Is there a safe way to induce labor at home?

At my 38 week appointment yesterday I was 1cm dilated and 90% effaced. My blood pressure has been high on and off throughout my pregnancy and now my doctor is starting to talk about inducing labor. I have another appointment tomorrow morning and he will likely schedule the induction.

I understand that it could be SO much worse than an induction and I am willing to have it if necessary, but I would prefer to avoid it as I feel natural labor is less stressful for the baby than forced medical induction.
So, have any of you have an luck with any “natural” ways to induce? Like sex, nipple stimulation, walking, etc?
Thanks for any information.

A question for moms who have been induced…?

So I am 40 weeks 1 day pregnant with my first. I have not dilated or effaced AT ALL, and I have not had ONE contraction. The baby has come down, and my doctor can feel his head, but that is all. My birth plan, since before we conceived, has always been to give birth at what is called ‘The Alternative Birthing Center’. It is basically all of the good things of a home birth, only it is at a hospital. So if, god forbid, anything were to go wrong the baby would be safe, but I would not be hooked up to monitors or IVs, I would be able to walk around, labor in the shower, tub, push in any position that I want. Bottom line, very little, if any, medical interventions are used at the birthing center. It is completely 100% natural. At this point I am nervous that I will not go into labor by myself and will have to be induced. This means I will no longer qualify to give birth at the birthing center, which I am okay with, as long as my son comes out healthy and happy.

My problem is I have done TONS of research on natural child birth, and know pretty much all I can know about it, with out actually being a doctor of course. I have not, however, looked into modern birth practices, which I will be doing that after posting this question. I was hoping to read the induction stories of other moms. I just have never seen pregnancy and birth as a medical condition needing a medical procedure, and it all scares me.

My question is for moms who have been induced (I have quite a few…):

– Were you able to labor with out any pain medication?
– If you did end up needing an epidural did it slow your labor tremendously?
– Did you end up with a c-section?
– Were you still able to successfully breastfeed?
– Just any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so very much for your help.
Thank you everyone! All of your answers and advice are stellar! I don’t want to have to choose best answer :o( I have done a bit more research, and I do feel better now. I also think that due to my long cycles, yeah 33 days on average, that really my due date should probably have been this Friday (April 16th) and NOT this past Monday (April 12). So, we are feeling good, and hubby is takin’ me out to dinner tonight, woohoo! Thank you again so very much!!!

Should I just go for the C-section?

I know this is really only something I and my OB can decide but I would like some opinions. I really wanted to go all natural but I don’t know if it is even worth trying.

Reasons:
This is my second child. My first was born at 21 weeks gestation and died shortly after birth due to placental abruption.
They will not have me go past about 36 weeks so as to not put any additional pressure on my placenta.This means induction which %40 of all inductions end in c-sectons anyway.
This baby also has a umbilical cord that is attached to the side of the placenta instead of the middle so he will likely be growth restricted and lower in birth weight.

I have read that usually they let you try to labor normally but if the baby shows sings of distress than they do a c-section. The baby can have trouble getting enough oxygen and in rare cases the umbilical cord can pull away from the placenta during labor leaving him without any oxygen until they can rush the c-section. But now I am thinking I don’t even want to risk having problems when laboring. I am thinking I am just going to ask for a planned c-section. We do want more kids but after what we have been through we care more about getting through this pregnancy than worrying about the future and how c-sections effect future pregnancies. What is your opinion?
My pregnancy is considered high risk and I am currently seeing a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist. She is generally not one to push the c-section and she said I do not HAVE to go early if I insists on going longer we can do that but I have already held one child as he took his last breath…. I can’t do that again. I am going to do what they recommend and let them take this baby early. March of Dimes had done a study that shows before 36 weeks there are more risks and problem but as of right now there are no known long term risks of problems for those infants born after 36 weeks. My doctor really hasn’t even suggested a c-section as of yet but I just am trying to decide if I just want to ask for one.

OBGYN trying to convince me to have a c-section. Not as cut and dry as you’d think…?

Without getting to into detail, I’m 38.5 weeks. I see a midwife, but since I am doing a VBAC it’s policy to meet with an OBGYN at 38 weeks to make sure the VBAC is still the plan. That is the only time this OBGYN is seen.

At that appointment, the OBGYN stressed many times that if I make it to 40 weeks and haven’t gone into labour, that I would need to meet with an OB again to schedule a c-section.

I’m quite annoyed by this. I am having a healthy pregnancy, the baby is healthy. I had a c-section last time because the baby was stuck at 9cms for 2 hours through no fault except the epidural (because I couldn’t get up and walk around or get into different positions).

The hospital I’m delivering at is VBAC friendly, but yeesh, once you get to 40 weeks it’s like they view you as a time bomb. Why is that? Why are doctors so eager to bully women into repeat c-sections if there are no issues with health with you or the baby? What makes 40 weeks the sudden “magical number” when you’ve had a c-section when any other woman will be left alone until 42 weeks?

I just want to go into labour naturally. Everything natural was taken away from me with my previous labour, right straight from the induction to delivery. And this time around, I can’t be induced. So…Why don`t they just allow a natural trial of labour instead of poking their noses into things?

My scar has healed perfectly inside and out. I’m an excellent candidate for a VBAC. So if I’m a perfect candidate UP TO 40 weeks, should I not be just as good after 40 weeks, too Like, seriously, what changes?

Also, the region I live in within Canada does not allow me to find another obstetrician. There are 4 OBs in my area that work on a rotational basis, so I get to see who I get to see. It’s pretty horrible.
Ehh…they say inducing after a previous c-section increases the risk of uterine rupture. They certainly would not use the cervical gel again like last time since you can’t control it, but I have been hearing conflicting arguments on pitocin. Some say a very small dose is okay, some say NO WAY at all. There’s another method which they don’t like to discuss called the Foley catheter. Not sure if you’re familiar, but it’s essentially a balloon that they put in your cervix and slowly fill with saline to artificially force your cervix to dilate…until it gets the message that it should be dilating on its own. But…yeah. every day is stressful watching out for labour because I *really* don’t want to get into an argument over my delivery with anyone, much less a doctor.
C-sections should only be used for necessary emergencies, and not out of convenience! Even if the baby does get “large”, that is no reason to not allow a trial of labour. As long as the baby is fine and the mom is fine, what’s the harm being done?

The midwife, unfortunately, doesn’t have a leg to stand on. I’m being told that after 40 weeks, care is automatically transferred to some random OBGYN and the midwife will have no further dealings with me, except for post partum care. She thinks it’s crazy, too, but I’m basically going to be left fighting a battle alone.
Lori: do you live in a rural area in Canada? 1 hour away from me, in the nearest city, you have the option of looking for another OBGYN if you’re unsatisfied. NOT in my region, like I said. If I want to dive an hour away for my delivery (not happening), then sure, I can choose whoever I want. But throughout Canada, it varies. so really, just because you’re a nurse does not make you the authority on what is standard procedure in one jurisdiction over another.