To Induce or Not to Induce?

As I write this, my due date looms two days away. It's my second pregnancy, so I know what to expect, more or less. It's just that I totally bought into the "Your second one usually comes early." Heck I even got a gut feeling two weeks ago that he would arrive before his due date.

So why did I schedule an induction?

I was feeling pretty laid back about his arrival, since it's my second pregnancy. I just washed and put away all the new baby boy clothes from the baby shower. Hubby just assembled the bassinet last week. The hospital tour was the last straw. We were totally impressed by the hospital--a different one from my daughter's birth. After that tour, we were ready for baby to arrive! That was two week ago.

When you walk into your 39 week OB appointment and your doctor says, "You're still pregnant?" (all in good fun of course), you know everyone is ready for your baby to arrive! So far, the baby shows no signs that he's ready to come out into the world.

My doctor went ahead and scheduled me for an induction two days after my due date. I totally went along with it because I figured if I scheduled an induction, by virtue of Murphy's law, he'll come before then, right?

So why am I unsure now? With this pregnancy, I don't want any drugs. (My daughter came the day before her due date, and I felt coerced into an epidural, but that's another story). I want to deliver naturally. Getting an induction isn't natural.

However, my parents are flying up from Louisiana for the week of Thanksgiving. It'd be a shame if they couldn't meet their first grandson while they were here. Plus who wants to be stuck in the hospital during the holidays? AND I'm ready to get back to work. I already have Passion Parties booked the first weekend of December.

So far my reasons seem entire selfish. So what do I do? Hope that I go into labor before the induction date? Wait it out and see what happens?

Baby #2 hasn't even been born yet and the mommy guilt has already begun.   

This is an original DC Metro Moms Blog post.

Hopefully by the time this is publish, Thien-Kim will have birthed her baby. In the meantime, you can catch her at Cup of Creativi-Tea and Passion & Art.

Photo by Robbert van der Steeg via Flickr.