Why I Declined an Induction

I want to be clear that hypnobirthing isn’t just about pushing for “natural” births. You can do hypnobirthing and have all the pain relief. You can do hypnobirthing and have an induction or a C-section. It isn’t about saying no to interventions for the sake of it — it’s about informed choice and doing what’s right for you.

I’m sharing my experience, but you might have done — or want to do — something totally different, and that’s great, because that’s what’s right for you.

I’ve mentioned it before, but before pregnancy I was scared shitless of birth. Like, genuinely terrified. I couldn’t even watch the fakest birth scenes in movies. Think Knocked Up — ridiculously unrealistic, and still no chance of me watching it without squirming.

It became a problem I was willing to throw money at to fix. A couple of friends mentioned hypnobirthing, so I thought it was worth a shot. I read a book, did an online course, and eventually booked an in-person private course. Honestly, the money we spent paid for itself many times over. I’ve had two incredible births — not because they were “natural,” but because of how I felt about them. The biggest takeaway for me was the mindset shift — something I now see all the time when teaching hypnobirthing in Glasgow.

I once read that birth will change you — that it stays with you forever, something you’ll always remember. I wanted to give myself the best chance for that memory to be a positive one, and I’m so glad I did. Birth is such a huge life event, and we deserve to invest in ourselves so we can look back on it and be proud. We deserve to understand what’s happening in your body. We deserve to understand your hormones. I know that when I’m a wee old granny, I’ll remember my births as amazing life events— not the brand of baby equipment we spent a shit ton of money on.

So I learnt about birth rights, informed choice, consent, and practical decision-making tools. My pregnancy was going smoothly — everything looked straightforward.

Until it wasn’t.

I went over my “due date.” I expected this — I knew only around 5% of babies are born on their due date, so I tried not to fixate on it. Instead, I saw it as: I’ll meet my baby from this date onwards. First-time mums are more likely to go over 40 weeks anyway (although really, babies come when they come — it’s not something we can accurately predict).

At my routine 40-week appointment, I was told they wanted to “book me in for a sweep.” I already knew that stretch and sweeps don’t always work. And when people said, “Oh yeah, I had a sweep and had my baby the next day,” I couldn’t help but think… was your body not already preparing for labour at 40+ weeks anyway?

A stretch and sweep is an attempt to bring labour forward — before your body, your hormones, and your baby are necessarily ready. That didn’t feel right for me. For someone else, it might be the perfect choice — and that’s what matters. Making your own decision. So I declined and carried on with my pregnancy.

At 41 weeks, I was told I’d need to be booked in for an induction. When I declined again, I was told I’d need to move from midwife-led care to consultant-led care at the hospital.

Just to be clear — I still felt great. I was doing yoga, walking the dog, enjoying the calm before the storm of maternity leave. There was nothing medically wrong.

So something didn’t sit right. Why the push for induction?

I’d essentially been put into a tick box for being “overdue” and going against policy. Nobody asked how I felt. Nobody asked about my lifestyle or personal circumstances. Nobody explained the benefits and risks of waiting for spontaneous labour — or of induction.

And generally, I’m a rule follower. Especially as women, we’re often brought up to be “good girls,” to respect authority and do as we’re told. But I’d done my research — and it was time to advocate for myself.

I learned that inductions are offered post dates because the risk of stillbirth does increase (slightly) after 40 weeks.

Here’s a simple way to look at that risk:

Gestation	Stillbirth Risk (approx)
40 weeks	0.4 in 1,000 (0.04%)
41 weeks	0.7 in 1,000 (0.07%)
42 weeks	1.5 in 1,000 (0.15%)

(based on evidence from Muglu et al. 2019)

For me, that risk was still very small — and even lower in a low-risk pregnancy. It was something I understood and felt comfortable with when choosing to wait for spontaneous labour.

And I want to say this loudly: YES, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DECLINE INDUCTION.

It might be hospital policy, but it’s not the law. Your care providers may not always promote that, but they are working within a system — and you are still entitled to make your own choices.

Of course, induction isn’t risk-free either. Nothing in life is. We can’t reduce risk to zero, and we can’t prevent every outcome. That’s why informed choice matters so much — something I’m really passionate about when supporting parents through hypnobirthing in Glasgow.

I reminded myself why waiting for spontaneous labour felt important to me. Evidence suggests that it can be associated with:

• a higher chance of a straightforward physiological birth

• more positive birth experiences

• fewer interventions (like forceps or caesarean)

• a lower likelihood of baby needing special or intensive care

(In Your Own Time, 2021 — Dr Sara Wickham)

I went into spontaneous labour at 41+2 — and I felt so empowered by the choices I’d made.

Induction can absolutely be the right choice in some situations. But for me, it wasn’t.

It felt like it was being offered because of a check box — not because of a specific medical need. And the evidence didn’t suggest I’d have a better outcome by accepting it.

This was my experience, and this is why I made the decision I did.

No one should make decisions about your birth except you. Not a midwife, not a consultant, not a doula, not a hypnobirthing instructor. Yes, they can inform you with evidence but only you should make the final decision.

What helps massively is doing your own research and understanding why you’re making the choices you are.

If you want to explore more evidence-based information, these are great places to start:

• https://www.sarawickham.com/

• https://evidencebasedbirth.com/

• https://www.rachelreed.website/
  

Or have a listen here:https://www.melaniethemidwife.com/podcasts/the-great-birth-rebellion

And if you’re curious about hypnobirthing Glasgow classes or want to join my free taster session, you can check out my next session here.