just joining...

[daisy25]

Hello everyone! My first who is about to turn 2 this August was 10 and a half pounds. And he was 3 days early! I had gained 47 pounds with him.   I had a vaginal delivery and was really happy to have a big baby... I felt I was not going to "break" him. So, now I am pregnant with baby number two, due in ten more weeks.....They want to induce me 7-9 days early...  The reason for that, was due to my first and he was early and they are afraid this little one will be just as big.. I don't want a c-cection, if I can at all help it... but... What are people's feeling on that? And can you share your experience if you were induced? Is it a harder delivery? a more painful or longer labor? So, far I have gained 30 pounds and I have about 9 weeks left.

[lora]

I was induced with both of mine...and the first one, it was an amazing experience. 12 1/2 hours of labor...from the very begining, when they started the pit (i wasn't even contracting to begin with) I had the epidural early because it was either get it now, or not get it later...my daughter was normal (7 lbs 15 oz)

with my son (the big baby) i was induced, he was 8 days late...I'd been contracting for a few days, but nothing really serious...I had a few complications with him, so with him it was about 19 hours of labor...8 of which i stayed dialated at 9 cm...then i got a fever, and his heart rate was going nuts, so they decided for me and the baby's health, they needed to take him...

I always say it was God's way of saying that i couldn't push him out, 10 lbs 11 oz...i'm only 5' tall, and i used to be really small...so i just don't see how that big ol' head would've fit through my pelvic bone...i'm scared to have another...i dont' want another c-section. (maybe it was just my experience-hubby was deployed, and i was scared to death) recovery wasn't as bad as i expected, but my whole body was swollen for about a week and a half...

but anyways, the only thing with being induced, is that the contractions to do come harder...with my son, i didn't get an epidural until about 10 hours into it, and i was hurting...(my daughter was a sleep the entire time, and I didn't want her waking up to me in pain....i thought it might freak her out...so i decided to get the epirdural just a little while before she woke up. and BOY was THAT an experience in itself.) And unlike with my daughter, I still felt everything with my son...

i hope some of this helps...and keep in mind, i've had two experiences, one GREAT, and one...not so great. So I've had the good and the bad.

[anniefabulous]

Hey Daisy25!!!

so i had a big boy (10.10) at home and my first baby (8.4) i had at hospital pitocin induction .... i would STRONGLY encourage you to avoid the induction at all costs.   number one among them is that you have a greater chance of a c-section if your labor is induced.  you have already had one big baby, there is no reason that you cannot very well have another.  also, with an induction, you are really under the gun in terms of how long they will let you labor, especially if they break your waters. the good news is that second babies tend to come a lot faster than first and large babies generally sit lower in teh pelvis and put more pressure on the cervix so you could ideally dilate faster...(so saying, no labor is predictable so no guarantees)  pitocin also increases your chances of wanting/having  an epidural which, if it works the way it is supposed to, going to make the second stage (the pushing part) of labor VERY difficult.  i did the pitocin  without an epidural and everybody i say that to thinks i am some kind of super-woman AND from personal experience, my biggest baby was my easiest labor. 

I STRONGLY encourage you to limit your sugar intake over these last few weeks of your pregnancy.  Babies double their weight in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy and sugar is only going to exacerbate that gain.  also it may be beneficial to cut back on simple carbs because like sugar, they will make your baby gain weight that it doesn't really need. (just like we do when we eat lots of sugar and carbs.)  Now you are thinking what am i supposed to eat?  answer is LOTS of PROTEIN!!!   but protein minus the sugar.  plain yogurt with some fruit added, meat (fresh fish is great)  peanut butter is a great snack, stuff like that. 
Overall, there is absolutly no reason that you should be induced and you are in no way obligated to do so because your doctor is trying to scare you into it. 
Please please educate yourself on NORMAL childbirth, (google Ina mae gaskin, sarah buckley and marsden wagner to start) .  Also, hiring a DOULA would be an excellent way to have the support you need to both make an informed decision about going into labor on your own and having really good support during your birth.  Studies consistently show that having a doula dramatically reduces your risk for having a cesarean and other interventions with your birth.  I would love to answer any questions you might have or i could recommend some more particular reading materials if you were interested. 
A good place to start looking for doula's is on www.dona.org .  Good luck and remember that you are the authority on your baby and your body, and you HIRED the doctor to do what YOU want...  namaste...