At my 40 week appointment today I was told that I am 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced (At 36 weeks I was 2 cm dilated and 75%). My doctor stripped my membranes again (She did this last week as well. Last week after she did this I had random contractions for 3 days and then they went away). She asked me what my feelings were on induction and after talking about it for a few minutes she scheduled me to go to Labor and Delivery at 6am Monday morning to have my water broken. She said that she really doesn't think I will make it till then... But then again she is also the one who told me when I was 36 weeks along "I don't think you will make it to your due date, but I hope you make it to 38 weeks"... So I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. I have a Bishop score of 10, and according to the chart thing people with a score of 0-3 have a 13.7% chance of the induction failing and people above 3 have a 0.7% chance of the induction failing... So my chances of the induction failing are really low.
Anyways, I just wanted to hear some positive induction stories. So go ahead and share :)
Sex, walking, and nipple stimulation are the only 3 things that I know of that have helped myself and friends finally go into labor in the 40-42nd week .... Do all 3, haha. Holding out for it to start on it's own is the best policy unless the baby is being compromised. I remember thinking "Please, someone come rip this thing out of my guts!" lots of times in the last week before I finally started labor.
I was induced with all 3 of my kids and I LOVED it!! My kids are now 7, 3, and 5mos. They were all great experiences! The pitocin can be a bit rough when they first hook it up. I know it made me really nauseous at first, but eventually it wore off. All 3 times I was also not in active labor. I was only dilated at 1 & 2, with no contractions of my own, so I pretty much went in with no head-start! I was given the pitocin, then had my water broken. When they break your water, it is def. uncomfortable, but not painful! My first labor lasted about 10 hours (but I had other non-related complications), my second was about 6 hours, and my third only lasted 3 hours!! I was induced with my first because I wasn't progressing on my own. But, with my other 2 kids I had the option of waiting for nature to take its course, or to be induced again. Evey time, without hesitation, I chose to be induced. The only thing I didn't like about being induced was knowing the birthdate of the baby, with no surpise in that aspect. But, all in all, I loved my experiences!
If you would like to hear more from me, feel free to message me! I had such wonderful experiences, that I am always sharing my stories!
Good luck and congrats on your baby!
J.
I had my membranes stripped with my son 3 days before my due date and i actually had him on my due date. i went in to get induced with my daughter on my due date with her and they broke my water and checked to see how far i was dilated and that put me into labor on my own. I will say the second time around was more painful than going naturally but i had an epidural with both and that helped tremendously. If you had your membranes stripped again and are 40 weeks the odds of you making it to monday are slim. Do a lot of walking and i bet you go naturally with in the next couple days! Good luck and congratulations!!
Please realize that if you're healthy & the baby is healthy, there is absolutely nothing wrong with letting nature take it's course--meaning, letting your body go into labor on it's own. A normal pregnancy can last up to _42 weeks_ with no problems for mom or baby.
If you don't feel comfortable being induced, then don't agree to it. The doctor can bully, but cannot force you to do it.
If you agree to be induced, have them use the lowest dose of pitocin possible, and once you've established a regular pattern of contractions, ask them to turn it off (or down).
Good luck and a safe delivery and good health to you and the baby.
Hi there. If I were you I'd let nature take it's course.
At 3 cm, breaking your water MIGHT push you into labor, but like a previous poster said, once your waters are broken there is no going back. I think she is wrong in saying you have 4 hours to deliver, but there is a timeline at a hospital (infection can set in), and they will then be forced to give you pitocin to get labor going if it doesn't start naturally. So you have to be willing to accept that path.
My old midwife tried to pull the same line of logic with me when I was 40 wks and 5 cm dilated. She kept encouraging me to get induced since I was so "ready", but I resisted and had a healthy baby boy at 40 weeks 2 days :)
K
I had my membranes stripped with both my sons. The first time, I went into labor immediately and had him 14 hrs after. The second time, I had contractions for 2 days then had my son.
Good LUCK!!!!! :)
My cousin-in-law was dilated to 4 and about 90% effaced a few days after her due date. She opted to go to the hospital to have her water broken that day, and she had her baby a few hours (4-5) later. It was her second child, her first labor was short (like 9 hours), so they were a little worried about finding childcare for her older child, and getting to the hospital on time if they waited (it was a holiday that weekend, folks were going to be gone, etc.). Everything worked great for her, she had a natural waterbirth and baby was perfect.
J.
