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Twatty Seahag
Dec 30, 2007
That sucks, I've heard that gallstones can be extremely painful. :( There are definitely some goon moms who have had them and hopefully they will chime in. Hope you're feeling better soon!

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hookerbot 5000
Dec 21, 2009
I had my gallbladder out a month ago after about 10 months of intermittant pain caused by gallstones. If it is any comfort I found labour easier to deal with on the pain scale (but everyone is different). On average it was probably about once a week in the middle of the night I'd get an attack and it was extreme pain radiating from back or side together with nausea and vomitting.

Like Helanna said if you can get keyhole surgery the recovery is pretty quick but I don't think they'll take it out while you're pregnant, probably just suggest diet tips to see if that makes a difference. I didn't notice a huge correlation between what I ate and when I got attacks but some people do.

Ben Davis
Apr 17, 2003

I'm as clumsy as I am beautiful
My doc said that he wanted to induce me at 39 weeks (I'm 32 now) because of my gestational diabetes. I know often inductions are recommended if the baby looks like it's getting absolutely huge, but if I control my diet well and he's not big, is that something that usually still gets pushed? Does the placenta degrade any faster because of the GDM? I feel like he mentioned this, but hell if I can remember it now.

Chickalicious
Apr 13, 2005

We are the ones we've been waiting for.

Ben Davis posted:

My doc said that he wanted to induce me at 39 weeks (I'm 32 now) because of my gestational diabetes. I know often inductions are recommended if the baby looks like it's getting absolutely huge, but if I control my diet well and he's not big, is that something that usually still gets pushed? Does the placenta degrade any faster because of the GDM? I feel like he mentioned this, but hell if I can remember it now.

Mine wanted to do the same at 38 weeks. I refused on the grounds that my sugar and diet were well controlled and the baby was only measuring very slightly ahead. I ended up inducing at 40w4d because my BP was too high, and still ended up with a c-section. He wasn't ready to come out and if the BP hadn't been an issue I would have waited the weekend at least. You get to make this choice. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

ETA: My baby was a very average 7lb 12oz even though the U/S I had the day before was estimating between 8.5 to 11 lbs.

Gravitee
Nov 20, 2003

I just put money in the Magic Fingers!
Good timing on the recent posts. I was just diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The resources I've found online have been pretty poor. I'm looking for meal plans and support groups so I know what to expect.

Crazy Old Clarice
Mar 5, 2007

Lefou, I'm afraid I've been eating... you.
I am getting close to making this decision myself, I am at 37weeks2days; and the kid is measuring about 38w6d (so a little ahead). We had a bit of a scare today where we thought the maybe the placenta was having problems, but it was just a false alarm. I plan on holding out to 40weeks if possible and only inducing if it seems like things are going badly.

I think you should keep in mind (and be open to the fact) that you might need to induce, but I wouldn't allow the doc to just make that decision as early as 32 weeks! There are so many things that can happen between now and then, and as you mentioned, if you keep your diet and blood sugar on control, it is very possible you could just go to 40 weeks.

Sarsaparilla
Feb 24, 2007

You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought.
My midwife hasn't even told me what 'size' my baby is measuring. She just keeps saying "Yep, normal!" "Everything is where it should be!" I've only gained about 12 pounds and I'm at 36 weeks now so I can't help but wonder if the baby is small? I haven't had an ultrasound since 18weeks for the quad testing.

It seems like everyone is having a lot of measurements and ultrasounds done! Am I missing something or should I be getting more thoroughly checked? Or is it only for high risk patients?

Also, anybody have any experience with fainting? I'm still waitressing and haven't been having any trouble at work on my feet for 5 hours but I was standing on the train on the way to work the other day, I flat out fainted - started with dizziness, nausea then my vision went black. I went into the doctor and they said it was probably something as simple as dehydration or low iron levels (I am on iron supplements).

hepscat
Jan 16, 2005

Avenging Nun
It's not totally off-base to suggest inducing a GD pregnancy. If you have GD and it's not controlled, the last 3 weeks can really affect the size of the baby. GD puts you at higher risk for pre-eclampsia and also placentas in diabetics are known for giving out if you go too far past term. Big babies run the risk of that shoulder dysplacement thing. Without scaring you too much, complications can happen in GD deliveries and that's where the push to induce is coming from; OBs feel like you can avoid some of these problems by getting baby out a little early and out of the problem zone.

I would suggest reading up on it as much as you can especially from sources like the Sansum Clinic or Joslin Center (as opposed to from the OB side of things) and see if that helps you find reading material.

Also, stay motivated about your blood sugars! You're at 32 weeks - it can still change as you get bigger and hormones fluctuate. Your diet and exercise will make the biggest difference. If you do start seeing high numbers on your monitor, get your doctor on the phone and don't be afraid to take insulin. It's only a short time and it might just be what gets you all the way to 40 weeks.

For anyone just diagnosed, find a nutritionist or diabetes educator if you can. Things will be so much easier on you that way. If that's not possible, try searching for "sample meal plan gestational diabetes". Generally breakfast is the hardest meal of the day because it's traditionally carb-heavy and blood sugars are often high in the morning (the "dawn phenomenon") so it's a double whammy.

General guidelines are smaller meals more frequently, lots of non-starchy vegetables, NO JUICE whatsoever, no obvious white carbs (bread, ice cream, white rice). Whole grains + protein + fat are your blood sugar friends. Exercise will help lower your blood sugar even hours afterwards, so if you're not walking or moving around, find something you can do.

Bodnoirbabe
Apr 30, 2007

Thanks for the responses. I was released earlier this evening after I was able to go two meals with no problems. I've been told to stay on a low-fat diet, which actually isn't going to be hard for me, as I was already doing that for the majority of my pregnancy. My real sadness is I wont be able to have any of the cake at my baby shower.

Anyhow, I'm now a bit scared to eat anything, so I'm just going to keep things simple and then add things in a little at a time. I really don't want to experience a flare up again. Seriously some of the worst pain of my life and I've suffered through broken bones and kidney infections. We'll see how labor lines up.

On the plus size, I got a really good idea of how the maternity ward of my hospital runs and a feel for the nurses that work it. I'm feeling more and more confidant that I will be in good hands delivering there, even though it's not my first choice.

Thanks again for the replies! If anyone else has more advice, please please reply and give it!

Mnemosyne
Jun 11, 2002

There's no safe way to put a cat in a paper bag!!
All this talk of gestational diabetes reminded me that last time I checked, they don't test for it until sometime like week 22? Anyone know why they wait so long to check? Does it not usually develop prior to that?

hepscat
Jan 16, 2005

Avenging Nun
Yes, it doesn't show up until late 2nd trimester. If they test too early, you might test negative and get it later, so that's not good.

right to bear karma
Feb 20, 2001

There's a Dr. Fist here to see you.

Bodnoirbabe posted:

Anyhow, I'm now a bit scared to eat anything, so I'm just going to keep things simple and then add things in a little at a time. I really don't want to experience a flare up again. Seriously some of the worst pain of my life and I've suffered through broken bones and kidney infections. We'll see how labor lines up.

I had year or so with periodic gallstones years ago that just stopped on its own, but as soon as I got pregnant, I began to get gallbladder attacks (fortunately, no huge or dire ones so far). Anyway, it has been a bit of trial-and-error finding what I could eat just as you're talking about, but I have also found that the timing of my meals helps a lot, too. Mostly in keeping them at the same time, with the same amount of time in between, and making sure I don't eat too close to bedtime (within, say, 3 to 4 hours or so, depending on what I ate and how much) or wind up taking a nap too soon after eating if I'm tired. Sometimes, if I feel one coming on, walking around a bit has helped me work through the pain. My OB just chalked up the issue to pregnancy sometimes exacerbating problems that were normally present in low amounts or otherwise had little potential. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.


(As an aside, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who responded to the post I made in this thread a while back. It was quite helpful and everyone's replies made me feel tons better. I apologize for not getting back to the thread sooner to convey how much I appreciated it.)

Ben Davis
Apr 17, 2003

I'm as clumsy as I am beautiful

Sarsaparilla posted:

It seems like everyone is having a lot of measurements and ultrasounds done! Am I missing something or should I be getting more thoroughly checked? Or is it only for high risk patients?
:) Don't worry about that. I had a hematoma and then the baby had a potential kidney issue and now I have the diabetes, so I don't think I've gone more than 3 weeks without an ultrasound, and often it's been every week.

Thanks for all the GDM encouragement! I'd rather be able to go into labor on my own and not have that caesarean risk, but I won't freak out if it needs to happen. I can't wait to meet the little guy! And luckily, I've never had a high blood sugar reading since I started testing, so it seems to be well-controlled so far.

Chicken McNobody
Aug 7, 2009
Am I nuts to think that I'd rather have a C-section than be induced? I don't know that I've ever heard an inducement story that didn't involve hours of agony and rather than go through all that (and probably give out and have a section anyway) I'd rather just schedule the section.

I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow. My blood pressure is inching up and my feet are swelling pretty badly, so the doctor had me collect 24 hours of my pee in a big jug (:sbahj: am I ever tired of looking at/dealing with my pee) and took a bunch of blood and tomorrow I guess I'll find out what all that meant. I don't have any of the other preeclampsia symptoms so hopefully that's not what it is. She did order an ultrasound just to be safe, because the baby looks big, and lo and behold he is estimated to be about 7lbs 3oz already, with a big ol' head. (full of hair :3:)

bamzilla
Jan 13, 2005

All butt since 2012.


^^ I wouldn't want to be induced unless my body was ready. My body and baby were ready and my induction went well. I was already 5cm dilated and having contractions. I was induced at 8am and started pushing around 6pm and the baby was born at 7pm. The labor was pretty easy being that I had an epidural.

Sarsaparilla posted:

My midwife hasn't even told me what 'size' my baby is measuring. She just keeps saying "Yep, normal!" "Everything is where it should be!" I've only gained about 12 pounds and I'm at 36 weeks now so I can't help but wonder if the baby is small? I haven't had an ultrasound since 18weeks for the quad testing.


I gained around 15lbs my entire pregnancy and my baby was 8lbs.

bamzilla fucked around with this message at 15:48 on Dec 20, 2011

Tesla Insanely Coil
Jul 23, 2006

Ask me why I'm not squatting.
Every pregnancy is different. I've gained over 30lbs at this point (38 weeks) and it's just enough to make my doctor happy and she's estimating the baby will be 7.5lbs if I deliver on time. I've been pretty healthy, so the last ultrasound I had was in August and they aren't going to give me anymore unless something is off.

And considering how off some of the estimates are, I'm not surprised that your midwife isn't giving one.

bamzilla
Jan 13, 2005

All butt since 2012.


Tesla Insanely Coil posted:

I've been pretty healthy, so the last ultrasound I had was in August and they aren't going to give me anymore unless something is off.


Yea, I anticipate one more ultrasound for this pregnancy for gender determination and that's it. Some OB practices are ultrasound happy, though. Most of the time if you're getting several ultrasounds it's due to a high risk pregnancy or special circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. In my case, I've already had 2 at only 2 months along due to surgery a couple of years ago on my ovary.

This time around I won't need ultrasounds throughout the entire pregnancy due to an 11cm cyst.

enitsirk
Jun 9, 2005
When people talk about measuring ahead, I think most of them are probably talking about their fundal height. My OB never measured my fundal height though.

Mnemosyne I don't think I had my 1 hour GD test until more like 28 weeks. If I remember correctly, there is actually some controversy over doing it that early (28 weeks) and then never retesting if you pass, because people could be getting negatives and then getting it later, like hepscat said.

I'd try to avoid an induction if possible, but I wouldn't go straight to a C-section. Inductions can go really well even if you aren't already in labor when you get induced. I'd want to try for a vaginal birth before going to major surgery.

Curious - I know it's normal to have just the big scan at the midway point and sometimes a dating scan, but if you aren't in an ultrasound happy practice do they ever do a quick scan to check if the baby is head down? Or does the doctor just figure that out but feeling externally? I had a couple extra ultrasounds, but it seems that my OB would typically do one when you found out you were pregnant for dating, one at the halfway point, and then one late in the pregnancy just to make sure the baby was in the proper position.

enitsirk fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Dec 20, 2011

Tesla Insanely Coil
Jul 23, 2006

Ask me why I'm not squatting.
Three weeks ago I had a cervical exam and the doctor said she was able to feel the baby's head. Before that, the doctor was able to poke around at my outsides and tell he had turned, but apparently you can't do that with every patient.

One thing I've read is that you need an ultrasound to accurately tell if the baby is in the posterior position or anterior position, but that doesn't really matter until you are in labor and most doctors don't do anything anyway. But poking at the outside apparently isn't very accurate.

After the cervical exam, the doctor said that I was 1.5cm dilated and 50% effaced so :toot: maybe the baby will come a little early. (Not likely, I know)

skeetied
Mar 10, 2011
My midwife always feels around first so she knows where to stick the doppler to check his heart rate. She's been pointing out the head and the butt to me (and then you can generally figure out where everything else is since he loves to stick his butt right against my side) since my 30 week appointment and said they feel quite different (one wiggles a lot more than the other when you grab it!).

Edit:

On the topic of GD (sort of), my blood sugar was a 75 after my one hour GTT (and after breakfast right before the GTT). Is it possible for it to be too low (that's about what my normal fasting level is non-pregnant)? I keep forgetting to ask my midwife.

skeetied fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Dec 20, 2011

Mnemosyne
Jun 11, 2002

There's no safe way to put a cat in a paper bag!!

Chicken McNobody posted:

Am I nuts to think that I'd rather have a C-section than be induced? I don't know that I've ever heard an inducement story that didn't involve hours of agony and rather than go through all that (and probably give out and have a section anyway) I'd rather just schedule the section.

I feel the same way and I thought it was probably crazy too. Something about the whole Pitocin idea just doesn't sit right with me. My choices at this point are down to either letting nature take it's course, or scheduling a C-section, with basically nothing in between. Of course, the hospital I'm going to deliver at has the highest C-section rate around here (between 45% and 70%, depending on whose numbers you're using), so delivering there is almost tantamount to choosing a C-section in the first place. A huge number of those C-sections are women who were induced and "failed to progress," so they moved on to C-section.

bamzilla
Jan 13, 2005

All butt since 2012.


Mnemosyne posted:

I feel the same way and I thought it was probably crazy too. Something about the whole Pitocin idea just doesn't sit right with me. My choices at this point are down to either letting nature take it's course, or scheduling a C-section, with basically nothing in between. Of course, the hospital I'm going to deliver at has the highest C-section rate around here (between 45% and 70%, depending on whose numbers you're using), so delivering there is almost tantamount to choosing a C-section in the first place. A huge number of those C-sections are women who were induced and "failed to progress," so they moved on to C-section.

Why do you have doubts with pitocin, but are seemingly much more ok with being drugged to sleep and put through major abdominal surgery? That doesn't make sense to me.

I know of very few women (actually I only know of myself, but people here have known others) who were induced successfully. I would prefer to not be induced at all. Like I said, I was lucky that I was already in pretty active labor when I had to be induced. Having minor surgery for a cyst removal when my daughter was 3 months old was bad enough. I don't know how I would have been able to handle a c-section and taking care of a newborn. Lots of women do it, sure, but if given the option I wouldn't immediately just jump to "ok, let's schedule a c-section!".

Helanna
Feb 1, 2007

The hospital I'll be having the baby in has a high C section rate too; when I heard this I informed them I wanted to avoid C section unless it was absolutely necessary, and was condescendingly told to "stop worrying about things I have no control over". Gee thanks.

Pretty sure my glucose test is at 28 weeks; I thought it sounded rather late on to be checking, but I didn't realise a false positive was more likely early on. They didn't really explain anything! Frustrating that I have no choice of hospital here; almost all of my pregnancy education has come from here, babycenter and a book!

Chickalicious
Apr 13, 2005

We are the ones we've been waiting for.

Mnemosyne posted:

I feel the same way and I thought it was probably crazy too. Something about the whole Pitocin idea just doesn't sit right with me. My choices at this point are down to either letting nature take it's course, or scheduling a C-section, with basically nothing in between. Of course, the hospital I'm going to deliver at has the highest C-section rate around here (between 45% and 70%, depending on whose numbers you're using), so delivering there is almost tantamount to choosing a C-section in the first place. A huge number of those C-sections are women who were induced and "failed to progress," so they moved on to C-section.

It IS crazy. I was present at 2 successful inductions. It all went according to plan: pitocin started at 7am and baby was out no later than 3pm. My own was a failure and A C-SECTION IS NO loving FUN, OK GUYS? I would have been happy to take hours of agony instead of a few weeks of it every time I turned wrong in the bed, or laughed or coughed or picked up the baby wrong. And I think I was lucky because I was fully unconscious during mine. Being awake while they gut you like a fish and tug around sounds awful. Push the baby out of your vagina if you can, for the love of god. A c-section is not some neat, painless way to avoid vaginal birth. I spent a few hours in recovery unable to see through the pain, unable to hold or nurse my baby. I was lucky that I managed to successfully breastfeed and had a month of help from my husband afterwards. Not everyone is so lucky.

Holy gently caress, I had a lot to say about that. C-sections should be for emergencies, not convenience.

hookerbot 5000
Dec 21, 2009

bamzilla posted:


I know of very few women (actually I only know of myself, but people here have known others) who were induced successfully.

I have been induced for 2 labours and both times delivered vaginally within 5 hours with either gas and air or (not through choice but they wouldn't give me anything stronger) paracetamol as pain relief.

Edit: First time was at 37 weeks + 5 because my water broke and I didn't go into labour spontaneously within 24 hours, second time was because I was 10 days over due date.

Mnemosyne
Jun 11, 2002

There's no safe way to put a cat in a paper bag!!

bamzilla posted:

Why do you have doubts with pitocin, but are seemingly much more ok with being drugged to sleep and put through major abdominal surgery? That doesn't make sense to me.

I know of very few women (actually I only know of myself, but people here have known others) who were induced successfully. I would prefer to not be induced at all. Like I said, I was lucky that I was already in pretty active labor when I had to be induced. Having minor surgery for a cyst removal when my daughter was 3 months old was bad enough. I don't know how I would have been able to handle a c-section and taking care of a newborn. Lots of women do it, sure, but if given the option I wouldn't immediately just jump to "ok, let's schedule a c-section!".

I don't know, like I said, I know it sounds crazy. I think part of it is due to basically every story I've heard or read about women being induced at that hospital involves long, unproductive labor and an eventual C-section anyway, so if you're going to be induced, you might as well skip the 12-24 hours of misery. And with a C-section rate over 50%, I know that if anything goes slightly out of the ordinary, induced or not, they just decide you're getting a C-section. Which goes back to "might as well save myself the suffering in the beginning if that's where I'm going to end up anyway."

Part of the reason the Pitocin business freaks me out is that I very frequently have weird or adverse reactions to medications. And it's not that I'm some kind of hippies that things that herbal remedies will cure all our ills, because I frequently have bad reactions to those too. Obviously there's anesthesia involved with a C-section, but I've been under anesthesia multiple times and I know I don't have any post-operative nausea/vomiting or any other strange reactions to that, whereas the Pitocin is a big unknown.

And then from a much more personal standpoint, I have a history of being...combative with doctors. I don't mean to be, I'm not a rude, loud or combative person otherwise, I'm just very fearful about medical things and strangers touching me. I try to keep it in check, and I've even gotten therapy and hypnosis for it, but that only goes so far. And the problem is that the panic kicks in and I tend to reflexively lash out without making any sort of conscious choice to do it. I have hit and kicked doctors in the past, so I'm considering that it might be safer for everyone if they just knock me out. (Also relevant is that I've been with my current OB for over 12 years, and he's aware of my difficult nature.)

Tesla Insanely Coil
Jul 23, 2006

Ask me why I'm not squatting.

Helanna posted:

The hospital I'll be having the baby in has a high C section rate too; when I heard this I informed them I wanted to avoid C section unless it was absolutely necessary, and was condescendingly told to "stop worrying about things I have no control over". Gee thanks.

Pretty sure my glucose test is at 28 weeks; I thought it sounded rather late on to be checking, but I didn't realise a false positive was more likely early on. They didn't really explain anything! Frustrating that I have no choice of hospital here; almost all of my pregnancy education has come from here, babycenter and a book!

I like babycenter too! Their articles tend to be medically up to date as far as I can tell.

I hate that condescension. It made me start to worry more, especially after reading birth stories where women have an awful time. I am thankful that I can afford a doula. Doulas can't be medical advocates but she can make sure that everyone has read our birth plan and can make sure that I assert myself if I feel pressured to make a certain decision.

edit:

hookerbot 5000 posted:

I have been induced for 2 labours and both times delivered vaginally within 5 hours with either gas and air or (not through choice but they wouldn't give me anything stronger) paracetamol as pain relief.

Edit: First time was at 37 weeks + 5 because my water broke and I didn't go into labour spontaneously within 24 hours, second time was because I was 10 days over due date.
I had to look up paracetamol because it's a drug I had never heard of before and I'm keeping an ear out for low-impact pain killers. The American version of paracetamol is Tylenol! Ha! I thought that was funny. In America, Tylenol is used for headaches.

Tesla Insanely Coil fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Dec 20, 2011

Randomity
Feb 25, 2007

Careful what you wish,
You may regret it!
A good friend of mine had a scheduled induction a week or two ahead of her due date because being pregnant was driving her crazy and she was on the verge of a breakdown and needed back on her psych meds. She went in to be induced at like 6am. Baby was out by 1:30pm. You only really hear about the horror stories because most people aren't interested in reporting boring birth stories.

I still wouldn't want to be induced but would take it over a c-section any day, and wonder if folks who think otherwise are really educated about the reality of c-sections.

hookerbot 5000
Dec 21, 2009

Tesla Insanely Coil posted:


I had to look up paracetamol because it's a drug I had never heard of before and I'm keeping an ear out for low-impact pain killers. The American version of paracetamol is Tylenol! Ha! I thought that was funny. In America, Tylenol is used for headaches.

That's what it's used for here too :(

Just remembered my sister in law had to get induced too for going over dates and then water breaking and nothing happening. She had a worse time than me and ended up getting some morphine derived pain killer that I can't remember the name of after about 20 hours just to let her sleep for a bit but still ended up delivering vaginally.

We're in the UK though. Reading these pregnancy threads has really been an eye opener in the difference between UK and US typical birth experiences.

Bodnoirbabe
Apr 30, 2007

Mnemosyne posted:

I don't know, like I said, I know it sounds crazy. I think part of it is due to basically every story I've heard or read about women being induced at that hospital involves long, unproductive labor and an eventual C-section anyway, so if you're going to be induced, you might as well skip the 12-24 hours of misery. And with a C-section rate over 50%, I know that if anything goes slightly out of the ordinary, induced or not, they just decide you're getting a C-section. Which goes back to "might as well save myself the suffering in the beginning if that's where I'm going to end up anyway."

Part of the reason the Pitocin business freaks me out is that I very frequently have weird or adverse reactions to medications. And it's not that I'm some kind of hippies that things that herbal remedies will cure all our ills, because I frequently have bad reactions to those too. Obviously there's anesthesia involved with a C-section, but I've been under anesthesia multiple times and I know I don't have any post-operative nausea/vomiting or any other strange reactions to that, whereas the Pitocin is a big unknown.

And then from a much more personal standpoint, I have a history of being...combative with doctors. I don't mean to be, I'm not a rude, loud or combative person otherwise, I'm just very fearful about medical things and strangers touching me. I try to keep it in check, and I've even gotten therapy and hypnosis for it, but that only goes so far. And the problem is that the panic kicks in and I tend to reflexively lash out without making any sort of conscious choice to do it. I have hit and kicked doctors in the past, so I'm considering that it might be safer for everyone if they just knock me out. (Also relevant is that I've been with my current OB for over 12 years, and he's aware of my difficult nature.)

It seems the major factor in your preference is pain. You feel Pitocin is more painful because it's not a guarantee the baby will be out in a set time and lead to a c-section anyhow. I've heard tons of stories where Pitocin will ramp up the pain scale something fierce, but here's my question to you:

If you're worried about pain, why don't you consider an epidural to manage it rather than full on surgery?

FretforyourLatte
Sep 16, 2010

Put you in my oven!
Now you've all gone and scared me, I found out today it's looking like I may have to have a C-section. Had a sonogram today (36 weeks) and the baby is still breech. Just last week the doctor said he could feel the pressure from her head on my cervix and told me she seemed like she was head-down. Nope. They were talking about possibly inducing me at 37-38 weeks anyway due to my blood pressure and kidney issues. I guess if she's breech they won't want to wait for things to happen on their own, since it can be so dangerous to give birth that way. I don't have an OB appointment until Thursday so hopefully I'll find out the plan then.

I was induced when I had my daughter and it wasn't so bad. I was only 35 weeks with her and my water broke, and then nothing happened. Labor didn't progress on its own and as you all know, the risk of infection goes way up once the water breaks, so they had to get her out. Once the pitocin started working it was about 6 hours until I was ready to push, and I think I only pushed for like ten minutes or so. It really wasn't terrible at all for me. I should also note that I got an epidural, so YMMV.

FretforyourLatte fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Dec 20, 2011

VorpalBunny
May 1, 2009

Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog
I had a great C-section!

I was induced and after 24 hours of unproductive labor I ended up with a c-section, and I healed quickly! No real complications, I was up and around within a few days, and a year later my scar is very very faint. They pulled out my 9.5 pound, 23 inch baby out of a maybe 6-inch incision. I was awake for it all, didn't experience any pain during the surgery and didn't even use any of the painkillers they sent me home with.

Chickalicious
Apr 13, 2005

We are the ones we've been waiting for.
I also had a "great" c-section, with minimal recovery time compared to some. It doesn't mean it didn't suck rear end and having one is a cakewalk. It's still major surgery with much higher risks.

opie
Nov 28, 2000
Check out my TFLC Excuse Log!
My first c-section sucked, because the epidural sucked, the pitocin sucked (my water broke and I wasn't in labor yet), and the hours of pushing and ending up tearing sucked. So I basically recovered from both a c-section and a vaginal birth. And I beat myself up for weeks for not trying hard enough to avoid surgery.

The next c-section was awesome, because I scheduled it ahead of time and just had a spinal block which was way easier than the epidural. I could've tried for a vbac, but I already had the scar and knew what to expect from surgery, so I decided to make things easier on myself. I don't regret it at all.

Fionnoula
May 27, 2010

Ow, quit.
2 successful inductions here. You do know that pitocin is not the only option, right? My first induction was with cervidil and I progressed into labor and birth just fine with no further intervention. The second induction was with cervidil and when that didn't work we fell back on pitocin. He shot out like a rocket after that. My doctor never even mentioned c-section other than as one option that was really far away but if things went wrong it may be considered.

Ben Davis
Apr 17, 2003

I'm as clumsy as I am beautiful
I had no idea there were different medications involved! This is why I love this thread.

Dr. Octagon
Aug 12, 2008

Ride or Die Bitch, Esq.
Cervidil and Cytotec are drugs commonly used to ripen the cervix, which can sometimes cause contractions to start. If they don't, that's where the Pitocin comes in to induce strong uterine contractions. The former are synthetic prostaglandins, while the latter is synthetic oxytocin. A Foley catheter is another non-drug option to dilate the cervix - that's what they would've started me with if I'd made it to my induction date.

Inductions aren't the worst thing ever! They often go really well, especially when the Bishop score is high. Inducing too soon or without regard to the baby's station and cervical readiness is much more likely to fail and lead to a c-section.

FretforyourLatte, have you tried any of the methods on spinningbabies.com? I know some women who have had success turning their babies using their techniques, even really late.

Chicken McNobody
Aug 7, 2009

Chickalicious posted:

It IS crazy. I was present at 2 successful inductions. It all went according to plan: pitocin started at 7am and baby was out no later than 3pm. My own was a failure and A C-SECTION IS NO loving FUN, OK GUYS? I would have been happy to take hours of agony instead of a few weeks of it every time I turned wrong in the bed, or laughed or coughed or picked up the baby wrong. And I think I was lucky because I was fully unconscious during mine. Being awake while they gut you like a fish and tug around sounds awful. Push the baby out of your vagina if you can, for the love of god. A c-section is not some neat, painless way to avoid vaginal birth. I spent a few hours in recovery unable to see through the pain, unable to hold or nurse my baby. I was lucky that I managed to successfully breastfeed and had a month of help from my husband afterwards. Not everyone is so lucky.

Holy gently caress, I had a lot to say about that. C-sections should be for emergencies, not convenience.

No doubt; I wouldn't get one for convenience's sake. Just, if those were my only two options, my first instinct would be for the section. Not to gleefully avoid vaginal birth, or to avoid the pain (hell, I've been in constant pain for about 4 months now), but because it seemed like such torture to be induced. I'm now hearing some not-so-bad stories about induction so I feel better, thanks thread! :)

At any rate, the doctor's office called and said the massive jug of pee I brought them yesterday looks normal, so hopefully it is a moot point for me and I can continue with the birth I planned.

FretforyourLatte
Sep 16, 2010

Put you in my oven!

Dr. Octagon posted:


FretforyourLatte, have you tried any of the methods on spinningbabies.com? I know some women who have had success turning their babies using their techniques, even really late.

I haven't tried anything yet. I'll mention that at the doctor next time I go, honestly though it seems like hanging upside down might be the sort of thing that would raise my blood pressure, which is not something I should be doing. I'll see what the doctor says.

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hepscat
Jan 16, 2005

Avenging Nun

skeetied posted:


On the topic of GD (sort of), my blood sugar was a 75 after my one hour GTT (and after breakfast right before the GTT). Is it possible for it to be too low (that's about what my normal fasting level is non-pregnant)? I keep forgetting to ask my midwife.

I wouldn't worry unless you're having symptoms (tingling, sweating, confusion). Pregnant women naturally tend to hang out at lower blood sugars, at least that's what they told me -that as a diabetic we were emulating non-diabetic women. The standard for fasting was under 90.

If you do feel low, just sit down and eat. Crashes like you hear about leading to coma are from medication. Your endocrine system won't do that by itself.

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