Induction, part 2: A change in mindset

I headed in to my 41-week appointment with Littles prepared to set an induction date. I wasn't prepared for how upset that would make me.

The appointment was with Dr. S. He and I had never really "clicked," and our relationship certainly didn't improve as my pregnancy progressed. By this point, I had the on-call schedule memorized and was actively hoping not to go into labor on the days he was on-call.

He did all the usual appointment stuff, as well as a cervix check to assess my "progress," and a non-stress test (NST) and biophysical profile (BPP) -- two common forms of monitoring for overdue women. Then, at the end, he announced that the baby needed to be born by 42 weeks, so I needed to get an induction date set. He also said that I had an "unfavorable cervix," so I would need to come in the night before (i.e. no later than 41 weeks 6 days) for cervical ripening prior to Pitocin.

I left the appointment in tears. Dr. S had not seemed real open to questions. For example, when I asked him whether I'd get Cervidil or Cytotec for cervical ripening, he stared at me in surprise for a moment before answering -- like he wasn't used to answering questions like that.

But I had lots more questions running through my head: Would I need continuous fetal monitoring? Would that mean I'd be stuck in bed? Since I had to come in the night before, would I get breakfast in the morning, or would I be expected to labor the entire time with no food at all? And perhaps the most important questions: Could I do this without an epidural, as I had planned all along? Did I have a decent chance of delivering vaginally, or would I likely end up with a c-section?

I pretty much cried for three days straight. My husband was upset at seeing me so upset. He encouraged me to call and schedule another appointment, with Dr. K, who would be the OB on call during my induction. (That was one benefit to being induced: I was able to choose to deliver with Dr. K, rather than Dr. S, or one of the other four doctors in the practice, none of whom I'd met before.)

They squeezed me into Dr. K's schedule on Friday morning, 41 weeks 3 days. Dr. K ran me through the same tests that Dr. S had done earlier in the week, but she seemed much more relaxed, and it made me more relaxed. Rather than rushing through the ultrasound for the BPP, as Dr. S had done, Dr. K took her time to explain what she was looking at and why it was important. Later, I asked her the Cervidil vs. Cytotec question again, and she took it completely in stride, spending a few minutes explaining what she planned to do and why. I was able to open up and get all my other questions answered to my satisfaction.

My induction date didn't change as a result of that appointment. My mindset, however, changed drastically: I felt 100% comfortable with what was happening. I still wasn't thrilled about it, but I had come to terms with it, and became determined to make the best of it.

I hope every woman facing induction can have a similarly productive conversation with her provider -- especially if she wants a pain med free birth. If you're one of those women, and you're wondering how to kick off that conversation, stay tuned for my next post...