Our First WDW Trip as Parents! December 2012 PTR - 12/19 TR LINK!

[Dugette]

My doctor will be rubbing Cytotec on my cervix to help dilate and ripen it more. Then 4 hours later, she'll be having me walk around the hospital to help move things along. Then she'll break my water and if needed, she'll give me pitocin. She's hoping the baby will be here no later than 7pm tomorrow night.

I asked about the Cervadil, but she thinks that Cytotec will be more gradual versus doing cervadil.

I'm definitely nervous about the whole thing now, because i've been reading about this drug, and it seems to be a very unfavorable drug to use during labor. I know everyone has different experiences with different drugs and I shouldn't be reading all these stories, but now i'm really nervous. Anyone know anything about this drug?

Ugh, wish I could just go into labor naturally..

I'm not an expert on Cytotec, as my midwives were planning Cervadil if I needed to be induced, but I have read quite a bit about it on the pregnancy/baby forums I lurk on. As you've seen in your reading, there are some potentially scary things about it. The biggest thing I've seen people mention over and over is that it's not approved to be used in inductions and the manufacturer does not recommend it...it's an off-label use, but commonly done. Some doctors prefer it to Cervadil, as it seems that yours does.

However, I also have seen plenty of birth stories posted where Cytotec was used and I've never seen one that was scary. Most people's inductions went very well and they were quite happy with how things progressed.

Do whatever you are comfortable with. You aren't limited to what your doctor is recommending. If you prefer to go with Cervadil, despite your doctor not favoring it, I'm sure they'd do it. (I should mention, a big difference is that Cervadil can be removed if there is an adverse reaction, but Cytotec cannot).

Also, you are not that far past your due date. And I totally understand wanting to go into labor naturally, as much as possible, at least. If your Biophysical Profile and Non-Stress Tests are coming out good, most doctors will allow patients to go up to 42 weeks before inducing. I know that it's no fun waiting even longer, but I'm glad that we did, since she came at 41w6d.

Anyway, I hope I'm not making your situation worse by sharing all this, but you wanted information, so hopefully it helps. And, again, I've only seen very positive stories from people who were induced with Cytotec, if you go that route. 12 hours of labor seems nice compared to the 48 I had!

Good luck and I hope everything goes smoothly and you have Calvin in your arms soon!

 

[KristiMc]

Good luck tomorrow. I can't wait to see a picture of your little one.

 

[Leshaface]

You'll be holding your little bundle soon! So excited for you! He'll be here before you know it. I'd just enjoy these last few moments and go see a movie or out for one last dinner. I went into labour after a lovely french meal so I'd recommend that. No worries, it's going to be amazing!

We picked up my all time FAVORITE food, spaghetti and meatballs with a very spicy puttanesca sauce. It was yummy!

Oh Lesha how awful to have to think about going tomorrow morning it would make anyone nervous. I know nothing about the drugs you asked about other than the Pitocin which is what thy gave me. I had passed the mucus plug about 6 am started having pains water broke about 10 am went to hospital and pains stopped. Thy had me walking around for a couple of hours then decided to induce because if the risk if infection at 3 pm and my son was born at 5:38pm I have to say the contractions came on hard and fast after the Pitocin but it was so much better than the 48 hours I was in labor with my first son.

Just think tomorrow you will be holding sweet baby Calvin in your arms

It sounds so selfish, but all I can think about is the pain that i'll be feeling with this drug. I've been reading that the contractions are much more painful with Cytotec than Pitocin, but with pitocin, they can at least monitor and turn up/turn down as needed, whereas Cytotec, there is no return. There is also an increased chance of uterine rupture.

I can't even focus on how happy i'll be tomorrow night. All i'm thinking about are the what-if's and the pain i'll be going through tomorrow.

Aw, at least he will hopefully be here tomorrow!!!!

Good luck and I will be thinking about you!!!!

Thank you!

I'm sorry, I don't know about either drug. All I can say is trust your doctors, they do this a lot and like everyone is saying, try and enjoy these last hours of alone time. Everything is going to change tomorrow.

That's what DH said too. To trust her, she knows what she's doing. And I do! I wanted to do a little research on this because the only drugs I had read about were Pitocin and Cervidil, then she stated she wanted to use this drug instead of the others and man, maybe I should have never looked. I am freaking out.

I'm not an expert on Cytotec, as my midwives were planning Cervadil if I needed to be induced, but I have read quite a bit about it on the pregnancy/baby forums I lurk on. As you've seen in your reading, there are some potentially scary things about it. The biggest thing I've seen people mention over and over is that it's not approved to be used in inductions and the manufacturer does not recommend it...it's an off-label use, but commonly done. Some doctors prefer it to Cervadil, as it seems that yours does.

However, I also have seen plenty of birth stories posted where Cytotec was used and I've never seen one that was scary. Most people's inductions went very well and they were quite happy with how things progressed.

Do whatever you are comfortable with. You aren't limited to what your doctor is recommending. If you prefer to go with Cervadil, despite your doctor not favoring it, I'm sure they'd do it. (I should mention, a big difference is that Cervadil can be removed if there is an adverse reaction, but Cytotec cannot).

Also, you are not that far past your due date. And I totally understand wanting to go into labor naturally, as much as possible, at least. If your Biophysical Profile and Non-Stress Tests are coming out good, most doctors will allow patients to go up to 42 weeks before inducing. I know that it's no fun waiting even longer, but I'm glad that we did, since she came at 41w6d.

Anyway, I hope I'm not making your situation worse by sharing all this, but you wanted information, so hopefully it helps. And, again, I've only seen very positive stories from people who were induced with Cytotec, if you go that route. 12 hours of labor seems nice compared to the 48 I had!

Good luck and I hope everything goes smoothly and you have Calvin in your arms soon!

Everything you have written is EXACTLY what i've been reading about! That it's not FDA approved, that they can't remove Cytotec because it's crushed up and placed ******lly, and it can cause uterine rupture. I've also read doctors use this because it is way cheaper than Cervidil, which is honestly, such an awful excuse, and am praying that's not a reason why she isn't using it.

I opened up the envelope of Doctor's Orders (not sure if I was supposed to open it, but I did anyway) and noticed it says 50 mg of Cytotec placed ******lly, which i'm assuming is half a pill. I'm wondering if I could ask her for a quarter of a pill maybe to start? I would just feel stupid, asking someone that deals with this kind of thing on a daily basis for many years, and then here I am asking for something different/altered from the orders because i'm nervous

The NST's are looking good. My doctor told me she didn't like her patients going past 41 weeks.

You are definitely not trying to make things worse. These are things I really wanted to hear about. I just want to be educated on what's going to happen tomorrow and what's being placed in my body and how it will affect Calvin's body.

Thank you again!

Good luck tomorrow. I can't wait to see a picture of your little one.

Thank you!

 

[Dugette]

Everything you have written is EXACTLY what i've been reading about! That it's not FDA approved, that they can't remove Cytotec because it's crushed up and placed ******lly, and it can cause uterine rupture. I've also read doctors use this because it is way cheaper than Cervidil, which is honestly, such an awful excuse, and am praying that's not a reason why she isn't using it.

I opened up the envelope of Doctor's Orders (not sure if I was supposed to open it, but I did anyway) and noticed it says 50 mg of Cytotec placed ******lly, which i'm assuming is half a pill. I'm wondering if I could ask her for a quarter of a pill maybe to start? I would just feel stupid, asking someone that deals with this kind of thing on a daily basis for many years, and then here I am asking for something different/altered from the orders because i'm nervous

The NST's are looking good. My doctor told me she didn't like her patients going past 41 weeks.

You are definitely not trying to make things worse. These are things I really wanted to hear about. I just want to be educated on what's going to happen tomorrow and what's being placed in my body and how it will affect Calvin's body.

Thank you again!

I would say that it couldn't hurt to ask your doctor why she's going with 50mg, since it seems like the accounts I've read have generally been 25mg. And to let her know that you're nervous about the potential side effects. I wouldn't necessarily question her plans, but just ask her to explain them to you...I always like to be informed on things...and it is your body and your baby, so she should be able to explain her choices and their pros/cons to you.

Also, for your concerns about pain, one of my co-workers told me, a few days before I had the baby, that focusing on her breathing really helped her with labor and it wasn't really painful. That stuck with me and I just focused on deep-breath-in-through-nose-slowly-let-breath-out-through-mouth during all the contractions. It really helped me manage the pain and I didn't need any pain meds. Also, if you are able to soak in a tub at all, that can help take an edge off the pain. I also found walking the halls to be helpful and using the birthing ball too. I know that med-induced contractions are said to be more painful, but I also know there are a lot of people that can handle them just fine (especially when they have nothing to compare them to). And it will all be worth it when you get to meet your little guy at the end!

I hope all goes wonderfully for you tomorrow and I'll be thinking of you and Calvin!

 

[franandaj]

All I can add to this conversation is

 

[Leshaface]

I would say that it couldn't hurt to ask your doctor why she's going with 50mg, since it seems like the accounts I've read have generally been 25mg. And to let her know that you're nervous about the potential side effects. I wouldn't necessarily question her plans, but just ask her to explain them to you...I always like to be informed on things...and it is your body and your baby, so she should be able to explain her choices and their pros/cons to you.

Also, for your concerns about pain, one of my co-workers told me, a few days before I had the baby, that focusing on her breathing really helped her with labor and it wasn't really painful. That stuck with me and I just focused on deep-breath-in-through-nose-slowly-let-breath-out-through-mouth during all the contractions. It really helped me manage the pain and I didn't need any pain meds. Also, if you are able to soak in a tub at all, that can help take an edge off the pain. I also found walking the halls to be helpful and using the birthing ball too. I know that med-induced contractions are said to be more painful, but I also know there are a lot of people that can handle them just fine (especially when they have nothing to compare them to). And it will all be worth it when you get to meet your little guy at the end!

I hope all goes wonderfully for you tomorrow and I'll be thinking of you and Calvin!

I'll definitely ask her tomorrow morning about the dosage. My SIL's sister, just sent me a facebook message saying that she has used it many times for her DNC and miscarriages that she's had, and she said it wasn't that bad. Which is scary, seeing how they use this drug for two purposes, both far different from the other, but strangely comforting knowing that someone else has taken it and it wasn't bad.

I'm really late on this, but I haven't had/watched any classes on breathing or anything, so hopefully deep breaths like you're saying to do, will come easy for me.

Thank you again!

All I can add to this conversation is

Thanks Alison

 

[Dugette]

I'm really late on this, but I haven't had/watched any classes on breathing or anything, so hopefully deep breaths like you're saying to do, will come easy for me.

If it helps, we only had a little stuff on breathing in our classes and the ONLY thing I could remember was the deep breaths...so I just did that the whole time. Just find what works for you and stick with it.

Hope you get some rest tonight and everything goes smoothly tomorrow!

 

[sica1799]

I don't know much on induction because I never had one scheduled, but I wanted to sent you lots of love and quick labor dust!!! I know you are super stressed right now, but I can GUARANTEE that once Calvin is here, none of it will matter. Congrats momma!!!

 

[monica23535]

Good luck for today! Have everything crossed for you!

 

[Dream426]

Good luck today!! You will be fine.

 

[mnrhannah07]

Hey!! I have been following but not really replying anymore as I have so much stuff going on right now!! I'm sending a lot of prayers your way today!!! With my son, they used a cervix ripening balloon(very painful and uncomfortable), pitocin, cervidil and prepidill...my little guy did not want to come out! Now, on the other hand, I was only 31 wks and was sick with preeclampsia lol but at any rate, good luck today!!! You will forget all this when Calvin arrives!!!

 

[oboedm]

Prayers a being said for you today! Good luck!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[happenin2you]

Sending lots of love and hugs and prayers that everything goes well and that you and Calvin are healthy!

 

[disneybarbie]

Sending lots of luv & pixie dust to you Lesha!

I hope everything is ok today.. can't wait to see photos of your baby very soon!



Emma x

 

[heathsf]

I didn't see the update from Sunday until now and I'm so excited! I hope everything today has been going great! Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing a picture of Calvin

 

[franandaj]

Alicia posted this on FB about half an hour ago.

"Calvin Davis Crow born October 2, 2012 at 7:07, 7 lbs 15 oz, 20 inches long. Thank you all SO much for your texts, calls, and FB messages/posts. I just wanted to post this really quick to thank everyone since I havent had time to respond back to everyone just yet. I will have better pics tomorrow!"

I don't know how to transfer pics from FB to the DIS, but he sure is a cutie!

 

[monica23535]

Omg! That s the best news!

Can't wait to see pictures of him

 

[heathsf]

 

[Dream426]

YAY!! Congrats!! Can't wait to see pictures.

 

[KristiMc]

Congrats!!!