[lil-mama08]

I'm due this Friday and my doctor said that he wants to induce me if I haven't went ito labour before next Wednesday. So I am trying things to help get me to diale and go ito labour so I don't have to be induced. I'm trying spicy foods and walking a lot more, I bought some chamomile tea and I'm debating if I want to try it out. Is it safe to use it and will it work to help me dialte or anything?

[J_9]

Walking is the safest thing you can do to start labor naturally. How far along are you? If you are not past 40 weeks, I would not induce. Is this your first child?

[DoulaLC]

Is there a particular reason your doctor wants to induce labor next Wednesday if you have not gone on your own?

In most cases it is best to let baby come on their own time, so a medical induction should only be done for a true medical reason or, if were going to try a few things on your own, only when you are passed your due date and hoping to avoid a medical induction.

Nothing will work if your body isn't ready for labor to begin, even a medical induction will not go smoothly, but something's that you could try that would not be invasive, although most tend to work better at augmenting labor instead of trying to get labor going:

* the walking, as J_9 said
* accupressure points
* frequent intercourse
* nipple stimulation
* evening primrose oil

Have you had a recent pelvic exam and if so, did your doctor mention any changes to the cervix at this point? If you have a number of changes already, an induction whether medical or "natural" will have a better chance of helping.

[lil-mama08]

I'm 40 weeks in 2 days. The 6th is my due date but the doctor wants to induce me next wed if I don't go in because I'm going to have a big baby.. lol. And he doesn't want me to go any further then that or else I might have to have a c-section.

[J_9]

If you are going to have a "big baby" I would definitely request a pre-labor ultrasound to see if the baby is too big to pass through your pelvis. Many times big babies are delivered via c-section to prevent a serious complication called shoulder dystocia.

[Becca1025]

My doctor did a membrane sweep at my 38 week appointment. I was already 4cm 80% effaced. The doctor told me to take long well paced walks. She said those 25-30 minute strolls won't do much. After that I constantly walked. I went shopping for all our last minute things, cleaned the house, took my son to the park, stayed very active. The next day I still wasn't in labor, so I walked for an hour, took a 15 minute break, walked for another hour, took another 15 minute break, walked for about 45 minutes then had to stop to time my contractions. So walk walk walk walk and walk some more. At that appointment my doctor also suggested sex, but I told her that wasn't going to happen I was too uncomfortable. Maybe try that too?

[DoulaLC]

I agree, consider another ultrasound and find out just how big does your doctor consider to be too big.

If they are suspecting a good sized baby, pay attention to some of the choices you might make in labor. Use upright positions as much as possible and that are comfortable. Avoid staying lying in bed for long periods if you can. Think long and hard about an epidural as it can sometimes make it even more difficult for a baby to get into a good position... last thing you want with a good sized baby.

Avoid pushing in a reclined position or while lying down if you can. Hands and knees or a squat would be ideal for a suspected big baby to give birth in, however many doctors are not comfortable with this as it is simply not the norm of what they are used to.

Unless your pelvis is unusually narrow, and that is one of the things they check in your first pelvic exam in pregnancy, and/or baby is unusually large, you won't really know how big is too big unless you are given the opportunity to try. Your pelvis is not in a fixed state and neither is baby's skull and it is rare a woman will grow a baby truly too large for her to give birth to. Can it happen?. Sure it can, but most of the time, if a c-section becomes necessary, you can look back at choices in labor and pushing that might have played a possible role in that outcome.

[J_9]

Your pelvis is not in a fixed state and neither is baby's skull and it is rare a woman will grow a baby truly too large for her to give birth to. Can it happen?....Sure it can, but most of the time, if a c-section becomes necessary, you can look back at choices in labor and pushing that might have played a possible role in that outcome.

Doula, I agree with EVERYTHING you said except for the bolded part. We have had 4 shoulder dystocia's in the last 3 months, one which resulted in a very bad outcome.

Another position that I don't think you mentioned was on all fours, hands and knees can help the baby turn easier.

[MsMewiththat]

Oooh labor, walking is great recommendation. Also Castor Oil, wild ginger and red raspberry leaf, Clary Sage Oil, Cinnamon stick tea, Evening primrose oil and all the remedies listed above. Happy Baby to you!

[J_9]

Castor oil is not as recommended as it used to be. It tends to cause bowel movements and this is the same feeling you get when delivery is imminent. Some women have mistaken having a bowel movement and ended up delivering a baby outside of the hospital.

[MsMewiththat]

Interesting. I used Castor Oil, worked for me at 8 days over due.

[J_9]

Interesting. I used Castor Oil, worked for me at 8 days over due.

Oh, yeah, it works all right!! But I, for personal reasons, don't recommend it.

[DoulaLC]

Doula, I agree with EVERYTHING you said except for the bolded part. We have had 4 shoulder dystocia's in the last 3 months, one which resulted in a very bad outcome.

Another position that I don't think you mentioned was on all fours, hands and knees can help the baby turn easier.

Oh, I agree with you J_9, large babies do occur, most definitely, but they will not occur for most women, and when a baby is good sized, while the incidence of true shoulder dystocia does increase, the percentage of it happening is still quite small. True shoulder dystocia occurs with average sized babies as well, in fact most occurrences are in average sized babies since it is not necessarily the size of baby but their position during descent that can cause problems. A larger size can make it more difficult for the baby to descend in an optimal position hence the increased risk but most births of larger babies go just fine.

In the vast majority of cases, when a large baby is suspected there are a number of approaches that can and should be taken. This is why mother's positioning can be so important in any birth, but especially for a larger baby. Like you said, all fours is one of the best to utilize. Induction in a mother without any medical issues, such as diabetes, for a suspected big baby is not considered a true medical reason to induce though... doctors know this because the medical literature supports it.

Big baby, as well as going passed the due date, are two big factors for the increase in inductions in the last 10 years. It has become quite common place to tell pregnant women the suspected size of their baby at different stages in pregnancy. Unless there is a true concern over baby not developing as they should and being far too small, or truly being unusually large, it often just causes unnecessary worry for the mother and increases the likelihood of an induction being suggested. Part of the problem is that there is no definite way to determine baby's size or how big is too big for many women.

Due to liability factors, especially with the concern of shoulder dystocia, inductions are fairly common place these days when a baby is thought to have the potential of becoming "too big". It comes down to a judgement call on the doctor's part, since there is no way to know for sure which baby may have difficulty or not, the net will be cast over every mother to catch those few who might truly have difficulty. This way if something were to go wrong, the doctor would have done all they could have to be proactive in managing the birth in a way to minimize a possible poor outcome. One down side some people are concerned about is that fewer and fewer doctors and midwives will have experience in dealing with these types of situations when they do come up. This is what happened with breech births... not as many doctors and midwives have a good deal of experience in the manuveurs used for a breech birth so the majority of breech births these days are automatic cesarean births.

Ultimately doctors and midwives obviously want healthy moms and babies, unfortunately outside influences can sometimes be a factor in the decisions they make and I don't blame them. It's just sad that many women these days have that seed of doubt and/or fear planted in their ability to give birth. Some mothers and families do speak up and question their doctor, insist on being informed, will even say no to the use of certain interventions when they feel there is not a clear medical necessity for their use, but most families are not comfortable with doing that. The "what ifs" can be quite overwhelming for many and I can fully understand that.

[J_9]

Doula, you know I liked you from the start and still do. I still learn a lot from you. I would love to meet you face-to-face to learn what you know. I have spoken to my doctor about NOT starting pit unless the case calls for it, and he has let me make it my decision.

Now, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but my recent patient told me that the doctor told her that her baby was 2 pounds overweight. This raised a red flag to me, but not to the nurse who assumed care after I clocked out. It was brought to her attention and, apparently, there was a bad outcome. Apparently McRoberts Maneuvers were used as well as supra pubic pressure, but that, unfortunately did not help, and not enough time to get her up on all 4s.

You have to understand that where I work is a very rural hospital in the deep south. The majority of our patients have little, if any, prenatal care. I think that is why I dwell on the "what if's" because I don't have prenatal records to go by. So I must always plan for the worst and hope for the best.

[DoulaLC]

Doula, you know I liked you from the start and still do. I still learn a lot from you. I would love to meet you face-to-face to learn what you know. I have spoken to my doctor about NOT starting pit unless the case calls for it, and he has let me make it my decision.

Now, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but my recent patient told me that the doctor told her that her baby was 2 pounds overweight. This raised a red flag to me, but not to the nurse who assumed care after I clocked out. It was brought to her attention and, apparently, there was a bad outcome. Apparently McRoberts Maneuvers were used as well as supra pubic pressure, but that, unfortunately did not help, and not enough time to get her up on all 4s.

You have to understand that where I work is a very rural hospital in the deep south. The majority of our patients have little, if any, prenatal care. I think that is why I dwell on the "what if's" because I don't have prenatal records to go by. So I must always plan for the worst and hope for the best.

I fully appreciate that... differences in how things are managed will be great depending on a good many factors. Nurses, doctors, and midwives are trained for the what ifs and that is what parents expect from them.

It is unfortunate the other nurse didn't anticipate the possibility of a problem and proceed in a way that would minimize the potential for a difficult birth (perhaps she did, I don't know), but all fours, for example, would have been a good position during the labor itself. Waiting until a problem was evident was too late.

It is interesting to hear how things are done in different places... even more so when you look at different countries. I've learned a lot over the years from what I have heard and witnessed with others... seems the more I learn, the more I realise there is to know... :)

[lil-mama08]

Haha nah I don't think I'm going to use caster oil.. I don't feeling like tin for days.. haha. Well doc said he's going to prob be 8 -81/2 pounds.. a large baby but not monster