Induction scare tactics
I'll stick this under a cut because, well it was upsetting to me, and I am pretty chill about most things.
So according to my scan yesterday I was ten days overdue. I dispute this because according to my LMP I was 6 days over, but anyway, background first.
Last week on Tuesday I went to the hospital for non stress tests (NST) to make sure everything was okay because I was (possibly) over / at forty weeks. As my midwife has been very calm I agreed to this, and I thought it would be nice to see scan of the baby anyway.
Everything was fine, baby was moving, it's a boy, he was practicing breathing, water levels fine, all the stuff you would expect to see.
We had a brief conversation about induction where I said that I wasn't prepared to be induced until I had gotten to the end of 42 weeks, especially because I thought the scan date was a few days off (basically there are only a couple of days we could have conceived because we were staying in single beds at my husbands grandparents house, and my periods are regular. blah blah 42 weeks didn't seem that bad to me, I was prepared to go to it.)
Jump to this week. I was scheduled for another NST / scan at the hospital. Fine, I went in, went on the monitor, everything looked fine, everything seemed fine. I had a couple of BH contractions, the baby's heartbeat was fine, everything was fine.
Until I went for the scan. The doctor said "so we are here to talk about your induction."
Where upon I said "no, I've disputed that date, my midwife isn't here, and I am not prepared to be induced before my 42 weeks are up."
And I was told that "well you can't pick your date! You can't just decided what day you will be induced, we don't have any spaces anyway for three days, you should have booked an induction before now."
Right, I said again that I wasn't here to discuss induction, yet, just for a scan to check fluid levels and the baby's heartbeat. Whereupon my doctor told me that "after 42 weeks the chances of still birth are unacceptable to doctors at least and she was putting on my chart that I had been informed of this."
Right. This took me aback. I said that I never said I wouldn't be induced, just that I wanted to have all chances to have this baby naturally, including spontaneous labour. Then she said "stillbirth is a risk from this point on. The placenta can fail and then stillbirth will be a primary concern. You can't have an induction this week, but since you have decided not to schedule an induction, stillbirth is what you should be concerned about. You may be able to get an induction, but they booked in advance, and its too late to get you one."
I really really wish I was exaggerating about how often she said the words stillbirth.
Anyway, because at this point all I had in my mind was 'talk to your midwife first, don't agree to anything, talk to your midwife" then the doctor said I could have a scan if I consented to an internal. I haven't had one during pregnancy because they don't really do them here as a matter of course and my midwife doesn't think they can tell much unless you are in labour and even then the way the mother feels is more important.
I consented to the internal, got my scan the baby is fine fine fine, the fluid levels have improved since last week (last week I was a bit dehydrated) and everything is, you guessed it fine.
My husband left the room and the doctor said she wanted to do a stretch if I was "ripe" enough for it to work. I asked if she could do the internal and then we could discus it. NOPE. She doesn't do that, you can agree now and you don't get a second shot. So I agreed. I was prepared to let my midwife do that, it's something we had discussed.
Anyway I am not even in the ballpark of being dilated, I'm not even in the same country at this point. But my cervix is 'soft'.
So I asked given that how likely an induction would be to work, given that I nave nothing going on up there. And how could I even book an appointment for an induction without my midwife?" And I was told "that there was no spaces for an induction, that my choices had clearly already been made and the best I could get was another appointment on Friday which hopefully wouldn't show any failing of the placenta which was a good sign of" we know the word thats coming, "stillbirth."
Then she said "never mind if the induction fails we can still prevent still birth by c-section, not that one can be scheduled for you at this point." Right, so I booked another appointment for Friday which is when I will be 42 weeks exactly (by my scan) which fortunately my midwife will be there for, and then I will have to decide about induction.
And about then I pretty much dissolved into a flood of tears and was the weirdo hiding behind her sunglasses walking across the hospital to the car park. I spoke to my midwife who managed to calm me down, said that the meeting was never, never, never, supposed to be about booking a induction and that it wouldn't work because I'm not dilated and that stillbirth was a ridiculous thing to bring up.
So, anyway now I do get to go to 42 weeks plus with this pregnancy at least because I guess I don't deserve an induction at this point. Right, so after the worlds nicest pregnancy (heartburn being the worst thing up until now) I got the worlds shittiest doctors visit and still no idea why 42 weeks is any worse for my kid than 41 weeks five days.
So anyone else managed to make it to 42 weeks without having their placenta fail and the inevitable after that? I was feeling quite good about things up until that appointment, I have always jut assumed he would come when he came and patience was a virtue that would serve me well. If a pregnancy can be from 37-42 weeks some of us have to be on the far edge of the bell curve right? Anyone gone 42 plus?
So according to my scan yesterday I was ten days overdue. I dispute this because according to my LMP I was 6 days over, but anyway, background first.
Last week on Tuesday I went to the hospital for non stress tests (NST) to make sure everything was okay because I was (possibly) over / at forty weeks. As my midwife has been very calm I agreed to this, and I thought it would be nice to see scan of the baby anyway.
Everything was fine, baby was moving, it's a boy, he was practicing breathing, water levels fine, all the stuff you would expect to see.
We had a brief conversation about induction where I said that I wasn't prepared to be induced until I had gotten to the end of 42 weeks, especially because I thought the scan date was a few days off (basically there are only a couple of days we could have conceived because we were staying in single beds at my husbands grandparents house, and my periods are regular. blah blah 42 weeks didn't seem that bad to me, I was prepared to go to it.)
Jump to this week. I was scheduled for another NST / scan at the hospital. Fine, I went in, went on the monitor, everything looked fine, everything seemed fine. I had a couple of BH contractions, the baby's heartbeat was fine, everything was fine.
Until I went for the scan. The doctor said "so we are here to talk about your induction."
Where upon I said "no, I've disputed that date, my midwife isn't here, and I am not prepared to be induced before my 42 weeks are up."
And I was told that "well you can't pick your date! You can't just decided what day you will be induced, we don't have any spaces anyway for three days, you should have booked an induction before now."
Right, I said again that I wasn't here to discuss induction, yet, just for a scan to check fluid levels and the baby's heartbeat. Whereupon my doctor told me that "after 42 weeks the chances of still birth are unacceptable to doctors at least and she was putting on my chart that I had been informed of this."
Right. This took me aback. I said that I never said I wouldn't be induced, just that I wanted to have all chances to have this baby naturally, including spontaneous labour. Then she said "stillbirth is a risk from this point on. The placenta can fail and then stillbirth will be a primary concern. You can't have an induction this week, but since you have decided not to schedule an induction, stillbirth is what you should be concerned about. You may be able to get an induction, but they booked in advance, and its too late to get you one."
I really really wish I was exaggerating about how often she said the words stillbirth.
Anyway, because at this point all I had in my mind was 'talk to your midwife first, don't agree to anything, talk to your midwife" then the doctor said I could have a scan if I consented to an internal. I haven't had one during pregnancy because they don't really do them here as a matter of course and my midwife doesn't think they can tell much unless you are in labour and even then the way the mother feels is more important.
I consented to the internal, got my scan the baby is fine fine fine, the fluid levels have improved since last week (last week I was a bit dehydrated) and everything is, you guessed it fine.
My husband left the room and the doctor said she wanted to do a stretch if I was "ripe" enough for it to work. I asked if she could do the internal and then we could discus it. NOPE. She doesn't do that, you can agree now and you don't get a second shot. So I agreed. I was prepared to let my midwife do that, it's something we had discussed.
Anyway I am not even in the ballpark of being dilated, I'm not even in the same country at this point. But my cervix is 'soft'.
So I asked given that how likely an induction would be to work, given that I nave nothing going on up there. And how could I even book an appointment for an induction without my midwife?" And I was told "that there was no spaces for an induction, that my choices had clearly already been made and the best I could get was another appointment on Friday which hopefully wouldn't show any failing of the placenta which was a good sign of" we know the word thats coming, "stillbirth."
Then she said "never mind if the induction fails we can still prevent still birth by c-section, not that one can be scheduled for you at this point." Right, so I booked another appointment for Friday which is when I will be 42 weeks exactly (by my scan) which fortunately my midwife will be there for, and then I will have to decide about induction.
And about then I pretty much dissolved into a flood of tears and was the weirdo hiding behind her sunglasses walking across the hospital to the car park. I spoke to my midwife who managed to calm me down, said that the meeting was never, never, never, supposed to be about booking a induction and that it wouldn't work because I'm not dilated and that stillbirth was a ridiculous thing to bring up.
So, anyway now I do get to go to 42 weeks plus with this pregnancy at least because I guess I don't deserve an induction at this point. Right, so after the worlds nicest pregnancy (heartburn being the worst thing up until now) I got the worlds shittiest doctors visit and still no idea why 42 weeks is any worse for my kid than 41 weeks five days.
So anyone else managed to make it to 42 weeks without having their placenta fail and the inevitable after that? I was feeling quite good about things up until that appointment, I have always jut assumed he would come when he came and patience was a virtue that would serve me well. If a pregnancy can be from 37-42 weeks some of us have to be on the far edge of the bell curve right? Anyone gone 42 plus?