Can I request c section instead of induction?

Next week I’ll have my 40 week midwife appointment where she said she will book me an induction for the following week. Can I ask for a planned c-section instead? I am still unsure about inductions, I have heard horror stories about the pain so I’m not too keen. Any good experiences with inductions ?

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Not sure if you can request a c section, but you are well within your right to question, consider the pros and cons or delay an induction if you are unsure and there's no risk to the baby, rather than just letting her book you one in because you feel they know best.
I've heard high statistics that inductions end up in intervention and/or emergency c section but it's all personal preference I guess.
I did bump to baby chapter course online it really helped understand my options, I'd really recommend if you haven't done so already 😊

Yes you can request a c-section but you’d need to let your midwife know so she can book you in with the consultant x

Yes you can. You do not have to accept the induction. They do it as part of protocol and it used to be 42 weeks and now they've bumped it up to 41. Legally you are allowed to birth how you want and they are obliged to make reasonable attempts to accommodate that

how can they check my score?!?!

Positive induction story…
I was induced on my due date in 2023. It was the pessary. Exactly 12 hours later at 2:30am my waters went, then exactly 4 hours later my boy arrived. No intervention or anything. I had gas and air only.

It was brilliant! If I could opt for the same again I will. I’ve asked my midwife to see if I can do the same again this time and she’s going to see at 39 weeks how it’s looking.

I was also scared by induction but everyone’s experiences are different. Try not to worry yourself too much by other people’s horror story’s.

Hope you get the delivery you want 🥰

I was induced with my first, it was the pessary. The moment they insert it was the moment I started my contractions. Pain was manageable but then the tampon fell out, I continued my contractions without it. It was around 14-16 hours after that I was 4cm dilated and moved to labour ward.
I then had some painkillers and things progressed quicker.
The key for me was to be on the move, I climbed up and down the hospital stairs until I was ready to push!

Would happily choose induction over c section again and again

in our community

Oh my God, oh my God I hope this is not true!!!! I’m kind of scared

I’ve been throwing up and taking a shit all night!!! I just hope that it’s not what I think it is

Small head reported following 20 week scan

Has anyone else had it flagged that their baby is in the bottom 5th percentile for head size?

They said everything was fine whilst we were in the scan and then I got a phone call the next day saying that it’s on the small side and we’re being referred to a paediatric specialist at St George’s. Has anyone else had this and how did things go??

Would you bring 9 week old to a family party of 35+ people?

These are also people who will want to pass the baby around and get a turn to hold him. He just got his 2 month shots two days ago

Exercise 6 weeks after c section

What movement did people start to introduce? I won’t do anything too vigorous until I’ve seen the pelvic physio as I don’t want to compromise anything that may have been extremely weakened through pregnancy! But just wondering what types of classes/movement people started off with?

Induction experience

I just wanted to share my experience with being induced as I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it may help others.

I opted for the foley balloon which was inserted at 8am Saturday morning, I had to stay in hospital due to hypertension and protein urine however usually you can just go home once this has been done. The insertion of the balloon was not painful, was slightly uncomfortable as there was slight pressure. I actually found having the cervix checked prior to be worse (again not painful at this point just uncomfortable) The balloon had little effect and after having it removed I was still only 1cm. Removal also was pain free and hardly even noticeable.

I then had my first dose of the gel and definitely noticed a difference, I started experiencing period like cramps almost immediately however they were light and manageable. After 6 hours I had another cervix check and although my cervix was soft it was still only 1cm and was only open at the front. I had another dose of the gel and felt an increase in pressure and more intense cramping where I now required pain relief (codeine). After another 6 hours I had another cervix check and I had now dilated to 2-3cm however was still quite difficult to get all the way through so a third gel was recommended which I agreed to.

Almost immediately I noticed the difference and was in considerable pain, I had paracetamol and codeine however the contractions had now become intense and a lot closer together (around 3 minutes apart). After a couple of hours I had my last cervix check and was 4cm and taken down to the Labour ward to have my waters broken and an epidural.

I had been in my room for approx 20minutes when my waters broke by themselves and I was now 10cm and actively pushing…. There was no time for the epidural and my beautiful girl arrived into the world within 2 minutes of pushing.

All in all I would say the cramps/contractions were manageable up until the third gel where it became pretty unbearable however it was for a very short time a gas and air helped take the edge off. The worst part about any of it was actually the later cervix checks where after stimulating the cervix my contractions were at their most painful.

If I had to be induced again I would skip the balloon and opt for the gels immediately as thy had a quicker effect and I would have been out a lot sooner if I had done this to begin with.

One more thing, I’ve never believed when people say “you forget the pain once they’re here” but I can honestly say this is true. It’s been 4 days and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Gave birth (vagina) 5 days ago and yesterday morning and this morning getting lot of pain in my right bottom side and lower back