New “rules” will increase the likely hood you will not be pushed into an early induction (before 39 weeks)
The childbirth educator/doula community has long commented on how one reason the prematurity rate has risen in the past years is because of all the early inductions going on.
Well, there are new guidelines coming out to reduce these early inductions.
More hospitals are expected to start enforcing that criteria this spring, when the Joint Commission that regulates health quality will require hospitals to report all elective deliveries and the gestational age to its public database, providing peer pressure for improvement. Hospitals also will have to report cesareans for first-time mothers, too often a result of a failed induction.
You can read more about it at MSNBC. I think it is wonderful, but I find it interesting that it has taken this long for them to “figure out” this early induction-premature baby connection.
YES! It’s about time someone stepped up and was making providers accountable! I wonder though, how many providers will find some kind of medical reason for induction before 39 weeks? Trust me, I have seen some really wacked and stretched out reasons for induction.
Yay! Imagine my surprise when I when to my CNM appointment last Friday all prepared to hear the terms “big baby” and “inducement” as I have gestational diabetes and have been subject to weekly NST’s and ultrasounds, even though my glucose #’s are low and my weight gain is very low. I even printed out some information from ACOG to support my desire to wait until baby was ready.
And I was told that they weren’t going to push an induction as it was against the ‘new protocol’. Yippee! Also had a fabulous talk with the new midwife. Hope she’s available when I do go into labor.
Question: what about scheduled c-sections?
One of my friends is pregnant with twins. Her OB told her that as long as all goes well, she’ll have a scheduled c-section on 12/11 (actual due date: 12/24). If things don’t go well, she’ll have a c-section sooner.
This plan doesn’t sound too hot to me, for the babies’ sake.
This is a good point. I would hope it would count for elective cesareans as well! Though I know with twins many OBs prefer sooner than later. I don’t know why this is.