I am almost 39 weeks and everything appears to be normal (baby size, the way I feel, my vitals, A1C 4.8, etc.). I am hoping for a natural birth with no intervention, but would really want my OB to deliver my baby, which means I’d need to schedule an induction at 39.2 weeks, because that’s when my doctor is on call. With my first baby, I was given Cervidil at 40.6 weeks, and then my body took over and I had a healthy baby born with no other intervention. I am having second thoughts now about inducing at 39 weeks especially after things I read about Cytotec, which is now widely used for induction, but doesn’t work well in many cases, so women get awful experience with it and many end up with a C-section : ( I also learned that Cytotec is not even approved for induction… Have you had any experience with Cytotec, or did your doctor use a different drug for induction? How did it go? I wanted to request Cervidil, but I am not sure if the hospital would provide it…
My induction was not by choice and used a different medication (Pitocin), however I want to tell you that it took 36 hours and restarting the meds twice. In other words, scheduling an induction in no way guarantees you the doctor you want. So maybe you want to reconsider the whole thing, not just the particular method. Good luck!
Update: I wanted to describe my experience and respond to my own post in case someone finds herself in the same situation.
I went ahead with my doctor’s suggestion, since I trusted her. She even called me on Sunday to provide more information.
I started with first dose of Cytotec in the morning, which didn’t appear to do much. I was was already 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced, which was good. The medication might have helped dialate the cervix up to 3 cm, but not sure. Then we decided there’s no point in taking another dose of Cytotec, and it’s better to move on to pitocin… It took a few hours for it to cause more contractions, then my water was broken, and an hour later my labor really started. It took 4.5 hours after that to give birth. My baby girl was born healthy and only 6 lb 11oz. She easily squeezed out : )
Overall, I think, I had a great experience, mostly because of my doctor, who stayed late to make sure she delivered my baby. And as it turned out I didn’t even use insulin drip during labor.
Congratulations on a healthy birth for both of you. Nancy50