Confused, worried. one of the two

I think if it was bad that they would have sent you right away. They are probably concerned though becasue baby is small at 38 weeks. But personally I wouldn't worry about it as long as they said he was healthy.

Now I have never been induced but the few folks i have talked to about it have mentioned how much more painful it was and that it took longer. But I never have been so I do not have any personal experiences.

I would just relax and enjoy what may be your last day or so child free and make sure you have everyhting ready to go should they decide to induce. Just think you get to hold Chace this much earlier!

like karen said i think that if it was something bad they would have done something then not waited until Thursday! I had one child with induction and one without... and the one that was induced was in my case more painful... the pitocin makes the contractions worse and therefore more painful.

Try to relax and like karen said make sure everything's ready.. it'll all be worth it because soon you will have your baby boy.

OK...why they are inducing is more then likely something they refer to as IUGR(inter-uterine growth retardation) or "failure to thrive". This sounds scarier then it usually is, especially at 38 weeks. Basically it's when they baby isn't growing at a standerd rate and they start to worry that it may be that the placenta is not doing it's job. When the placenta stops being efficiant then it it usually better for the baby(if they are close enough to term) to come out, because once the placenta starts to decline if the baby stays in then it won't get the oxygen and nutrients it needs. In your case they probably figure at 38 weeks the baby will do a lot better out here where they can get him fattened up better.....they don't want to leave him there and risk the placenta shutting down entirely and putting the baby in real danger.

As for induction.....I have been induced twice, with my second and third, and I have to say my inductions were a 100 times easier then my "natural" labor. However I had something to compare to since I had had a baby the regular way. With it being your first, labor is gonna be scarey and hard no matter the method. You will here a ton of horror stories about inducion, but take it with a grain of salt. honestly labor HURTS, whether brought on by pitocin or by baby himself, and the more you can try to relax the better it will be. Labor is differant with every women...some have it easy and some have it hard.....and no one who has been induced can say for sure if their labor would have been harder or easier if it had happened naturally. My induced labors were great....however I will never know if they would have been better or worse if I had went naturally!

I think Bridget covered it! I'm sure they are just being precautionary and trying to avoid any potentially dangerous situations. Good luck and hope everything goes smoothly!

Bridget covered it great. I was thinking the same thing that the baby would do just as well delivered so they figure they might and wanted you to prepare incase.

I agree with everything Bridget said as well!

Good luck!!

I agree with Bridget. My labor was induced also (I was in labor on my own, but since it had been a few days, they decided to augment with pitocin to speed things up) In all honesty, my labor and delivery was great! It wasn't too painful, and the most pain I had was in like the last hour or so, but the pushing made it feel LOTS better. I also had natural labor with no medications or an epidural and it was my first. He was 8lbs. 7 oz. But every woman is different. They'll start you out slow with the pitocin so as not to overwhelm you, and then they'll slowly increase the amount over time. It won't be too bad and I'm sure everything will turn out great! Good luck hun. Take care ok, it'll be alright.

Angie