Is it wrong to want induction?

[hillary8l8]

At my appointment on Wednesday, my midwife offered me the choice of having an induction next week (at 39+ weeks), or waiting to go into labor on my own. My due date is Labor Day, so I am apprehensive about waiting through that weekend plus the holiday, so I was leaning toward requesting an induction next week. The induction conversation came up on another pregnancy forum, and everyone is so critical of induction and they say some pretty harsh things regarding it being selfish and such unless it is ABSOLUTELY medically necessary. Granted, I am stable on my meds right now, but they didn't do any bloodwork this past week, and my dip was trace when it was negative before. I just really don't want to push it, but now I feel guilty like I'm being selfish for wanting and induction. Just wondering how everyone else feels about his topic.

[marilyn621]

People can say and think whatever they want. It's your body and your baby. If the baby is born healthy, that's all that matters. Personally when my blood pressure is high I feel terrible and am not capable of fulfilling my obligations to my family the way I feel I should. So I can completely understand wanting to induce. It's your decision.

[Shannonlynn]

I don't know about it being selfish. I totally understand your apprehension about waiting until your due date, especially having it fall on a weekend (holiday to boot). I got lucky the weekend I gave birth. I had really great nurses. When I had PE and lost my son,Fritzy, it was on a weekend, and the nurses were horrible. I was scheduled to have an induction August 15th, but my Gavin came August 4th. The only reason I didn't want to is because it can take so long. Maybe schedule it and do like I did, pray and ask the baby to please come on its own. I asked him to come week 38, he came 37+4. Do what feels right, schedule and prepare. ((HUGS))

[caryn]

For chronics induction at 37 weeks plus is often medically indicated. If you were a mild gestational hypertensive it would be: http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewt ... 19&t=44954

And since mild GH and chronic htn are indistinguishable clinically at the moment, there is some confusion about whether or not this recommendation applies to chronics. Since chronics who develop PE get unstable rapidly, many care providers treat chronics like mild GH, with induction at 37 weeks. As I understand it the trial did not separate the two populations because there is no way to do this. The maternal complications prevented by induction might well be occurring in chronics not in mild gestational hypertensives!

Put another way: neither you nor your doc know if you count as a chronic or a mild gestational hypertensive right now. If you were a gestational hypertensive, you would have been induced 2 weeks ago. I think you've already pushed things quite far enough, but chronics in labor at term scare me. However, I am no doc.

The HYPITAT trial is another resource: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance ... 40-6736(09)60736-4/abstract#

[mom29]

It is not selfish to want to avoid getting sick. Avoiding a dangerous pregnancy complication is a smart thing to do.

You are already on meds. and at a higher risk to get pre-eclampsia so that makes your situation different from someone who is not experiencing any complications. If you induce before you become sick with pre-eclampsia you can avoid the dreaded mag. and actually be coherent and alert during your labor.

[catrinasweetie]

I personally did not want an induction this pregnancy.. I've said from the beginning I just want to go into labor naturally. All that has changed with the high blood pressures and feeling terrible all the time! I an now 35 w 5 d and would like nothing more than to have this baby. I hate feeling like I do with the high blood pressures and swelling and headaches, etc.. so no, personally I think it's smarter to induce than go any longer just waiting for something bad to happen! Just my input... good for you whatever you decide to do! It's your baby and your body!

[princesspurr]

I would to, I had my daughter very early, and if I get pregnant again and make it to 37 weeks I would want to have my c-section right away. I would consider anything after 26 weeks a gift for me and just wouldn't want to risk it. It is your body and your baby, do what your heart tells you to do. Congrats and good luck!