To Induce or Not to Induce

This is the dilemma of the day.

Tomorrow, I'll see Dr Graham again, and I'm quite sure this topic will come up. I'm 38 weeks now . . . so if we are going to induce, then most likely we'll schedule it at tomorrow's appointment to occur sometime next week (39 weeks).

Do I want to?

I've been saying NO all along. Not that I have any problems with induction . . . and not that I think it won't work (dude, I'm like 1/2 way there already) . . . I just don't know if it's the solution for me.

With Meg, my labor started totally naturally, and I loved it. I didn't have anything to help her along . . . naturally, I did have some stuff to help me along in the process . . . but Meg came all on her own, in her own time and with her own readiness.

The experience I had was just amazing. It was exactly what I'd always envisioned labor and delivery to be like. No complications, no problems . . . just me and Meg, sweating it out until the end. I feel like I got to have my dream birthing experience.

Now with Kate, I am envisioning the same fantastic thing. I really haven't wanted to be induced . . . I wanted the whole 'natural' thing to take place again. The excitement of my water breaking (or not), where we'll be, who will keep Meg . . . it's all such a wonderful thing to look forward to. But, as each day passes and I get more and more pregnant . . . I wonder if maybe helping her along with a little pitocin might be the way to go.

In my list-making fashion (forgive me if you tire of them . . . I'm quite the list maker always), I've made a list of Pros and Cons for ME in this should-I-induce-or-not situation:

Pros

• I'll know exactly when Kate will arrive, making care for Meg easier.
• And it will make it easier for Jim to plan his work schedule, too.
• No worries about her getting too much bigger . . . I'm already pretty sure she's bigger than Meg, so who knows if that will be tough on me or not.
• I'm already so far along, it can't possibly be TOO complicated or take TOO long.
• The end of this situation will be set in stone.
• Dr Graham would most certainly be the one to deliver Kate.
  

Cons

• Not exactly the most natural way to go about it.
• We'll miss out on the spontaneity of going into labor on our own.
• Haven't done it before, so I don't know what to expect . . . hoping for no complications, but there is no guarantee.

I realize there are way more pros than cons . . . but that first 'con' is really very important to me. There is just something about kicking Kate out before she is ready that bothers me. I know people do it ALL the time . . . that it's safe . . . I just can't decide if it is for me. And, really -- I've waited this long -- it can't possibly be THAT much longer. I'm not so miserable that I can't stand it a bit longer, honestly. Can't I just wait it out?

Many of you reading this have made the decision to be induced . . . and I certainly make NO judgements or think that it is wrong in any way. I think it's a very personal decision . . . a lot like breastfeeding. What is right for one mom and her family may not be right for another. Please don't think I think induction is wrong, I just can't decide if it is the way I want to go with this pregnancy.

The timing that Dr Graham has in mind will ultimately help us make the decision to induce or not next week. Jim has his big work conference beginning on Sunday . . . so an induction on Monday or Tuesday probably wouldn't be great for him. And, there is no rush, so if that is when Dr Graham wants to do it, we'll just pass. If he's available later next week . . . that's when the decision will be thrown back to Jim and I . . . and we'll have to decide what we want to do.

Jim's sister was scheduled to be induced but came a day or so before the induction. Maybe if I schedule her birth, Kate will decide, "Nope, I'm ready NOW," and surprise us early. That would be a best-case-scenario . . . I'd rest easy knowing exactly when Kate is scheduled to arrive, then I'd get the joy of the spontaneous labor before her induction date.

Jim and I have a lot to think about. Maybe Kate will come today and make everything that much easier.