitely heard of the scar weakening from pregnancies but I’m not sure what the percentage is. Maybe I’d better wait till after he’s born to google it lol. 😌 Thankfully we have a date on the books which I might scoot over to the following day so I can have a different dr, but we’ll see. 🙂
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You could always move down here. 😉
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Hehe!! Don’t tempt me!! I need away from the cold!
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As for my friend, it was spontaneous. She was downtown at one hospital, visiting her sick grandfather, when she felt some pains and had a feeling that something just wasn’t right. She drove to the hospital where her OB works, thankfully also downtown, and in triage, she started really hurting and they immediately took her to surgery. They think the rupture happened as she entered the hospital and because the placenta was attached at the rupture site, it was also a placental abruption.
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Wow! That’s so crazy. Thank God they both lived! How fortunate that she was so close the hospital.
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