Inducing Labor - Layton,UT

Hi Monica_ with my second child my husband gave me about a 20 minute hard foot rub all over my feet and calves. 15mins later my water broke. A messaga theripist said the reflexology helps.
Good luck,
C.

I have been endused and I have had one come on his own and if I had to do it all over again I would have waited another two weeks to have him come on his own the endusing medicine is harsh. It makes the contractions so much harder and they come so much faster, I hated it.
Just my experience hope this helps!

Hi M.,
Congratulations on your pregnancy and motherhood -- how exciting for you!

First, I would want to know why you feel the need to induce.
A due date is really only an estimate, not a precise date of readiness. Has your doctor taken into account such variables as your family history of length of gestation (how long did your Mom carry you and any siblings?), and the length of your menstrual cycle in arriving at your individualized due date estimate?

In a well-nourished woman who salts her food to taste and drinks to thirst, pregnancy usually comes to term and often 1 or 2 weeks past the “magic” 40 week mark. In fact, 42 weeks may be the normal gestation for humans, since most well-nourished women carry beyond term. When a well expanded blood volume has stimulated a well grown and well nourished placenta, neither baby nor placenta will suffer before birth occurs. The baby grows, his/her movement and heart rate variability maintain themselves normally, the amount of amniotic fluid is adequate, blood volume remains appropriately expanded providing for a healthy placenta, and everything is fine.

It is possible that such a pregnancy may be POSTDATES, but is not POSTMATURE. Most women assumed to be postdates have been misclassified based on inaccurate due date. Their babies are quite healthy and should be trusted to come when they are ready.

Poor blood flow to the placenta is the main cause of a compromised baby, and there is cause for concern if:

 You were poorly nourished for reasons such as vomiting, nausea, poverty, etc. for an extended period of time during your pregnancy and your diet never improved.
 You smoke
 You’ve had placental bleeding unrelated to a placenta previa, without dietary improvement and nutritional supplements.
 You’ve experienced no toning contractions (Braxton-Hicks) by the 34th week of pregnancy, or no cervical sensations or low menstrual-like sensations by 37 weeks
 You’ve had pituitary or thyroid disorders

Assuming that there is a good reason for labor to begin sooner rather than later, the first step would be to assess how ready your body is to go into labor. Are you having frequent toning contractions: cervical aches, pains, and “twinges”; is the baby’s head engaged and presenting in the Occiput Anterior (the back of the baby’s head is against the front of your belly)? If none of these are happening, induction will be that much more difficult and often impossible.

If your body is ready to go into labor, and you are feeling anxious to get things going, you can try:

 Acupuncture induction
 Sexual activity
 Watching good birth videos (not the scary c-section ones)
 Herbal encouragement
 Taking a warm, relaxing bath every night for an hour
 Stimulating your nipples
 Lifting your belly just below the level of your belly button when you are having toning contractions
 Acupressure for uterine priming

It may be helpful to load up on complex carbohydrates (whole grains, fresh fruits, pastas) for a few days to a week before induction. This will boost your stored energy reserves, “telling” your body that it is alright to begin the work of labor and giving you needed sustenance for the job.

You might be interested in visiting BirthChat event hosted by The Family Journey, a new organization in Fort Collins that is offering support and education for childbearing families. BirthChat is a great way to share your experiences and listen to others'.

It is at Moxie Java on March 19th, 6:30 p.m.
Moxie Java is located at 2815 E Harmony Rd, Fort Collins, CO 80528
Visit www.thefamilyjourney.org for more information.

Best wishes for a lovely labor and birth, and much enjoyment of your new baby! Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss any of this further or just want someone to “talk birth” with.

Warmly,
K. L.
Apprentice Midwife, CLC, CCE, Doula
http://home.comcast.net/~babycatcher/home.html

I have three children and they have all been early.My first daughter was 3 weeks early, weighting 6 lbs 10oz. My second, 2 weeks early weighing 5lbs 11ozs. My third daughter ten years after that, was nearly 4 weeks early and she weighed 7 lbs 13ozs. Nurses and Dr.s told me that she was going to be a big baby. I was very nervous that she would be too big, since my husband weighed 11lbs and 6ozs when he was born.I found that intercourse is what coused my contractions and made me had my kids early.I read in a book, written by an OBGYN Doctor that the semen in the male causes the contractions to start.I also would take long walks around my neighborhood toward the end of my pregnancy, that helped me too. Good Luck!

Try to stick it out, but if you really want to try to induce the labor...Walk, Walk and more Walking. That's what I did and Iwent into labor with my daughter the day before I was scheduled for an induction. I went on a 2 or 3 hr walk the night before. I think it had a lot to do with me going in to labor the next day. One thing that I DON'T suggest is casterol oil... it my put you into labor, but you also have a high likelyhood of getting very sick and dehydrated. I looked up all the different remedies of self inducing labor and not too many had good consequences. At least walking is good exercise and a chance of self inducing the labor. Good Luck!

Are you just 36 weeks now? No way would I attempt to induce at 36 weeks without a solid medical reason. The last weeks are tough, but hang in there!

I used black cohash (sp?) to induce labor with my second child. They carry it in liquid and pill form at vit. cottage. I took the liquid every 4 hours. I worked in 2 days. Let me know if this works. ____@____.com

C.

Go for it! As long as the baby is fully developed then there shouldn't be any reason for concern! Indcutions have become pretty popular and safe. I had to be induce after my water broke and my contractions didn't start. It didn't have any negative effects on me or the baby. I have also read that the medicine they induce you with is medicine that your body produces naturally when you go into labor without any help, so I say if you're ready go for it! Good luck!

I know this is totally gross but I have heard it works 100% of the time. Caster oil is the answer to your woes. And sex of course. But I tried sex and it didn't work but caster oil worked like a charm within 4 hours I went into labor. Good luck!!

I was induced with both of my kids and it was so hard. If you have never been induced I say be patient and let this baby grow. The doctors told me both of my babies were big for me but I did fine. All I can say is that if your doctor wants to induce you then be open to drugs and epidural works great. Trust me....you do not want to be induced if you can help it. It will be over soon enough. Hope that helps!

Hi M.,

I had a midwife with my son, she only delivered babies in the hospital and she wanted to induce me. But, I wanted to do things naturally. So what I did was I took caster oil, you can buy it at a natural health food store. I took four ounces of the oil with two ounces of Orange Juice. It is a safe alternitive rather than taking drugs, but still talk to your doctor if you like. I took the oil at 3:30 in the afternoon, by 7:30 I was contracting and by 6:13 am my son was born :) hope this helps.

How many weeks are you? I'm sure you don't need to be told that the long they stay in the bellies the better off they are! I was 5 days over with my daughter. My midwife stripped my membranes and gave me some black cohosh, which help to induce contractions. We did this twice, once in the morning and then again in the early afternoon. I delivered 4 hours later. I don't know if it would work for you since your first one was early and like I said I had a midwife. But good luck.

Hi M.-
It is very important to give your baby time. I know that you are ready and excited to see this little one but they will be here when they are ready. 7 pounds is not a big baby, infact the average baby is 7 pounds 7 ounces. Plus, your doctor could be way off on the estimate and your baby may really be much smaller. If I were you I would wait a little longer and discuss any discomfort that you are having with your doctor and see about being induced at the hospital after 38 weeks.
Good luck, don't do anything that you might regret later.

I dont have anything that worked for me, my kiddos were VERY stubborn, but I had friends take a couple of Natural things that helped & put them into labor right away, I do not want to post it because of people's reactions, but feel free to send me an email & I will tell you what they used & you can look them up ;)

L.

My mom was induced 4 times and then the doctor had to break her water for my sister to be born! I guess it all depends on when the baby is ready! Good luck!

Petocin worked for me twice - first time they ended up breaking my water and the second time it broke on it's own...once my water broke it wasn't long AT ALL.

Be patient and try to avoid induction if possible. I was induced at almost 42 weeks and the labor pain was very painful - I hear it is worse because of the drugs. I went for about 6 hours without pain medication and then couldn't take it any more. I went another 6 hours with a drip epidural and only dilated to 8 cm. At that point, the water had broken and there was evidence of merconium staining. We went a little longer, but ended up having an emergency c-section. It was disappointing, because the baby had been breach and was successfully turned, but he was healthy. He was big because he was 42 weeks - 9 lbs 2 oz. I wouldn't recommend the induction if you can avoid it.

I did try sex, walking a lot, drinking lots of water, and accupuncture to try inducing naturally, but nothing worked.

Good luck and be patient!

I say stay pregnant as long as possible and if your due date comes and goes have sex. But the key is having an orgasim, its contracts your uterus and that can help get things going. Your baby may not be 7 pounds, my friend was told her baby was nine and ended up being a little over 7. Hang in there and get some extra rest, enjoy this time because its going to get harder soon enough!!!

With my last, I had gestational diabetes and my doctor told me at 36 weeks that my son was at least 8 lbs. He didn't want to induce before 38 weeks, so I did everything I could (walking, sex, nipple stimulation, red raspberry leaf tea, etc.) except for what I considered dangerous (the cohash and castor oil) and nothing worked. My doctor kept putting off my induction, then when he scheduled it, I was pushed back because of the high volume of "natural" pregnancies. Finally, we induced two days late, and my son was 8lbs. 13oz. (Strangely, my first son came on his own 10 days early and 7lbs 1.4oz). I would not recommend actually inducing unless there is a medical reason for it. I would just keep telling yourself that it's only three weeks away - and I know that can seem like an eternity, but it's better to wait until the baby is ready to come. I'm due again this September, and I'm sure I'll feel the same as you around week 37, but have patience and spend the remaining time you have with your daughter who only has a few more weeks of being an "only child".

M.,
I really think you should wait to be induced. I am pregnant with my fourth child, the first two I induced, the third came naturally, except my doctor striped my membranes and I kept my husband on a 2 hour schedule. Some people may consider that inducing.
My first was a week early, my second was two weeks early and my third was one day early.
Anyway, with both of my inductions, one with cohosh and one with caster oil, my labors didn't progress very fast and I ended up having to have pit which sucks. With my second my lador completely stopped and the nurse told me I had to go home, then my doctor showed up and said we would induce. I was happy, but after letting it happen naturally, I am deffinatly going to do it again. I didn't think my babies were unhealthy when they were born but there was deffinatly a difference with my third, he seemed healthier, slept better, and wasn't as gassy. This could just be a difference in the babies, but I really felt like he was just ready to come.
I know this is not what you want to hear, I know how hard it is. I am really small and I get really big, so the last month is horrible. But it is so worth giving your baby that little extra time to grow and be healthy.
Also, with my first two I tried several things before something worked, it gets very discouraging. With my second my sister and I took castor oil at the same time, she was due a week after me, it worked for me, after several hours of dicomfort, and then stopped, and it didn't do anything for my sister except give her really bad dhiarea and cramps.
I really think you should wait a couple weeks then talk to your doctor about how you are feeling.

My first two babies were induced (not fun..pitocin sucks) and my 3rd came naturally (my best labor and delivery experience.) You can try having your Doctor strip your membranes and using a breast pump to stimulate the nipples to produce hormones to get you contracting... I tried that and my baby was born the next afternoon. But with a one year old at home enjoy the three weeks you have because my last babies are 18 months apart and it is hard.

When I had my son I was induced a week before my due date. My son was a little over 7 pounds and very healthy.

I walked into the hospital on my own power with a smile on my face ready to have my son. I was hooked up to the IV and then my doctor came in to check on me. He told the nurse to start the Potosin (?) and would be back in a minute to break my water.

About 5 minutes after he broke my water I started shaking like I was standing in the Rocky Mountains in a February blizzard.

My heart rate went up and the nurse went to get the doctor. I was one of those many woman out there who come down with Toxemia. I was very sick through the rest of the day and then for a couple of days afterwards as well. The doctor told me to have a epidural. After it was put in and working right, I literally slept through my contractions (about eight hours).

I was under a lot of undo stress in the last two weeks of my pregnancy so that was probably the cause.

I agree that Pitosin sucks but I was kind of glad that I was there at the hospital when everything started.

I wish you the best of luck! :)

I was induced with my daughter at 39 weeks. Doctors typically will not induce you before 39 weeks unless there is a medical reason to. I was induced because I had Gestational Diabetes and typically when you have that the baby is a bit larger, so they induce to make sure the baby doesn't get too big. My husband and I are currently trying to get pregnant with number 2 and I'm praying that I will not have to be induced again. It was the most awful thing I ever experienced. I would have much rather waited and gone naturally. First of all, it took them 2 1/2 days to even get me induced. (They say that has never happened to another patient of theirs, but it happened to me, so it could happen to anyone!) When they finally got me induced it was the worst pain EVER! They say the drugs from being induced make labor pains way worse, so with me, after being pumped full of 3 different inducing drugs, the labor was really really bad! I only had about 8 hours of actual labor before I had my epidural, but that was plenty. I would say talk to your doctor about it. If the doctor is concerned about the baby being too big for your body frame, they will probably just do a C-Section. Or, she could get you to have another ultrasound to measure the baby again. As you get a little closer to your due date, you could also ask your doctor to strip your membranes. Not exactly sure what it is they do, (I saw it in my What to Expect book on how to help induce natural labor if you were overdue). I had it done at 38 weeks, but it didn't help me. I know you want that baby out, but you need to wait until he/she is ready! Good luck!

I was 2 days overdue and I was so ready to have this baby and I had no desire to be induced. So we did hot spicy food, castor oil, and sex and our daughter was born the next day.

Good luck!

I can only tell you how I did it. With my first my water broke. Sex was the trick (during). My second was born because of jumping up and down and my water broke. Good Luck!!

I had all 3 of my babies induced and loved it. Being able to plan to have a sitter, to not have to worry about when, the whole 9 yards. I went into the hospital about 6am, and when the labor pains started they gave me the epidural, and I slept most of the time (between check ups) until the baby was born between 4-5 pm. It worked very well for all 3 of mine but every woman if different. If I remember correctly they don't induce until you are at least 38 weeks along though. Just make sure you talk to your Dr. and work out a plan that is best for you, your baby, and your body. Good luck in which ever method you choose;}

Are you sure you want the baby out that fast, with a 1 year-old? Enjoy the relative peace and quiet now!! But to answer your question, most doctors won't (and shouldn't) induce for no reason before 39 weeks. I was induced at 39 weeks and had a very good experience, but many times they have to give you Pitocin (a hormone) after breaking your water if it doesn't work, and sometimes the labor is more difficult from inducing than not. My advice is to let the baby come when s/he wants to...you probably will go into labor before 39 weeks anyway, given your first birth. And remember, lots of us gave birth to much bigger babies (mine was 8 lbs, 4 oz!) and made it through just fine. So don't worry--and let nature take care of this question for you!

Stay away from inducing if you can. I was induced with both my children- not by choice they just went to far past their due date. You can have excess bloating and feel very bizarre afterwards. Or maybe it just didn't mix well with my system. I just had alot of side effects that would of been nice to avoid. Start walking the more active you are the better.
Hope this helps, C.

Hi M.!

I recognize the feeling of impatience! I got enormous with both of my children, And last June my normally 105 pound frame was sporting 168 pounds in the disgustingly hot Colorado summer. I thought I was not going to make it, but as I was told, nobody ever stayed pregnant! ;) I had to be induced with my first child due to preeclampsia, and it was a harrowing experience. Those wonderful breaks between contractions never came. Just one on top of the other on top of the other. I actually ended up with a C-section after 14 hours of brutal contractions and no drugs. I would not reccomend that experience to the foulest of my enemies. Research has shown that the chances of having a C-section increase dramatically with Pitocin-induces births, so be careful what you wish for. In contrast, my second child's labor was hardly noticable. I was laughing with my family and had my 5 year old on my lap when I was 6 1/2 cm dilated. It is so hard to wait, but babies sometimes need a little bit more time to bake than we are happy with. Big babies don't necessarily mean a more difficult labor or delivery. Hang in there, and do the sex thing, as uncomfortable as that may be right now. Big babies also will sleep through the night sooner, and have fewer problems at birth!

I was induced with all 3 of my children and it was great! I was so afraid that my water would break and I wouldn't get to the hospital in time (with #2 I went from a 4 to a 10 in one hour and didn't get the epidural I was hoping for!) My doc had me wait until I was 39 weeks, but I know some docs are against it. Just ask and if he says he'll do it, go for it! Pitocin never seemed to slow me down much.

Good luck!

PS- I have a 1 1/2 year old and a 3 month old - enjoy these next few weeks!!!

Dear M.,

I remeber being in the same situation as you but I was only 20 with twins that were 15 months old and my last one on the way. I had my twins at 31 weeks and I had my third at 38 weeks. I just want to tell you waiting was hard. But it is the best thing you can do for that baby. You are doing good with the walking thing I did that, and sex as much as possible is really good cause that helps to loosen up everything, but make sure you have an oragasm cause that constricts the wall of the utarus and helps the contractions to start. hope this helps you and just hang in there.

T.