05/26/2026
THEY NEED YOU MORE THAN YOU NEED THEM.
Your ESTIMATED DUE DATE is not a fixed date, it is not the Word of God, and it should not be treated as such. It is a guess, an educated guess, but a guess.
Most first time mothers will go to 41 weeks.
Most second time mouths will go past 40 weeks.
Your OBs impatience and panic to get your baby birthed has nothing to do with their safety or your best interest (in normal, healthy, low risk moms) and everything to do with their own convenience.
The ARRIVE Trial set out to show that babies had better outcomes when evicted early, having been "saved from pregnancy". What they found? No improvement in outcomes for babies at all. And that's not even the tip of the iceberg because wtf that study could not have been more poorly run if they actually tried.
We know MOMS aren't happier (hello, 1/3 report feeling dissatisfied with their maternity care, 45% report feeling they felt unsafe to express concerns or ask questions), they also aren't healthier (despite spending the most $$ per patient in the US we still rank 52nd in the world for maternal outcomes, expnentially worse for Black mothers), so it ain't for US. We're not exactly killing it atm.
So it's clearly about the hospital. About your doctor wanting to be sure they can be at your birth and bill for it. Nursing managers to be able to ensure adequate staffing and not have nurses hanging around getting paid if there isn't enough work. It's about all the wrong things.
ELECTIVE INDUCTION? JUST SAY NO!
