Good for you for putting your and your baby first! I'm having a cranky evening and I had been stalking the December 2012 board to hear about people having babies and it really is a lot of inductions and such. I hope you get to have your baby soon and if you have to "bother" people to do their jobs over the holidays then that's what happens. As my MW says, if you don't want to deliver a baby in the middle of the night or on Christmas you should have been a foot doctor (she has a daughter who chose a different field of medicine based on this advice lol)

Your LO's birth is about you, your SO, and your baby. Same for the other moms on your BMB. Their decisions and situations have no bearing on yours.

Good decision on not posting this on your BMB.

Poor decision on posting it passive aggressively where they can still see it.

I felt the same way...

I'm due 12/31 and I feel the exact same way as you about the majority of women posting on that board. It's been driving me crazy. I can't stand the "I trust my doctor" stuff when they are clearly scheduling around their holiday plans and admit it! I gave up reading the birth stories because they're never encouraging to me. I'll just read the ones posted here instead.

I'm glad to see that there are other Dec '12 mamas that just aren't as vocal in posting about their natural birth plans.

Good for you letting your baby decide when its time to come out!. Not a doctor or a vacation schedule.

LexiLupin:

Poor decision on posting it passive aggressively where they can still see it.

Ahh too true. Kudos to you OP for waiting for labor to naturally occur, although I'm sure only drama shall ensue from your post.

I don't post much here, but that is part of the reason why I am glad that I delivered with a practice with 7 doctors.  They highly encouraged you to meet each of them during your pregnancy, but if you chose you could stay with just one.  They kept everything on their computer system, and so when you went in to talk to one (even if we hadn't met you yet) they know what is going on and what your plans are and go from there.  I met with three of them, and delivered with one I didn't meet, but she was wonderful as was the other docs from that office. 

You knew you were going to get one of the 7 doctors and there was no push for induction at a certain time no need to stress over the holidays, because someone from that office is on call at the hopital 24/7. 

I would absoluetely hate having a doctor that delivers his/her own patients and havig to work around his/her schedule as a lot of people do.  I think that going to a larger practice was the lesser of the two evils for me. 

LexiLupin:

Your LO's birth is about you, your SO, and your baby. Same for the other moms on your BMB. Their decisions and situations have no bearing on yours.

Good decision on not posting this on your BMB.

Poor decision on posting it passive aggressively where they can still see it.

Huh, maybe, but somehow I doubt those who are scheduling c-sections and inductions around theirs and Dr's holiday plans are interested in the Natural Birth board.

I agree with OP.

Good for you!  I'm so glad you are doing what's best for your baby and not what the drs make so easy today.  Babies come when they are good and ready, not when we're uncomfortable.  I'm sorry most mom's don't think that.  I agree most of them won't even see this.  Hugs.  The end is always hard with all the call, questions and everything else.   You'll be there soon! 

I was reading a post on another board about how inductions went and just kept wanting to scream that so many of them didn't sound very necessary. Lots of "we induce at 40 weeks exactly" going on. I can't imagine submitting to that level of care.

But yes, it's my right to expect more. Thank God.

Good for you!

pregokat:

Not to mention the fact that Christmas is next week & I'm assuming that most doctors are trying to control as much as they can so that they can not be bothered on the holiday...  

Ding Ding Ding!  We have a winner!

But I don't think it's just doctors.  I think moms want to plan around the holiday too.  I have several friends who have done that in the past.  I even had one that planned her c/s so she wouldn't be in labor during the OSU/Michigan game (we live in Ohio and this is big for some people). 

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.  Just be confident in your decision to wait for you baby to be ready.  I know how hard it is when you want to meet your baby so badly and everyone around you is getting to see theirs.  If it makes you feel better, I almost induced with my DS2 that I went nearly a week overdue with.  I was so glad I didn't because his labor and delivery was nearly perfect - quick and easy.  Your patience may pay off like that :)

Good luck!

Fellow Dec mama here.  If these girls are making informed decisions and that is what they decide is best then I support them.  What I worry about is, I think a lot of mamas are not given all the facts about inductions and/or c-sections, not to mention all the development that still continues to take place in the final weeks.  Baby is practicing breathing, sucking and who knows what else we might not know about.  DD is two and it breaks my heart to think we might be in the hospital for Christmas, but I'm not about to push this baby to come early just so we can be home with her.  

I just wish more doctors gave a better picture of the risks/benefits and more women were empowered to do their own research.  PP mentioned women saying, "But I trust my doctor" and that just makes my skin crawl.  There was a girl who talked about her doctor stripping her membranes with her first and second without asking, and she was totally fine with it because she trusted her doctor.  I'm actually mad for the girl, that is just awful!  

I am on the December board too and the majority of the posts on c/s and inductions that I have seen, have been for medical reasons...

AimeeL85:

I am on the December board too and the majority of the posts on c/s and inductions that I have seen, have been for medical reasons...

I lurk the Dec. board and post occasionally, and there absolutely have been many posts about c/s and inductions for medical reasons. However, there have also been quite a few posts where Dr's are suggesting induction even prior to 41 weeks for what seems like no more than just not wanting to work on Christmas, and perhaps moms being willing to go along with that because they also don't want to be in hospital this time of year. I think its definitely a unique issue that comes with being due at this time of year. How often do you hear induction being pushed earlier in say April or August. But Christmas? No one wants to be in the hospital at Christmas time.  

Being someone who could very well be in labor on Christmas eve or day, it's certainly something I'm hoping doesn't happen, but I am prepared that it could be a reality. My doctor has joked asking me not to have the baby Christmas morning (she too is a mother to two young kids), and I laughed saying I'd do my best to hold him in, but if she were to have attempted to convince me to be induced on my due date (Dec. 22) there is no possible way I would go with that. Baby will come when he's ready, and even though I'm ready now and would like him to vacate my body, I believe this is meant to be a natural process. If he comes on Christmas morning, he comes on Christmas morning, and my doctor will just have to deal with that.

  

Thank you everyone for the kind words. 

I understand those who don't necessarily agree with me & thankful that those of you who implied what I said would cause drama and be bad were seemingly wrong- It doesn't seem like too many people were upset about it.

Different opinions, thats all :)

I volunteer 1 day a week in my ob office- doing paperwork & stuff, we have 4 doctors in our practice & I hear a lot of them scheduling inductions, & C-sections. my last 3 visits, the Dr has asked me if I wanted them to "kick start this process" or anything... Each time my answer, is "no thanks" this week, I kinda knew he'd be asking again & my reply was "I am really trying to trust my body and my baby to decide when the best timing is, so I'm just going to try to be patient" and he even said "thats great, that is a really good idea to let him come when he's ready" then let me be! So we scheduled my next visit, It'll be after christmas this time, I'll be 40 1/2 wks along... Once again the dr is saying "you won't make it to this next visit" lol I think my son has another idea because there are STILL no big signs...

I was 100% effaced, 2 cm dilated, and baby is at 0 station- but contractions aren't close or consistent & he is still moving around, kicking and punching like a little boxer... We'll see what happens.. 

Good luck to all you other mamas trying to have a natural birth process :)  

pregokat:

Different opinions, thats all :)

Yah sorry I think it's weird to have strong opinions about other people's choices. It's not just you, it seems to come up here a lot. And yet, when the tables are turned, people don't like it, since there are just as many posts about being judged for declining the epi or choosing an alternative birthing place.  

LexiLupin:

Your LO's birth is about you, your SO, and your baby. Same for the other moms on your BMB. Their decisions and situations have no bearing on yours.

Good decision on not posting this on your BMB.

Poor decision on posting it passive aggressively where they can still see it.

This.  I will never understand why one woman cares so much about/how another woman chooses to give birth.  

It definitely doesn't make you selfish for waiting (I commend you for doing so!) but this post makes you sound very arrogant and judgmental.  

intheflowers:

pregokat:

Different opinions, thats all :)

Yah sorry I think it's weird to have strong opinions about other people's choices. It's not just you, it seems to come up here a lot. And yet, when the tables are turned, people don't like it, since there are just as many posts about being judged for declining the epi or choosing an alternative birthing place.  

 +1

I'm all for a natural birth, but as someone with a high deductible insurance, I definitely understand the other point of view. I'm really glad that I can make those decisions for myself. 

sschwege:

Fellow Dec mama here.  If these girls are making informed decisions and that is what they decide is best then I support them.  What I worry about is, I think a lot of mamas are not given all the facts about inductions and/or c-sections, not to mention all the development that still continues to take place in the final weeks.  Baby is practicing breathing, sucking and who knows what else we might not know about.  DD is two and it breaks my heart to think we might be in the hospital for Christmas, but I'm not about to push this baby to come early just so we can be home with her.  

*I just wish more doctors gave a better picture of the risks/benefits and more women were empowered to do their own research.*  PP mentioned women saying, "But I trust my doctor" and that just makes my skin crawl.  There was a girl who talked about her doctor stripping her membranes with her first and second without asking, and she was totally fine with it because she trusted her doctor.  I'm actually mad for the girl, that is just awful!  

Yes--this exactly.  I totally agree in the "different strokes" mindset, but it drives me crazy how often I've seen friends of mine IRL have poor birth experiences--unwanted c/s, inductions that didn't take, that kind of thing--because they didn't understand the risks of the interventions they chose.  My sister saw no issues in an induction at 40 weeks and her doc didn't share any of the issues than can arise (I know this because we talked afterward)--she narrowly avoided a c/s for failure to progress but had a traumatic labor.  Another friend ended up with a c/s under the same circumstances.  These aren't dumb women, but they didn't have the information to make an informed choice.  They were just told, "Hey, we can induce at 40 weeks if you want."  And what mom doesn't want to meet her LO ASAP?

pregokat:

But I've been joining the December 2012 board, & it is driving me absolutely nuts that so many of these moms are allowing inductions & scheduling c-sections... I don't think I've seen a story on there where it happened 'naturally'... everything is scheduled 

With barely any reasoning at all! Do they not trust their bodies.. and trust nature to decide when its time.. ?

I'm wondering if there are going to be a lot of moms with children who have lung problems, developmental issues or health issues in the future & its because they made their children come too soon...  

Women are able to medically induce themselves now? Is that safe? 

Seriously, though, if women aren't given true informed consent (not telling someone full risks and benefits of any procedure), then it's not their fault for choosing induction/ECS. A doctor should know enough to say "no" if a woman asks to be induced out of convenience, they're the ones with the medical degree.

Not to mention, if you have a care provider (who you are supposed to trust) saying you need to induce, it's incredibly hard to say no. Let's not blame women on this one.

Nosoup4u - I don't know that I completely buy that. Yes it is a Dr's job to inform you but I believe it's a woman's responsibility to educate herself as well.

ChynaDholl:

Nosoup4u I don't know that I completely buy that. Yes it is a Dr's job to inform you but I believe it's a woman's responsibility to educate herself as well.

What if the woman doesn't have access to the internet to do research into labor and birth? What if she doesn't know where to begin with researching birth? What if she just doesn't want to? I don't think wanting to have trustworthy care providers is too much to ask for.

When I was pregnant with my first son, I did everything "right". I hired a doula, took all the classes, read the books, found a practice with a low cs rate, and I still ended up w a cs for somewhat sketchy reasons. Not to mention that I was also pressured, by a MW who I totally trusted, to induce for no reason than for being overdue. If that can happen to someone who does know her rights and has done research, why are we sitting around blaming women who don't for their inductions and c/s?The system has a lot more to do with how one's birth ends up than people in this thread are willing to admit.This post sums up my feelings on this topic: http://birthingbeautifulideas.com/?p=5327

No response to the drama in the post- but just wanted to say I am also a December 2012 due date with this baby and I am trying to patiently and peacefully await her arrival on her terms. There are definitely some of us over there!  

I will say though that a lot of the posts I've seen have mentioned high blood pressure, low fluid, etc. which are significant medical concerns that if significant enough definitely warrant an induction- even though I'm not typically for inductions.  

I think the reason we care so much about how others have their babies is because we've done the research and a lot of other women haven't.  I'm not saying all women having an epi, getting induced or having a c-section are uniformed, I'm just saying a good majority of them are.  They trust their doctors blindly and don't do any research themselves.  Our society is more concerned about checking the reviews on a baby car seat then researching about our own bodies.  I think that's why we have a lot of STM+ mom's on this board.  The first birth didn't go so well so they researched for the second and realized they didn't know anything about the birthing process except what their doctors and friends told them.   When I was pregnant the first time I had a friend who didn't get induced and she went almost 42 weeks.  I didn't understand why she waited.  Then I started my Bradley class and understood exactly why she waited (she had taken a Bradley class too).  Education changed my perspective.  That is why we get upset with how other's birth.

OP, good for you for knowing your body and not being pushed into doing anything you aren't comfortable with. 

To each their own.

But as a December 2012 mama who had a wonderful home birth experience with a little boy who came all on his own at 40+3...there are plenty of us not scheduling our babies births, and I don't like to be judged for my choosing home birth - which was absolutely the BEST decision for me and my family - so I really do try not to judge someone else's decision to give birth when and where and how they believe is best for their family.

With that all said, I wish you lots of luck with your birth plans.  I've had two natural births, and they were the two greatest and most empowering experiences of my life.  I wouldn't change a thing about either of them.  You're in for a wonderful treat with the birth of your LO, whenever he/she arrives. 

StefandTodd:

To each their own.

But as a December 2012 mama who had a wonderful home birth experience with a little boy who came all on his own at 40+3...there are plenty of us not scheduling our babies births, and I don't like to be judged for my choosing home birth - which was absolutely the BEST decision for me and my family - so I really do try not to judge someone else's decision to give birth when and where and how they believe is best for their family.

With that all said, I wish you lots of luck with your birth plans.  I've had two natural births, and they were the two greatest and most empowering experiences of my life.  I wouldn't change a thing about either of them.  You're in for a wonderful treat with the birth of your LO, whenever he/she arrives. 

Stef- did you share your birth story?  I'd love to hear it! 

Wow, I didn't realize my statements would have such an effect. 

Anyways- In my experience, since I've been pregnant, I've had 5 friends give birth, all of them induced then turned into emergency c-sections- One of them where the dr made a cut into the placenta wrong causing the baby to loose blood, need a transfusion, and spend his first 4 days in NICU...  her membranes were swept at 38 weeks, her and her Dr. were both agreed they would try to 'get him here' before thanksgiving. She ended up having a horrible birth experience, almost loosing her baby, and she lost a lot of blood as well, on top of having a T cut in her uterus, then getting an antibiotic resistant infection from the surgery, & loosing her milk from all of the heavy medications... She might not be able to carry another child now... That's a really scary experience to watch unfold as a pregnant mom expecting within the next month- She now admits to being impatient & allowing her Dr to suggest the induction so early- 

then there are the other induction/emergency c-sections my friends went through... I really dont want to experience anything they did

thanks ladies for be so understanding :)  

AimnJus917:

LexiLupin:

Your LO's birth is about you, your SO, and your baby. Same for the other moms on your BMB. Their decisions and situations have no bearing on yours.

Good decision on not posting this on your BMB.

Poor decision on posting it passive aggressively where they can still see it.

Huh, maybe, but somehow I doubt those who are scheduling c-sections and inductions around theirs and Dr's holiday plans are interested in the Natural Birth board.

I agree with OP.

Yep. I don't consider this passive aggressive, just sounds like OP realized she may not get great feedback based on a lack of similar views... and hey, sometimes you've got to vent about TB and get support, that would be hard to do on the board you are venting about! Stay strong OP!