Doctor wants to induce at 39 weeks

J

joyofliving

Registered User
Hi everyone,
I really need advice on this. Went for doctor's check up today at 37+ weeks and the doctor said he would induce me a 39 weeks if I didn't go into labour naturally by then. At the check up last week the estimated weight of the baby was around 7 pounds, so he said the baby is big (I don't think so myself). My daughter was born 7.3 pounds at 41 weeks after I was induced.
Should I go with what the doctor says? Is he saying this to fit me in his schedule?
Thanks in advance :smile:
 
Hi. I would refuse to be induced at 39 weeks unless there is a good medical reason e.g. something wrong with the baby which means they want it out. If they gave no reason then you should ask at your next appointment why they want to do an induction. They shouldn't induce just for the size of the baby (and you are right 7lbs is not big). They told me my baby was getting close to 9lbs and induced me at 39 weeks and he turned out to be 7lbs 13ozs! I am pregnant again and will only be induced this time if I'm overdue or have some other medical issue. Good luck.
 
I agree with newbiekt. Ask your doctor why they want to induce you. Always ask why. Also the weight is just an estimate and not always accurate. The decision is always yours. Don't give away that power. I was just over 40 weeks and my baby was 7lbs 7oz and ended up asking for an inducement because a very prolonged labour. I don't know why your doctor would push you to induce though. Keep in mind that if you are induced and it takes too long, you have to get a caesarean.
 
I did ask him why he wants to induce at 39 weeks and he said it was because the baby is the right size and why prolong it any further.
 
A lot of people prefer inductions these days, it seems... a LOT of my friends are induced at 39 weeks, mainly because their reasoning is "if the baby is big/healthy enough, why wait?"

Personally, I'd refuse unless I had good reason to induce (medical reasons, or my husband had to travel for work or something) since generally an induced labour is a harder labour... But others like the "convenience" of knowing when their baby will be born and all...

One thing to remember though - generally a failed induction ends up being an emergency caesarian - which will be more stress on your body, and more higher risks/costs as well!! Although it may be unlikely, I think that you need to consider that before agreeing to an induction...

In my situation, my waters broke at 39 weeks and so the doctors insisted on inducing me 24 hrs after, when my contractions were still weak and irregular. I was very close to needing an emergency c - but the baby came at the last minute... My labour was hard - and being in the public hospital, I was restricted to being on my back in bed the entire time... NOT a great experience - although I do understand that it was necessary for medical reasons... (although that's debatable too...)
 
I completely agree with Nicolejoy. I was induced after 41 weeks and it ended in a failed induction and an emergency c-section after 24 hours of labour.

If it were me, I would want a medical reason, and not just that the baby is an average size, as it seems that the doctor is just trying to labour you to fit his/her schedule.
 
The right size of the baby is the size it is when it is born, not when some doctor decides it is.
I have NEVER heard of a doctor telling someone that they should get induced before 40 weeks for a reason like that. Sounds like he has holiday plans or something.
I know it`s probably too late to get a new doctor but he doesn`t sound right to me.
It sounds like your intuition is telling you to wait. Stick with your intuition. It`s your body, your baby, your family.
 
Hi
I was induced at 40.5 weeks.
I was induced at 8:30 a.m.
Baby came out at 4:25 p.m. No dramas.
It was my decision as the baby was getting too big and I was worried about post-recovery.
He came out 3.75 kg (8.3lbs) and I had two stitches or was it four - I can't recall. I did have one of the best OBGYN deliver my bub though. Baby did get stuck but he didn't cut me, he vacuumed the baby out instead. Wasn't pretty... he looked like a conehead. I was fine though :-)
While some may have a had a hard time, there are some who don't.
I didn't. But i must say that I would not have done it at 39 weeks.
I would wait until the official roasting time is up.
Cheers!
 
I know what you ladies are talking about as I experienced it first hand I was induced at 41 weeks with my daughter after 10 hours of labour not progressing even though my water broke naturally. She was born after another 9 hours including 3 hours of pushing with the help of vacuum. She suffered a lot and so did I. Don't want the same thing to repeat.
I have been reading that fetal weight estimation through ultrasound is inaccurate for average size babies.
 
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Hi Geomum
if there is no medical reason to induce then it is just interference in a normal pregnancy. Normal gestation is anywhere from 37-42 weeks. Scans can be inaccurate about the size of the baby. When the apple is ripe it will fall from the tree! no need to pluck it off too soon
 
I agree with others. HK deliveries seem to be a lot about convenience. A doctor has to weigh the benefits of delivering or waiting based on the medical conditions. My first was late, came naturally (9 days), and I was scheduled for induction at 42 weeks. She came at 41w2d. She was over 9lbs, and I had a long and hard labor, but did deliver her vaginally. I had an NST in the 40th week to see how the baby was behaving and whether the conditions in the womb were still favorable.

The same happened with the twins. I had NSTs at 36 and 37 weeks. I was induced at 38w2d, because after 38 weeks most doctors believe that the risks outweigh the benefits. I was also 4 1/2 cm dilated without going into labor. And they also measured large for gestational age (which is often wrong, especially with twins), and they were right (7lbs11oz and 7lbs10oz). At 6 am they started Pitocin, at 8 am they broke my water and gave me the epidural and they were born at 10.32 and 10.36 am.

I would request regular NSTs (in the US they start when you're getting close to term, and and somewhere after 30 weeks with multiples). A 7lbs baby is not a big baby, it's an average size baby, and more often than not, estimates are wrong.

Good luck!
 
Sorry but what kind of answer is that that your doctor gave you there! I would not agree to an induction unless there really is a medical reason. And a 7pound baby is not a medical reason but a normal sized newborn child; your baby is not too big! Go as long as the baby wants to stay and is ready to come out. I don't understand why they do this? Putting moms under pressure and forcing them into things they don't want. If you can go for a natural birth then go for it!
 
I agree with the above as well. The dr's reason for induction does not seem to be a very strong one. Also agree that weight predictions are often wrong. Both of mine were well out. The second one (born in Jan '10) was bigger than the estimate by 1 kilogram! 7 pounds does not sound like a big baby if that is one of the dr's reasons for pushing an induction. Drs do say induction pains are stronger than normal but if you are planning to have an epi then it is neither here nor there but my dr did say that there is a higher chance for intervention (ventouse/forceps) with an induction.

Good luck and stick to your guns.

SB2
 
I've been induced once for medical reasons and went into labour naturally once - both my kids were over 8lbs. The induction went well but the pain came very fast and hard, I would definitely prefer the natural route!

I would definitely push back with your doc.
 
I was induced at 39 weeks in Singapore, because I have a pre-existing condition (inter-uterine growth retardation) where my babies' growth trajectories actually slow down rather than accelerate during the last few weeks. The doctor was monitoring me twice a week and saw that the baby wasn't growing anymore, so it was safer to bring him out rather than to have him burn his accumulated fat reserves (what little of it) and wait for him to come "naturally".

My first was born by c-section at 37 weeks in Hong Kong. He didn't even give me the option of inducing and going natural. He rather indelicately suggested that I could end up with a still-born if I waited to go natural. Both my babies were born very small - ~2.5kg.

I agree with LeahH that labor ramps up pretty quickly and intensely with an induction. The anaethesiologist got the epidural in just in time, thank God, so overall I had a good experience with induction. I love the idea of going natural, but with IUGR, the risks seemed too high. Good luck!
 
It doesn't matter if the baby is the right size - it is obviously not ready to come out yet. I would wait for your baby to decide when its ready to come out.
 
Thanks everyone for all your replies, my little guy had plans of his own and came two days after I posted this thread. We were so not prepared for his arrival but are thrilled that he is here and everything went well :))
 
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