Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Dec
31
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“You Can’t Refuse An Induction..!”
“You can’t refuse an induction! I am scheduling you for next week and you will come in as scheduled, unless of course you want a dead baby. Is that what you want?” – OB to gestationally diabetic mother at her 37 week prenatal.
There are 34 comments to this post.
Jessica had this to say,
Dec 31, 2011 @ 5:56 am (Quote)
So if mom doesn’t show that day, then at the stroke of midnight the baby will suddenly die? But if she consents, she and baby are guaranteed a perfect outcome, right? No increased risk of C-Section, respiratory distress, NICU stay, etc. I’m pretty sure those are important factors to consider instead of just a doctor’s preference to hurry and get it over with.
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Mama Wrench had this to say,
Dec 31, 2011 @ 6:03 am (Quote)
The perfect shirt for every OB visit: Citation Needed
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At least my OB threatened me with a too-big baby, not a dead one. He also talked smack about women who chose to educate themselves on the internet because they didn’t have his education as a doctor. This is some ridiculous crap! Sorry they tried the dead baby card on you, OP.
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Maybeth Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 10:39 am (Quote)
I had a doctor tell me that there was no way I could possible make a decission on my mom’s care because I don’t have any medical eduction. I guess he missed the class on informed concent,and mainly the “if a cliend is not informed they cannot concent”. Needly to say, he was fired.
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Maggie had this to say,
Dec 31, 2011 @ 7:23 am (Quote)
*sigh* I could have written this. The perinatologist I used after my GD diagnosis told me “ok we are going to do an amnio, and if that’s clear we’ll induce tonight ” I was 36w2d. The baby was measuring under 7lbs and had great non-stress results. I told him no I couldn’t without my mother there and that she would be back in the country on Saturday am ( 3 days from then). He said ” oh we don’t do inductions on weekends!”. Hmmm kinda took away some of the dead baby argument he had been using on me.
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Maggie had this to say,
Dec 31, 2011 @ 7:49 am (Quote)
I still had the induction at 37w2d which ended in a c-section after 35 hours of labor. DD was posterior and wouldn’t turn. She ended up with the cord wrapped around her neck 3 times. I’m convinced this was because she wasn’t ready to come and the forced labor didn’t let her position naturally. We are not technically cleared for CP until she is 3 because of the oxygen deprivation she experienced. Our Ped however has told us she is so far ahead in her development that we don’t need to worry. We came closer to a dead baby BECAUSE of the induction. Next time I won’t let the dead baby card get to me.
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Watch me, doc. I can do anything I want, as long as I know the facts. And the facts do NOT say that if I refuse at this point I will have a dead baby. So if I don’t show up, you’ll send the sheriff after me to haul me in for the induction? I can’t say I’ve ever heard of that happening.
Show me that my baby is in trouble, I’ll be glad to discuss an induction. Otherwise, if you are just looking at a calendar and playing the dead baby card, I’ll pass.
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Beth had this to say,
Dec 31, 2011 @ 9:53 am (Quote)
A sheriff did show up to drag an hbac mom to the hospital for a court ordered cbac in Florida.
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Maybeth Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 10:44 am (Quote)
I think in that case Mom had gone to the hospital and left AMA. I could be completly wrong. If you go into labor on your own the doctor wouldn’t know that you were in labor. For the record, I fully support HBAC when Mom is fully prepared, with a support team, and knows when she needs to transport.
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Jen Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 11:13 am (Quote)
I don’t know the circumstances of that case but the phrase “court ordered CBAC” made me cringe. The idea that a court can actually force a woman to have a C-section terrifies me. Even it was to save the life of the child, that door is now open for the court to make that kind of decision in other cases also. Scary.
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Christina Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 11:57 am (Quote)
If it’s the same case I’m thinking of, the mom had only gone in to the hospital to recieve some IV hydration since she had become dehydrated in the course of her labor. They demanded she have a c-section on the spot despite the fact that her and her baby were just fine other than being a little dehydrated (which they never did do anything about). A kindly nurse showed them out the back door. The hospital was able to obtain an emergency court order, and the sheriff showed up at her door and took her back to the hospital where she underwent unnecessry surgery against her will. 
In another case a cancer patient was forced to undergo a c-section at 20 some weeks simply because she had choosen to take the cancer drugs that would save her life but kill the fetus rather than continuing the pregnancy. The baby later died anyway.
As far as forced inductions go I know of at least one case that happened in my area. A mom was planning a homebirth with twins, went in for an NST at 36 weeks and despite the fact that everything looked fine was told that she would be having an induction that day. When she tried to refuse she was told that a police escort was waiting outside to take her to the hospital. I have no idea if there really was or if the doc was just bluffing but either way the threat worked. She was subjected to many more abuses in the hospital including being digitally raped by a midwife who refused to remove her fingers from her vagina until she consented to amniotomy. Sad to say that this happened in a VERY birth friendly area of the country where home births are extremly common. Very scary stuff.
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mharry Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 12:40 pm (Quote)
The second case sounds like you’re refering to Angela Carter. Not only did her child die, but she died too, after being wheeled into the OR with her husband, parents, and doctor saying not to do this. She even regained consciousness long enough to refuse consent herself. It was incredibly disgusting, and the ACLU took her case to court and won. Her family later sued the hospital and charged them with her death.
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Lisa had this to say,
Dec 31, 2011 @ 11:28 am (Quote)
My friend had this happen to her as well. She tested positive for GD at 28 weeks and kept it under control with diet and exercise. The baby always measured right on or even a little small. At 38 weeks her OB started talking induction. She had been taking Bradley classes and wanted to go natural. OB threatened her with dead baby card as well. At 39 weeks she switched to midwife to have a home birth instead. Age had the baby, naturally, at 41 weeks and 4 days. She was 7lbs 2oz and 22 1/2 in long. Can you imagine what would have happened to that baby is she’d been convicted to induce early?
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Kate, Ren's Mama had this to say,
Dec 31, 2011 @ 11:55 am (Quote)
Wow, the way this is phrased it almost sounds like the OB is threatening to kill the baby! This is just ridiculous. OP, I hope you knew your rights and weren’t bullied into an unwanted induction.
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Kate, Ren's Mama Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 11:57 am (Quote)
(fwiw, I of course know the OB was not really threatening to kill the baby. But read the quote in your best Godfather voice and you’ll see what I mean 
)
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Beth had this to say,
Dec 31, 2011 @ 12:15 pm (Quote)
Cant reply directly on my phone. Yes the case in fl the mom had gone in for fluids. In the Angela carder case they force the c at 26 weeks and they both died. That case is supposed to be the precedent that fetus can’t supersede woman. There are hospitals all over that will call a judge.
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I can, I will, I did.
Baby was born at 40w3d.
Or maybe he’s a zombie?
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Tee Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 4:26 pm (Quote)
Definitely a zombie! Either that or you just dreamed that whole labor and birth thing when you’re really still pregnant. After all, EVERYONE knows that babies won’t come out unless you’re induced.
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I am an insulin dependent type 1 diabetic and I was induced with my first child at 39 weeks. Having been there and done that, I DID refuse an induction with my 2nd child. I naturally birthed an 11 lb 11 oz baby boy in 2 1/2 hours 5 days before my due date. I told all my doctors from day 1, this time I will not be induced and I gave birth the way I wanted to.
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My CNM mentioned I’m at a much higher risk of having a dead baby 10 times in 5 minutes at my 33 week visit because of Diabetes… my baby is normal size with ZERO complications related to GD… Then she ended my appointment and showed me the door when I told her I’m tired of the hospitals scare tactics and she has a horrible bedside manner. And I mean literally showed me the door!
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As much an asshole response as this was, the doctor did in fact admit that the mom didn’t absolutely *have* to show up. He was probably wrong about what would happpen. Cause my doctor told me that my baby would have a stroke, then die. So this one was ill informed. It’s stroke, then death.
sorry if this is upsetting anyone, I’m kind of bitter that I didn’t see through my doctor’s bull crap and bullied me into an induction myself for the same stupid reason.
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Jane Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 6:13 am Jane(Quote)
You’re right: when the doctor says “you can’t refuse” and then in the next sentence outlines the consequences of refusal, the doctor has admitted the first sentence was a lie.
I’m sorry you got bullied and badgered. I’d be bitter too.
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