Can we postpone / refuse induction

They calculate due date from your last period and not so much on the date of conceived so that might be why you feel the dates aren’t lining up. I do feel that you shouldn’t really refuse induction as they would only suggest that if they feel it’s needed and could be a risk to you or baby to go against it

I agree with Lauren. They very rarely advise an induction before full term so if they feel that this is necessary 3 weeks before your DD they must have medical cause. You have right to a second opinion though. Maybe ask to see a different midwife or a consultant and see what they say? Also ask to see the medical report that says you need one and that may give you the medical reasons behind their advice?

Any birth choices are totally up to you, it’s your baby and your body.

@Lauren so they do calculate from last period but at the 12 week which is a dating scan they can change their mind. I was pushed back 3 weeks at this appointment so my date doesn’t go off my last period. I would have thought that the OP’s baby must have been measuring correctly at the 12 week scan otherwise they would have changed?

You can always refuse induction/any other intervention. The best question to ask in a situation like this is "can you tell me what would happen if I decided to wait?". Oftentimes they will literally tell you "nothing, we'll just monitor you and the baby" x

I’m having this issue as well, my first was 5th percentile all the way through and they induced me at 38 weeks. This baby is measuring 4th percentile and they want to induce me at 37 weeks, I've been arguing it and disputing it because medically they are fine. This is dad's 4th baby, all under 10th percentile. You can decline, but then you are considered to be 'birthing out of guidelines' this may be what I'll be doing because this is my last baby and id like to go into spontaneous labour. You have every right to make whatever choice you want to make.

@Lauren I understand but I had my periods on 24/08/2024 ,and before that we didn't have it . And scans measurements are aligning with my LMP , how it is possible that I was already pregnant before my periods.

I'm in a similar position but only by about 3 days. My dating scan was overall horrible but the date they came up with would have meant we conceived 3 days before we actually had sex which of course isn't possible. Those 3 days meant the difference between baby being on the 12th percentile during the 20wk scan and what would have been 20th percentile if going by my dates. So technically didn't make any difference to my care but given I had a c-section and would like to try VBAC I was worried it might impact my care around my "due date" and beyond. I told both my midwife and the obstetrician and they said not to worry and that it's going to be taken into account before anyone is going to try and talk me into any interventions.

@Paulina tbh , I don't feel like they are gonna do anything .but to go with dating scan . And my worry is if they induce me at 37 weeks , I'll be actually 35 weeks. So it will be a preterm baby

Well, again, they can't do anything against your will. They can't restrain you and administer the pitocin drip. They can present their recommended options and you can say "no thanks, I'd rather wait" x

Hmm I know , but scared to make a wrong decision

I've also been advised to be induced at 37 weeks, due to different reasons. I've asked why and other options and I'm leaning towards refusing and having extra monitoring instead. Everyone tells me to trust your gut and you'll know what is best but it's so hard isn't it!

I'm currently reading a hypnobirthing book by the positive birth company and funnily enough just read about this. So when they advise something you have the right to ask, what the benefits are, what the risks of the induction are, if there's any alternative options to the induction and finally, what would happen if we do nothing until you're full term. Once they've answered all those questions you use that to make a decision that you think is best for you and your baby! Totally your decision and they can't force you to do something you don't want to xx

@Emily yh , I did go with their advice When I was pregnant with my son, but tbh they misdiagnosed me and never treated my infection but induced me at 38+2 , which affected his birth weight

You can absolutely decline anything but they will go through all the risks. With regards your dates I think just bare in mind eggs are released at different times in your cycle and can be more mature when you conceive, or the other way you can ovulate later than you thought and sperm can live up to 7 days (poss longer) after sex so can put your dates back. This is why they don't use LMP to date pregnancies, saying that the method they use for the dating scan is old fashioned and isn't always 100% accurate, there's always human error as well if they did measurements wrong. Would have been useful to have another scan around that time if you thought dates were out. Have a look at in your own time the book

I personally wouldn't refuse, there is a reason they induce/ do c section when baby is measuring small, I'm having a c section at 37wks due to her being below the 3rd percentile, the longer they're in there after 37wks the more dangerous it becomes. You can refuse as its your body but it's probably better to listen to medical professionals when it comes to inducing/ getting baby out early as they don't like to do it unless absolutely necessary, I'm not brave enough to be induced so opted for c sec, hope everything goes well for you and bubba xx

@Lauren granted, mine didn't have a growth restriction but they offered me an induction at 38 weeks when I went in for reduced movements because I "might just as well, just in case". I insisted on a second opinion and the consultant agreed I should go home. So it's not always the best course of action. It's always a balance of risks and benefits. That's why I didn't say to refuse blindly. You should always ask what would be the risk of not doing something as well as doing it and what other options are available. Then you make an informed choice based on that. There's also a massive difference between intrauterine growth restriction and baby just being small but growing normally. If you're interested in how inductions have been overindicated by medical professionals read a book called "In your own time" x

Yes I do agree, I asked about 100 questions to be fair 😅 yes iugr is different to sga 100% and every baby is different and needs different outcomes, should definitely question things before just blindly agreeing and getting second opinions, I've seen 3 different people who've all said the same thing in my case but if I thought any different I'd definitely say something xx

the measurements aren’t accurate, i got told baby was going to be massive and they tried inducing me at 38 weeks, went into labour naturally 3 days before my induction date and she was only 6lbs1. you can refuse any medical procedure/test as it’s your body and your baby, but i’d suggest speaking to someone first and making sure you have all the information to make a safe choice.

@Aimee so every scan measurement was wrong in your case?

I’m personally considering refusing the recommendation of induction/c-section because for me personally there are no health risks involved in waiting, they just estimate the baby to be on the bigger side. But no matter how skilled the sonographers are, these scans have up to a 10-15% margin of error for lots of different reasons… Of course, what’s right for some people isn’t what’s right for others. I think as long as you’ve discussed and covered the pros/cons to your decisions with the professionals (and listened to gut feelings too) then you’ve done the best you can to make a well-informed decision - no matter what that is 😌 x

@Chandler yh , just gonna refuse induction as long as baby is growing and placenta is working

massively wrong, tbh it just caused unnecessary stress as i wasn’t aware how inaccurate they could be