Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Dec
26
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“Let’s Go Ahead And Schedule Your Induction. You Are Due Right Around Thanksgiving, You Know.”
“Let’s go ahead and schedule your induction. You are due right around Thanksgiving, you know.” – OB to mother at 20 week prenatal.
There are 37 comments to this post.
Um, no. I was due right around Thanksgiving this year. Know when I had my baby? December 6th. But even if I had gone into labor on Thanksgiving, my midwife would have been there catching my baby, because sometimes missing holidays what you sign up for when you decide to catch babies for a living.
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Nica Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 5:54 am (Quote)
This type of comment comes up frequently here. Honestly, if you’re that bitter about missing holidays, you should have become a podiatrist or dermatologist…
Babies arrive when they arrive (in an ideal world).
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Laura Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 8:08 am (Quote)
This! I was due November 28 – baby decided he’d show up December 4. Forcing him out in advance of Thanksgiving was *not* an option. (It WAS something my OB tried to encourage, but not because of Thanksgiving – she was worried he’d be large. He was. He was also fine, thanks. And I know she wasn’t worried about missing Thanksgiving because she wasn’t the OB on call that day!)
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Sarah Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 1:20 pm (Quote)
I was also due November 28th. 
I have to admit I was going a little stir crazy there in the last week, because this was my third, and my second arrived a few days early, but I couldn’t be induced anyway (VBAC) so I had no choice but to roll with it, lol. Those third babies are unpredictable.
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Michelle Potter Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 9:36 am (Quote)
Exactly why I would never become a doula or a midwife myself — I’d enjoy the work, but I don’t want to have to leave my family nights, weekends, and holidays. If you aren’t prepared for that, this is not the right business for you!
BTW, my youngest daughter was due three days before Thanksgiving (Nov. 20), and was born on December 4.
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Heather Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 11:13 am (Quote)
I was due 3 weeks before, had my baby 1 week before and my friend had hers ON t-day… our midwives never complained one bit. My doula WAS thankful that I didn’t wait for t-day, lol, but so was I!
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WellBegun Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 8:12 pm (Quote)
I served at the birth of a Thanksgiving baby… mom actually went into labor the night before and wound up giving birth in the wee hours on T-day. I went home and slept – fortunately my husband can cook really well, and he took care of dinner. I’ve also missed Easter with my family. It’s part of the job, and if a care provider can’t accept the same concept, they should change their specialty or get into a partnership arrangement with someone who doesn’t value that holiday and is willing to take call that day.
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Toni Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 1:18 pm (Quote)
I was due Nov 18 (one week before Thanksgiving) and had the baby Dec 2 (one week after), lol. No one talked induction until my 41w 5d appt, when we did tentatively talk about it – my CNM was willing to give me til that Friday (would have put me at 42w 2d). I was cool with that – I had the baby at 42w 0d, all on my own
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Heather P had this to say,
Dec 26, 2011 @ 6:07 am (Quote)
Seeing how the vast majority of babies are not born on their due dates, scheduling an induction because of a thanksgiving due date makes no sense statistically.
Plus, 20 weeks? Jeez. A lot can change in another 17-23 weeks. A new doctor seems like a good change to make.
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Lisa had this to say,
Dec 26, 2011 @ 6:27 am (Quote)
My cousin was due around Thanksgiving and the doctor suggested this to her as well. In not sure if she would have taken him up on it or not. She ended up going into labor at the beginning of the month instead.
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Cynthia Gabriel Reply:
January 3rd, 2012 at 9:54 am (Quote)
Wow! Good for your cousin. Going into labor naturally before a scheduled induction is always a good tactic. I recommend hiring a doula during pregnancy to prepare for this common, common suggestion at the end of pregnancy. The thing is, if we’ve already hired a doula in Week 22, say, we are much more likely to talk to her about what our obstetrician says in Week 37 than if we have to scramble to find a second opinion on the Internet. Doulas can really help women avoid unnecessary inductions! http://wp.me/p14IqD-4z
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After the first one being a scheduled (early) C-section because of being breech, all of mine came LATE…7-25 days later than the “due date”. I really wish they would focus on it being an ESTIMATE, instead of a “due-by” date!!
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Michelle Potter Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 9:48 am (Quote)
I like the concept of a “due month” — anywhere from 38 – 42 weeks being considered completely normal. Past 42 weeks I can see showing concern and taking great care to make sure baby is still ok in there, although like you, I’ve had at least one baby come later than that and be perfectly fine. (And she was my breech baby, too!)
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Kate, Ren's mama Reply:
December 29th, 2011 at 12:26 pm (Quote)
That’s why when ever anyone asks my “due date” I say “March” 
Then they usually look confused…
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I was due with my last child on Dec. 30th of this year. At my very first prenatal appointment my former OB pointed out that with all my previous pregnancies I had gestational diabetes and a history of “large” babies (My last two were a whopping 8 pounds. Huge, right?). He was leading up to something about how we could skip the GD testing if I wanted and treat me as a GD patient (not sure how my insurance would have gotten around that, but hey..”You won’t have to drink the glucose!” was a huge selling point). Then he mentioned something about how they wouldn’t let me go past 39 weeks with me “Having GD again”. Um..so the latest I would be pregnant would have been the 23rd.
By that logic, no one would have to miss Christmas or New Years, right? Except me and my children since I would have still been stuck in the hospital on Christmas Eve.
Yeah, first prenatal appointment. It was just one of a few conversations we had that day. I never went back.
And my daughter was born on the 18th. Happy, healthy, and with an awesome OB who actually listened to us. They do exist!
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Veronica Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 5:53 pm (Quote)
Good for you for having the “balls” to stick up for yourself, and your baby. And kudos to baby. She wanted to be present for her first xmas and new years. Hope you weren’t too sleep deprived!
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Ashley Bean Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 8:07 pm (Quote)
What is it with people thinking that 8 lbs is big? I just had my 8 pounder 2 weeks ago and everyone was shocked that he was “so big” since I’m small. Umm, hello, I may be short, but that has nothing to do with my pelvis really because I have hips that go forever. My nurse with my first son (7lb 4 oz) told me that with the amount of room in my pelvis, I could probably birth a 10 lb baby.I told her no thank you, but I appreciate the confindense. lol. She was the only great nurse I had, but anyway I don’t understand the logic behind being scared of “large” babies. I’m glad you switched and got the birth you and your daughter deserved =]
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WellBegun Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 8:14 pm (Quote)
Agreed! My favorite was all the people asking me after my 3rd (8 lbs 6 oz) was born, everyone was like, “What was it like to have such a HUGE baby?!?” It was a lot like having my 2nd, who weighed 8 lbs 2 oz, and was 1/4 inch shorter, thanks! :-p
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Nica Reply:
December 27th, 2011 at 4:37 am (Quote)
My first was 9 lb, 12 oz. My OB was pretty chill about it and we were expecting a large baby (still had a textbook vaginal birth), but all the nurses at the hospital stopped by to see the mom with the “huge baby.” I’m guessing they don’t see too many that big in the hospital these days…
I’m expecting a second and already measuring large. My OB still has a “let’s see what happens” attitude, but I’ve had more than one person ask when I’m planning my c/s since my first was “so big”. WWHHHATTT? I think that one is between me and my doc! I just laugh and don’t even give an answer!
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Rebecca Reply:
December 27th, 2011 at 4:51 am (Quote)
I think it probably has to do with all the inductions and (planned) c-sections. People just aren’t used to seeing full term spontaneous deliveries. My SIL is hoping to induce this week, about a week before her dates so she gets an extra week of recovery before the college semester starts back up. I bit my tongue so hard when I heard about that. Her first child was small for gestational age and there have been multiple date changes, so I’m worried. Not that she’d listen to me. “Anytime after 36 weeks is fine according to my doctor”
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Thanksgiving sounds like a wonderful day to have a baby, so glad you are willing to schedule this far in advance so that you will KNOW you’re going to miss the holiday! What? you meant you wanted to avoid that day? well, i’ll take the 95% chance that baby won’t be born on that day and call it better than a failed induction, k? ooohh, you want the whole weekend off? Well, i’ll just go find another Dr who wants to work that weekend, no problem, i’m ok with you having the next 20 weeks off in fact!
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I was due on the 29th of November, and hoping the baby didn’t arrive on T-day. He can on the 22nd, just two days before. Knowing there was a chance of having a newborn, or being in labor on that day, I just ordered our whole dinner from Central Market.
I ended up transferring to the hospital when it was discovered my son was breech (at 7cm no less), and later found out there were 30 other babies born that same day. When my midwife asked the hospital liaison if they were all inductions, she said ‘no, its really weird, we always have LOADS of babies born the Tuesday before Thanksgiving every year.’ Must be all that holiday stress.
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Rebecca Reply:
December 27th, 2011 at 4:55 am (Quote)
My first due date with my oldest was Thanksgiving. Later, they changed it to Halloween. Around the 10th, I had an appointment where they started talking about induction. I told them they had changed the due date by a month to begin with and had actually changed it three total times, and we would be letting all the due dates pass before inducing (and this was as a 20yo uneducated(about pregnancy) first time mom) T was born spontaneously and precipitously three days later. He split the difference exactly between the due dates.
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Lindsay Helberg had this to say,
Dec 29, 2011 @ 7:48 pm (Quote)
I have been in this boat. My youngest was due the day of thanksgiving. I had originally planned a home birth, but because my water had been broken for 48 hours, my midwife recommended we go to the hospital. Upon arrival the “med”wife as she is so known up here, stomped into the room and managed to spit at me “I was in the middle of dinner!”…to which I replied, “Well so was I what’s your point?” Some people don’t get that when you become a medical professional in the baby delivery industry that sometimes that means giving up what you are doing…and actually earning that big fat paycheck.
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This is the same OB who didn’t have time to answer my questions, didn’t want my husband in the room for a prenatal and who later fired me for taking a Bradley class. All this in just 4 appointments!
Class act.
I went into labor, on my own, 10 days after my guess date.
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Add Your Comment.
Oh yeah?… Well of course lets do that. It would be horrible for you to miss thanksgiving. so go ahead and give me major surgery for whenever its convenient for you!! *eye roll*
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Partlysbabe Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 4:52 am Partlysbabe(Quote)
Opps.. I meant induction not major surgery…
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Rachel Reply:
December 26th, 2011 at 7:09 am Rachel(Quote)
well with the number of times an induction has turned in to major surgery…. you may have been right the first time
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